![<span id="date">_09/08/10_</span> <span id="title">Not HDR Stairs</span>
Apple released iOS 4.1 today, which brings HDR functionality to the iPhone 4. I played around with it tonight around sunset with overcast skies, and none of my 18 photos are better with HDR - pretty disappointing. The HDR photos flatten contrasty areas (like the plastic bag) and don't bring a whole lot of extra range - the blown out portion in this photo was still blown out in the HDR version, although you could sort of make out the power line pole. In other photos, there were actual ghosting artifacts which could be explained by hand movement, except I kept my hand pretty still.
The EXIF data is the same for both the regular and HDR photos, only the file name and file size are different. I'll try some more shots tomorrow in daylight.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#643599364_oLLnv">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-BzvFxcz/3/4b095267/L/2010-09-08%20Not%20HDR%20Stairs-L.jpg)
_09/08/10_ Not HDR Stairs Apple released iOS 4.1 today, which brings HDR functionality to the iPhone 4. I played around with it tonight around sunset with overcast skies, and none of my 18 photos are better with HDR - pretty disappointing. The HDR photos flatten contrasty areas (like the plastic bag) and don't bring a whole lot of extra range - the blown out portion in this photo was still blown out in the HDR version, although you could sort of make out the power line pole. In other photos, there were actual ghosting artifacts which could be explained by hand movement, except I kept my hand pretty still. The EXIF data is the same for both the regular and HDR photos, only the file name and file size are different. I'll try some more shots tomorrow in daylight. [last year]
![<span id="date">_09/21/10_</span> <span id="title">Birthday (cup)Cake</span>
Since today is my birthday, my wife and I went down to <a href="http://www.yummycupcakes.com/">Yummy Cupcakes</a> to get my free birthday cupcake. This one is called Chocolaty Salty Caramel. <b>SO GOOD</b>. Not only is the frosting about an inch thick, the inside of the cupcake was actually filled with caramel!
I managed to not eat it long enough to take this photo. I set the cupcake on a black background and pointed my off-camera flash at it using a snoot to point the light like a spotlight.
Thanks for all the great comments on <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#1016227748_Jx9PW">yesterday's photo</a>! I was pretty happy with it :)
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#657252408_ZPeKQ">[last year]</a> <em>mega...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-bjX9MK2/2/06c6a6dd/Ti/2010-09-21%20Chocolate%20Salted%20Carmel%20Cupcake-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/20/10_</span> <span id="title">Coral Tree Traffic</span>
This is San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica - a beautiful wide road and median lined with cool-looking coral trees. I came here to take photographic advantage of the thick fog that rolled in tonight.
Traffic was light, so I used a 30 second exposure to capture as many cars as I could. I used my Gorillapod on a drinking fountain to hold the camera steady.
In other news, I posted photos from the <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Animals/Aquarium-of-the-Pacific/">Aquarium of the Pacific's Photographers Night</a> that I attended on <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#1005785536_bhSsx">9/12/10</a>.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#656042406_WnGFQ">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-dgXGD2m/2/2d55e1d3/Ti/2010-09-20%20Coral%20Tree%20Traffic-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/19/10_</span> <span id="title">HDR Lamp</span>
Hey look, it's an iPhone HDR photo that looks better than the non-HDR version! Only slightly though. And if you think this is the output from the iPhone, I'm sorry to tell you that the look is mostly thanks to the direct positive preset in Lightroom.
The lamp was on a wall outside the place I got my haircut today. Too bad the reflection doesn't show the top of my freshly cut head. Er... hair.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#655403362_PMCSo">[last year]</a> <em>I just noticed the 'lower your head' - kind of funny...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-LdMVc2x/2/902749fd/Ti/2010-09-19%20HDR%20Lamp-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/18/10_</span> <span id="title">Glass Pumpkins</span>
Aren't we festive? We saw these little glass pumpkins for sale for a mere $3.50 each and decided they should adorn our bay window for the next couple months. This is a composite of two shots - I lit each one from above and just rotated the orange one and pushed it around in Photoshop.
