All posts in category Camera

Macro Photography on your iPhone: How to Lock the Focus

Photo Skitch Document-5Although the iPhone isn’t a replacement for a “real” camera, it can take excellent photos.

In addition to general photography, it can do an amazing job on close-up (macro) photos.

Just hold the iPhone about 4 inches from your subject, and you will be surprised at the detail you can capture.

However, while you are trying to get your subject into focus, you may be frustrated because every time you move a bit to recompose the shot, (even ever so slightly), the iPhone camera adjusts and refocuses. Argh!

There is a way to “lock” the focus in place and solve this problem, but the feature is a little hard to find.

Here is how to lock your macro focus on your iPhone:

Move your iPhone to within about 4 inches from your subject.

Put your finger on the screen on top of the subject of your photo.

You will see a square appear under your finger. Hold your finger in place against the screen and the square will start pulsating. Take your finger off the screen.

As you lift your finger, you will see the words “AE/AF Lock” appear at the bottom of the screen. This means that the focus is now locked and you can make your small adjustments to the photographic composition without the camera shifting out of focus, again.

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The lock is ‘released’ after you take a shot, so if you are going to take more photos, you will have to put your finger on the screen each time to enable the lock.

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Screen shot 2013-03-06 at 7.27.02 PM

25 Comments
by sharechair on April 21, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, Camera, How to's, iPhone, iPhone tips, Photographs
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Posted by sharechair on April 21, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/macro-photography-on-your-iphone-how-to-lock-the-focus/

Tiny Bit of Tech at the Philly Flower Show

Screen shot 2013-03-07 at 8.43.40 AM The Philadelphia Flower Show is the largest indoor flower show (longest running, too) and a glorious extravaganza that I look forward to every year. Not only does it signal the entrance of Spring, but in its own right, it fills the Convention Center with sights and smells and displays and artistic design beyond the imagination. Each year is built around a theme, and this year the theme is “Brilliant” with exhibits focusing on the landscapes, culture and beauty of Great Britain.

And yes. There was Tech. No escaping that. Tech crops up everywhere, even when it’s time to stop and smell the roses. :) (More on that, later)

But first…. let’s look around.

The entrance gates ….

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The grand centerpiece, Big Ben …

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Of course there were acres of displays, and fields of flowers …

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But with all of that, I find that some of the “other” entries really astound me. For example, the miniatures. The miniatures are presented in a wall with rows of little windows, each with an incredible miniature version of a scene, complete with appropriate plants. I took photos of every miniature, and there were many beauties … cityscapes and countrysides. The details are extraordinary. Choosing one to share here was difficult, so I picked a grand prize winner: The Herbology Greenhouse at Hogwarts. (There are 25 varieties of plants in this one, and I have the list if anyone is particularly interested, just email me through the contact link.) Click on the photo to enlarge it and enjoy the detail.

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Another entry which astounds me is the Pressed Plant Art.

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Just look at these amazing pictures, all made with flowers and plants.

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So where was the tech?

Apps, of course. Always apps. This sign showed up everywhere around the floor:

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And then there is the “Tech” of Big Ben.

Every hour, on the hour, the clock face alters and becomes a video screen (on all four sides), with a potpourri of British goodness. I did not film this, but turning to YouTube, I found many people had uploaded their videos. And so I just picked one to share here.

Presenting the Techy Centerpiece of the Philadelphia Flower Show: :)

23 Comments
by sharechair on March 7, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Camera, My Thoughts About Things, News, Photographs
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Posted by sharechair on March 7, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/tiny-bit-of-tech-at-the-philly-flower-show/

How to Save a Photo that You Receive in a Text Message: (part of the) Very Beginners Series

* Occasional posts will contain how-tos and/or hints for VERY new users of iPads, iPhones or Kindles. All new users welcome! Non-tech speak, not terribly detailed, just basic device-enhancing goodness. All part of this Very Beginner Series.

Please share with any beginners (Mom? Dad? Grandma?) in your life.*

DSC00005The other evening I was having dinner with a friend, a new iPhone user, and she wanted to show me a few pictures …. but she had to find them first. These photos had been sent to her in text messages, and she was going back through the messages to find the photos.

And so, as I watched her scroll back through her messages, the blogging bell went off in my head. “This should be a beginner post!” So here we go.

Here is how you save a photo that you receive in a text message:

Tap on the photo or the arrow area to make the photo larger.

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Once you see the larger photo, tap the action arrow up at the top of the phone.

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A new screen will pop up with all sorts of choices. Select “save to camera roll”.

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That’s all there is.

Now when you want to look back at the photos that you received, just go to your Photos app (the sunflower) and select “camera roll”. The newly saved photos will be there at the end of the photo page.

