Patrick Kornak Photography

Working some abstracts today.

2012-01-31T21:16:00.000-08:00

Out this afternoon and early evening with Cool and Luke as Tuesday is a busy night for activities. While sitting in Cool's Jazz Dance class (see third photo below) I noticed a nice and unique light on the folds on the leg of my pants. Knowing this could make an excellent abstract image I pointed the camera on to my knee and shot a frame. I did very little post processing other then cropping, contrast and centre focus in Snapseed and frame in RealCamera+.

These two images were taken in the gym where Cool has his choir practice. While walking around as a parent helper I noticed the hardware in the floor for attaching gymnastic equipment and the ropes on the wall. When I got the chance I shot a couple quick frames. Later I brought both in to Snapseed. The above image was my Instagram 366 image for today and was cropped, darkened and the Drama 2 filter added as well as the border. The image of the ropes was rotated, cropped and grunge added before using PhotoToaster for the framing.

The last two images are of my boy's. Not really abstracts but fun captures I wanted to share. The first is Cool dancing with his ever present smile. He is still learning having only started dancing a year ago but he enjoys it very much. The last was the two of them at the end of a long day. Luke fell asleep quickly on Cool's shoulder and it was so cute I just had to snap a frame. Both were cropped and the frame added with Snapseed. The last one had a little centre focus added to blur the edges.

Braving the stares.

2012-01-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

Although I seem to have shot most of my photo's for this project in or around my house, I have also shot a number of them in malls or stores. One of the things you have to get use to is people staring at you when you pull out the iPhone to take a photo of something very ordinary. Today was one of those days as I was at the cashier in Futureshop purchasing some batteries. I happened to notice this display of Mario figures beside the till and knowing my boys are big fans of Super Mario they would enjoy the photo I was about to take. All though she was very friendly, I am sure she was wondering what I was doing when I told her I wanted to take a quick snap of the figures. Undaunted I lined up my shot then asked if I could move some distracting flyers that were beside them and proceeded to snap a frame. I then smiled at her said thanks and went on my way. Once I got to the food court I sat down for lunch and then brought the photo in to Snapseed for some cropping and centre focus before using RealCamera+ for the frame and posting it to Instagram. When I showed the boys that loved the shot.

Instagram 366 Project Day 29.

2012-01-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

Even though I like shooting with the iPhone because it allows me to have fun doing post processing in apps like Snapseed, I still know when nothing is needed. Today's photo was one of those. I was at the back of St. Luke's Church putting some mike stands away when I looked up and saw this gorgeous scene above me. I love the triangles, the shadows and the blues from the light and the early morning sky. This is one where I knew I did not need any enhancement but to leave it as the lord showed me.

Day of shooting at SAIT.

2012-01-28T19:12:00.000-08:00

Today was a shooting day for my Wedding Photography class at SAIT. I took my students over to the Parkade where our lovely group of subjects would do the first round of posing. It was a little chilly but they braved to cold and the student's where able to get a lot of different shots.

Today I broke out the Canon 7D with the 24-70 f2.8 lens for most of the shots I took. However I still pulled to the iPhone for a few and took a second image to do some post in Snapseed so I could use the photo for my Instagram 366 image. I'm quite happy with both but here are both shots for you to judge for yourself. The above was shot at 6400 ISO, f9 at 1/80 sec.

We then moved over to Heritage Hall which was much warmer and comforatble to shoot in. Here are a few of the images I recorded. The students really enjoyed the chance to work with our models and were able to create a variety of differnet looks as there are a lot of spots inside the building.

At the end of the shoot we went back to the classroom and one of my students who were helping the girls get changed cam running back to the room and asked me to get one more shot. I clicked a few on her camera then pulled out the iPhone and shot one for myself. The bottom image is processed using Pictureshow.

Flashbulbs and sunrise's.

2012-01-27T18:24:00.000-08:00

Photography is all about light and these two images are at the extreme ends. The top image was shot this morning as an early morning glow hit McMahon stadium as I was heading over to meet with Rolando Gomez. I loved the way the light skimmed across the front of the stadium and how the Stampeder logo jumped off the building in the light. Only post processing to this image was cropping and frame added in Snapseed and then uploaded to Instagram.

The image below was shot last night of some flashbulbs that I have sitting in my display case. Here are a few of the early tools used to provide light for photo's. I took these off the shelf and shot them with the iPhone then used Snapseed to add a bit of grunge that gave a texture that matched the inside of the bulbs and colored it to match the glass. It is amazing how far technology has come in the last 40 - 50 years, but no matter what you use it's all about light.

Working with the iCloud.

2012-01-25T15:11:00.001-08:00

I am starting preparation's for a presentation I will do at the U of C on February 9th called "The Best Camera is the One you Have with you. Using your Camera phone to it's fullest." This will take place at 7:00 pm in room ICT122 and the cost is $20. You can register online at http://www.cifp-online.com/CIFPEvents.htm or pay at the door.

One of the things I wanted to make sure I had a handle on was using the iCloud as a way to take the images I shoot with the iPhone and transfer them quickly to the iPad for easier demonstration of the process. So I took the lid of the candy jar and took it to one of our rooms were I placed it under the lamp with the red wall behind it and shot my test shot. iCloud then proceeded to transfer the file so that I was able to bring it into Snapseed on the iPad where I cropped and added some grunge. I then used PhotoForge2 for the frame and saved the image to upload to Instagram for the image of the day.

So I think this will work great during my presentation and I hope some of you will join me on Thursday, February 9th.

Surprise, a straight image.

2012-01-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

Today's image is different from a lot of what I have been posting lately. It is straight, as is, with the only post processing being the frame added using Istagram. I found the shot as I was walking through Northland Village Mall and saw these reflections on the recycling and garbage bins. They also have a unique look so I turned the camera looking to create a strong composition using the triangles and circles. I find this photograph simple but pleasing.

Pushing the iPhone to the extreme.

2012-01-23T20:39:00.001-08:00

As I was waiting for Luke at the Varsity Community Centre I noticed that there was a Shiny Hockey game going on at the rink. I wandered out to watch and then brought out the iPhone to try some images. The scene was a challenge and pushed the iPhone to it's limits. This is a small section of the scene and was cropped using Snapseed. Some more post was done to bring up the foreground and then Drama 2 was added as well as frames in both RealCamera+ and Instgram.

A busy but enjoyable Sunday.

2012-01-22T20:43:00.001-08:00

Had a rather full day as we all went out to Kamp Kiwanis to pick Cool up after his winter choir retreat. Lysa and Luke were so excited to get him back and when they saw him in the window (see 3rd image) were waving like anything. I am always a little more calm and know that this is good for Cool having been to Camp myself, so I was a little more laid back. While we were waiting for them to wrap up I took a quick wander and shot a few images with the iPhone. The above one of the bell was my Instagram366 image for today, but I liked the image below as well. Both were processed using Snapseed but given different treatments. I wanted to give a more cool tone to the top image due to the angle I choose and used the grunge tool to achieve this. Frame here was done in RealCamera+.

Then having dropped to a lower view to get the sky and clouds in I wanted to spice the 2nd image up a bit using the Drama 1 filter. Searching the different apps I have for the frame that matched the feel I wanted took a little more time but I found this one in PhotoToasterJr.

The last image was taken inside the lodge as we met Cool and I liked the way all the snowshoes were mounted to decorate the wall. After shooting this photo I processed in Snapseed to do some white balance correction and then changed the depth with the tilt and shift function. I found this frame in Pictureshow and choose it as I felt the tomes of the photo and the Matt complimented each other.

A quick trip to Bragg Creek

2012-01-20T20:43:00.001-08:00

Cool is spending the weekend out at his Cantare Choir Winter Retreat out at Kamp Kawanis. This is just a short drive from Bragg Creek so after helping to shuttle luggage to the camp I headed down the highway to the town. We are still in a bitter cold snap so the temperatures were around -23C but I wanted to go and photograph the old gas pump once again. I have been shooting shot's of this pump for over 30 years now so it was a bit of a disappointment to see that the Shell logo that adorned the top of it is now missing. Still it looked nice with a small cap of snow and the light was just right so I shot a few images with the iPhone. Once I was back in the car I processed the file in Snapseed and added the frame with RealCamera+.

