May 27, 2015

Taking Pictures

I have an iPhone 5 and have been super-impressed with the pictures that it takes. In fact, it’s been literally months since I’ve used my “real” camera. This spring in Baltimore has been just stunning. We finally got some really warm weather at the end of May, which meant that the spring flowers lasted for weeks and weeks.

For more than ten years, I’ve carried a camera with me everywhere. First it was my small pocket-sized digital camera and now it’s my phone. Everywhere you look, there are possibilities for beautiful pictures. In fact, today, my Bosom Buddy Andrea and I were poking around an old store, cluttered with LOADS of fun things, and when we left, I spotted some flowers in the parking lot.  The scent of the honeysuckle drew us in,
and then we spotted the brilliant purple sweet-pea.

Over the long weekend, I had the chance to go out to the country garden, and as the sun was sinking into the western sky, I took this shot.


As I headed up to New York last week, the soft morning light blurred the lines between the river and the sky.

Carrying a camera/phone with you and using it will help hone your eye. You will constantly be observing, looking for interesting details, checking the skies,lining up angles and sight lines, seeing how colours interact with each other, finding patterns and repetitions.


I try and make a point of taking at least one picture every day, and most days, I take many more than one. Tell me about your picture-taking practices and habits.

10 comments:

  1. Meg,

    It takes an artistic eye to appreciate one's surroundings, no matter the quality of the camera. It appears that you have such an eye.

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  2. I used to have a small camera with me too and it does give a different feel from the iphone but the iphone is so capable and suffices for an amateur like me.

    I would like a specific app on the iphone for different pictures thought. I was thinking about a small SLR but then I wouldneed lessons and it would go unused so I am resisting temptation.

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  3. Had a great time and my kitchen is filled with the scent of honey suckle from the sprig you picked. Still deciding on the yellow chairs. Can't wait to see the finished project... Lots of painting and cleaning to go. Obsessed with my squirrel!!!! Buddy was curious but not overly so.

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  4. I have an iphone 4 and its camera is mediocre. I generally use my good Nikon if I can but it so bulky I don't like to take it with me anywhere. I feel like I forgo taking lots of photos because of that.

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  5. Yes I use my iphone6 and am constantly taking snaps! It's really fun now with Instagram to be able to share them without writing a full blogpost, etc.

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  6. I have a little Lumix that I use for the blog. My iPhone 5 is for Instagram, and texts to family. I am thinking about upgrades to both - an iPhone 6, and maybe even learning to use a DLSR. It seems we are becoming more and more image-reliant as a society, and I want to keep my place in the mix.

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  7. Ditto, Meg! Every day on the way to work I pull over to take a picture. I have resisted learning to use or buy a DLSR, just because I have less and less time as it speeds by these days. My iPhone 5S does such a great job for an amateur like me and it even has limited editing capabilities. Sometimes I pull out one of those pictures and set up a canvas to paint. Meanwhile, I use those images on the front and inside of handmade greeting cards, which always seem to be a hit. I don't have to wait until tomorrow to capture what my eye sees today.

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  8. isn't it wonderful + stunning photos xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  9. It is truly amazing the great shots one can get with the phones now!! Beautiful Meg!

    Xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  10. Ok, I'll get it over with: I am an iphone virgin. Yes, in the world I do not now nor have I ever owned a smart phone. I kept waiting for the camera to get better. Each year was to be the win. Now this fall, if this is true: "One of the biggest areas of improvement for the iPhone 7 could be the camera. Rumours that emerged in November 2014 suggested that the camera will represent the biggest camera jump in the history of the iPhone, with a two-lens system that could capture "DSLR-quality imagery," according to Daring Fireball's John Gruber. So there you have it: more possibilities! Time will tell. In the meantime, I enjoy all pictures that all of you talented people share.

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