Tag Archives: iPhone

Iphonography: Drag Races

Here in Bristol, there are two things that put us on the map: the founding location of country music and Bristol Motor Speedway.

I love that we are known for country music and usually celebrate that when Bristol Rhythm and Roots rolls around. NASCAR, however, I’m not a fan of. So when my Dad had told me that he had gotten us tickets to go see the drag races, you could imagine my hesitancy.

The races take place on a separate track from the main Speedway. The track is a quarter of a mile long and pretty thin. Not much to say about it. The cars on the other hand, were awesome.

There are two different types of cars that race on the track: Dragsters and Funny Cars. The Dragsters are the normal long-nosed drag racing cars (can be seen in the pictures below) and the Funny Cars are basically a huge motor covered by a metal or plastic hull with decals that are made to look like really nice racing cars.

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Saying that it’s difficult to get a good picture of a car going well over 300 MPH using an iPhone, is an understatement. But the iPhone did a whole lot better than I thought it would do. Almost no blur, good clarity, and with the help of Camera Plus, good contrast and color. I totally enjoyed myself and can’t wait to go back next year. With the nice sunburn on the back of my neck, I guess I’ll fit in with the other rednecks there. Ha ha ha.

Iphonography: Shattered Windows

A mishap occurred this past Friday at our church.

Just a little accident.

One of the kids was playing with a new skateboard that they had been given when the skateboard flew out from under him and went rocketing toward the floor-level windows.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt and the window didn’t even bust all the way through.

It did however, crack very beautifully into a spider web like design.

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The pictures were taken with an iPhone 4S and edited in Camera Plus.

Vinyl Wall Art

My style and taste constantly changes.

Especially when it comes to clothing and my room decorations.

And food…. but that’s another story for another time.

This post, however, is dedicated to wall art for my room.

In attempt to spice up my room with my sense of style, I decided to make use of some records that I had bought at antique stores, music stores and had donated to me.

The majority, actually was donated to me by a very dear friend.

The records were her grandpa’s who she loved dearly. He sadly passed away and my friend wasn’t sure what to do with the records and decided to donate them to me because she knew I liked them. How awesome of a friend is that!?

I wanted something eclectic, vintage-esque and new to the brain.

I’m not totally sure if that made sense…but it did to me, so it’s all good.

So, I gathered up all of the old records and pinned them up on my wall in an almost cloud like pattern.

I have to say, I am very pleased with the results!

The last picture was actually taken with my iPhone 4S, so that’s why the quality isn’t as great as the rest.

I also added different effects to each picture, just to continue my “spicing up” trend.

What do you guys think about it!?

What could I have done differently that would make it better?

Do any of you guys collect records or use them as art? If so, I’d love to see!

The Beginning of My Iphonography Series

Hey everyone!
So I was pondering on what I could do make the blog more interesting, entertaining and more “me.”
Since I always have my iPhone with me, I tend to use it for quick little shots here and there and also for Instagram, as you all know.
So, I’ve made a new category under Photography, called Iphonography.
I will put all of my pictures taken and edited from my iPhone there.
And what better way to kick start the new category than by posting my prized possession!

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I like to call this one “Through The Looking Glass.” Just because.

If you have Iphonography pictures or know a good blog that does, feel free to let me know!

Helping Your Community

Hey everyone!

It’s been FOREVER, it feels, since I last posted.

Well…turns out….it has been.

Instead of just giving you the “I’ve been super busy” excuse, I’ll just prove it.

I’ve been really active in my church, the college age class and I’ve been given a few opportunities there as well.

Firstly, I am now over all Media related who’s-it’s and what’s-it’s galore.

(Yes, that was a Little Mermaid reference. I’m a Disney freak, I can’t help it.)

So with that job, I’m responsible for keeping the church website up to date, make any posters and/or flyers that are needed, be available to take pictures at all events, etc. etc.

I’m also getting ready to start helping out in the youth group there, which I’m SO excited about.

I’ve also been job hunting like crazy and finally got one!

Anywho..

A week or so ago, my church held a Clothing Drive.

The church does annual yard sales and we always have people donate clothes to us.