In other news, I finally - <em>FINALLY</em> - wrote a <a href="http://blog.jawsnap.net/2010/09/los-angeles-river-tour/">blog post on the Los Angeles River tour</a> that I took back on <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#978931335_L88tG">8/21</a>. You should definitely read it.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#653696038_MPZYz">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-CHKsL4P/2/518dfc78/Ti/2010-09-18%20Glass%20Pumpkins-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/17/10_</span> <span id="title">Pallet and Door</span>
Tonight I went for a long walk around the neighborhood at night. Armed with the 50mm f/1.4, I mostly took photos of lights because, well, it was dark.
This was my favorite for it's composition and simplicity. I knew it was a decent shot when I took it, so I spent the time to get it right at 1/15 seconds so I didn't have to max out the ISO. The ISO 1600 shots were just too grainy, although slightly sharper than this one.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#652848886_axiiR">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-h9ZLZGP/2/08f71b01/Ti/2010-09-17%20Pallet%20and%20Door-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/16/10_</span> <span id="title">Grate Hinge</span>
This huge metal grate (actually several next to each other) is outside my office, and it covers a shaft about 2 stories deep. I get a cheap thrill walking over it :)
Today's shot is basically a desperation shot - I took it thinking that I might not take any other photos today, and indeed I did not. The original shot had subtle blue and purple tones that I liked, so I exaggerated them in Lightroom. The grate looked cool in general, but I had to find something to break the pattern (the hinge) to make it a viable photo. Looking at it now, I wish I'd had the hinge in the foreground instead of the back. Oh well, desperation shots are what they are.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#651865870_SAHbP">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-JNLmGS5/2/cd55bd59/Ti/2010-09-16%20Grate%20Hinge-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/15/10_</span> <span id="title">Shuffleboard Sunset</span>
Despite a gorgeous location that overlooks the beach and the pier, I've never seen anyone on these courts. In fact, they look pretty neglected and run down.
This is pretty much a desperation shot, and it's the non-HDR version. I'm still playing around with iPhone HDR, and I promise I will write all about it eventually. First, I have to finish my post on the Los Angeles River, then I'll do HDR, and then the Aquarium of the Pacific. If only I didn't have a day job...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#650924416_Sqo3J">[last year]</a> <em>can't make these colors up...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-HqBzLLc/2/08f4d056/Ti/2010-09-15%20Shuffleboard%20Sunset-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/14/10_</span> <span id="title">Pull</span>
Desperation shot tonight. You pull this string and the light turns off - like magic!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#650076340_MSSbk">[last year]</a> <em>my favorite egg shot...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-dtLZPcD/2/701b202f/Ti/2010-09-14%20Pull-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/13/10_</span> <span id="title">Dainty Coffee</span>
After the lighting workshop at the <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#1005785536_bhSsx">aquarium last night</a>, I was inspired to recreate some of it on my own - most of the setups involved foam presentation boards. I feel lied to, though. The instructor said he got all his 'throw away' materials for $25 at Walmart, including 3 presentation boards - I just got back from a trip to Staples and they were $14 each! Instead I bought some 'illustration board' which is just extra-thick poster board. It works, but it's not nearly as reflective as the foam presentation boards.
Such is life.
Anyways, I took a photo of the setup. <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Utility/Setups/8246339_SpVpq#1007088219_cv9sT">Check it out</a>.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#648829071_EwUku">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-CjnrWCL/2/ebfc3a96/Ti/2010-09-13%20Dainty%20Coffee-1-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/12/10_</span> <span id="title">Tentacles</span>
Macro shot of sea anemone tentacles, taken during photographer's night at the <a href="http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/">Aquarium of the Pacific</a> in Long Beach.
It was a lot of fun! Hours flew by as I walked around, free to shoot whatever I wanted with [almost] no one in the way! Indoor shots were tough - I barely used my tripod or flash, and one of the biggest things I learned was that you have to shoot STRAIGHT through the glass, as in perpendicular. Otherwise you get pretty bad distortion because the glass (it's actually acrylic) is so thick. All of my indoor shots used a fairly high ISO and most of them are throw-aways.