While driving to the location though I encountered a small herd of deer who were wandering down the road. I was able to stop and since the road was deserted able to shot a few images from my car window as they walked by. I love the majestic look on this young buck and that his antlers are just starting to grow. I can just imagine the large rack he will have by the summer time. This to was shot on the iPhone, cropped and processed with Snapseed.

A few recent images.

2012-01-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

One of the nice things about doing the daily photo using Instagram is that I can post it immoderately after I finish the post processing work that I do on the image. I am shooting this project entirely with the iPhone and using different apps to crop and finish the shot before uploading it. The top image is from January 19 and is a perfume bottle that my wife has. Processed with Snapseed, frame in RealCamera+.

January 18. Shot in the Doctor's office while waiting for him to come into the room. Processed with Snapseed, frame in RealCamera+.

January 17. A butterfly from a set of three that I have that are mounted in a display box. Processed with Snapseed, frame in RealCamera+.

January 16. Stuffed frogs that were staring down at me from the shelve in the boy's room. Processed with Snapseed, frame in RealCamera+.

January 15, I went to Edmonton to teach a small workshop on using alternative light sources. This was created using fluorescent light strips to light the model. Processed with Snapseed to change the focus just on to the legs, frame in RealCamera+.

January 14. Shot at SAIT in the instructors office for ICT. The coffee urn was empty (fortunately I don't drink coffee) but made for an interesting subject. Processed with Snapseed, frame in RealCamera+.

Waiting for the Eye Doctor

2012-01-13T20:12:00.001-08:00

Nothing can be more important to a photographer then their eye's. So we must make sure we see an eye doctor regularly. A number of years ago my optometrist noticed something strange and sent me to see Dr. Crichton to make sure everything is fine. I have been going for about five years now and though thinks are stable he is keeping an eye on my optical nerve. Today I had an appointment for some specialized tests so while sitting alone in the waiting room I happened to notice this lonely Coat Tree. Using the iPhone I composed the image I wanted then brought the file in to Snapseed where I cropped it and added some grunge. Then using RealCamera+ I added the subtle frame that I thought would work with the photo.

Hitting the slopes.

2012-01-12T21:13:00.001-08:00

Today Cool's school headed out to Canada Olympic Park for ski lessons. This was interesting for me as 40 years ago I learned to ski here as well when it was known as Paskapoo. The old tow rope is still there but now they have these fancy conveyor belt things that the skiers stand on that takes them up.

So I arrived out at the hill near the end of their lessons with the Canon 7D looking to take some photographs of my boy. I shoot a number with the 7D but since I wanted to do my Instagram 366 image at the hill I brought out the iPhone. Now the original file was dark as the camera wanted to compensate for the snow, but Snapseed worked well to bring back the brightness. I then added the drama back with the Drama 2 filter and finished it up in PhotoToaster.

Today's Instagram 366

2012-01-11T22:39:00.001-08:00

It has been a long and busy day. Shot this in the afternoon as Luke and I were playing in the basement. Shot on the iPhone and processed with Snapseed with the frame added in PhotoToaster.

Rediscovering the Magic.

2012-01-10T22:05:00.000-08:00

When I started taking photo's some 40 years ago I did it because it was fun. Over the years I have had ups and owns and times of great inspiration and huge frustrations. Running a business can be one of the hardest things to do and can make us lose the love of what we once enjoyed. Over the last year as I started and completed my 365 Day Project and now doing the Instagram 366 I am having a lot of fun once again. It is a great way to rediscover your passion.

When I started there was a magic in the darkroom, a sense of awe as the image came up under the red light in the developer. It was a seminal moment for many photographers in the film era. Along came digital and the darkroom faded in to the background, done by a few while most people shifted to the new technology. Photoshop did allow for some experimenting and plug-ins allowed for creativity, but it is slow and time consuming.

Enter the iPhone and other camera phones and a bevy of apps that allowed for quick images, processing and sharing of images. It is fun again to experiment with the different tools available to us and allow others to see and comment immediately. Today's images are part of me playing.

The image below was created in the backyard after a snowfall and captured with the iPhone, processed with Snapseed, framed with PhotoForge2 and posted using Instagram. The above image was fun and a result of experimentation. I have a number of apps and wanted to try this one called Photo Booth which is one of many of these apps that are suppose to mimic the old style mall Photobooth's. It was late and I pointed my iPad at myself for an Auto Portrait. I started to play with the functions and was looking at the "Squeeze" lens and how funny it made me look. After taking the image I brought the file in to Snapseed on the iPad and then used the Drama 2 filter and added the frame. So if you like you can call me "Mega Mind" from now on.

Back to School

2012-01-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

Shot at my boy's school on the first day back to classes. Saw the signs hanging in the locker by the front door and pulled out the iPhone to capture a frame. Once I was home I brought the file into Snapseed and applied the Drama 2 filter, darkened the image slightly, used to selective focus to soften the background and added the frame to get the final result seen here.

Instagram 366 Challenge

2012-01-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

I thought I would be over the Photo a day Challenge but I started the Instagram 366 with a few of my friends over there. In addition I have been posting the image to the Start To Photograph meet up group here in Calgary as well. So I guess you can say I am a Photography Addict. So this year all my daily images will be shot with the iPhone and posted first to Instagram, then the meet up group and my blog. This is where I will share some of the details on the image plus random thoughts for the day.

About today's 366. This is a candy bowl we have that sits on the fridge so I see it every time I open the door of the fridge. As I was looking at it today I was noticing the swirls and decided it could make for a unique image. So I took it down and placed it on the kitchen island under one of the sot lights. As I explored the shape looking at the screen of the iPhone I found the background distracting. So I went down to the studio and brought up a small blue background and stands. I placed this in the kitchen and repositioned the bowl on it. Then I shot three images, the first had the candy in the bowl, the second was empty and the third I put a small blue towel in the bowl. One I looked at the images I settled on the first one that I shot and then brought it in to Snapseed. Here I cropped it, then tested some of the filters that I like. However I was not happy with the results they were giving me as I was losing the coloring from the tungsten light source and the blue background. So this shot is fairly straight with only a little darkening and a slight tweaking of the saturation. The frame was then added with PhotoToaster.

Today's random thought. Even in the confines of your home you can find the subjects for you to photograph. After all they are your own treasures and obviously had something that attracted you in the first place.

One week into 2012.

2012-01-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

We are now one week in to 2012 and I have still been taking at least one photograph a day. Today was a particular good one as I came across a couple of shots. I took the last image first as I was going up to the office at SAIT to do some photocopying for today's class. I decided to photograph the buttons on the elevator as I knew I could do something interesting.

After leaving SAIT I had to stop at Safeway to do some grocery shopping and as I was walking down the aisle I saw a display of flowers. Again pulling out the iPhone I photographed to different flowers and then continued on.

Once I returned home I processed them all with Snapseed first cropping them. On each I used a different filter that gave them the look I wanted. Afterwards I used three different apps to create the frames. In order from top to bottom they were - RealCamera+, PhotoToaster and PhotoForge2

Here is an update on Project 12. When I thought about the idea originally I thought it would be nice to have a project a month and thus have 12 completed items at the end of the year. As I have been working on my assignment ideas, I now realize that to do each project correctly they may take more then a month to complete. SO I am adjusting the parameters a bit with the idea to have 12 projects completed by the end of the year. However many will overlap both in time period and in relation to each other. It will be a challenge but if all goes well I do believe I can finish all 12 by December 31, 2012.

2012-01-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

I was out running a few errands today when I was passing through the garden centre at Walmart. It is always nice to see flowers especially when we are in the throws of winter (well yes it has been mild in Calgary but who knows how long that will last). This is one of the nice things about the iPhone, you can discretely snap a shot or two with out looking like to much of a strange person. So I shot a couple frames of the Orchids they had and continued on with my errands.

When I returned home I opened the image in Snapseed where I cropped it first into a square format. I have to make a conscious effort when I am shooting my image that I am going to do this step as the final result will be brought in to Instagram and posted as part of the #instagram366 project. As far as other post processing I just did a change in depth of field with the centre focus filter and then darkened a few bright spots that I thought were distracting with the Selective Adjust. I added the frame in PhotoToaster and then brought the final project in to Instagram where I left it as normal to post it earlier today.

Supporting our team.

