Beech Tree Bark - Inspired by Nature 2

This is another photo taken of the beech tree bark. This image was taken in bright sunlight so striations of the bark not as evident. Native camera iPhone 5s - HDR. This I named "Beech Tree -Inspired by Nature 2". Postprosessing I used PS Express App - Drama Filter with a small amount of sharpening. Another image that is open to interpretation. Is this a medieval weapon or some prehistoric two-headed animal??

Beech Bark Inspired by Nature Art No.1

Today is a failed technical image just to show that the iPhone does have it's limitations (due to sensor size) if you end up cropping an image.   I like to take photos of textures, especially different tree barks. This image is a beech tree which has a more smooth bark than the oaks, hickory, etc.  It was interesting because I found some inspired by nature artwork. Whether this is weather, disease, insect related??? This image is not sharp and pixelated**. I tried various in camera apps, but the best I could do was using PSE 11 and doing "smart fix". ** First of all there is no ability to take the image as a RAW image on an iPhone, the sensor is small, and if you crop the image to show more detail, then you will lose clarity and begin to see pixelation. i.e. the image is not sharp and can apprear jagged even if you did use a tripod. I did not use a tripod which is recommended for close up or macro shots..  This circle was probably 3 inches in diameter.  I was trying to get close but hoped to get some detail of the bark surrounding the textured circle as smaller cracks were present which I did not notice when I was taking the image.  The image has some blueish cast because it was taken late afternoon in a shaded wooded area.  An LED screen can be misleading as to the details of the image.

Lillies at the Grocry Store

Today was a grab shot at a grocery store with fresh flowers  I.liked the lighting on these lilies. Didn't have time to play with apps. I did edit lighting - midtones, sharpness in PSE 11. I thiink the image would make a nice notecard but probably I would print on matte photo paper. Then use dark green card base and a pink mat. If I actually get around to making it. I could post the finished card front under comments. This could be used for a get well card, congratulations, happy birthday, thank yoy, or "Just a Note".

Red Tropical Plant - NC Zoo (variations)

Today I picked a tropical plant from the NC zoo to try working with some post processing. I may have come up with an idea for a card and didn't have to take out a paintbrush. I would need to add a vertical text box for the occasion. LOL I do not know the cultivar name nor was there any plant ID. I wanted to play with a painterely app with this image. Waterlogue (note spelling) which is a free painting app until end of Jan. and then did pencil drawing in PSE as well applying a vignette. I did not use flash when I took this photo but the lighting in a conservancy setting can be very tricky. With the iPhone I do not get the "blinkies" telling me I have an issue with highlights, especially with the native camera in 5s. Original image top left, waterlogue IOS app top right,  Pencil drawing PSE 11 with color center left, Vignette in PSE from orignal image center right.   

Necklace Designed by Cinda

Trying to use overhead light on stove for a necklace my daughter, Cinda, made me for Christmas last year. I know the "Tree of Life" medallion was done with Ranger Ink - different patinas  Only minor cropping in camera. If you look closely you can see a little texture

of the knit fabric. Because of the overhead lighting the color looks 
more grey but it was really a mint green.  Did not try using window lighting or my daylight "outdoor"  studio.  I have no special studio lighting but I do have some fabric lengths in various colors. Sometimes my bright ideas are at night when it is dark outside.
I may try the over the stove lighting for some macro shots like the spiral adjustable ring she showed me how to make.    

Midnight Pink Sky with Gum Tree Silhouette

On Friday near midnight, I looked out my kitchen window and saw a pink sky. I grabbed my iPhone to try to get the image. I shot it with Camera+ app for the iPhone. The main silhoutte is a black gum tree which I did straighten. Like all pictures of sunrises, sunset or atmospheric phenomena what your eye sees and what the camera sensor sees can be two different things.  I did use the filters in camera to try to simulate what I thought I saw including colorlab tint and a little brightness. I may have overdone the pink as difficult to really tell on small iPhone screen. This window faces East. Too early for a sunrise and there are no commercial ventures in the neighborhood that would have explained the color of the sky. It was "one moment in time". Some night I am going to get a nice moon shot using this tree.  I will post the original for comparison but you not even a tinge of pink and a more brown/black coloration plus exposure dark.    