This shot was taken in an outdoor touch pool, where I was able to set up my flash and practically get in the water to take macro shots. My best shots, at least technically, are from the tide pool and I will certainly share them all after I sort through them.
The biggest surprise of the night was a Nikon-based lighting workshop by Paul Van Allen - a big name in Nikon training. He and his team set up 6 stations that used off-camera flash in different ways, and went to each station and took a bunch of photos - very educational.
More photos - <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Animals/Aquarium-of-the-Pacific">Aquarium of the Pacific Gallery</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#647698091_5rnfx">[last year]</a> <em>not very photo-like...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-C7xwBwc/4/96a29e81/Ti/2010-09-12%20Anemone%20Tentacles-1-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/11/10_</span> <span id="title">Practice Fish</span>
Some of the more discerning photo enthusiasts may notice that this is not a fish. In fact, it's an agave plant, placed on a shelf in our bay window and I shot it from outside through double-paned glass. The out-of-focus points of light are in my kitchen.
This shot was practice for tomorrow's Photographers Night at the <a href="http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/newsevents/eventsdetail/photographers_night/">Aquarium of the Pacific</a> in Long Beach. Photographers dish out $25 for the privilege of bringing tripods and lighting equipment while curious children are nowhere to be found.
I thought it would be good to experiment with shooting through glass - here's what I learned/reinforced:
I can easily block my on-camera commander flash from reflecting on the glass with one hand while still allowing it to communicate with the remote unit that I hold in my other hand. Self-timer and remote trigger are my friends. Get the camera as close as possible to the glass to minimize reflections. Um... that's about it!
Stay tuned for pics from the Aquarium!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#646646036_46Fs4">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-bQS8DTn/3/20687acd/Ti/2010-09-11%20Practice%20Fish-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/10/10_</span> <span id="title">Distortion</span>
Day 3 of playing with iPhone HDR. This photo is NOT HDR, because the HDR version was worse - it just muted the colors and didn't even add detail in the black windows. This non-HDR version is SOOC.
Regardless of my disappointment, I'm writing a blog post doing a bunch of comparisons and showing how the HDR works. It'll be rockin'. Stay tuned.
By the way, the left side of the photo is a convex mirror on the corner of a building in between a parking garage and they alley. It was kind of neat, especially how you can just barely make out the edge of it where sky meets sky.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#645840077_Emgux">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-N48n4CK/3/41207deb/Ti/2010-09-10%20Distortion-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/09/10_</span> <span id="title">HDR Door</span>
I spent a lot more time playing with the iPhone 4's HDR feature that just became available yesterday with iOS 4.1. My limited experimentation yesterday did not produce any HDR photos that were better than the regular versions. Today I actually got a few, and I plan on writing up a blog post where you can roll over the images to compare the regular and HDR shots. It'll be super cool.
This door is an HDR shot, straight from the camera except for a dust spot that I removed. The reflections on the metal are much more defined than in the regular shot. In addition, the orange color of the wall is more muted in the HDR version, which is closer to what my eye saw.
Although there is some minor optical distortion, the wall is actually curved, so that explains the non-linear... um... lines.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#644883327_KRBYx">[last year]</a> <em>happy 101st, pier...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-NDx5gZv/3/03f28c1d/Ti/2010-09-09%20HDR%20Door-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/08/10_</span> <span id="title">Not HDR Stairs</span>
Apple released iOS 4.1 today, which brings HDR functionality to the iPhone 4. I played around with it tonight around sunset with overcast skies, and none of my 18 photos are better with HDR - pretty disappointing. The HDR photos flatten contrasty areas (like the plastic bag) and don't bring a whole lot of extra range - the blown out portion in this photo was still blown out in the HDR version, although you could sort of make out the power line pole. In other photos, there were actual ghosting artifacts which could be explained by hand movement, except I kept my hand pretty still.
