New Year's Evening Sunset - Gareen Needle Dr., GSO, NC 12/31/2015

The iPhone 365 Challenge has been met!!

I was walking in my neighborhood tonite for exercise when I happened to see trees that had a bright pink and blue sky at sunset.  What a way to end the week/year after all the rain and dreary skies we have had. I don't think the camera really did the scene justice as the colors were more brilliant.to my eye.  This is a case where the saying,"the best image may be behind you".  So, this is image 365 of the 365 day iPhone challenge, i.e. taking a photo and posting on my blog.  In some cases there were additional images of the subject that allowed me to try different apps in camera like Instagram or Camera+ to take the image. Since the iPhone screen small, most of my post editing was done on the computer with Photoshop Elements 11. It did take more time than I had imagined.to complete this goal/committment.  I will probably start another blog for 2016 but it is my hope that I can complete Bob Weils course that takes digital imaging to the next level in the digital darkroom.    

Foggy Night - Puddle Reflection

This image should have been posted on Wed., Dec. 30th.  There was some fog in our neighborhood from all the rainy and humid weather we have been having.  I was never able to find a safe place to pull over during the day to capture a foggy scene as it was sporadic patches around the city.  But I noticed the reflection of the street light in a puddle in my driveway and tried to capture this eerie atmosphere. Did not use a tripod as too difficult to even get this angle of composition. I even waited to see if my neighbor's Christmas lights on her house would be out after midnight...but that didn't happen.  So, this was the best I could do.   iPhone 6  native app, edit in PSE 11   More practice with night photography needed.  

Beech Tree Leaves Still Hanging on in Winter

One of the trees that retains a lot of their leaves in the winter time is the beech tree.. The image on the right I took a of some leaves with the dull sky as a background which the camera read as white. You can see the leaf vein patterns. In the fall when they first have color they are a medium yellow but now various shades of tan. I did increase the saturation a bit  in post processing to make the veins more prominant agains the sky.  Then I saw a stand of trees that looked interesting on a street I drive a lot. The roadway in the picture I did make straight.   Still it is a better picture with the gulch than just a straight shot of a stand of beech trees.  Of course it would have been nice if a person with a red jacket happened to be walking in the gulch with a black dog.  Well, you can't have everything.  iPhone 6, Camera +,  edit PSE 11.

Christmas Lighting @ Dusk on Rankin - Neighborhood

Tried to capture some Christmas outdoor lighting display at dusk the other night. This one was a little late for ambient light, but it also hid some of the house and other yard structures. I need more practice with taking photos at night or low lighting situations. This is definitely out of my comfort zone. I was walking in my neighborhood with the iPhonein my pociket.  No, I did not have a tripod or a stabilizing object.  iPhone 6, native camera, edit: PSE 11 which included some healing brush and cloning to a bench and other yard artifacts.

Purple Ornamental Kale - Ruffled Center CU - Neighborhood

Found a nice purple ornamental Kale when I was walking in the neighborhood.  Thought the center would look good as a close up. Camera+, iPhone 6.  Edit in PSE 11.  Sharpened to the Max to show more detail in the ruffled edges if you zoom in close can see the purple veins.   .  

Varigated Viola - Nannette's Garden

Took a close up of one of my varigated viola with some raindrops on the petals. We have had extremely warm weather for December in NC. The actual size of this bloom maybe 5/8 inch.  Square Mode,  iPhone 6, Camera+, Edited in PSE 11. Did some cloning and use of healing tool to blur out more of the background and applied vignette. The viola flowers are edible and can be used to decorate food plates, used in salads or crystalized to put on cakes and pastries. For more info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_(plant)

Merry Christmas 2015 - Dinner: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Rice Pilaf, Green Beans. Roll

It was a rainy day. I could not use my outdoor lighting to capture the image of my dinner plate of food for Christmas Dinner. I cooked Chicken Cordon Blue, Rice Pilaf, Gravy, Green Beans, & a Roll.  I used the black cooktop of my stove with overhead Halogen lighting which there is a spotlight effect in the upper portion of the plate.  From previous experience I have found it best to use a white paper plate to avoid glare if using China dinnerware. Had to clone out light flare and use healing brush to get the backround really black all around the plate and then added text for "Merry Christmas". . For dessert we had Peppermint Ice Cream which was not included in the image.  I was the "Galloping Gourmet" sipping Chardonnay wine while I was preparing the meal.  Bon Appe'tit!!
 iPhone 6, Native camera. Edited with PSE 11.
.