 

Graphic Design Wall - Mello Mushroom (W-S, NC)

Went to Mello Mushroom in Winston-Salem, NC, back in Nov. 2014. The mural on the wall caught my eye. I only used a portion and unfortunately there were some hanging lights with flare. This will be a great image to play with filters with in camera apps or PSE 11.  Posterize was really neat. I could see using as a background for a card. Will have to post some of those 

later under comments.  

Varigated Yucca Variations

One more photo from the Legacy Garden. I used the variagated yucca foliage as my original image. I wanted to get the lines leading into the center but slightly off center. In post processing I increased the saturation. Then I decided to see what I could do to change it using saturated film filter and excessive sharpening in PSE 11 which gave it a psychodelic look. Then to practice with Pixlromatic app within the iPhone. I picked a B & W filter. My daughter, Ginger, thinking of using the colorful image as inspiration for her art journal.

Milkweed Pod Opened - Winter

Another image from the Legacy garden in winter.  I liked the lighting on this milkweed pod that had burst open.  Did some minor editing in PSE 11.  Sharpening and changing the color to decrease some of the blue hue.  I think it is time to put on my macro 4 in 1 ollie clip lens. I got a new app that has a lot of filters and will let you put a black background around the flower.   It is called Exposure.  Tomorrow will probably post a yucca foliage with altered art rendition too.   Will remind you of the 60s.  

"Angelina" sedum - Winter foilage

Last week at the Legacy Garden@ the Guilford Co. Ag. Center,  I found this plant with very colorful foliage for the winter months. I said I was going to try some different venues than flower & flora but they keep calling my camera for a closer look. My friend, Elaine, got a Master Gardener to help ID the plant. I really want one of these for my garden but sounds like this plant may be hard to come by.  It is a Sedum called Angelina".  I did minimal editing.  I may try some other apps later.  The LED screen was in bright sun and I did not notice the leaf at the top  but I would not have wanted to crop the image closer.  If I have a chance this winter, it would be a great picture with a little snow and the foilage peeping up above it. This web site has some interesting info about plants. http://awaytogarden.com/a-plant-id-order-sedum-angelina/ 

Parrot - Peek-A-Boo

At the NC zoo, Asheboro, NC.  I tried to capture a colorful parrot image in the Aviary. I was probably about 6 feet away. So, I could not really get closer and a sharper image with the iPhone.  At least the parrot was not in a fenced in area or caged. The parrot was more interested in eating and on the move.  I got this image and thought the pose reminded me of playing peek-a-boo.  To make the parrot the main subject I had to crop out a lot of foilage.  Recently I got an inexpensive telephoto lens for the iPhone from Photojojo but I have not had time to work with it yet.  Stay tuned for those images later. Only minor editing in PSE 11. My new camera's battery was exhausted and at this point did not want to invest in a spare until I know if I am keeping.  Macro shots have not been explored.

Fountain at City Park, downtown GSO, NC

The fountain in downtown Greensboro. This was actually taken with Jack's iPhone which is a 5C. No editing. Not many people around City Park on a Sunday morning.  HDR mode.  This was actually taken in Sept. 2014.  

Red, White & Blue Flower -Avairy NC Zoo

Went to the NC Zoo Sunday. It was a sunny day and warmer temps. I liked this flower with red, white and blue colors. It would be nice if it bloomed on the 4th of July.   I could not find any identification marker. Minor editing in PSE 11. Litghting can be an issue but in this case

the sun was more intense on the center of the flower.  

One of the issues I have with close ups with the iPhone is cropping too close when I take the picture. Guess I just have to leave more space and can crop later.  There are also birds but they are more difficult to get an image close up with the iPhone.  

Vintage Look to Wood & Lock

Lock on Smokehouse at Horne Creek Farm, Pinnacle, NC 
I think taken in color but edited to look vintage in PSE 11. 

Ornamental Kale

This year I bought some small ornamental kale when I went to the poinsettia open house at Mitchell's Nursery, King, NC. Today I am sharing an image of one of the white ones to show you that despite low temps at night the last few weeks they are surviving. It is probably about 6 inches in diameter. Maybe if you concentrate on the center you can see a face smiling at you. Image was rotated to help see this better. LOL. I did sharpen a little just to show a sharper vein structure in the outer foliage. I also used clone tool to change opacity of dirt in some areas. Editing done with PSE 11

Home withearly A.M. fog - Jan.15, 2015

This morning there was fog. Did not feel likie driving around looking for images when it was rush hour and traffic could be an issue. I decided to try for a picture of my house and trees in the distance in the backyard. Some street views with houses might have been more interesting, but unfortunately today was garbage day. I did have to straighten the house and felt the vignette contributed to the eeriness of the scene. I did not sharpen because wanted the fog to look misty.   

