Since posting about the Hipstamatic iPhone app a couple of months ago, I’ve quite literally taken thousands of photos. Here are just four, all as originally photographed with the Hipstamatic…
This photo of Small Man practicing his card tricks before school is my desktop screensaver…
A wallhanging at the acupuncturist’s…
A lights out, one-handed shot of Small Man’s plasma ball, which he made us lug home from Questacon nearly a decade ago…
. . . . .
In recent weeks, I’ve discovered the world of photo-editing apps, which allows an image to be manipulated after it’s been taken. I’ve had enormous fun for less than the price of a couple of cappuccinos…
My current favourite is the PhotoToaster App, which turned a fairly average shop window photo into this…
Perhaps the best photo editing app at the moment, particularly for fine tuning an image, is Snapseed. I used it to turn this photo of Alana the dog groomer into black and white, and then used Phototoaster to tweak it just a little bit further. And no, it’s not my dog, but he was certainly very cute…
My friend Peter Bryenton put me onto the Outcolor App…
Most filter apps these days seem to focus on old-time effects, but yesterday I came across three that were definitely modern and quirky!
The Percolator App turned one of my plasma ball photos into funky wall art (Pete thought we should do a series and frame them)…
Popsicolor, by the same developers, created this picture from my photo of two soda bottles…
And finally, I bought the Decim8 App for just $0.99, and have found it incredibly addictive. It creates the wildest images! Here are the ones I made yesterday based on my grevillea photo (top left). They’re been formatted using the Diptic App…
…and here’s a Warhol-esque self portrait…
. . . . .
Isn’t technology amazing? Most of these apps are just a dollar or two (with the exception of Snapseed, which is $4.99). My iPhone is light, has a reasonable lens, and is always with me. Best of all, I can take a squillion photos, at absolutely no cost. Happy days!
It’s Saturday morning here in Sydney, the sun is shining, and I’m heading out to take photos. Wishing you all a glorious, peaceful weekend. xx
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Wow! It’s amazing what can be done these days. Modern technology! I really like the picture of the chickens and the card trick.
Manuela, and all done with a phone!! My friend Jan keeps reminding me how amazing that is, and she’s absolutely right. I use the iPhone for so many things these days that when it rings, I’m surprised – I forget it’s actually for calls.. ;-)
As you know, I’m all over this Instagram thing! I just need to encourage people to follow me now :D
It’s very addictive! I’m barely on twitter these days – there’s only so many social networking mediums I can manage at the one time. :)
I know – it’s getting difficult, but I’m just about hanging in there…
Awesome Celia… technology is amazing and what a creative lady you are!
Lizzy, thank you! I’m having a blast with it all!
You are becoming quite the photographer Celia. I love all the different styles you’re showing us. I think the chicken shot is my favourite. Apart from your Warhol self-portrait of course! xx
Charlie, thank you! The chicken shot is actually one of Pete’s, which I edited in outcolor. I love how indignant the girls stuck in the frame look! :)
Really cool photos. Do you have time for gardening and baking and cooking?
Yes! But less time for sitting at the computer! Which is probably not a bad thing.. ;-)
I love all the special effects Celia, and can’t believe how cheap they are! The percolator one looks spectacular indeed xox
Becca, it’s oodles of fun! And there’s a really cute interface, when you click an option, it will say things like “grinding the beans” and “boiling the water”.. ;-)
Celia I’ve been following your Instagram photo’s with much interest. Thanks for the names of these apps – I’ll be wasting even more time now! (Also, you can link your Instagram account to Twitter so the pics go out on both with no extra fiddling on your part.)
Thanks Amanda, I did know that, but I just didn’t feel it was fair to clutter two social networks with my happy snaps.. ;-)
These are great, Celia, and thank you for demonstrating them all for us. I’m planning on getting my first iPhone (5) when it is launched and this post will be invaluable. I’m pinning it so that I don’t lose track of it. Thanks again!
John, I resisted getting an iPhone for years, and am now completely hooked! I’m sure the 5 will be very exciting! :)
I’m loving seeing all your instagram photos Celia. It’s amazing what you can do with just a phone!
Claire, I’ve loved following yours too! They’re always so sunny, such a glorious part of the country you’re living in!
Very, very good Celia, I particularly like the photo of the chickens. Who is the star?
Glenda, that would be Rosemary, of course. Mad chook that she is! ;-)
Wow! You make me want to spend more time with my new iPhone camera & do more than take pics of kids at the park! Maybe during my next summer’s break…. Love these pics, especially of your little man’s magic. :-)
Abby, thank you! If you’ve got kiddie snaps, trying putting them through popsicolor – I’ve just been playing around with portraits in there this afternoon!
It’s now Saturday morning on this side of the world. What better start to my first non-working day of the week than to see the results of all your hard work, learning and adventures with youriPhone photography and editing,. A real treat of a post here at FJ&LC which will encourage and inspire others, thank you Celia. I’m saving for a 4S but upgrading will have to wait until I sell some more of my own images.