Hickory Nuts CU from Shagbark Hickory Tree - Greenhill Cemetary

This image should have been posted Thurs., Dec. 24th.  This was an image of some hickory nuts from the shagbark hickory tree.  If you look close there may be some holes in the shells of some  The outer hard shell had been removed before I picked them up from the ground.  I cracked open the shell tof one to see how it would look with the small nut meats in place and another portion where the nutmeat had been removed.  When I was a girl living on a farm, we would pick hickory nuts but it would take forever to get a significant amount of the nutmeats for my Mom to use with baking.  I used a green piece of cardstock for the background and used lighting from a bay window in the kitchen.  iPhone 6, Camera +; edited in PSE 11.
.  

Camillia Pink & White @ Karen Talbert House

I was out and about and took a picture of my neighbor's two tone camilla. This fall we have been having much milder temperatures and so there are more blooms.   The center is white and the edges of the petals pink.  A darker pink when it first blooms and gets lighter as it ages.  This particular cultivar has more than one bloom on some stems. These flowers are particularly attracted to ants...so, you really have to look close at the sepals   Camera+ app,  square format,  edit PSE 11--added a vignette to help emphasis the flowers.

Holly Berries - Genus Ilex

This image should have been posted on Tues., Dec. 22nd.  I took this image at Rankin School about a month ago. This is not the native American species.  There are 400 - 600 species in this genus.  The berries are red but the leaf shape is oval.or with less notches than the native holly.  In order to produce berries you need a male and female shrub.  Native iPhone 6,  edit PSE 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly

Shattered Glass with Clarity = Altered Image

Today I am using a photo I took of a shatter glass section from my backdoor fiasco.  I took with Camera+ and used macro mode to zoom in.a section of the piece I liked.   You can see it has texture but really appears a blah color beneath the glass and edges not very well defined.  Could use as texture in a digital collage. I  used light blue cardstock for background.  This is the type of image I say...."what if I tried this app" or filter.  I got some real surprises.  Just using clarityin Camera+ app completely changed the colors.  See Right image. I even tried invert filter in PSE which changed to all different colors of orange and yellow. The right image would make a great background for a greeting card, but, do not want to think about how much ink it would use.  The photo on the left is the original taken in shaded area on deck  The image on the right has just the clarity filter in Camera+ applied.  Then in PSE 11 I used auto fixed Lighten & Darken plus sharpened to the max which defines the shards of glass better.  Who would think you could make something out of nothing at all. It really looks like an abstract painting.

Cut Glass Pieces Mosaic - Backdoor Accident - CU

It is getting to the point in this 365 challenge that it is more difficult to find images because flowers are not blooming and most trees have lost their leaves. No snow yet and frost unreliable.. About 2 years ago I had to break into my back door which resulted in broken glass.  I saved some pieces in a rubbermaid container. I was always going to make a "Cracked Glass" album (before I got my iPhone), but that has not happened.  So this a.m. I used a light blue piece of cardstock as a background and placed some small pieces of glass in mosaic fashion on it.  Then I took a close up in the shade on my deck area.with Camera+ app.  The image on the left is the original and you can see a few specks and reflections which in the image on the right I removed  most of these with the healing tool in PSE 11. Then I used the filter "cut out" which further defines the lines. This is an image that you could spend hours looking at different effects. Tomorrow will use a piece that did not shatter.

