With the invention of something really cool comes the fans that want to talk about that cool thing. Heck, we’re in that mix because we love iPhoneography! Instagram is no different.
Also in the mix are the people that want to profit from said phenomenon. Around Instagram is a plethora of services ranging from web pages to view photos, printing photos, it goes on and on. But one man wants to make something a little… different.
Behold, the Instagram camera.
Episode 6.1 is here for your listening pleasure.
News – Facebook buys Instagram… yeah yeah, old news, moving on many reports coming in that Apple will be eliminating the use of the +Volume button as a shutter button and rumors are afoot that the iPhone will be sporting a dedicated shutter button. Worried about snipers? A new iPhone case may set your mind at ease. Ticker tape and marching bands as Snapseed brings home the title, … again!
Featured – This week we share some of our favorite tips, techniques, and so forth. Keith Mentions using the iPhone camera for things no other camera can do, Matt brings some great insight into the iPhone photography creative process, and Mark has alternative uses for your sunglasses. Next round Keith makes rain, or water droplets at least with an epic tip for capturing macro shots with the iPhone. Matt has an alternative use for a cool app!
Listener Questions – This week we answer our first listener question from Oliver. Submit your questions by commenting on any of the show posts, on Facebook or Google+, or on the Tiny Shutter Contact page. You can use any method to record and send an audio question, but Audio questions can be recorded in Voice Memo on your iPhone and sent directly from the app to ‘questions (at) Tiny Shutter (dot) com’
Focus Points – Keith says Operation and it’s BTS, Mark says InstaDM, Matt says Photographer’s Rights!
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Todays photo journey focuses on how to achieve the long exposure “blur” effect while photographing waterfalls with an iPhone.
Bicknell Brook in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire.
Every now and then it’s good to get away from hectic pace of everyday life. But I can’t always take a trip for a day, so it’s great to have a place I can go to relax that is close to home. Bicknell Brook Conservation
Area, in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire, is that place for me. A 1.5 mile trail follows along the brook, passing remnants of an old logging mill from the 1800’s. The brook is punctuated with marshes created by beaver dams and wanders through areas of dense pine trees. The real highlight for me is the many waterfalls and cascades along the brook.
Usually, I bring my Nikon D80 with me, but recently I decided to see what kind of images I could capture there with my iPhone. In early March the brook was high with snowmelt and I knew I had to capture the rushing water in the same manner I would as if I were shooting with my Nikon. I wanted to use a long exposure to blur the water , but how do you do that on an iPhone? As with all things iPhone, the secret is in the apps. For this particular application, my go-to app is called SlowShutterCam.
This app allows me to use my iPhone as if it has a shutter priority mode. Using the apps Automatic mode, I chose a shutter speed around 2 seconds long. I tapped the screen on the water to tell the app to expose for the water. The resulting image is a bit underexposed but the water is blurred beautifully. I should note that just as you would with a long exposure on any other type of camera, using a tripod with the SlowShutterCam app is essential if you want your images to be sharp!
After saving the image, I open it in my favorite editing app, Snapseed. After adjusting the sharpness in the Details tab, I open the Drama tab and select the Bright 1 preset. This preset brightens up the underexposed area of the image, usually without blowing out the details in the water too much. I’ll adjust the intensity of this preset as necessary. Then I make some quick global adjustments to the contrast, and saturation in the Tune Image tab. Lastly, I go into the Selective Adjust tab to fine tune the local exposure using control points. That’s it! With the right apps it’s possible to achieve any number of effects just as you would with your fancy DSLR and Photoshop.
Please leave any comments or questions and I will respond ASAP! Also, stay tuned to the website for Photo Journeys from Marc and Keith!
A birch tree reflected in a calm pool on Bicknell Brook.
A great cascade under a bridge on Bicknell Brook.
Getting close to water!
SpinCam – This app is very cool and it’s free right now for an undisclosed amount of time, normally $2.99
This is not another “Pano” app, SpinCam creates 3D walk arounds of an object. Have your friend stand in a pose and hold still, then aim your iPhone at your friend, start the app, then walk around your friend keeping the same distance from them and keeping them framed similarly. The app gives you visual and audio feed back as you progress around your chosen object. When your done SpinCam produces an interactive image that you can swipe to orbit the view giving you a 3D experience. The result is similar to an animated gif as far as video quality but the interaction aspect is very cool. Here’s a “Spin” I did.
The good news: It’s free right now, and I think it’s worth the $2.99 they are asking for normally. The results are consistent and pretty decent quality. The app is simple to use, creating the images, interacting with them, and sharing them are all quick and easy. There is also a built in community to share your results with and get ideas from.
The bad news: The final video quality can be choppy feeling if you are not careful with your orbit and composition. This choppiness affect is magnified the larger your orbit around the object is. Sharing from your phone is limited to the built in community or Facebook. Though once you get it to Facebook there is a link provided for the “Spin” that can be shared. The UI and overall experience with the Facebook version is not as smooth or enjoyable.
Hopefully coming in an update: I’d like to see more sharing options from the phone, embeddability would be nice. I’d like a play option for both the phone and internet versions, rather than having to swipe.
This link will take you to SpinCam on the iTunes store.