Lilahpops

Plunging into Photography

A new web theme and a twitter poll to boot!

Today I felt like a change. So I installed this fab vintage-style theme Retromania 1.3 by Jay Hafling. Still a bit of tweaking to do but it ‘fit’ so well that I was instantly happy with it.

I’m also testing out polldaddy.com with a quick question: do you twitter about photography?

I have a Twitter account for work. It is so useful as a work tool: a great way to promote the organisation; an easy way to keep up-to-date with what others in my field are doing, especially the exciting innovations of Archives 2.0. You wouldn’t think so, but archivists are a prolific lot on Twitter!

I have been considering using Twitter for Lilahpops but I’m not so sure it would work as well. I follow only one photographer on Twitter (it is a work account after all) but I find that I do actually visit that Tweeter’s website more as a result.

So I’d love to know – and if you do Twitter about photography, please add your Twitter name to the comments below!

posted by Anthea in Social photography and have No Comments
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ColorSplash – iPhone photography app in 7 easy steps

ColorSplash turns ordinary images into arty, interesting and…well, cool, photographs.

It’s also fun and easy to use. ‘Tart up’ an image from your photo collection or take one on the camera phone and edit it.

The creators of ColorSplash say:

ColorSplash lets you quickly and easily give photos a dramatic look by converting them to black and white, while keeping your chosen details in color.

In a nutshell

Take a photo and load it into ColorSplash. The image is automatically converted to B&W. Using the native abilities of the iPhone you can zoom in and out with the pinch and flick technique and then wipe your finger over a part of the image to restore the colour.

Step by step to photoart (the basics)

1. Open ColorSplash

2. Tap Start new session

3.  Choose your image

Steps 1-3

Here is a photo I took with my iPhone. On opening it in ColorSplash all the colour is wiped out.

Original image

4. Select the the Pan & Zoom tool (bottom left)

5. Flick to zoom in and find the place where you want to reinstate colour.

6. Select the Color tool and the wipe your finger over the section…just like magic, huh?

Keep switching between the Pan & Zoom and the Color tools until you are satisfied. Made a mistake while editing? Zoom into the section, select the Gray tool and wipe the color back out.

Wiping in the color and final image

What next?

7. Save (and upload to Flickr so we can see your works of art. Also put a link in the comments below!)

Save and upload

Final image – fire hydrant in red

Final image - fire hydrant in red

The ColorSplash tools revealed

This photography app has a ton of in-built tips. I will quickly list the tools here but you will find more in-depth assistance from the Help icon.

Top bar tools from left to right you have:

Menu – Help – Two View Modes – Brush selection – Undo (always handy)

Top tools menu

Bottom bar tools from left to right:

Pan &Zoom – Color (select and wipe across image)  – Gray (select and wipe to remove colour)

Bottom tools menu

Get the app

Go to the iTunes Apps Store to buy ColorSplash. It is well worth the money (AUD$2.49)

Related links

posted by Anthea in Tips and Tutorials and have No Comments
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15. What I learned about photography this week

It’s been a while since I did one of these:

How to take water shots

Great article by one of the forum members at Digital Photography School includes a photo of the set-up over the kitchen sink:

Your favourite F/-

Brian Auer has revealed the results of his poll at Epic Edits:

Inspiration

We all need this sometimes. Damein Franco at Your Photo Tips provides:

Twittering

If you do, or are planning to Twitter check out this useful list of photography resources by Photopreneur

Enjoy.

posted by Anthea in This week in photography and have Comments (2)
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Using the Lomo Script with the GIMP

I’ve been experimenting with this effect for a while now and I have to say it’s well worth trying out.

A comment from elsamuko on a previous post led me to this Lomo Script. I was chuffed to note that elsamuko updated the colours in the script based on my post.

Try it yourself

Simply follow the instructions on the GIMP Plugin Registry page and then watch your image transform before your very eyes. Have some fun with the effects you get.

You can use red, blue, green or neutral color effects and even add a vignette. If you wish, tweak the effects further by selecting the layers and adjusting them manually.

I usually try out a couple of variations before staying with one. It’s easy enough to “CTRL+Z” to undo the effect and then change the script settings to try again.

In the examples below only the color has been selected, nothing else. Look how dramatically you can change your pictures!

Green

Before Lomo

Before Lomo

After Lomo

After Lomo

Blue – my fave

Before Lomo

Before Lomo

After Lomo

After Lomo

Red

Before Lomo

Before Lomo

After Lomo

After Lomo

If you have used the Lomo Script yourself – or decide to -  make sure to leave a link to your photo in the comments so we can check it out.

posted by Anthea in Point and Shoot, Tips and Tutorials and have Comment (1)
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93 photographers share their best photos of 2008

All the project entries for Your Best Photos from 2008

Once again 2008 proved to be an incredibly productive year for the many photographers who read the JMG-Galleries blog. The results of this “Best Photos From 2008″ blog project puts a twist to the normal “Best of Photo” list by aggregating links to the work of 93 photographers from around the globe who are passionate and dedicated to their craft.

The results from “Best Photos From 2007″ by JMG-Galleries Blog Reader’s were impressive, but this year not only did the number of participants exceed expectation the quality and vision of those who submitted were exceptional. This year participants ran the gamut of experience from enthusiasts to professionals.

Enjoy and good luck picking out your favorite from these great submissions

posted by Anthea in Photography Projects and have No Comments