Peter, thanks for all your guidance, it’s been invaluable! I’m having enormous fun with all of this! xx
There is an article on Food Bloggers of Canada giving iphonetography advice and bemoaning that many people use the retro apps so that all the photos look the same. That certainly can’t be said of you Celia – you are so creative…I loved these. Makes me want to get an iphone!
Sally, that is funny – retro is so in at the moment, and it IS lovely, but perhaps not all the time. ;-) I resisted getting an iPhone for ages, but now it’s rarely out of my hands! :)
Hi Celia, great post, you are very professional with your iphone, I have an aging Cannon so am in desperate need of an upgrade. I have posted an “In My Kitchen” for September and it would be great if you could add it to your list for this month.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend
Shirley http://themakingofparadise.blogspot.com.au/
Shirley, great stuff in your kitchen this month! I still use my Panasonic Lumix, but most of my photos these days are taken on the iPhone – and most of them are taken when I’m out and about. Side benefit – I’m getting more exercise! :)
I love your bubbly Enthusiasm for this project. I may have to give in and add an iphone to my collection of Mac hardware this autumn. Glad you approve of Snapseed too. But it’s all down to your wonderful imagination. Tell me how does the iphone cope with bright light outdoors, can you see the screen ok?
Thanks darling, you know what I’m like when I get excited about something.. ;-)
The iPhone camera copes remarkably well with most lighting conditions, which I find amazing given that it’s tiny. The screen isn’t too bad, and it’s about the same size as the one on my large Lumix. I do find I don’t tend to shoot in bright light most of the time though…
Good afternoon Celia. In the last 4 weeks I have graduated to an iphone and twitter. I am thinking Instagram in the next step for me in this crazy world!? I love your photos, very creative!
Jane, Instagram is great fun – it’s a smaller community than Twitter, and as Amanda pointed out, you can feed to both your IG and twitter accounts at the same time. It would certainly make it easier to take photos when you’re out and about on the farm! :)
I have Hipstamatic & Iphone app envy. When are Samsung going to catch up I wonder? I love them all but the chook image really grabs me :)
Thanks ED – the chicken photo was a perfect foil for the outcolor app! :)
Creative shots :) I love them all but my favorite is the first one, brilliant contrast. Your creativity and the app makes a good photography combo!
Lea, thanks for stopping by, and for your kind words. I love the one of Small Man too! :)
Celia, the black and white photos of the cards, in my opinion deserve to go into some photo contest. They are amazing!
you know that I feel very frustrated about the iPhone camera – but I definitely gave up. I think in part is having too much on my plate at the moment. I hoped that I could use the photos as a hobby to relax, a few minutes or so per day. Didn’t work. So, I live vicariously through you and your talent! That’s great!
I also agree that there is some type of over-use of the retro apps in the blogosphere, and indeed they make all pictures look too similar, like mass produced. You don’t do that, and it is very refreshing to see your images
I loved the self portrait, by the way – great composition!
Sally, not everything works for everyone, and given how frantic you are right now, it’s not worth having something that frustrates you! Hope you’re coming up for air these days! xx
Love the self portrait- Warhol-esque!
I’m not even tempted to get an Iphone- but I enjoy yours a great deal!
Thanks Heidi! Being able to share the photos with dear friends like you makes it all worthwhile! xx
The black and whites never fail to enchant.
Roz, when I first started taking photos, I had dreams of creating moody Henri Cartier-Bresson style pics. But I just don’t have the hutzpah to take photos of strangers on the street! ;-)
It’s all lots of fun isn’t it :-)
Yep! :)
I love your photos – especially the first one and the shop window photo. lettuce plant is 1.3metres with yellow flowers….Hoping to make plum jam today.
Thanks Anna! Hope the jam goes well! xx
Unbelievably amazing!
Thanks Tandy! xx
Oh WOW ! The possibilities are endless, but the results are great :)
Thanks Claire! It really is quite amazing the quality it can produce, especially given how tiny the lens is!
Fab photos! We’re planning a new kitchen (and knocking down walls), so I took my iTouch with me to Ikea and snapped photos left, right and centre in their kitchen department. Then I tell my builder, “See this? Can you make me one like it?” These little camera are amazing!
Misky, a new kitchen is VERY exciting! You could have bought the Autostitch app for a couple of dollars and created a fully compiled photo of the kitchen you wanted.. :)
And there in the problem: I can’t decide what I really want and need in it. I’m going to start making a list. Let’s see … more cupboard space and worksurfaces, a 5-burner hob, somewhere to put the ironing board … what else? Maybe I should make a post on this, eh?
Wow, those are great apps for making your fantastic photos look even better Celia! Thanks for sharing. I wonder if they do any of them for android phones – I will have to investigate.
Thanks Caroline! I’ve been having heaps of fun with them!
Beautiful photos Celia! Love the card tricks shot :)
Thanks Emilie! Small Man is a deft hand with a deck of cards.. :)