Bone Letter opener - Asian design

 Sometimes I have to look for objects around the house to photograph for the challenge. Jack has a bone letter opener with Asian etchings. I have no idea how old it might be. I took one image of the entire letter opener closed and then chose to get closer with the iPhone 5s to see more detail of the drawings. I used a red piece of fabric for the background and window lighting yesterday on that dreary day. 
However, I did have to clone out some dog hair in PSE 11.    

River birch brances & bark - winter

Another dreary day in GSO. I took this image last week when there was actually some sun shining. Winter is an opportunity to capture a different perspective of tree branches and some texture of the bark. The close up of the bark is in the lower section of the trunk. It is compact, but in the upper branches the bark can be seen peeling away. I like looking for textures and patterns. Minimal editing - no creative effects. The HDR mode was on, so the sky was more blue than the naked eye saw. The bark could later be enhanced with other filter effects in apps or PSE11.

Vines in winter - sepia tone

Saw these vines on a building behind the public parking lot below the RR tracks off S. Elm St., Greensboro, NC.   Taken with native iPhone Camera but processed in camera with Camera Plus app. It would be interesting to take again in summer when it has green foliage and again in fall when maybe there would be colored leaves. .

Winshield frost - backyard landscape

There was frost on the car windshields this a.m. Tried taking a shot from inside the car. This is the backyard which I shot from inside the front windshield. Did not want the ice crystals to be in focus. The sun was too low to shoot for a starburst high in the trees. Ended up getting part of the van in left of picture.. I liked the silhouette effect of the tree brances--sharpened a bit.  By the time the sun high enough, the window no longer had ice crystals. The ice crystals created a filter effect.  I tried the back window too but it had the heater wires and with the slant of the windows could not get a composition I wanted.   Hope I have more opportunities to get a better shot this winter

Boa feathes get textures with PSE 11

Remember the boa feathers in my New Year's "selfie"? Today I decided to take a picture of the boa feathers in color and then B & W at same angle. I had to do indoors with window lighting because it was too windy outside. Not all the feathers are in the same plane in the color image so not all will look tack sharp. I used High Key and increased color and saturation. Then I used the B & W image to add some texture with line drawing and low key effect.. If I changed the hue and saturation I could get even more effects but will save that for another day. Post Processing was with PSE 11. I could have used other  in camera app programs and gotten different effects with some more muted tints and design elements. Those would be great for a background layer if I ever start doing digital art collages, etc.  

Macaroni Grill - Faux HDR

Took a picture of Macaroni Grill when there were actually no cars parked in front, just before lunch. I decided the image was pretty flat with native HDR of 5s.. Did not want to purchase another app until I know what I can do with the post processing programs and apps I have. So, decided to see how it would look if i increased shadows, highlights, midtones to the max.  I kind of liked the effect. There is a little distortion evident which can happen with architectural subjects. You cannot always move back further.  Need to explore this venue a little more

 

Birdbath blue Ice variation with Pixlormatic App

     
It is 9 degrees F in Greensboro, NC. My bird bath was frozen. I dumped out most of the ice and this is what remained in the bottom. This is the first time taking images with the iPhone 5s in cold temps. The original image did not have much negative space. I decided I needed to try Pixlromatic in camera app to see if I could find more texture. There were numerous color filters and opacity I could choose but this is Hagrid. Then if you click on it, you can select even more options with the blue variations. I am sure I will experimenting more with ice. No frost on the leaves this morning. No editing of original image.     Native camera iPhone 5s - HDR mode; square.  

