App Review: HDRtist

September 24, 2011

HDRtist (Free)
HDRtist on the web

This is a really simple app for Mac users to create HDR (High Dynamic Range) photos. All you have to do is drag and drop one or more photos onto the app window and it will create an HDR photo.



It obviously works best when combining more than one exposure. Here you can see the results of 2 exposures that I combined:



Pretty much the only thing you can adjust is the strength of the effect, but obviously you could edit the resultant HDR in another image editor to do any further tweaking.

Verdict 4/5 - Surprisingly effective for a free app and the ease of use is a real bonus. Obviously lacks the sophistication and fine tuning of specialist software like Photomatix Pro, but then it is £65 cheaper and is well worth a download if you want to create HDR pics with the minimum of effort.

Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : App reviews 

 

App Review: Instamaton

September 11, 2011

Instamaton (69p)
Instamaton on the app store

I downloaded this for free over the weekend, but it's now available on the app store for 69p. So what does it do and is it worth it?

Instamaton is a very basic app that lets you create a strip of photos like those that you would get in an old fashioned photo booth:



The good thing about the app is that it allows you to export a photo strip or a photo square depending on your preference. The bad thing about the app is that it has a tendency to crash and...
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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : App reviews 

 

RSC Open Stages at The Sage

September 10, 2011
 

This morning I was off to The Sage, Gateshead to take some photos at the RSC Open Stages workshops, which are supported by Voluntary Arts England. Open Stages is an initiative to embrace, develop and celebrate amateur theatre, re-forging the bond with the world of professional theatre. There were workshops on Acting, Movement and Voice & Text, all of which were fascinating to watch and seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by the participants.

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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Photo shoot 

 

Conversations in a parked car

August 25, 2011

Abby and I have taken to setting off far too early when going round to friends' houses for tea which has led to a new, and surprisingly enjoyable, tradition of sitting in a parked car for an hour or so having a chat. Recently, we had an in-depth discussion about communism and we have also covered topics like cookery, gadgets, death and Christianity. Sometimes I put sunglasses on and pretend I'm doing a stakeout of a criminal den (when in reality I am parked down the road from my friend's hous...

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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Ramblings 

 

New Project: Not Going Out

August 23, 2011
As someone who has been touched by mental illness in the lives of my family and friends and in my own life, I wanted to try and express what it's like to feel trapped inside the house, a prisoner of your own mind and emotions. I shot a series of 10 iPhone photos and added dymo label captions, giving a glimpse into the state of mind of the sufferer.

I chose a Polaroid format to express the idea of a captured instant and muted the colours with a cross processing app to add a sense of desp...
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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Project 

 

App Review: 100 Cameras in 1

August 13, 2011
100 Cameras in 1 (69p)
100 Cameras in 1 on the web

One of the most impressive things about this app is the gorgeous user interface - it really is a pleasure to use and feels very different to lots of run-of-the-mill iPhoneography apps. It essentially offers 100 different quirkily-named filters / textures presented in themed packages ('Longing people' and 'Fantastic landscape' for example). It does, as the developer intended, all feel very poetic.



The beauty of this app is that you can layer eff...
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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : App reviews 

 

TED Talk: 5 ways to listen better

August 10, 2011
I really enjoy the free TED talks; If you haven't already discovered them yet, go to www.ted.com and take your pick from more than 900 talks on topics as diverse as poetry, primates, language and leadership. There's a free iPhone app too.

I really enjoyed listening to Julian Treasure speaking about - appropriately enough - listening:

"In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to ...
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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Talks and podcasts 

 

Babs and Juanita feeding

August 10, 2011
A little iPhone video of Babs and Juanita enjoying their dandelion leaves!


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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Pets 

 

Photography TV?

August 8, 2011
I was wondering the other day why there are and hardly any programmes about photography on TV. With the exception of an excellent series that the BBC did called The Genius of Photography (in 2007 mind you!), I don't think I've seen any programmes about photography on mainstream TV.* This seems odd given that photography is a hugely popular hobby for so many people and the market is positively booming in all other areas (web, social networks, mobile apps, magazines, books and photo gear & acce...
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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Ramblings 

 

Do we trust in expensive gear too much?

August 4, 2011
Photography can be a very expensive hobby, not least because there are always new cameras, lenses, tripods, backpacks and other accessories that we are convinced we need. It's very easy to get sucked into the upgrading rat race and spend more time poring over tech catalogues than we actually do taking photos.



One of the things I like about iPhone photography is that your options are limited. Often, to get your composition right you need to physically MOVE, not just lazily zoom. It forces you t...
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Posted by Anne Witton. Posted In : Ramblings 

 
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