The EXIF data is the same for both the regular and HDR photos, only the file name and file size are different. I'll try some more shots tomorrow in daylight.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#643599364_oLLnv">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-BzvFxcz/3/4b095267/Ti/2010-09-08%20Not%20HDR%20Stairs-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/07/10_</span> <span id="title">Squatter</span>
Not the most random thing* I've seen at a bus stop, but it was pretty unexpected when I noticed him at eye level. Not sure what this plastic dude's deal is.
*would probably be <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#824022840_tAQdL">this</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#642685464_gYGcy">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-ZGChdqH/3/79e4dec7/Ti/2010-09-07%20Squatter-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/06/10_</span> <span id="title">Beach Swing</span>
I had a great day off for Labor Day today, did you? Please answer aloud so I can hear you through the internet.
We had a lovely picnic with a friend at Malibu Bluffs park, just across PCH from Pepperdine University. It's a community park with fields and playgrounds, but also has trails that lead through natural vegetation. It was a really nice place and I highly recommend it.
Afterward lunch we drove down along Malibu Road where rich people have beach houses and 'private' beaches with public stairs leading to them. Underneath several houses were these swinging benches that you definitely needed a ladder to get on. Kind of random.
I like this shot, but if I had my way I'd go back after sunset and use a tripod and a slow shutter speed to get the dusk colors and smooth out the ocean waves. I suppose I can do it after I buy one of these houses.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#641686592_6QCA6">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-2LtCrRN/3/22e585f4/Ti/2010-09-06%20Beach%20Swing-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/05/10_</span> <span id="title">Balls</span>
These big, shiny balls are at the newly opened Santa Monica Place. They adorn the Northeast side of the parking garage, and you can't miss them. I purposely took this shot so you couldn't really tell what you're looking at, but each ball is about the size of a basketball, and they're reflecting the sidewalk and street below.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#640613301_GXtEv">[last year]</a> <em>hail Mary...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-z8wN9bk/3/70821ffb/Ti/2010-09-05%20Balls-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/04/10_</span> <span id="title">Palm Tree Lighting</span>
At first glance this is just a palm tree. It probably is at second or third glance, too. In fact it IS just a palm tree, but the sun's reflection off a nearby glass building is illuminating the front, which the direct sun is coming from the other side. So... it's kind of neat lighting. This iPhone shot is not edited.
I took the shot as my wife and I walked to the <a href="http://www.americancinematheque.com/">Aero Theatre</a> in Santa Monica to see the documentary LA Plays Itself, about how the portrayal of the city in movies affects and is affected by the reality. It was pretty interesting, but definitely a bit long at almost 3 hours. We'll certainly try to go back to the theater though, it's a fun one.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#639996672_Vgqzv">[last year]</a> <em>near miss...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-Lr57f3m/3/29e5de40/Ti/2010-09-04%20Palm%20Tree%20Lighting-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/03/10_</span> <span id="title">Flower Brush</span>
I don't know what this plant is, or how to describe it better than 'flower brush,' but I think the coolest thing is the bright orange color that fades to yellow and then green on the newer blooms farther down the plant. I did pretty minimal editing on this one. The black background was a nearby shaded wall - the brightness difference was so great that it went mostly to black. I pushed it the rest of the way in Lightroom.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#638787950_Aw769">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-bCnVKr9/3/bbe43e00/Ti/2010-09-03%20Flower%20Brush-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/02/10_</span> <span id="title">Hearty Pages</span>
Get it? The pages look like a heart. It's very clever. I am sure I am the first person to have thought of it.
Sarcasm aside, it does look cool and I wanted to give it a try myself. Turns out the pages don't align themselves very well when you do so many, although that might be due to the super-thin pages of this Bible that I used for the shot. I actually kind of like the irregularity.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#638085989_X5Nco">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-KL6xkG2/3/8d947f4c/Ti/2010-09-02%20Hearty%20Pages-Ti.jpg)
Kerry Milkie Photography
on September 10, 2010Who knew what a phone could do - look forward to more
irishmurr
on September 10, 2010Never would've guessed this was from an iPhone. Wonderful moody shot!