2012-01-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

I have been watching the Canadian Junior team at the World Championships and though they lost the other day have been a strong supporter of them. This morning as I was making breakfast I noticed the sun coming through and illuminating Luke's water bottle. Taking the iPhone I moved in close and then noticed that the sun was causing an awesome flare. I moved around it a few different times to try and maximize it, but as I find as is the case in most instances the first shot was the best. I brought the file into Snapseed where I cropped the image and then used the Dark 2 filter in Drama and then added a frame. I then brought it in to Instagram and used Rise to help finish the look I wanted.

The boys may have only won the Bronze, but they did play hard through out the tournament and did the country proud.

Start of a new teaching year.

2012-01-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

The above Image was captured at SAIT. There use to be a bank of phones here when I was a student in the 80's. At least ten of them, but now this is the lone survivor. As my son Cool calls things like this, ancient technology. Thought I better capture an image of an endangered species. Shot with the iPhone then processed with Snapseed with the Drama 2 filter and then posted as part of the #instagram366 challenge.

Tonight was the start of a fresh batch of classes at SAIT. First up, Basic Studio Lighting. Good group of students and I think we will have a fun session. It is nice to be back teaching as having the last three weeks off was starting to get to me. I find that having a chance to talk to and meet people in the classes is something I really need. Over the years I have had many wonderful students and I have always enjoyed sharing with them. So here's looking forward to the next six weeks and the Wedding Photography class that will start on Saturday.

Using Instagram

2012-01-03T22:04:00.000-08:00

After having finished my 365 day project I really could not keep away. So I have decided to keep it going by doing the Instagram366 challenge. The big difference here is that I will only use the iPhone and the Instagram app to post my images. I will the images on my blog but also to my Tumblr, Instagram and to http://www.starttophotograph.com/ group. Hope you will enjoy this as well.

I want to thank those who responded to yesterday's post and I have a few leads to see what I want to do with the logo. I am also going to be working on my other blog more regularly which is the Calgary Institute of Photography, http://cifpinsights.blogspot.com/ and will be bringing in some educational programs this year. Please check it out as well.

Now it is time to concentrate on my first assignment for "Project 12" and that is the posing guide book. I plan to start shooting in a week and finish up near the end of the month. Should be a lot of fun.

My Current Logo

2012-01-02T22:29:00.001-08:00

The above is what I am currently working with as a potential logo for my websites. The Patrick Steven Kornak would remain the main same while "Images" would change depending on the site. So Weddings and Portraits would have the same look just customized for each site. My main site that I have had since 1995 would just have Photographer under it.

I like it to a point, but not 100% sold and so I thought I would ask for your feed back. Please comment, e-mail me or FB post to let me know your thoughts. I'm still toying with a couple of other ideas but haven't fleshed them out enough to post.

New Year, New Projects

2012-01-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

Well as the first day of 2012 winds down it is time to look at the year ahead. I intend to make this a strong one as I look to continue both my personal, creative, teaching and business growth. To do this I will work on the following areas.

Personal. In this area I aim to get in to better shape and to improve my diet. No more cookies at mid-night before going to sleep. More fruits, veggies and other healthy foods. To exercise everyday for at least 1 hour. One of the results from this will be for me to run once again in the Calgary Marathon on May 27th. Though this is 5 months away I know I can do as I completed the 42.2 km in 6:o1:00 back in 2009 after training for only one month. This year I want to be done in 4:30:00 range as Cool has a Choir Concert that afternoon. Although I won't focus on this aspect in this particular blog, I will report on significant achievements.

Creative. As I just completed the 365 day project yesterday I want to try some new things as well. This will be "Project 12". A new assignment every month for the year 2012. At the end of the assignment there should be a finished result in the form of a book, e-pub, presentation or marketing tool. The first project is to produce a book on the basics of posing, something that I know my students at SAIT are always looking for. This does not mean I won't be shooting other things and posting images regularly, just in a different form. I will be doing an Istagram a day and you will see that posted separately as #instagram366 . I invite you to follow me on Instagram at PatrickSK if you are using it as well. You will find today's image attached below. You also will find another image that I shot as I will continue to challenge myself to view the world differently and post results, just not confined to a specific project.

Teaching. I take this as one of the most important aspects of my life. Since starting to teach in the Continuing Education department at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology I have found it to be very rewarding. I have had many students over the last 11 years and hope to be there at least another 10. To do this I know I have to continue to grow as a photographer, creative person and a communicator. Even as I develop the new class I will start in May, "The History, Art and Culture of Photography", I want to improve and grow my skills. To do this I am looking to finish my BFA in the fall as well as attend events to watch and talk to other people who help educate photographers. It is the least I can do to help both my students and the industry.

Business. In this I want to work to ramp up my photography business and the Calgary Institute for Photography. For myself I am going to be working hard on rebranding, redesigning the web-sites and to look for new commissions be they weddings, portraits or the sale of my own prints and books. For the CIFP it needs a new look and to get back to what it was intended when I started it 5 years ago. This was that of an education and research group that will focus on Calgary and Region. To this I will be more active on the blog in order to work at promoting the CIFP.

These are some of my goals. Thanks if you have read to this point. I am open to offers of suggestions and help if you are so inclined. I am looking at 2012 to be a year of great growth in many different ways.

Day 365, 365 Day Project

2011-12-31T13:58:00.000-08:00

Leaping for joy! Leaping into a New Year! Whatever you want to read in to this Auto-portrait I can say I am thrilled to have completed this project. It was quite a year and I had many challenges as anyone who attempts this series knows. Sometimes you are not creative, tired or just plain frustrated. Other times you see something on the super of the moment, that fleeting light that you just have to capture. Then there are the times you plan and work to execute the image as you envisioned.

There is the joy of discovery in doing a photo a day. A chance to get back to the sheer pleasure of taking pictures. You also have carte blanche to experiment with new tools, techniques and ideas. For me it was discovering first what the iPod touch and then the iPad and iPhone could do. When those could not accomplish what I wanted, I knew exactly what my Canon 7D and 24-70 f2.8 or 70-200 f2.8 where capable of in order for me to get the right perspective. I also discovered the apps available for the portable devices as well as plug ins for photoshop. This greatly expanded my capability to achieve the artistic vision I was searching for.

In showing this project I have had many comments and some of the images have been selected as images of the day and a variety of websites around the world. This is very humbling as I know I am no more special then many of you who are following me. It has been such a blessing to have comments from people I respect like Jonathan Marks, Tony Blei, Joe Paulicivic, Ricco Scheepers, Christopher Raun Leth and my many students who have helped encourage me along the way.

Although my next project is entitled "Project 12" which will consist of a new assignment every month with a final product of some type being produced. This could be an e-pub, a book or other type of presentation that will help me continue to grow as an artist and as a person. I still plan to shoot and post images on a regular basis, but not being confined to the 365 day ideal will allow me to post more when i have them, but also to take a break as needed. I do plan to put together a selection of images from the past year which I intend to make available both as an e-book and a printed version through Blurb.

In closing I have tried through out the project to talk about that days image and the process behind it. I had decided a few days ago that this was the image I wanted to do. To show myself for those who don't know me. I set up the one Balcar Mini z monobloc with a small Chimera softbox in my basement studio space. Since I wanted to have my main tool's in completing this challenge in the image I proceeded to bring out my trusty Canon 40D and attached the 10-22 f3.5-4.5 lens to it. Setting it up on a tripod I attempted a few with the timer but decided I needed to call on my assistant Cool to come and give me a hand. I attached the cable release and told him to press the button whenever I clicked my heels together. The Shutter speed was set for 1/125 @ f8 and 200 ISO and the focal length was 20mm. After shooting the image I downloaded the file and picked the one I liked best, cropped it, did some minor adjustments, resized and then uploaded to my iPhone. There I used my favorite app "Snapseed" to add a little more drama to the shot using the Drama Dark 2 filter. I then used PhotoToaster to added the edging that I wanted.

So thank you my friends for your support and please feel free to comment here or by e-mail. Wishing you and your families all the best for 2012.

Day 364, 365 Day Project

2011-12-30T20:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes with this project you capture a fleeting moment, one where you barely have time to grab the camera a snap a shot. Today was one of those as I was working in my office and noticed a stream of light leaking through the blinds and illuminating the handle on my 100 year old antique barber chair. Grabbing the iPhone I had to careful position it so I would not cast a shadow and ruin the wonderful reflections on the wall. I got in close to get the composition I wanted and snapped a frame. Less then a minute later the sun had moved and the drama was gone. I then brought the photo in to Snapseed and used the Drama 2 filter and the frame to get the final result.

