ku # 1414 / the new snapshot # 79-81 ~ an iPhone camera module update

Joy Garden (iPhone picture), Au Sable Forks, NY in the Adirondack PARK (embiggenable)

 bridge in the chasm

looking up in the chasm

In my ongoing experiment with the iPhone 7 Plus camera module, I have found that the camera module is a more than competent picture making device. I have also found that the Snapseed photo editing app is quite proficient and very versatile as a bit of processing software. The Joy Gardenpictue in this entry was made using both.

And, although I have no way of illustrating it on the internet, I have been making very good looking 18"x18" prints from the iPhone made and processed / edited files. Prints that, when viewed from a print size appropriate distance, are virtually indistinguishable from prints of the same size made from a "real" camera with a 12mp sensor.

All-in-all, some very good stuff.

the new snaphot # 72-78 ~ a big scare

After checking into our hotel in Marlboro, MA, we discovered that there was a problem with the login for the hotel wifi. Try as we might, we had no sucess.

As it turned out, after consultation with the hotel staff, the only solution was to move to another room which was closer to their router. In the ensuing clusterf**k of moving all our stuff, my camera bag was left behind in the first room. That was a fact I did not notice until we were packing up to leave.

It immediately dawned on me what had happened. The hotel manager came and opened the first room where upon it was discovered that the cmera bag was not there. Knowing that the bag had never left the hotel during our stay, theft was the only possibilty inasmuch as the room was not used after our departure from it because of the wifi issue.

What followed was an incident report to the hotel corporate headquarters and a police theft report after which we left the hotel and went to the hockey rink for Hugo's last game. After the game we got in the car and headed home.

During the early part of the drive, I received a phone call from the hotel manager who informed me that might camera bag had been found. According to her story, there had been a mis-communication between her and the assistant manager who had discovered the bag in our first room, brought it to the front desk and placed in a spot other than the lost-and-found.

Coincidence (or not), the bag was discovered after the police had visited the hotel to ask some questions and take some names.

Nevertheless, what ever the true story (which very well may be the one conveyed to me by the hotel manager), the camera bag is on its way to me via UPS and should be in my possession by this time tomorrow ... happy, happy.

the new snapshot / mistakes #1-3 ~ it happens to the best of us

In the course of human events, picture making wise, accidental / unintended shutter activation is a common occurrence. And, to date, my experience with the iPhone camera module leads me to believe that it is more possible than with a "real"camera. The shutter release on-screen button requires but a light touch to activate the shutter. Consequently, I have had more unintentionally made pictures than I have over the past 10 years with my "real" cameras.

But here's the thing. I really like a surprising number of my "accidental" pictures. And, relative to my the new snapshot pictures which attempt to repicate some of the foibles of traditional snapshot pictures, these accidental pictures fit right into my snapshot making activities. What a wonderful coincidence.

fYi, some of the other snapshot foibles which I intend to explore / create are: over / under exposure, extreme backlight with dark subjects in the foreground, bad focus, bad cropping (heads partially cut off and the like), light leaks / fogged portions of a picture and awkward facial expressions and body gestures / positions.

Many of these foibles will necessitate the making of staged pictures, aka: tableau vivant. Or, some, such as fogged film and missed focus, will have to be created, aka: faked, with effects / processing using one iPhone app or another. As far as I am concerned, that all good with me.

quiet landscape # 1 ~ now for something completely different

City Island, Bronx, NY

One of most often proffered bits of picture making "wisdom" is to keep it "simple". That's a bit of "wisdom" with which I completely disagree and most often completely ignore. For my eye and sensibilities, my preference in my picture making and my appreciation of pictures made by others is for a picture to evidence significant visual content rife with visual energy - lots of visual information which causes the eye and mind to dance within the confines of a picture's frame.

However, that written, there are times when, in my picture making, I am confronted with a scene which is, in and of itself, rather simple. Hence, my new body of selected works labeled as quiet landscapes

civilized ku # 5082-83 / the new snapshot # 66-69 ~ a quandary

As I continue to fool around, re: the new snapshot, I finding myself to be more than a bit perplexed.

The issue with which I am struggling is rather paramount to my continuing quest in the making of the new snapshot pictures - re: what am I attempting to say? A question which is diametrically opposed to the question of what visuals / referents are appropriate to facilitating what I am attempting to say?

I am starting to think that I am co-opting my regular ku-type vernacular and applying it to my emergent the new snapshot vernacular. That is, both the visual referents and my rather "formal" manner of making ku-type pictures is antithetical to what I am attempting to accomplish/ say with my the new snapshot work.

To wit, while objects / things are certainly fair game for snapshot pictures, they tend to be a small fraction of all snapshot pictures. Whereas my ku-type picture, most notably my civilized ku, are primarily pictures of objects / things. Conversely, most snapshot pictures feature people rather than objects / things. Whereas my ku-type pictures rarely feature people (single women) excepted. And, just as relevant, authentic snapshots rarely exhibit any "formal" pictue making qualities.

All of that written, I believe that I need to spend lots of time looking at the ubiquitous crappy pictures as typically seen on Facebook if I am to successful in creating something worth pursuing with my the new snapshot pictures.

FYI, more anon, re: the question of what I am attempting to say with my the new snapshot pictures. And, once again, all of the pictures in this entry were made with the iPhone 7 Plus camera module.

civilized kU # 5081 / the new snapshot # 64-65 ~ all along the border

ladder and barn ~ Jay, NY - Adirondack PARK (embiggenable)

Beyond a doubt, not all snapshots were made with a Polaroid camera. Most were made with a simple Kodak film camera (or similar camera), film taken to a corner drugstore (typically) and often prints with a scalloped-type border were the end result. So, as part of my research and development program, the new snapshot Division, I am playing around with different snapshot-type borders.

I am quite certain, at this point, that my final the new snapshot vernacular will include multiple types of borders rather than just one type - all the more accurate representation of the wide variety of printed snapshots.

FYI, all of the pictures in this entry were made with the iPhone camera module.