9 Comments
by sharechair on February 19, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, Camera, How to's, iPhone, Organization, Very Beginner Series
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Posted by sharechair on February 19, 2013

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/how-to-save-a-photo-that-you-receive-in-a-text-message-part-of-thevery-beginners-series/

iPhone (smartphone) or Camera?

I love having a camera (disguised as a mobile phone) with me all of the time. It’s such fun to be able to ‘catch’ moments that you used to say “I wish I had my camera with me.”

Here is my dog, sitting in my lap. iPhone handy, always ready.

A moment later, I caught her in the middle of a silly tongue lap:

My backyard cutie. He won’t stay at the door for long. iPhone in my pocket.. caught him!

A crazy bug landed for a moment (what is it!? and I hope it doesn’t come back! )

Those are all examples of the unplanned pics, the ones you are happy to have a ‘camera in your pocket’ to grab.

But what about for travel?

Last time I took a trip, I used my iPhone, only. No camera. I enjoyed having one less thing to cart around. I think the pictures turned out pretty good, and I never regretted not bringing a camera:

BUT

I am now planning a new travel adventure, and I’m not sure the iPhone will suit. My first concern is memory space. With a camera you have removable memory storage so that you never run out of space. Although the iPhone holds a LOT of pictures, what if I shoot too many? I don’t want to have to worry about that.

Perhaps you have a REAL camera, and that makes all your photography extra special. I know that many of the bloggers that I visit are taking some awesome photos. For you, the camera itself is important.

But what about the point-and-shooters?

What do you do? Have you abandoned your camera in favor of your smartphone for travel? Or do you break out the camera for the trip?

35 Comments
by sharechair on November 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, Camera, iPhone, My Thoughts About Things, Photographs
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Posted by sharechair on November 27, 2012

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/iphone-smartphone-or-camera/

Death in a Graveyard (and it’s all Sandy’s fault)

I know this is a tech blog, and I always try to stay on topic, but this storm continues to pull us all in so many directions ….

As I ventured out today, I brought my iPhone, and so (it’s a stretch :) ) all pics are iPhone-pics, and iPhone pics = blog material. Right? Right!

I decided to “escape” and go for a walk in one of my favorite spots in the Fall…. a cemetery that is hilly with many old stately trees. Colorful and gorgeous.

I expected some damage, but I wasn’t prepared for what I saw: death in the graveyard (I’ll explain at the end of this post)

Of course, Sandy didn’t leave anyplace untouched. I counted 8 glorious trees crashed to the ground. Many trees broken and torn. How sad.

And as I walked, I was TOTALLY startled to see this:

Around the downed treetop were dozens of dead crows! Look around the headstones in the picture, above. Do you see all those crows?

What?
How?
Were they nesting in the tree?
When the storm blew the tree down, couldn’t the crows just fly away?
Why did they all die when it fell?
Can anyone explain this to me?

51 Comments
by sharechair on November 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Camera, iPhone, My Thoughts About Things, Photographs
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Posted by sharechair on November 1, 2012

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/death-in-a-graveyard-and-its-all-sandys-fault/

Get Off the Couch and Get Fit with Couch-to-5k

Autumn is my very favorite season. I love the crisp air and the glorious colorful leaves. It is the time of year that I love to take walks. And so yesterday I hit the local rail-trail. (Blog photo above is from yesterday’s walk, taken with the iPhone 5, just a quick snap and no-editing).

I was not alone on the trail. Bikers, walkers and runners were all taking advantage of the perfect day.

There are many wonderful fitness apps, but the one that I thought I’d share today is Couch-to-5k.

If you are a new runner, or someone who is even thinking about running, this app might be something that you would like to try.

All you do is …… touch START.

That’s it! So very easy to use. A human voice will guide you. (You have the choice of 3 virtual coaches). He/she will tell you to walk, and after a while he/she will tell you to run (briefly) and then walk again. Run, then walk, repeat, repeat. For 30 minutes.

The beginning intervals start with just a minute and a half of jogging, followed by 2 minutes of walking, repeat, repeat.

Each week the workout changes somewhat. A subtle increase. A little tiny bit more running, and a little less walking. The intervals of running increase slightly as you gradually improve.

These workouts gently shift your activity from walking to running.

You can play your own music through the app, and you will still hear the voice giving you your prompts.

Personally, I am not ever going to be a runner. I can’t even walk very fast. But I still enjoy the encouraging voice and I use the “running time” to speed up my walk just a bit. It also keeps me honest by walking for a full 30 minutes.

But for someone who would like to run, and needs some help to get started, this app would be incredibly valuable.

Engadget and Runner’s World both think highly of Couch to 5k, and you can see their praise highlighted here in the app description. Couch to 5K is $1.99 in the iTunes store.