Day 363, 365 Day Project

2011-12-29T20:46:00.001-08:00

As time runs down on this years project I seem to have photographed every nook, cranny, corner and object in the house. Still maneging to find something to use as a subject, this time the holder in the shower with the various sundries we leave there. Shooting with the iPhone I brought the file into Snapseed where I used the Vintage 3 filter to alter the tone and add a texture. Then I used Real Camera+ to finish up with a frame I felt would work with the photograph.

Day 362, 365 Day Project

2011-12-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

The game of "Perfection". One tries to get all the pieces in place before the time runs out and pops them up. Sitting around this afternoon playing with Luke I thought I would try to capture the pieces as they popped up. Having had experience with the iPhone and movement I was sure I could get some frozen and others with movement. I tried a number of times with varying degrees of success until the above image happened. Happy I then processed it in Snapseed doing some color correction for the tungsten light source and taking out some of the saturation. I then finished it up with a frame.

Day 361, 365 Day Project

2011-12-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

Just a few days left in 2011 and then it is on to new projects and adventures. Every year when we hit these last few days I start planning out the year ahead. Tonight we decided as a family that we would be taking a family vacation in February and head down to Disneyland for the boys and then stop in Las Vegas on the way back for the WPPI convention. I pulled out a map to show the route and Cool and Luke had fun as I drove the toy car down to Anaheim and back. I pulled out the iPhone and shot a close-up shot of the Hot Wheel's car which was then processed both in Snapseed and Real Camera+.

Day 360, 365 Day Project

2011-12-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

I was watering our plants in the basement which allowed me to notice that one of the Christmas Cactus's is in full bloom. I went to my office and picked up the Canon 7D and the 24-70 f2.8 lens and placed them on a tripod with a cable release. There was some beautiful natural back lighting happening and I wanted to isolate a single flower. The background, however, was distracting so I retrieved a piece of black matt board from the production room and slid it carefully behind the flower so as to not block any of the light. I then exposed it for 0.5 of a sec at f10 with the lens at 70mm (see original image immediately below).

When I started this project a year ago I would have been satisfied with the straight shot. However as I started to experiment I found there were certain things that I like and can enhance the image. This is one of the beautiful things about photography, it can be very subjective. I liked all three of the images posted here yet the top one that was brought back on to the iPhone and processed with Snapseed just had a little more pop in my opinion. This effect was done using the grunge tool where I moved the centre point and feathered it out then adjusted the saturation slightly.

The last image here was another version done with Snapseed and using the Drama 2 filter which gave a different look altogether. It is fun to see what one can create as it gives you more options when preparing images depending on who your audience might be.

Day 359, 365 Day Project

2011-12-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

Today's image is of the Christmas present I bought myself. It is Tim Mantoani's "Behind Photographs - Archiving Photographic Legends". I supported Tim's project by investing in it prior to publication at Kickstarter.com I was intrigued by the book as it had a number of photographer's whom I have had a good fortune to meet inside of it. So I but down my support of the book on faith from what was presented on Kickstarter.

I was not disappointed. The book arrived on the 23rd but as I am teaching my boys the value of patience, I wrapped it and did not look at it until today. The end product is beautifully done and is one of the finest book of photographs of photographers, all created on the giant 20x24 Polaroid camera. The book itself is 11x14 and has been printed to make the photographs stand out. Besides the stories about the photographers and many of their iconic images, there is valuable research in to the history, art and culture of the medium. As I am about to launch a new course at SAIT on this particular subject in May, the information in the book will be an invaluable resource.

I created the above image with a few things in mind. First was to show the book and a selection of the participants for the project. I choose these three individuals, Michael Grecco, Douglas Krikland and Ron Galella as I have been very fortunate to spend some time with each of them. Though I already knew the stories of the images they had chosen to show, I enjoyed seeing them here in the book.

I also wanted to try an new app called Frametastic which allows you to add a variety of images in to a selection of different panels. Knowing that I would have trouble on the small screen of the iPhone, I shot the images of the cover and pages inside using the iPad. This allowed me to size the photo's to fit the frames and then save the final result as one image as seen above.

So if you are a lover of fine photography books or wanted to learn more about some very fine photographers and their stories I highly recommend this book. You can learn more at Tim's website http://www.mantoani.com/

Day 358, 365 Day Project

2011-12-24T21:59:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve. Busy day getting everything ready, church with the family which included a Christmas Pageant. The some time with everyone afterwards before coming home. A quick iPhone capture of our singing snowman with his dog and penguin on a sled for today's image. Processed with Snapseed and edging added with Real Camera+.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Day 357, 365 Day Project

2011-12-23T19:58:00.001-08:00

I am always looking for unique and interesting light fixtures and found this one at Nick's Steak House and Pizza in Calgary. I was out with all my family celebrating my Mom's birthday and I was talking with my niece Natasha about my project and some of the apps I was using. So I shot this image and then used Snapseed to do the post processing showing her the result.

Day 356, 365 Day Project

2011-12-22T12:42:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful winter we have had so far. We have only had a few bitterly cold days since the start of November and a few heavy snow falls, but otherwise it has been very pleasant. Today was the last day of Kindergarten for Luke and he and a group of his classmates went sledding on the small hill after they were done. I wanted to grab a few images so I pulled out the iPhone and went down hill and waited for Luke to make his runs. This was the second shot I took and was the most successful. I think he was making a game of it to see if he could run in to me on his way down. Any way he had lot's of fun. Once we got home I brought the image into Snapseed where I cropped it and then added the Drama 2 Filter to give it some pop. I then used PhotoForge2 to add the edging with their frame tool.

Day 355, 365 Day Project

2011-12-21T19:48:00.001-08:00

It was one of those rare night's when Lysa and I actually get to go out together without the boy's. Tonight we attended the SAIT ICT Christmas Party down at the Blind Monk Pub here in Calgary. We arrived early and as I was sitting there I decided to capture an image of the room. Using the iPhone I snapped an image and then used Snapseed once again to add dome Drama Dark 2 and then with PhotoToatster added a frame.

Day 354, 365 Day Project

2011-12-20T20:39:00.001-08:00

Today Cool had a mini Dance recital with his dance studio. Although it was one number I was proud of him as he did very well considering he has only been dancing a year. He had this big smile on his face the whole time and was able to keep up with the other dancers. I shot this with one hand on the iPhone as my other hand was busy with the video camera. I loved the movement in the arms and that the face is still sharp. I processed the image in Snapseed first cropping in a fair amount. Then I added a bit of Drama 2 that just helped make the Photo pop and finished it with a frame.

Day 353, 365 Day Project

2011-12-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas Ornament for today's subject. I have done a few and think I might have a good series to create some Christmas cards for next year. Today I used the Canon 7D as I wanted a little more control with the perspective and depth of field on this little statuette. Shot with the 24-70 f2.8 @ f3.5 and 52mm, 1/30 sec at 1600 ISO. After uploading to my computer I downloaded it once again to the iPhone where I brought it in to Snapseed for the first bit of post processing using the Vintage filter. Then I brought it over to PhotoToaster where I added the antiqued filter and the medium black vignette and then the black brush frame to soften the sides as well.

Day 352, 365 Day Project

2011-12-18T21:03:00.001-08:00

Christmas Bells became the subject for today's photo. I placed them against the glass blocks beside the front door as I like the texture they gave to the background. After snapping a few shots I brought the image in to Snapseed where I used the Drama 2 filter which really brought out the metallic feel of the bells. This time I used PhotoToaster to choose the frame that I wanted.

Day 351, 365 Day Project

2011-12-17T22:15:00.001-08:00

We attended Cool's annual Christmas concert down at the Knox United Church today. While we waited for the performance of the Cantare Children's Choir I wandered through the venerable old church. The architecture is beautiful and I was looking up at the ceiling when the above scene hit me. Tilting the iPhone I captured a unique angle and then processed the image using Snapseed and the Drama Dark 2 filter. I then used PhotoForge 2 to add the frame.

Below is a new app that I am testing, the "Pocket Light Meter" It is very cool as it records the scene, technical data and the location in longitude and latitude. Although I need to do more testing it looks like a fun app.

Day 350, 365 Day Project

2011-12-16T19:48:00.001-08:00

Our little Nativity scene as captured with the iPad and processed in Snapseed.