Sarfari Truck at NC Zoo

When I was at the zoo, I saw a truck that is used to take workers to visit the animals. It was one of the Safari trucks and was parked in the African Elephant area.There are other safari trucks more open used to take people in designated tour areas for a fee with a zoo employee to get closer to the animals. Sometimes this can be a photographer safari. I have never been able to get an image of a rhinoceros up close at this zoo. iPhone 6 native, edited in PSE 11. I do not have a telephoto lens for my iPhone but I did take other pictures at the zoo with my Nikon P600 (hi end compact camera) which has a 50x zoom.  

Ornamental Kale CU @ A & A Nursery, Brown Summit, NC

This image should have been posted on Friday, Dec, 18th,.  In the winter time Ornamental Kale can be found in various border beds, by mailboxes,or in planters.  They come in various colors from greens and whites to dark purple/lavender.   I was at a nursery and took this image a couple weeks ago.  Not like you have a choice of light or the best surroundings.  So, I decided to take a close up. iPhone 6, Camera +,  used accent edges filter in PSE to make the texture stand out..

Buddha Fingers - Citron Fruit @ The Fresh Market

A few weesk ago I was at the Fresh Market and saw a fruit called Buddha Fingers. The image on the left.  I took a picture of them in the produce bin because of the shape of the projections of the fruit. The lighting was overhead and I assume incandescent which gave a more yellow orange color to the image. After I got home I "Googled" the name for more information and images.  I finally got back to the store yesterday and there was no fruit on display.  I talked with the produce person, who brought out some from storage and told me this was an ornamental fruit used as a room deodorizer.  You keep cutting off the fingers as the smell lessens.  These were not as pretty because the tips of the fingers were starting to turn brown but I still had in mind as part of the iPhone challenge taking a picture of this fruit.  The right image is taken with iPhone 6 using Instagram with a white sheet as a background.  In images I have seen of them on a stalk the fingers are hanging down or the fingers can have more space between them. I have read more on wikipedia and about 5 things you can do with this fruit. I have not done any experiments yet.  I think I will try some zest in my Lebkuchen recipe.  

Alligators at NC Zoo

The alligators were resting when I visited the zoo on Sunday.  The one in the forefront was moving and the one in back may have moved his head.
The image is not as sharp as I would have liked.but you can see the
texture of their skin with the side lighting.. Should have used a tripod and reviewed the image with magnification. Cannot see on an iPhone screen the clarity that well like you see it as it really is on the big monitor.   Edited in PSE  I could have tried removing the log with Touch Retouch   I did crop out some other logs and debris from the top of original image.

Cougar at NC Zoo

One of my favorite animals to photograph at the NC Zoo is the Cougar. Today she was sunning.You cannot always control the branches, etc.in her habitat. I guess her cubs have been placed at another zoo.
iPhone 6 Camera+.  Edited in PSE 11 -- cropped to square mode.

Zebras and Giraffes at NC Zoo

It was a warm 70 degrees on Sunday when I decided to go with my photo friend, Pat, to the NC zoo. Difficult to get the animals looking at you, so you have to get some of the animals facing you. iPhone  6, edit PSE 11  

Red Berries with Blue Sky @ NC Zoo

Image should have been posted, Sunday, December 13, 2015.  Just as I entered the NC Zoo on Sunday I saw some red berries and I knew I had to capture this image against the NC blue sky. The clouds in the background give a painterly effect.   iPhone 6, edited in PSE 11.

Lichen& Moss with Orange Ant/Insect - Neighborhood

I have been trying to get an images of these lichens for weeks but still need to try with a tripod or designated macro lens to see if I can get more lichens in focus. Yes, it was hand held, but instead of trying macro in Camera+ I tried standing back a little father. Imagine my surprise when I found the orange like ? ant/insect? Used auto focus on the insect. Because of the various layers in the tree trunk, the DOF is very shallow. I took in landscape mode but cropped to square to make ant in the upper third area for better composition.  There is moss in the cracks but with highest aperture being f8, not going to get everything in focus.   iPhone 6, Camera+. Edited in PSE 11.