I was on the prairie last night doing sunset time-lapse with the DSLR when this scene presented itself with several minutes remaining in the sequence. The ProCamera app on my iPhone was used to record the scene. this is a very good app for photography which has features to use separate areas for focus and exposure as well as a very good editing program.
What do you do when waiting for time-lapse to evolve? You pull out your iPhone and start shooting stills! My tendency is to get impatient or second guess my scene and the urge is to pull up early. Using the iPhone is a good way to pass the time. This was the cloud formation recorded on part of the "After the Storm" video.
I'm testing my daughter's GoPro for wildlife. Despite its small size these feeder birds and squirrel definitely were aware of its presence. If I were serious I would put the housing in the area to allow the animals to get adjusted to it and then put the camera in. I don't know the minimum focusing distance and these shots may have been inside that limit. I think the wildlife focus is a little soft. On the other hand maybe the lens was a little cloudy from humidity in the case in the -10 degree weather. More testing will be done in warmer weather. Technical: camera controlled with iPhone app. Edited with iMovie
This cold, wet morning is a good time to edit and look for potential in this month's shots before hitting the delete key. This was taken near Hinckley when exploring the flood plan along the Kettle River. The backwaters had ducks, geese, and a family of trumpeters which were a surprise. Technical: iPhone image, converted to B & W in Lightroom. Duckweed was unsharpened with brush tool and darkened using ND filter.
I changed the location of a trail camera yesterday and took the iPhone instead of carrying the heavy photo gear. Fall color was too good to pass up so I took this shot looking upstream before placing the camera. Technical: Pro Camera app on iPhone. exposure set on trees, focus on rocks. Lightroom used to warm the white balance and 1 stop graduated filter used to bring brightness of the trees in closer to the foreground brightness
I was at Palisade Head for sunrise last week hoping to get the warm light on the cliff face. The color was not as dramatic as expected but the rock texture in contrast to the lake caught my eye. Technical: captured using an iPhone. Conversion to B & W with a new app called ProCamera which, in my opinion, is the ultimate iPhone camera app. I have tried 5-6 different camera apps and each has had significant limitations. ProCamera clearly separates focus from exposure and has adjustable white balance. In addition in has image enhancements that are more realistic than most apps.
I've had my eyes skyward lately and last night was no exception. After photographing prairie flowers at the state park it was time to work on time-lapse cloud sequences. While waiting for the 15 minutes of images this was shot with the iPhone which is usually used to prevent me from shutting down the time lapse sequence prematurely. If you are interested in reading about clouds and would like to see unique images check out: Cloud Appreciation Society.
I tried to be a camera minimalist last week and shot this with my iPhone. Apparently the locals feed cat food to foxes on the trail. Technical: iPhone image cropped vertical.
This is an easy stroll in the bog but unfortunately no flowers are here, it's too dry. I was using my iPhone compass until I hit a dead zone so could only use it to take this picture resorting to my trusted hand compass to lead me out of the bog. Technical: a tough lighting situation with any camera. I used the PureShot app to lock exposure so everything was within the histogram, then worked Lightroom magic to get a decent image.
I spent a couple days in northern Minnesota last week looking for orchids. The ladyslippers are late this year as, are most wildflowers, and were just starting to bloom near Baudette. These guys like to bloom in the ditch and are a joy to photograph compared to bog orchids. Technical: iPhone image
I upgraded to an iPhone 4 this week and have been experimenting with various camera apps. The apps fall into one of three categories: camera settings, editing, or sharing. As a minimalist in editing I'm most interested in the camera apps. Pure Shot app has some good features like exposure lock which allows a high contrast scene like this to be recorded. It also has in phone instructions. Technical: The grass was lightened in Lightroom
The lupine are currently at peak bloom on Stolte Rd. in Fish Lake Wildlife Area. The aroma as you walk down the road is almost intoxicating. With the bloom the Karner's should be out, hope to find a few in the next couple days. Technical: iPhone camera
