Friday, June 17, 2011

iPhonography

This entry is cross posted to In My Dreams I Can Fly...

I have a confession to make...I drank the iPhoneography kool-aid.

I really like my iPhone.  I don't know anyone who has one who doesn't.  The people at Apple are geniuses.  It's not a phone...it's a fabulous toy for grownups.   It just so happens you can make a call with it.

I rarely took photos with my old phone.  I didn't start taking photos with this phone right away.  But then, I discovered the creative apps....I discovered iPhoneography...and I quickly learned that it's an art form that is being widely accepted by BIG names in traditional photography.  Photographers from National Geographic, Outdoor Photography and other major publications are ladling out the kool-aid to the rest of us.

It's being embraced for what it is.  What it is NOT...is a replacement for high quality dslr photography.  It's really a new creative medium that you carry in your pocket.  For people truly passionate about photography, it's not a way to turn a bad photo into a gimicky  "good" photo.  At present, we're limited in the amount of control available in making the image.  You can't set your shutter speed or control your depth of field.  So it becomes very much about composition and applying a new medium to a well composed picture.  

It's fun and it appears that the creative possibilities are almost limitless.   Google it...you'll be amazed.

FX PhotoStudio Image


Photo effect by Pic Grunger.

Sunday, June 05, 2011

June 5

Just checking in at the beach party for a little small talk.

Right now, I'm far from New York...sitting in my brother in law's living room in Barrington, IL near Chicago.  We're here to celebrate my mother-in-law's 80th birthday.

Aaron and the girls drove out ahead of Joel and me...airfare for five was just too steep.  But Joel isn't finished with school yet and we had to make a quicker turn around on the trip.  I love traveling by car and would have enjoyed a bit of a road trip.  But at least we got lucky and our flights were on time (early actually) and NOT packed like sardines.  We'll see how it goes on the return trip.

Our realtor is holding an open house at our place while we are away.  We just dropped the price on the house by a painful amount and it will be interesting (perhaps excruciating) to see if we can now draw in any potential buyers.  I spent the last two days before we left town cleaning like a mad woman.  I'm sure that anyone who has ever sold a house can relate to what an enormous pain in the ass this process is.  For the moment, I'm glad to be far away from that reality.

We have a small family and live far from everyone.  We haven't seen Aaron's parents since this time last year.  In light of all the uncertainty we are living with, it's a comfort to be here and feel like part of a larger whole.  It's good to talk and laugh, recall times past and just be with people who are "mine".  When your family is spread out, you forget what a comfort it is to be among them.  I was actually dreading this trip a bit because these days I feel so fragile.  The problems aren't gone, but surrounded by these people, I feel bit more buffered from everything we've been dealing with.

The party is this afternoon, and there is so much to celebrate.  My inlaws  (and my mom) have made it to their 80's and they're all healthy and independent.  I feel almost childlike in wanting to be in the presence of the security of the previous generation.  I am aware of how lucky we are to still have them with us and I want to take this day and hold onto it with all my might.  It could all change in one unsuspected instant.  Boy, hasn't that lesson been rubbed in my face again, and again.  As I sit here writing, I clearly see my mission of this day...to let each of these dear people know how much they are loved, and how much their love means to me. 

Have a great week everyone...