Day 349, 365 Day Project

2011-12-15T16:40:00.001-08:00

While waiting for Luke at the Vecova Swimming Pool I noticed the windows had a nice layer of condensation on them. I thought I might be able to use it as an element in relation to the scene outside. The iPhone works really well for getting close to a surface and with the setting sun coming through the tree out side made for a lovely shot. I brought the image into Snapseed where I cropped the photo and then made a few minor adjustments to the contrast and saturation before finishing it up with a frame.

Day 348, 365 Day Project

2011-12-14T22:24:00.001-08:00

We have paper Christmas Stars in our front window. One has a light bulb inside and I liked the way it illuminated the adjoining star. Tonight I choose to use the Canon 7D and 24-70 f2.8 lens as I needed the compression factor that the lens gives in order to get the composition that I was looking for. This was shot at f5.6 and 70mm at 1/125 sec and 3200 ISO. After downloading it to the computer I cropped it a bit and re-sized it to download to the iPhone. Using Snapseed I added a bit of texture and vignetting with the grunge filter and added the frame before uploading back to the computer and then posting here.

Day 347, 365 Day Project

2011-12-13T18:09:00.001-08:00

I was testing out a few new apps today to see what they are capable of. The first is one called "16 Mega Pixels" which is suppose to give you a larger file from your the camera in your phone. As the iPhone 4 is only 5 MP it does offer a nice possibility to make your files larger. The app seemed to work well here yielding a 43MB (4480 x 3360) file compared with the standard 14 MB ((2592 x 1936) file. There does appear to be some sharpness loss but since I had limited subject matter today more testing is required.

I then tested the Luminance app to see what it's filter set had to offer. There are 19 presets and a few are interesting to use and I choose the Dystopia on this image as it gave the look I wanted. I finished off using Real Camera+ to select the frame as again I wanted to see what was offered in different apps for alternative choices in borders. This particular one worked well with today's image.

Day 346, 365 Day Project

2011-12-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

One of our small Christmas Decorations, a little town scene with skaters. I came in close with the iPhone and snapped a few frames. I first brought the image in to Snapseed to make some minor adjustments and then in to PhotoToaster to add a texture that fit the scene.

Day 345, 365 Day Project

2011-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

Today I was out for most of the day and had a chance to shoot a number of images to work with. I present three of my favorites as it was a little hard deciding on showing just one. The above is my favorite. After shooting the images with the iPhone I brought the above one in to PhotoToaster for a little tweaking before settling on this result. The bottom two where post processed in Snapseed and i feel I achieved the desired results.

Day 344, 365 Day Project

2011-12-10T19:47:00.001-08:00

The boy's have been extra good this week and I thought I would treat them to one of their favorite meals, Little Caesars Hot and Ready Pizza and Crazy Bread. The place was really busy so to kill some time I discreetly tried to shoot a few images. I liked this one and while waiting brought it in to Snapseed and did a little post processing to finish the shot off.

Day 343, 365 Day Project

2011-12-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

We had a Chinook blow through Calgary today (a warm west wind that comes in off the mountains for those of you not familiar with the term). This cleared up a spot on my front lawn allowing me to put up our inflatable penguin and the deer decorations. I like the late afternoon sun so I shot an image with the iPhone. Using Instagram today for quick processing I used the choose the Kelvin filter to finish it.

Day 342, 365 Day Project

2011-12-08T21:21:00.001-08:00

These plastic flowers adorn our washroom up stairs, sitting silently in the corner. Tonight they became my subject. Shot with the iPhone I decided to use the PhotoToaster for post production to learn what this app can do. I used four different settings, first was adding a texture with canvas, then using the spotlight filter, adding a vignette and finishing it off with a ragged frame. I am happy with the result, but still need to work with the app a bit more to gain familiarity with what it can achieve.

Day 341, 365 Day Project

2011-12-07T22:02:00.001-08:00

Tonight was the last shooting night for my classes at SAIT for this year. I was demonstrating the use of colour gels on the background and one of my students sat for a quick couple of images at the start of the class. The original image was shot with the Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f8 and 57mm, 1/125 sec at 100 ISO. Once I returned home I downloaded the image and cropped it then uploaded to my iPhone as I knew I wanted to use Snapseed once again. I used the vintage filter, style 1 to soften the skin a bit. Then I used Real Camera+ to add the frame. After saving the image I uploaded the image to my computer and re-sized it for the Internet before posting it here.

Day 340, 365 Day Project

2011-12-06T20:53:00.001-08:00

So with all the Christmas decorations up it was only a matter of time before one found it's way in to the collection of images. I was at the Varsity Community Association waiting for Cool and his Jazz dance class to finish up. They have all their decorations around the facility and one that caught my eye was a wreath on one of the doors. The first shot I took was fairly boring, but I did not give up on it. I moved the iPhone around it looking at various angles and crops before settling on the above photo of the poinsettia flower in the wreath. Then in Snapseed I did a centre focus and adjust some grunge before adding the frame for the final result.

Day 339, 365 Day Project

2011-12-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

Another night at SAIT teaching my students in the Advanced Lighting Class. While moving between the two rooms in which we set up studios for the students to work in I saw the cleaning ladies supply cart in the hall. Immediately I knew that the spray bottles could make an interesting subject for today's image. Quickly I shot a couple of frames and went back in to watch what my students were doing. A couple of them have been following my 365 Day Project so I thought I would share with them how I go about finishing the photo. Using Snapseed I quickly add a bit of softening and texture with the grunge filter and added the frame. This is one thing I like about teaching at SAIT, besides sharing the info in the lighting class I can also share other photographic ideas with the hopes it will inspire them as well.

Day 338, 365 Day Project

2011-12-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

After shoveling the snow for the second time today I noticed the berries on the Neighbours tree with little hats of snow on them. Using the iPhone in the Instgram app I shot a few frames. I like this one the best for the richness and the contrast of the colours. I used the Lomo-fi filter which added in a slight more saturation and a border, but otherwise it is a pretty straight shot.

Day 337, 365 Day Project

2011-12-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Today is a day for family, rest and recovery. We went out early this morning and took Cool and Luke to see Santa at Northland Village Mall. This year it was by booking and there was no photographer, it was take your own. So I shot using the Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f4, 1/125 sec, 800 ISO with the Canon 580EX II flash and Gary Fong collapsible light sphere. After the boys made some crafts and had a snack we headed home where I downloaded the files and then choose the one I wanted to use, cropped it in Photoshop and the uploaded back to my iPhone. From there I used PhotoForge2 to add a frame and then copied it back to my computer and posted it here. Now it is off to trim the tree, decorate the house and have a peaceful day with the family.

Day 336, 365 Day Project

2011-12-02T20:06:00.001-08:00

The last four days seem to have been a busy one leading up to today's Arts & Crafts fair at my boy's school. Between picking up prints, matting, teaching, delivering flyer's about the show and all, I have barely had 5 hours sleep each night. So today's image is a simple one, a record shot of my table with prints for sale. All but three were taken for this 365 Day Project and a large number were done with the iPhone. I was very pleased by the resulting prints and had many compliments on my work during the day. However, as is usually the case with photographs, sales were small but it has always been this way. Back in my Art College days when we had the Christmas show and sale the glass blowing, ceramics, print making departments always made big money. Photography was lucky if we broke $500 people would like the work but happily go on and but from the other departments. So it did not surprise me much that this happened today and Franky it doesn't bother me. Today was more about participating and helping the school and I had a booth just for the fun of it. Cool assisted me all day and had a great time. So now I can go to sleep happy and content because I am happy with the way my images looked.

Day 335, 365 Day Project

2011-12-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

In to the home stretch now, last month of the year. Today Luke had swimming lessons and usually the pool is busy and there is always movement in the water. For some reason when we arrived the pool was empty and the water was calm and still. I saw the reflection of the slide and the wall in the pool and immediately jumped to my feet to get the shot before the kids entered the pool for their lessons. I find with the iPhone I really like to angle the camera to make the image more dynamic and I was pleased how the reflections of the clock and other pool accessories came out. While waiting for Luke's lesson to end I brought the file in to Snapseed looking for the appropriate amount of filter effect to give what I was looking for. I felt this grunge effect toned down a fair amount worked best.

