June 30th, 2010

Remember the old Polaroid cameras . . . the ones that spit pictures out the front and took a minute or two to process? I loved those cameras for the immediate gratification they gave the shooter. This shot comes from the Retro Camera Apps version of the Polaroid camera. Unlike a real Polaroid print, this one will never fade!

June 29th, 2010

Another image shot with the Retro Camera App . . . this time, I used the "Pin Hole" camera setting. I remember building my first pin hole camera in Mr. Horsefield's 9th grade science class. I was thrilled to see a high-tech App emulate the look of the old pin-hole results - so much so that I am currently building a pin hole camera with my daughter - who still doesn't get the whole concept of actually waiting for film to get developed. Should be fun!

June 28th, 2010

I captured this image using one of my favorite camera phone apps, Retro Camera. There are four settings for this app, Barbl, Little Orange Box, xolaroid 2000 and Pinhole Camera. I'll be using this camera all week to showcase some of the neat features. Each image from this app comes with it's own frame - all done in camera. I shot was this image with the Barbl camera setting while sitting in traffic this morning. Thought the effect was perfect for a shot like this. Can't wait to show off more of the features!

June 27th, 2010

This was captured with the Droid Eris's default camera and then edited with Adobe's Mobile Photoshop App. I bumped up the contrast on the image and then utilized the soft focus effect to soften up the edges a bit. You can find out more about the Photoshop App right here! While the video focuses on the iPhone as a platform for the App, it is available on more than the Apple product and the features are identical.

June 26th, 2010

One of the things I concentrate on shooting with my big camera are architectural and/or design details. Love them - the little nuances that make a structure unique. This weaving is on a book shelf in our house. I used the tilt/shift function of the Camera 360 App to focus in on a few of the weaves, while keeping the foreground and background softly out of focus. Still amazes me that there are apps that hearken back to the old days of shooting. Love it!

June 25th, 2010

This shot was taken with the FX Camera App . . . with this app, you're given the choice between several different types of cameras, including the one below, called Toy Camera. The subject is but one of the many antique typewriters I collect. The ability to drop the camera phone in nice and tight adds to my ability to acquire angles I'd find rather tough with my big, bulky DSLR . . . Very happy with this shot!

June 24th, 2010

This image was captured near one of those old barns you see alongside the road . . . the wood was aged to this wonderful, weathered texture, grey and cracked along the grain. There was a solitary pop of color and I worked my camera phone in nice and close. I used the Photoshop Mobile app to soften the edges of the image, using the blur vignette tool, and boosted the contrast a bit to further pop the color. I am thrilled with this shot . . . hopefully it's inspiring others to rethink that little camera in your pocket!

June 23rd, 2010

This first image was captured using the Camera 360 app from mAPPn, Inc. This is one of the stronger camera phone apps available for the HTC Droid Eris as it offers everything from a Black and White conversion to fun things, like a Tilt/Shift feature, which I can't wait to experiment with! Another surprising feature of the camera phone is the ability to shoot macro, without a macro setting. These rain drops are on the windshield of my car and my phone is about half an inch away from the first on you see in frame. Nice and sharp and full of contrast. Wonderful little shot from a camera phone!

June 22nd, 2010

With this new blog, I hope to push the expectations on how people regard the little cameras contained in their cell phones. Much like Chase Jarvis, author of The Best Camera, I believe that the very best camera is the one you have with you. And using the mantra of another photographer I follow, David duChemin, "gear is good, vision is better" I hope to inspire you to take another look at how you can utilize your camera phone to take great pictures. Using only various camera apps available for my HTC Droid Eris, including Photoshop Mobile and Camera 360, I'll be posting images on a daily basis for your enjoyment . . . can't wait to hear what you think!