Why I love summers in Tahoe.

Up before dawn with Lynette to shoot the sunrise at Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe. First out of my pocket was my iPhone, and this the first image of the day. Just point and shoot. No tweaking at all.



After shooting many images from that spot, we wandered over to Eagle Falls and I took this photo. 3 image pano with AutoStitch. Coral ND grad added with Tiffen Photo FX. Then warmed up slightly in Photogene. Amazing. All on the phone.



Now much as I love my iPhone, this was a morning that continued to call out for my "big boy" cameras. This was the shot when the sun finally broke the horizon. Tripod, 2/3 sec shutter speed on each of three exposures (blended in Photomatics). 2 stop neutral density filter on the sky. Loved the result!

Getting an Eyeful of the Eiffel

Digital Diva here. The Eiffel Tower is the most iconic symbol of Paris. Yet on the day we visited it, we had a relatively uninteresting sky and flat noontime light. What to do? Whip out the iPhone of course and get app-happy. The first image is essentially boring - a sleeper of a record shot.
A little faux HDR with Photoforge helped jazz it up.
With Tiffen Cool FX app, I turned the shot into black and white, sepia toned. Frosted edging was added with ArtCamera app. I like this image.
Camera Bag app has my favorite faux infrared - somehow looks painted too in the sky.
My favorite image was made taking the HDR frame and adding PicGrunger app to make a old postcard effect.

Somewhere Under A Rainbow

Digital Diva here with a look at one of my favorite photo phenoms. Looking out the window in Hawaii, I saw this rainbow. I shot the iPhone photo right through the window streaked with rain. (Hey, no need get wet!)


Here is the HDR version done with TrueHDR app. You can faintly see some diffusion from the wet window, which actually makes it look more painterly.


Next I tried a faux infrared with Tiffen IR filter in PhotoFX. Believe it or not, we have rainbows like this on Moloka`i - it is called the land of the night rainbows. They happen during the full moon when it shines on the veils of upland rain. Sometimes they are pastel colors; more often I've seen the in varying shades of white. It is always awe inspiring to see the night rainbow.



Fnally, I combined the faux IR with the color shot and blended them in DXP, the double exposure app for this watercolor effect.

Things Are Getting Sketchy with My iPhone

Digital Diva here! Interesting images when you combine a sketch (done in ArtCAmera app) with the original photograph. I used DXP with various blend modes for final photos.

The highest sea cliffs in the world seen from Mo`omomi Beach are in Moloka`i. Can you tell it was dawn when I took the original? No? Then can someone tell me why I got up at 430 am?


Flowers at midday, thank heaven.


Aspen trees photo was taken last spring - worked just now.

Three New Images

Digital Dude here. Sorry it's been so long between posts. I've been working on a number of projects. One of my favorites -- my weekly photos of celebration which (if you are on the digitaldivadigitaldude mailing list) you already receive. If not, go to www.celebratewhatsright.com and sign up.

Here are three recent fun iphone shots.....

First, a shot of a bass sitting next to a wall at a hotel in Honolulu

Next a shot of my son's dog on the beach in Malibu

Finally.... a shot of my big toe as I waited for a doctor's appointment

As you can see, the iPhone is ready to entertain you no matter what situation you are in! Enjoy!

Best Straight iPhone Shot Ever!

Digital Diva here with the best straight iPhone shot ever. No photoshop, no cool iPhone apps. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Except maybe supernatural or divine creation having nothing to do with the photographer. The Dude gave a coffee cup to his Diva for Christmas this year that says "Dog Mom" on it and has a ring of paw prints on its inner circumference. I zapped a cup of coffee in the microwave and pulled it out to find this perfect paw print in bubbles on top. When I hollered to the Digital Dude to come look, he gasped and said "Did you get a picture of it?" I did. Proving that the Best Camera truly is the one you have with you. Ahhhhhh, the paws that refreshes.

Through The Looking Glass

Digital Diva here with some questions to ponder. What is our personal creative vision? What themes continually drive our photographic expression? Who are we as artists?

Having just finished a fabulous photo seminar here on Molokai called "Rekindling The Creative Spirit" co-taught by Dewitt Jones, Rikki Cooke, Theresa Airey, and Jonathan Kingston, the Diva may be getting closer to an answer for herself. This annual event fills participants and instructors with inspiration and new techniques/ideas for going further in our photos. We come away rejuvenated; our photography gains new life.

Still, when we examine the themes that continually show up in our image-making, even as we explore new creative options, we may discover clues to an artistic identity; our photo vision if you will.

I gave a slide show for the class combining images from 15 years ago (film, what a concept), digital images from the last year and a half, and more recent iPhone images. All these photo media had distinct commonalities. My unifying themes were and are abstraction, simplicity, and other realities. With "other realities" taking top billing. I've always been captivated by the underlying realities that a camera can see even when we can't. Slow shutter speeds, camera movement, multiple exposure continue to dominate how I "see".

Can you look back and find some of your themes? What attracts you again and again photographically? As Rikki Cooke says, "What's turning your head?"

Here are a couple of iPhone photo art images that turned my head. Or were in my head. Or both.