10 Comments
by sharechair on October 23, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Apps, Beginners, Camera, Fitness, iPad, iPhone
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Posted by sharechair on October 23, 2012

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/get-off-the-couch-and-get-fit-with-couch-to-5k/

Barbra Streisand and My Tech Fail

photo credit: JCT(Loves)Streisand* via photopin cc

I try to put out a post early each day. But I was up WAY past my bedtime last night, and no where near home, so I apologize for the lateness of this post.

Last night I was thrilled to be a member of the audience at Barbra Streisand’s Concert in Philadelphia.

It was awesome. She is awesome. When Barbra strings together those long, stunning, belting notes (like “I’ve come home at last” from Sunset Blvd) …. nothing, no one can beat it.

What can I say? Chills.

So how do I tie this to tech?

The tech message on the tickets was very clear with “No Cameras / Video / Recorders” printed across the front. Almost any concert you go to these days includes such a message.

I overheard many nervous conversations outside of the Wells Fargo Center where people were wondering, “What about my cell phone? Does it count? It takes pictures and video…..”

I brought mine with me. If there was a photo to be had, I wanted to be ready to capture the memory. I figured the worst case scenario would mean that I would have to take the phone back to the car.

But no such trouble. Tickets were scanned and no one asked or cared about cell phones.

(There is another subject that could be explored, about whether or not photos/videos should be allowed at concerts, and how on earth they can be stopped as our gadgets improve…. but that is a subject for another day.)

So, settled into my seat, I thought I’d try to sneak a picture or two. If there is safety in numbers, I was golden. Everywhere I looked, people were holding up their phones.

However, I wasn’t too hopeful. I have tried to take photos at concerts, before, and when you couple the low light with the distance involved, the results are dismal.

I wasn’t alone with that revelation. As the show went on, the cell phones gradually disappeared, (except for those who were calling friends and family and leaving the line open so that they could “hear” from home. :) )

I have seen a fair amount of YouTube videos that people have taken at concerts. I’ve seen good, pretty good, and horrible. Mine were at the horrible level, but I guess it all depends on your seat and the lighting.

So I’ll keep my blurry photos as a memory for me, but they are pitiful and not anything I can share with pride.

But each blur holds a wonderful memory. They’re gorgeous to me.

I’ll forever look at each and say, (I’m sorry, I can’t resist) “Hello, Gorgeous”

33 Comments
by sharechair on October 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Camera, iPhone, My Thoughts About Things, Photographs
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Posted by sharechair on October 9, 2012

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/barbra-streisand-and-my-tech-fail/

PhotoToaster: An Awesome Tool to Edit Your Photos

PhotoToaster is EASY and AWESOME. Those two words (combined) mean everything. What good is “easy” if the results are yuchy? And what good is “awesome” if it’s too time-consuming or difficult to do? But “easy” AND “awesome”? Together? Now we’re cooking.

There are quite a few very good photo-editing apps available and PhotoToaster is among the best of them. There are 60 one-click effects. I ran a photo of some flamingos through a number of the effects, so that you could see them, here.

This is the original photo and I marked the lower left hand corner with arrows. These arrows point to the dial that you turn to get strips of thumbnail effects, lined up across the bottom. The first is “as shot”, and that is what I have selected, here.

As you twist the dial in the app, new effect strips appear across the bottom. These strips can be swiped left for even more effects. As you work, just tap any thumbnail on the bottom and the full size photo (with the effect applied) is enlarged for you to see.

In addition to all these single tap effects, there are many other opportunities to tweak. You can crop, rotate, straighten and use lighting brushes and more.

From within the app, you are also given the opportunity to look back at recent edits, to access your photo library, to access the camera, and to paste the photo to the clipboard. You are also offered a link to a video tutorial, and a “tips” button that teaches you about the controls.

But the real glory, in my opinion, is the ability to transform your photo into something quite special with just ONE tap. Ah, easy AND awesome! (and quick, too).

OH, and did I mention….. Fun!

PhotoToaster is designed for the iPhone and the iPad for a single price of $1.99.

9 Comments
by sharechair on September 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, Camera, iPad, iPhone, Photographs
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Posted by sharechair on September 18, 2012

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/phototoaster-an-awesome-tool-to-edit-your-photos/

Today’s Tech is Watching Us, And Catching Tornados on Film

photo credit: CBS_Fan via photo pin cc

I’m not too crazy about all these security cameras everywhere. They have become so common, that I wonder if there is any “spot” in a populated area that isn’t being filmed at any moment? It’s a little creepy in a way, but I guess it’s also a part of life in 2012.

However, on the upside, there is a bonus to these cameras.

Since they are on ALL the time, they capture things that otherwise can’t be seen.

