Monday, August 30, 2010

Vintage Seen

Digital Diva here. One of my new favorite apps is called Vintage Scene. It allows for all kinds of grungifying to antique your iPhone photo art. This first shot is of Smileys Bar in Bolinas CA. It lends itself perfectly to this aging technique.


This was a relatively crappy shot of a tree with sun starring through it; was all blocked up and I opened the shadows and decreased the contrast in Photoforge, creating a crappy low contrast shot. Ah, but all is not lost. I knew when I took it that it would make a great antique looking image.

My handsome, talented son, Brian Kavanaugh Jones as he photographed Lake Tahoe, and I photographed him. No, this is not 1954, it was a couple of weeks ago.
Here in Lake Tahoe, a group of us have a picnic on the beach every Tuesday night. This forces us to go to the beach, because no matter where you live, it's easy to forget to partake of the great places we live unless of course we have company. After sunset, we spotted the M.S. Dixie paddlewheeler boat cruising across the lake. A perfect subject for grunging - it seems like it is from another century.

Finally, the Ahwahnee Hotel's dining room in Yosemite is as gorgeous and timeless today as it was when it opened in 1927.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Having a Fleuriffic Time With the iPhone

iPhone Diva here. The greatest thing about the iPhone (aside from the apps) is that I always have it with me. And so I take photos that I might never have even thought to shoot.

This group of flowers was planted along side the main Hwy 50 here in Lake Tahoe. The Dude and I were walking by and just had to stop and pay homage.

This first shot was made with the app Slow Shutter, for a kind of soft dreamy effect.


These tulips were sketched in Toonpaint and the sketch was combined with the original in DXP. Not exactly sure which blend mode, maybe multiply.


This wider shot of the road tulips really looks painted to me. I sure wish I could remember what apps I used for this. Alas, it may end up being one of a kind.


I went to my local Safeway store to buy some food and had to walk through the flower section. They had some lovely orchids and I shoved my iPhone right into their little faces. The flower manager came over and I thought "Uh oh. I'm in trouble." But no, she was excited about what I was doing and wanted to show me some other blooms that might be fun to shoot. Now that's customer service!!

I optimized the orchid in Photogene (color, levels, sharpness, etc) and framed it with the Crop n Frame app.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Sending Roses iPhone Style

Digital Diva here. There are some subjects that I have to shoot over and over. I can't help myself. Butterflies and fish. Flowers. Most especially roses. Roses have such symbology wrapped in their beautiful petals. Love. Romance. Apology. Vicious thorns combined with glorious scent. And on and on and on.

This photo was optimized in Photogene, then tweaked in an app called Timeless Photo. I love the vintage look of it.
My same rose photo was graphic artified in an app called addLib. I love it although you have to keep working with it to get an effect you actually want.
I shot this triptych with one of my favorite apps called Mosaic Lite. You shoot three images (or more depending on what "tych" you select before shooting. It takes a little work to get a decent image. This one is a little soft - it could use some sharpness. And yet, I like the dreaminess, too. Especially for the right collage or double exposure (see next photo.)

I combined my little Paris bride (see iPhone Diva blog entry Romance de Paris ) using the DXP app with the soft pink roses for this image. Expect to see more roses - as long as I have my iPhone.