Mexican Taco Dip

Took a picture of my Mexican Taco Dip with Bowlz tortilla chip dippers. Great for the Super Bowl coming up this month. You will be seeing more food pictures this year. Food photography will be another learning curve since I do not have studio lighting. I doubt I will be making altered images of food but may utilize different apps in camera for post processing. I used over the stove lighting. Image was cropped -edited in Snapseed. You can use sour cream, chopped cilanto, pickled jalapeno peppers, and/or guacamole as garnishes.These would have hidden the pretty chopped vegetables  but go will with the dip.  To top it off some Red Wine Sangria would be calling my name.  Bon Appe'tit!! Nannette

Bird on my Deck - Close up

This morning I was able to get up close and personal with a bird. I almost stepped on him on my deck. Grabbed my iPhone and was able to get 6 incles away from the bird. I have no idea what kind it is as I have never seen before. Native 5s camera with cropping and editing including increasing the saturation in PSE 11. I had to let the camera do the focus and exposure or I would have lost the shot. Since he let me get so close and did not fly away with the camera shutter click I thought he was injured, but he flew off within a minute. It was a great start to my day.

Branches and Leaves - Winter

Today posting an image I hope to use when I get into doing digital art.   That is really a loft goal and way in the future. I am still trying to learn to take better photos with my iPhone. I love to snap images of somthing I might use for textures. Although it looks like I shot in sepia, I shot "as is" but it was mid afternoon and the building was a tan color.  I did some sharpening and saturation in PS express app. It was windy so leaves not as sharp and with iPhone you have fixed apertures and cannot control speed.    This is where you wish there would have been  a male red cardinal perching on one of the branches.  

Painted Piano GSO Cultural Center

Yesterday when I was at the Cultural Center I saw this painted piano. I did not want to use flash but the incandescent lighting gives it that yellowish/orange cast. The camera was set on HDR mode so colors would be more vivid. Guess I should have taken another shot further back from the subject and cropped later to have avoided the distortion.  Minimal cropping and exposure adjustments in PSE 11. Also wanted to clone out some spots on the wall which you cannot do in most in camera app programs. I wonder if this would make someone want to practice their piano lessons more? Visitors are encouraged to "bang on the keys".   It certainly is a conversation piece. 

Coffee Cup Collaborative Walk - Education

I had read about The Greensboro Coffee Cup Collaborative Walk which features sculptures of coffee cups representing different life venues. Check out the URL:
http://www.gpsmycity.com/…/greensboro-coffee-cups-collabora… The  downtown library has one for education which was between the libarary and that parking garage off Church St. Even though I took this one with cloudy conditions, I wanted to play with some in-camera apps for my posting today. I used the native camera app.  Then I enhanced with PS Express app in my iPhone 5s. I cropped, changed the lighting, and applied some filters which actually made the cup look gold instead of copper. Will try again on a sunny day. There are more sculptures in the Greensboro Coffee Coffee Collaborative Walk-- most of them downtown  and considered a walking tour except for the one at the Greensboro Coliseum. I will try again for a sunny day. with the close up it is difficult to judge the size. I am guessing maybe 10" x 10". Finding a plain background is not going to happen in this urban area. I would have loved to have had a stepstool to take the cup from the top like a "bird's eye" view. Stay tuned for more postings.

Lighted Dog Christmas Outdoor Decoration

Day 2   Today I picked an image of a lighted dog outdoor Christmas decoration. It was taken with the Native Camera app, no tripod, lighting was from within the decoration, and no flash was used.. There are 2 images. The original image (Left) which I cropped and adjusted the shadows & highlights to my liking in Photoshop Elements 11. The 2nd adjustment of the  image (Right)I really pushed the sharpening to the maxm I kind of like that image better because of the texture even though considered an altered image. At least I did not have to worry about the dog moving or a stupid facial expression. 

Nannette New Year "Selfie"

Today is January 1st, 2015, and the first day of posting for 365 challenge to use an iPhone for taking a photo and posting to a social media site if I  wish.  It is more fun to share than just have the image reside unnoticed on your computer.   Today I decided it would be good to take a "selfie" using some New Year's Props from The Party City store.  I could not find my ear buds to use as a remote, so, that meant I was stuck with multiple attempts at trying to get the image I wanted.  To prevent movement I did use the burst mode and the volume buttons.   I decided daylight in front of my chimney might be good background choice, as I really did not want to use flash inside.  I wanted it to be colorful and thus the multi-color boa.

I used the native camera app, the square photo choice, took off my glasses because lenses would have been dark.   I used the crop in camera.   Then  I posted to FB.   The next "selfie" I try may be at Mardi Gras time as I have a feather mask and some colorful beads as props. .