Day 334, 365 Day Project

2011-11-30T21:42:00.000-08:00

I had a busy day today as we had our first major snow fall of the year. Had to shovel 2 driveways, matt prints and teach at SAIT so it was a bit crazy. As I left SAIT tonight after class I saw this scene in front of me and liked how the light from the street lamp reflected off the snow and on to the trees. As I lined up the shot I saw the flare from the light and really liked it> After looking at the image I decide only to crop a tiny bit of foreground and add a frame in PhotoForge 2, otherwise it is a straight shot.

Day 333, 365 Day Project

2011-11-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes as we walk through buildings we fail to notice some of the fine architectural details that are incorporated in to the facility. As I was watching Cool during his Jazz Dance class tonight I looked up and was intrigued by the lines and shape of an inset in the ceiling. I took out the iPhone and zoomed in a bit and shot a couple of frames using the phones limited exposure control to get a couple of different looks. I then brought the image in to Snapseed and used the Dark 1 in the Drama filter to give a look I was happy with.

Day 332, 365 Day Project

2011-11-28T21:40:00.001-08:00

One of the things I encourage my students to do is to experiment with their cameras so that they can learn the capabilities and limitations in different situations. I have been doing the same thing lately with my iPhone and tonight I was able to test it using my studio lights as the source. Though there are some things the iPhone is not suited for it still preforms well a majority of the time. Using the modelling light on an AlienBee 1600 with a Hensel Beauty Dish I gave Greg some split lighting. The backdrop being used for this shot is by Madcamp Backgrounds. After shooting the image with the iPhone I then demonstrated to some of my students how I use Snapseed to post process. In this case I cropped the image then use the Dark 1 in the Drama filter before finishing up with a frame. I loved the way the filter added a strong feel and the way it interacted with the background.

Day 331, 365 Day Project

2011-11-27T17:29:00.001-08:00

While watering the plants in our front bay window, I noticed our little statuette Buddha's siting there. The light from the window was nice and soft as it was overcast outside. Using the I phone I tried a few different positions until I settled on the above composition. After shooting the image I brought it in to Snapseed and cropped it, used the Drama Dark 2 filter and added the frame. I finished the image with a bit of touch up in Photoshop of a couple of highlights that I thought were distracting.

Day 330, 365 Day Project

2011-11-26T20:33:00.001-08:00

Walking through the basement I saw my weights lying there after my work out from this morning. Something just drew them to me and I brought the iPhone to try a few shots. Once I found the composition that worked for me I brought it into Snapseed for some post processing. After changing the focus range, I converted it to Black & White and added a frame to finish the image.

Day 329, 365 Day Project

2011-11-25T21:17:00.001-08:00

My sister decided to have all the nieces and nephews head over to "Colour Me Mine" to pick and paint their own pottery piece as their Christmas gift this year. So while Cool and Luke were working on their pieces I wandered through the store looking at the variety of items they could choose from. I snapped a few shots but this one of the monkey giving the peace sign stood out for me. I worked a little bit on it in Snapseed adding a bit of grunge to darken the figures with a little more texture as they were very white.

Day 328, 365 Day Project

2011-11-24T15:49:00.000-08:00

I had photographed a similar scene back on March 22 (Day 80 of the project). Many things have changed since I started this project. In the case of this scene the plants that were photographed on that last day of winter were cut down to allow the new growth of the spring ahead. The shot was done with the Canon 7D with very little post processing.

Fast forward eight months and a couple of days. Winter is not quite here yet, but we have had a few light snowfalls followed by stretches of nice weather. Last night we had another light dusting and as I walked up the driveway after walking my boy's to school I noticed the above scene once again. However this time the tools and vision have changed. This time I used the iPhone to capture the shot and then worked with a couple of the dozen apps that I use for post processing. In the case it was PhotoToaster and PhotoForge2 that allowed me to get the painterly feel that I was looking for.

It is fun as I near the end of this cycle to look back and see the change and growth in my photography. Although I have been shooting for close to 40 years and teach others I still feel the need to develop and grow as a photographer, as an artist. This project has been a great learning experience.

Day 327, 365 Day Project

2011-11-23T22:11:00.001-08:00

Tonight was the low key lighting class at SAIT. The lovely Breanna was the model and my students had a lot of fun with her tonight. At the end of the night I took a half dozen frames on my Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 at f10, 1/125 sec at 100 ISO. Lighting was a Balcar head with a 18 x 48 inch Larson Strip Soft box as a main light and a Balcar head with an umbrella for the fill. Once I got home I downloaded the images and selected my favorite then resized it for downloading to my iPhone. Once there I first used the PhotoForge2 app to add a dreamy effect to soften the skin and then in PhotoToaster added the frame I wanted. Once this was done I uploaded back to my computer where I then posted it here.

Day 326, 365 Day Project

2011-11-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

I was stuck in-doors for most of the day with a sick child. Only managed to run out once Lysa got home from work and that was down to Safeway for a few groceries. Earlier in the day I figured this might be my best chance to get a photo for the day as I was holding Luke for most of it. However as I wandered the produce aisle the shelf's were picked pretty bare. However I did come across this tray of yellow peppers which I knew I could do something with. So grabbing a quick couple of shots with the iPhone I finished my shopping and headed home. Using Snapseed I knew exactly which grunge filter I wanted and the intensity. I then added the frame to finish the image.

Luke is fine by the way, just a little cold and he has recovered after spending the day with his Papa.

Day 325, 365 Day Project

2011-11-21T21:56:00.001-08:00

Had a great class at SAIT tonight, unfortunately I did not get to shot as I was the one doing most of the painting with light. So not having an image from that session I could use I had to find something at home. I noticed that Luke had placed a lot of the elephants on the piano and liked the way the light was on the newest addition to our collection. Quickly with the iPhone I grabbed a frame and then brought it in to PhotoForge2 as I knew the texture that I wanted to add subtly to the shot as well as the frame.

Day 324, 365 Day Project

2011-11-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

My cousin Courtney contacted me to create some maternity photos for her. So she came over to our studio and I shot some images with the Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f8, 1/125 sec at 100 ISO. I used a Balcar MiniZ head with a Chimera Small Strip light as the main from slightly behind and a Balcar MiniZ with an XS soft box for the fill. After down loading the image I wanted to add a frame so I downloaded the image to my iPhone where I used the PhotoToaster Jr. app to add the frame I wanted.

Day 323, 365 Day Project

2011-11-19T18:28:00.001-08:00

It's a bitterly cold day in Calgary today (-28C with the windchill) so we decided to stay home and have family time. Tonight my wife made her wonderful oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies which the boy's and I love. Here is a batch fresh out of the oven shot with the iPhone. First processed in Snapseed to add a little grunge to soften the edges. Then in to PhotoForge2 to add a frame that I thought would work better.

Day 322, 365 Day Project

2011-11-18T18:33:00.001-08:00

I downloaded a new app to try and see how I like it. PhotoForge2 is also an app to post process images and this was my first time to test it. I had taken an image of my belt hanging on a hook and liked the composition and thought it might make a good one to work with. I cropped the image and then used the textures function to add just a touch of texture. In the frames option I opted for a black ragged edge.

I like the possibilities with PhotoForge2 but will it replace Snapseed as my go to app? I don't think so, but I can see it working well in conjunction with it. Both have their strengths and I have been observing the work of photographers such as Dewitt, Jones, Jonathan Marks and John Paul Caponigro and how they mix apps and processes to achieve their wonderful results. The digital age and all the new ways of working with the shots we take really expands our vision and our art.

Day 321, 365 Day Project

2011-11-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

I had the fun of assisting in Luke's kindergarten class this morning and while sitting with them as they ate their mid-morning snack I noticed the hand bells had been set out for the day. So I took a walk around them snapping a variety of images with my iPhone. One thing I do love about the iPhone is that the wide angle of view and ultra deep depth of field allow for some great close up images. I shot this row of bells and then brought the image in to Snapseed for some post processing using a light grunge and adding a frame.

Day 320, 365 Day Project

2011-11-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

I structure my SAIT classes to give as much time for the students to shot as I can. So after a lecture on the lighting style for the night I usually take a few shots of our subjects to get them warmed up and show the student's some examples. This usually means I only take a few frames on the evening and tonight was no exception. This image of the lovely Tatiana was taken with the Canon 7D and the 24-70 f2.8 lens @ f 8, 1/125 sec and 100 ISO. Two Balcar MiniZ lights with umbrellas were used to give even lighting across the scene.