So, instead of saling the clothes, we decided to give them away.

We had TONS of clothes for all sizes and ages, and it was awesome to be able to bless the community with free clothes, and free hot dogs as well!

This was our lovely volunteers, and let me tell ya, these people are truly, apart from my family, the biggest blessing to me.

And yes, I’m the 6th from the left, top row. I had a serious debate with myself on whether or not I should blur myself out, but decided not to. So, could you just not look there, kthnxbai.

So, the question is:

Do you help out in your community? If so, what do you do to help out?

If not, what would you like to get involved in or plan to help your community?

Have a blessed day everyone!!

A Little Sputnick Update

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I snapped this with my iPhone the other night at dinner. Sputnick likes to feel like he’s part of the family when we are eating dinner. So, he sits beside me.


This photo was originally really dark and lacked sharpness, but with the help of a little iOS app called iPhoto, I fixed all of that. If you’re an iPhone user and photography lover, iPhoto is most definitely something that you need to give a try. I’m in the middle of writing a review post for it now, and should be up soon.

HDR on iPhone!

There’s something I used to use a lot.

Then for some reason, completely forgot about it.

But now, I’ve rediscovered it, and it has made me see life through a whole new perspective.

Well…..almost. But you get the point!

“It” being the iPhone’s built in HDR camera effect.

What is HDR, you might ask? Well, HDR means High Dynamic Range, or in lame-man’s terms, yours photos having more contrast and better levels of light and dark.

The iPhone achieves this by taking more than one image at a time, and then stitching together the best part of each image (highlights, shadows, contrast, etc.) into one final result.

To use this feature on an iPhone is very simple. All you have to do is open the camera app, and select options at the top-middle of the screen, then toggle HDR to the on position.

The screenshot above illustrates when the HDR effect is toggled on, and normally, the “Option” button would replace the “Done” button at the top.

So, let’s get to the examples!

Note that neither of the pictures have been edited in anyway.

This picture is the basic picture, without the HDR effect:

This is the exact same image, with the HDR effect on:

Do you see how the contrast on the second picture is impeccable, and not even comparable to the first picture!? Even in the grass, tree trunk, and how it gives the blooms that burst of color with perfect levels of highlights and shadows!? That’s why I love HDR!

And not to mention the incredible bokeh the iPhone 4S produces! :D

The only cons about using HDR on an iPhone is that when you toggle the effect on, it immediately toggles your flash off. So there is no way to use your flash while shooting in HDR. It’s also incredibly important to be very still while taking your picture because, as stated above, it takes three pictures, but not at once. So in movement can blur your final result.

Do you have some awesome HDR pictures taken using your iPhone!? If so, comment with the link because I would love to see them!

Instagram #2: Lux!

As I stated in my last post, I am completely and irrevocably in  love with Instagram.

I usually do not like all of the “filter” apps on the iPhone, because most of them are cheesy and over-done.

How ever, Instagram does it perfectly. But in their lastest update, they released a new tool called Lux.

Lux is supposed to enhance your photos into an almost HDR effect.

At first, I hated Lux because I would use it on pictures of people’s faces and my dogs and it never turned out quite right.

I think I’ve hit the jackpot now, because I figured out what it did work on. Landscapes!

Here is a little proof.

This picture of my churches steeple, as seen in “Light In The Storm” post, which has had the Lux feature added.

When I first seen this, I thought it looked to grainy and over-worked, but I think for this picture it works.

Lux really accentuates dark colors, as seen in the blacks of the windows and shuttering on the steeple and in the clouds.

 This is the same picture, with the same filter (Amaro) but without Lux.

As you can see, the photo isn’t as dark and contrasted as the previous one.

Being as indecisive as I am, I can’t choose my favorite.

No seriously.

It’s WW3 in my head.

“The dark, rustic and contrasted version of Lux! No! The dreamy and crisp version sans Lux!”

Well… you get the point.

But which photo do you think looks best?

Regardless, Instagram is awesome and so is their new update, Lux.

I hope this helps everyone out there. Whether you’re just now getting started on Instagram or are a seasoned Instagram…er. Send me your favorite Instagram photos! Follow me, @dusthug.