Over the last few years, there have been numerous tornados caught on surveillance cameras, and the results are astounding. Before these cameras were so commonplace, it was unlikely that a human could witness the power of the storm as it worked its destruction.

Here are a few amazing security camera catches:

The video below was taken in Parkersburg, Iowa, 2008.
It’s a peaceful Sunday morning in the bank. Several cameras throughout the bank are running.
And then the storm hits….

The video below was taken in Henryville, Indiana, 2012
A news report will narrate the films that the security cameras in a school caught as a tornado blew through.
Hang on to the very end of this video to watch an entire gym area simply wiped away.

The video below was taken in Alabama, 2008
This surveillance camera catches cars tossed in the air.

6 Comments
by sharechair on September 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Camera, My Thoughts About Things, News, Video
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Posted by sharechair on September 17, 2012

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/todays-tech-is-watching-us-and-catching-tornados-on-film/

Apple Releases: iPhone 5 but No Mini (yet)

Today was Apple’s big press conference release day. Sadly, it has lost some of its glamour since the passing of Steve Jobs. But it can also be argued that the design-improvement steps are smaller these days, and this greatly decreases the WOW-factor.

First of all… no iPad mini (for now). As the days got closer to this release, more and more rumors were shifting the announcement date for the mini to October.

So today the talk was all about the improvement for the new iPhone (iPhone 5), the Nano, the iPod Touch, the new connector, earbuds and a new iTunes.

iPhone5

Apple tells us that the new iPhone is thinner, faster, and 20% lighter than the 4S. It comes with a new connector called “lightning” (which indicates that they are telling us it is lightning fast). Larger retinal display. It has a better battery life than the previous models, claiming 8 hours browsing time (with LTE), 8 hours of talk time, 10 hours of video time. The camera has been improved, including a new panorama mode, low light photographs, video improvements and the ability to take still photos while shooting videos.

Passbook on the iPhone 5 will allow you to store movie tickets, your Starbucks card, and Boarding Passes on your phone. (Reports from several airlines over the last few weeks said that the airlines were preparing for this.)

The iPhone 5 will be available in black or white. 16GB for $199, 32GB for $299 or 64GB $399. This drops the price of the 8GB model of the iPhone 4 to FREE on a contract plan, and the 4S 16GB for $99 on contract.

Preorders for the iPhone 5 will begin on Friday, September 14, and it will be available to buy in-store on September 21. This first release will include the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. A second and third release will follow shortly with the plan of covering over 100 countries by December.

Lightning

The new dock connector is more durable, reversible, and smaller. Apple has had the same connector since 2003, so we can’t really argue about the change, even though it will mean that some speakers, etc, will not work with the new connector. All the companies that make such products are busy now, producing ones that will work.

App Store and iTunes

The App Store and iTunes have both been visually redesigned for the new OS6 which will be released on Sept 19, with browsing and searching made easier than ever before.

OS6

Over 200 new features are promised on OS6.

This will be released on September 19 and will be available for:

the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, the new iPad, iPad 2, and the iPod Touch 4th generation.

With all these new features….. well, I see lots of “how to” blog posts in my future! :)

iPod Touch

In addition to an improved processor, and improved camera, the iPod Touch will now be available in five colors: black, white, blue, yellow and reddish.

Nano

This is the 7th generation for this device. It remains VERY popular. It now comes in 7 colors: gray, black, purple, green, blue, yellow, pink and a special product color red (portions of the proceeds from this color goes to help fight AIDS in Africa through the Global Fund.

It’s a little bit larger than the old model, with a 2 1/2 inch screen, a touch screen and buttons on the sides. It’s really thin, 5.4mm, has an FM tuner, video playback, long battery life, bluetooth and 16GB of storage. It costs $149. Did I mention it is also a pedometer? Cool!

My Thoughts

I’m not feeling the lust I felt for a new Apple product back a few years ago. Oh, my, when the first iPod Touch rolled out, I was counting down the days! But in all fairness, the iPhone is, well, already quite awesome, and it’s hard to add “WOW” on top of ‘awesome’.

I am looking forward to OS6 and exploring all the new features.

But I’m thinking that for those people who are just entering the world of the iPhone, there is no need to get the latest and greatest. The 4 and the 4S are GREAT phones, and with a contract you can now get them for free or very-cheap, so if I was one of those people, I’d start there.

I didn’t add tons of information in my summaries, because “everyday folks” don’t need to know all that stuff. But if you do want to know more, here are the links to the Apple product pages:

The iPhone 5

The iPod Touch

The new Nano

4 Comments
by sharechair on September 12, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Beginners, Camera, iPad, iPhone, My Thoughts About Things, News
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Posted by sharechair on September 12, 2012

http://sharechair.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/apple-releases-iphone-5-but-no-mini-yet/

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