Once I returned home I downloaded the images and liked the classical feel of the image and knew I wanted to do a little post processing work. I did a little cleaning in Photoshop then saved the file and downloaded to my iPhone. I have really settled on Snapseed as my go to app for post processing work and knew I wanted to add a little Vintage filter to the shot. Once I found the look I wanted I then added the frame and finished the image.

Day 319, 365 Day Project

2011-11-15T21:47:00.001-08:00

While waiting for Cool during his Choir practice I saw this line-up of sinks in the bathroom and was just taken by the symmetry of the look. Lined up the shot with my iPhone and then brought the image into Snapseed where I did some color correcting, cropping, centre focus adjustment, some grunge and a frame.

Day 318, 365 Day Project

2011-11-14T23:04:00.001-08:00

Two images from tonight's Advanced Lighting class at SAIT. Was showing my students how to mix flash/studio strobe with hot lights, otherwise known as pop and drag. Both images were taken with the Canon 7D and 24-70 f2.8 lens but with very different settings. The top image was at f8 @ 1/8 sec at 100 ISO. Lighting was a Balcar MiniZ head and Larson 18" x 48" soft box as the main light and a Smith Victor Hot Light through a card board "Cookie" on the back ground. We asked Rachael to jump and the strobe froze her in mid air yet the drag bled through where her legs were moving.

The bottom image of Holly was shot at f5.6 and 1/0.3 sec using a 3' x 4' Larson Soft box on an Alien Bee 1600 head with the power turned down as the main light and a garage work light and a cardboard "Cookie" on the background.

Both images were processed in photoshop and the frames added with OnOne's PhotoFrame 4.6 software.

Day 317, 365 Day Project

2011-11-13T22:29:00.001-08:00

I have this old Leonard refrigerator in the basement that I store all my film in. It was painted red long before I got it and I always liked the character of it. So today it became the subject for the project. Shot with the iPhone and processed in Snapseed.

Day 316, 365 Day Project

2011-11-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

The piano makes for a lovely subject with the contrast of Black and White and the reflective wood. Shot this with the iPhone and then in Snapseed I used the centre focus to change the depth of field and added a frame.

Day 315, 365 Day Project

2011-11-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

We recently added to our collection of Elephant statuettes. This one we picked up at a shop here in Calgary and Lysa likes to hang some of the boy's rosaries on it. Seeing this I thought I could make an interesting photo, so I took it down stairs to the studio. Being that the figurine is of dark wood I choose a bright orange background that I have and then shot the elephant using the available light with the iPhone. Today I decided to use Pictureshow as the app for post processing as I wanted to do minimal work other than adding a a bit of vignetting and a different style of frame.

Day 314, 365 Day Project

2011-11-10T20:10:00.001-08:00

Today we got ourselves a piano. Lysa has been wanting us to get one so the boy's can learn how to play and Cool can added that to his singing. It has been a long time since I have played but I hope I can pick it up again as well. As the mover's brought it in to the house I knew that I wanted to use it as the subject for my image for today. I opened it up and reached inside with the iPhone and snapped a few images. The first couple I only had the room lights on and for the last few I brought in a floor lamp to give more illumination. Although I liked the images with the lamp I felt a strong feel for this dark and moody image from one of the first frames. I did very little processing in Snapseed other then a little brightening and adding the frame.

Day 313, 365 Day Project

2011-11-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

I have always liked driving in dark areas were the only illumination was the dashboard lights. Tonight as I was leaving SAIT I was sitting in the car in the parking lot just unwinding when the glow struck me. I pulled out the iPhone and snapped a quick image. Choose not to do any post processing other the the crop in Snapseed.

Day 312, 365 Day Project

2011-11-08T21:13:00.001-08:00

I seem to always be looking at everyday objects with an eye of how to photograph them in an interesting way. Today I saw this stack of chairs in one of the rooms at the Varsity Community Centre. I liked the way they were stacked so I got down low with the iPhone and shot up on them. Then I brought the image into Snapseed for a little post processing work to create the final look.

Day 311, 365 Day Project

2011-11-07T22:12:00.001-08:00

Tonight was the start of a new session of lighting courses that I teach at SAIT. This shot of the lovely Kathleen was taken in the first class of my Advanced Lighting course. Three lights were used. The main light was a Balcar MiniZ with a small Chimera Strip Soft box, Fill was a rectangular reflector, there was a Alien Bee 800 on a boom stand with an extra small Chimera box with 40 degree egg crate as a hair light and an Alien Bee 1600 head with a 14 X 48 Larson strip softbox as an accent light. Canon 7D, 24-70 f2.8 @ f10, 1/125 sec, 100ISO. Border added in Photoshop with OnOne Perfect Photo Suite 5.5's photo frame action.

Day 310, 365 Day Project

2011-11-06T20:04:00.001-08:00

We attended a performance of Carmina Burana by the Calgary Civic Symphony this afternoon. My son Cool and the Cantare Children's Choir of which he is a member sand a portion of this production and it was a big deal for him as he was able to sit with the Symphony as well as the Calgary Philharmonic Choir. There were also close to 2000 people in attendance at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, by far the largest crowd he has been in front of. The whole time I could see his smiling face from the stage as he performed beautifully.

Now they don't like people taking pictures during the performance so I did not bring my Canon 7D which would have been needed to deal with the low light. However while we were waiting for the start of the performance I trained my iPhone on the large acoustic panel above the stage which also houses a number of the lights for the stage. To me it looked like a large alien ship hovering above a landing platform. I snapped an image and brought it into Snapseed for a little manipulation that I feel enhanced this idea.

Day 309, 365 Day Project

2011-11-05T21:07:00.001-07:00

After all the images I have created with the iPhone it may be tough to believe that there was no manipulation of this photograph using an app. I did use Snapseed to crop and add the frame but the rest was created in camera.

For the longest time I have been trying to see how I could utilize the glass wall we have on our shower. Today I brought a bouquet of flowers and held it on the inside of the shower while I shot with the iPhone from the other side. I moved the flowers up and down and side to side getting a variety of results. What I liked most about this particular image was how it reminded me of SX-70 Polaroid manipulations that I use to do.

Day 308, 365 Day Project

2011-11-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

We had a dusting of snow this morning as winter finally arrived today in Calgary. Looking out the front window I saw what was left of the Marigolds with little crowns of snow on them. I took the Canon 7D and the 24-70 f2.8 outside and focused on a lone flower to isolate it against a background of snow. This was shot at f10 and 70mm, 1/80 sec at 100 ISO. I then brought the image into Photoshop and just cropped it and cleaned it up a little. The next step was to upload the image to my iPhone so I could work on it in Snapseed. I have really become accustomed to this app and knew I could get the look I wanted. I added some grunge that cooled down the image and gave a frosted look to the scene. Then added a subtle frame to finish the image.

Day 307, 365 Day Project

2011-11-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Using the new to photograph the old. This is my old Crown Graphic which was always fun to use. It is amazing how these camera's were the work horses for photojournalists back in the 40's and 50's. Weegee was a master with it creating some of the great images of life in New York City. He would shoot at all hours of the evening and developed his film out of his trunk and still managed to scoop most of the other photographers of his time. It was a labour intensive process and when you see what we have to work with to day it is amazing what he (and other's of the time) were able to do. Now I commemorate this old work horse using an iPhone, processing the image with instagram, and posting it in minutes.

Day 306, 365 Day Project

2011-11-02T20:30:00.001-07:00

Cleaning up in the basement and the hot water tank caught my eye. Got down low and lined up the composition that I wanted knowing before hand what I wanted to do in Snapseed. Added a little centre focus, just the right amount of grunge and coloring that I was looking for and the frame. Came out pretty much as I had visualized.

Day 305, 365 Day Project

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in the pews at St. Luke's Church while Cool was sitting with his peers who are preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Most of the lights were off but the spot lights on the cross were still on. I liked the shadows being cast and pulled out the iPhone to capture a frame. I then brought the image into Snapseed for some post processing and got the dramatic look I was trying for.

