Using Light Painting to Create Beautiful Compositions

If you’ve ever wondered how to achieve the shudders without the stutters follow along with us. It’s easy, trust me … Would I lie to you? I am not a strong swimmer, similarly my dives into the app waters have been tentative .. but if I can do it – anyone can. It can shake up your stream a little, with breathtaking blurs, luminous light and fantastical flutters.

Read the FULL TUTORIAL where Giulia will walk us through basic slow shutter photography. Movement and fluidity are key for your slow shutter work so be ready to change the way you look at the Elements of Design.

Check back for new Darkroom mobile photography lessons every Monday @ ampteam.org

How to Use a Macro Lens to Create Beautiful Shots

AS MUCH AS I ADORE THE SCADS OF PHOTO EDITTING APPS AVAILABLE, I ENJOY TRYING TO USE NATURAL COLORS AND LIGHTING COMBINED WITH THE FANTASTIC LENSES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE IPHONE. I PERSONALLY OWN THE LENSES FROM PHOTO JO JO. I ALSO HAVE SEEN AMAZING RESULTS WITH THE OLLOCLIP LENSES, IT’S MOSTLY ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL PREFERNCE. THEY EACH COME WITH MULTIPLE LENSES INCLUDING MACRO, WIDE ANGLE, AND TELEPHOTO. TODAY WE WILL BE USING THE MACRO LENS, A SPRAY BOTTLE FILLED WITH WATER, AND A FEW FLOWERS FROM THE GROCERY STORE.

Read the FULL TUTORIAL where Kristin will cover some homemade remedies for getting out of a creative slump with beautiful macro shots.

Check back for new Darkroom mobile photography lessons every Monday @ ampteam.org

AMPt selections photo by M. Catalina @caticolux

Description/Title:
loosing. finding. the long red thread.

Process:
I try to edit my images as little as possible, and above all, enhance which ever quality initially catches my attention.

In this case the arcane, yet inert feeling of the scene was what I found attractive. Well, my whole stream could be museum images… This picture was taken with the phone native camera. Since the objects in the scene are so close, I blurred the image with the Magichour app, changing the saturation and contrast. Then went to Pixlromatic and used the alex filter. And went back to Magichour for some final adjustments in the light. And finally used the IG sierra filter, who is my best friend (how I survived before it existed, I surely don’t know). I am sorry I can not give numbers with this app. I often go back and forth between apps in an instinctual manner, and I have no set rule to go about it.

Bio:
I became curious about the IG world around Januray 2012. It has been mostly about looking at art and exploring the world through others’ eyes. I don’t think I have a peculiar style or objects I document, it could be anything… but, I like to believe I tend to wrap myself in scenes that have a dazed or foggy quality to them, as when one is falling asleep or waking up from a pleasant dream. I like to invite others to finish constructing what they are looking at. Words are included in the posts, words instilled by the imagery (or vice versa).

But the best of it all, are the exchanges with wonderful people from around the globe, and all the beautiful things they inject into their little screens.

photo submitted by AMPt Member Graham Preston @grahampreston

Title: momentary pause

There is a much used quote, along the lines of “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”. Well that maybe true but my take on that is the opposite. Try getting further away - use your surrounding to influence your composition and image content. If you shoot people, focus on how they are framed against the background.

Traveling with my camera app open and my eyes scanning for a photographic opportunity. I visualised this image 30 seconds or so before I was in a postion to take it. I saw the figure from across the open space, while approaching from the side. I could see the trees were spaced nice and even and I have been waiting ages to use this building as a backdrop for an image. So I walk past, raise, shoot and walk on.

Process: Shot in colour with ProCamera.

Convert to B&W in Snapseed. Used Selective Adjust to lighten the area around the central figure.

Photo submitted by AMPt member: @oVan

Advanced Mobile Photography Team - AMPteam.org

#nature #landscape #landscape_lovers #trees #ilovetrees #iphoneography

AMPt Feature submitted by Eric Ludwig (@vivoarch)

Title: Train Set

Description
This is a train yard not far my house. Minneapolis was once a booming industrial city at the turn of the century. This is one of my favorite places to visit. If you look closely, downtown Minneapolis is way in the background

Process.
Shot with Camera+.
PhotoForge2: Rotate, but didn’t crop yet, knowing how the next step would render. I didn’t want the background at the top darkened. Save.
CrossProcess: Processed with Basic setting. Save.
PhotoForge2: Cropped to square. Save (Edit A).
VSCO Cam: Style 6, Fade +1. Save (Edit B).
Blender: Blended two edits together on Normal blend mode. Edit A 75% / Edit B 25%. Save.
Snapseed: Selective Adjust (Added a couple points of boosted brightness and saturation to the trains in the foreground, about +8 to each). Save.
Snapseed: Tune Image (contrast +5 / saturation +5 / white balance +3). And done


Bio.
Hi. I’m an architect, father and husband stationed in Minneapolis. My job keeps me moving about town and country, so mobile photography fits perfectly with my busy schedule. And I like coffee. A lot.

Like so many IGers, I started IG posting quirky little photos of my daily life. I’ve always been a bit creative, so it was a perfectly fun outlet for me. That all changed the day I happened across the gallery of @croyable. It completely blew me away! It showed me what could be possible on IG. From there, I was hooked.

I’m not really sure I have a style. I just try to keep experimenting. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. My approach is to shoot what catches my eye and then edit to create a story for the shot. That often takes me down strange winding paths, but that’s part of the fun adventure.

And since I have the stage, one quick note about the community on IG. In my experience, it is incredible! I have met SO many talented and wonderful people on here. You are all amazing. Thank you.

Photo submitted by AMPt member: Martin Reisch (@safesolvent) Toronto, Canada

The number one thing for me when shooting a #selfportrait is location but I’ve said that so many times I’m like a broken record.

The second most important thing for me is contrast. I don’t necessarily mean contrast in the scene so much as a contrast between subject and background. this can be easy when shooting against the sunset but a lot of the reasons I would shoot and reshoot a selfportrait isn’t because I missed the pose but because the shape of my silhouette is lost in the environment. 

Luckily the city was in a lovely haze so it barely competes against my dark shape ;)

Photo by AMPt member Chris Stern (@chris_stern)

Title: Never Ending

Description:
Railroad tracks showcase many things such as lines and symmetry  Which is the reason I am drawn to them.  The problem is you see the same photos over and over again. I tried something different by putting my iPhone 4 on the iStabilizer mini tripod. Then placed it on the rail of the track to get a different view. Lesson is don’t be afraid to get low to the ground as you may get a shot you would have not otherwise

Editing Process:
Shot with: 6x6

Edited with:
Snapseed
- Select Tune Image
Increased Brightness +10
Increased Contrast +25
Decreased Saturation -100
- Select Center Focus
Set circle at 100 and place in bottom right corner
Increased Blur Strength +70
Decreased Outer Brightness -50 Increased Inner Brightness +20
Set Circle Strength to Strong
- Details
Sharpening +10
Structure +15
Save to Camera Roll

NEW MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT:

AMPt is delighted to introduce one of our newest members, Robert Jahns (@nois7)

One quick look at Roberts work and you’ll realize his imagination is off the charts. His images will leave you mesmerized and wondering, how he created these works of art?  Let alone, how he created them on a mobile hand held device. He’s also very engaged with his followers and the mobile photography community as a whole. On top of that he brings a wealth of knowledge to the team and we believe that he will be an asset in helping this community become better artists themselves.

From Robert:

I’m an Art Director from Hamburg, Germany and my passion is to

create dreamy worlds with my iPhone. For me it’s all about exalting your imagination and letting impossible things seem possible