Day 304, 365 Day Project

2011-10-31T20:38:00.001-07:00

Spent pretty well the whole day with my boy's. Took them both to Market Mall and Northland Village Shoppes for some early trick or treating this afternoon and then took Luke out in the neighbourhood while Cool went out with one of hiss classmates this evening. When I got home with Luke he began organizing his candy by the colour of the packaging. It was so cute I had to snap a photo. This is where the ultra wide angle of view of the iPhone comes in handy as I out it close to the floor and then just shot as he sorted the piles. Did a little post processing in Snapseed to jazz it up a bit.

Day 303, 365 Day Project

2011-10-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

As I do this project I am discovering a few mini projects to go along with it. This is my second image in my back lit plant project. I found this dead flower on the flower in our basement after it had fallen off the plant it is from. I have always liked the textures so I brought it in to my production room and set it on the light table. I used a mirror to bounce some light back into the front and Photographed it with the Canon 7D, 24-70 f.28 @ f10 and 46mm, 1/60 sec. at 1600 ISO.

Day 302, 365 Day Project

2011-10-29T14:54:00.001-07:00

Today was Cool's last day of swimming lessons and afterwards we went over to the Community Association as it was the opening of the new playground and fall BBQ party. Both boys had lots of fun, but needless to say they got dirty so when we got home I threw the in the tub to clean up and play. Now both boys love bubbles so I added some bubble bath and let them have fun. Cool discovered that he was able to blow large bubbles using his fingers and was having lots of fun with this. I thought it was pretty original of him to figure this out so I wanted to record some of his bubbles. Well after a number of images he was able to create this monster and I was able to capture it.

I used the Canon 7D and 24-70 f2.8 @ f3.5, 1/80 sec at 3200 ISO. Then after cleaning it up a bit in photoshop I used OnOne's PhotoFrame plugin and a weathered wood option as the frame.

Day 301, 365 Day Project

2011-10-28T17:31:00.001-07:00

Luke had his last day of swimming lessons today so I took my Canon 7D along to get some shots in the pool. Here he was just floating and I liked how his long hair floated around his head. When I got home I brought the shot in to photoshop and used the OnOne PhotoFrame plugin and then used the Acid Burn 11 as I liked how it framed the image. Shot with the 24-70 f2.8 @ f4 and 68mm, 1/100 sec at 2000 ISO.

Day 300, 365 Day Project

2011-10-27T20:46:00.001-07:00

I have become very comfortable with the iPhone and the Snapseed app, so much so that I have noticed that I can really previsualize the image and the way it will look before I snap the shot. Ansel Adams was the photographer who developed the idea of previsualization and was a master in the darkroom in order to achieve the desired results.

In the early days of digital many photographers got away from this idea and just shot numerous images with the intention of fixing them later in Photoshop. Yet as digital has emerged and more tools have presented themselves to us I have seen that more photographers are taking time to see their image and know what they will do afterwards with the variety of tools that they have at their disposal. In general I think we are seeing more meaningful and interesting images then ever before.

I saw today's composition while brushing my teeth this evening. My wife had left some of her perfume on the counter and I liked the way they looked in the scene. I could see the final result in my mind as I went and grabbed the iPhone and then took the shot. It only took me a few seconds in Snapseed to find the exact grunge filter I was looking for and the frame. It turned out exactly as I envisioned.

Day 299, 365 Day Project

2011-10-26T16:10:00.001-07:00

As we enter the last few days of October we have had incredibly dry weather and I know that winter can arrive any day now. So I climbed on the roof and got the Christmas lights in place so I don't have to worry when the snow and ice arrive. While I was up there I decided to shoot a panoramic image using the 360 Panoramic app on my iPhone.

Day 298, 365 Day Project

2011-10-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

At Cool's choir concert on Saturday they were selling flowers and my boy's always like to get one each. So now four days later the Flowers still look good and I saw another opportunity to use them again as subjects for today's entry. This time I choose the iPhone as I knew I could get it in close underneath the flower. I took two shot's, one of each flower, and as I processed them in Snapseed I liked both equally so I give you each image for your consideration.

Day 297, 365 Day Project

2011-10-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

I found these pipes casting these wonderful shadows as I walked through SAIT tonight after my Wedding Photography class. Since starting this project on January 1st, I have grown even more aware of light and shadows, shape and form and love the fact that I have a new tool in the iPhone to help capture interesting and different views.

Day 296, 365 Day Project

2011-10-23T20:24:00.001-07:00

I have been using the iPhone and Snapseed app a lot lately due to the ease and simplicity in post production and downloading. Still I want to spend more time shooting with the Canon 7D and trying post processing in Photoshop. To aid this I downloaded OnOne's Picture Photo Suite 5.5 in the trial version (version 6 is out at the end of the month).

It was good that I only picked up the trial version as I discovered that my computers CPU and Video card do not support most of the suite and I would have been fairly ticked off had I purchased it and was unable to use it. I have been planning an upgrade of my work station for a while now so perhaps this was the push I needed.

Yet there was one part of the software that does work and I am able to trial and that is PhotoFrame. There is a large library of looks in this suite and I am impressed with the ease that it seems to work. I choose one of the frames to go along with today's image as it reminded me of the look I use to get when I did Polaroid emulsion transfers years ago.

Shot with the Canon 7D and the 24-70 f2.8 @ f5.0 and 40mm, 1/100 sec at 400 ISO with natural window light as the source.

Day 295, 365 Day Project

2011-10-22T22:38:00.001-07:00

These beautiful pipes are part of the Organ at Knox's United Church here in Calgary. We were in the church attending my son Cool's Choir concert and while waiting for the show to began Luke wanted to visit the balcony where I was able to get close to the pipes. I took out my iPhone and snapped a couple of shots and when I got home processed the image in Snapeseed giving a bit of grunge and adding the frame.

Day 294, 365 Day Project

2011-10-21T12:13:00.001-07:00

In September I had bid on a set of Nike Golf club through Safeway and Airmiles E-Auction. I was successful and thus had a new set of clubs for myself. I tweeted that I had won and thought nothing of it. A few weeks later I received an e-mail stating that I had won the daily draw of a Wittnauer watch for having tweeted about my experience. Today that reward arrived and my wife now has a beautiful new watch. Shot this with available window light on the iPhone, cropped it in Snapseed and then finished the post processing with Instagram.

Day 293, 365 Day Project

2011-10-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Decided to try some more table top work with a mini bottle of Grey Goose I was given a few years ago at a American Photo party in New York. I added a glass from the 1988 winter Olympics in the background (unfortunately I don't have any martini glasses) to add some depth. I shot the image with the Canon 7D and the 24-70 f2.8 @ f8, 1/125 sec. and 100 ISO. Lighting was a Balcar head with a Chimera small strip box and egg crate on one side and white foam core on the other.

I then downloaded the image and cleaned it up a bit in photoshop then uploaded the image to my iPhone. Once again I used Snapseed to do a little post processing to add a bit of grunge and a frame.

Day 292, 365 Day Project

2011-10-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Today's post helps correct a mistake I made back in February. I realized that I had posted two different days with the same number, thus throwing my dates off by one day.

Today's image is of one of our flowering plants that seems to have blooms year round. I always like the look of the flower and the texture on the pistil. Here I brought the iPhone in close to capture a more intimate view. The only processing that was done in Snapseed was to crop a tiny bit and add the frame.

Day 290, 365 Day Project

2011-10-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

By observing the work of others it can help us learn to alter the observation of our world around us. My friend Jonathan Marks (http://www.jmarksphoto.com/) has been an inspiration since I discovered his work early in 2011. Watching the imagery he has produced by mastering the iPhone and the various tools available to him has helped me to expand my vision as well.

I have always believed that you must develop your own style and not imitate others. However by sharing and being open to other styles one can expand their own repertoire as well. As I go into the final 75 days of this years project, I have seen a great improvement and growth in my own work. I credit this to being open to new ideas, philosophies, techniques and tools. I am invigorated by observing the works of many talented photographers and thus stretched myself as well. Using my Canon or my iPhone (used to create today's image) allows me to share my vision with you.

This particular shot was done at the Knox united church as I wandered around the building waiting for Cool during his choir rehearsal. I looked up and loved the lines and colour that I saw. I rotated my iPhone to get the composition I liked and then brought the image into Snapseed to crop the image and add the frame. I love the final look of the photograph.

Day 289, 365 Day Project

2011-10-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

A very active game of table tennis was taking place in the Campus Centre at SAIT this evening. I saw this as I went for a short walk around campus and grabbed a quick shot with the iPhone. Processed in Snapseed with a little drama and a frame added.