The Kat Eye View of the World - Kat Eye Studio

October 17, 2015 by Kat

On the Other Side (Mobile Tutorial)

I have been loving the recent change of season. Autumn is one of my favorite times of year. It’s the combination of light, color, and emerging bare branches which inspire me creatively. It’s been fun to get back into editing and experiment with a few new techniques, so it’s time to share a Mobile Tutorial from a recent edit.

I created this piece, “On the Other Side,” yesterday morning and it’s the perfect candidate. I was looking to see how abstract I could go and still retain the feel of the light on leaves. I like the balance of contrast, color and abstraction I was able to achieve in the final piece.

Here is how I created it…

I started with an image captured in ProCamera with the iPhone 6s. (If you missed it, see my first impressions of the iPhone 6s here.) I composed for the lines of the main branches, knowing I could eliminate the branches from the tree behind in post processing.

My first step in post-processing is eliminating those extra tree branches using Handy Photo.

Next step is start altering color and effects. The colors are just too… real. I altered the color using the Tone effects in iColorama. This is an amazingly full-featured app that I am trying to use more. You can get lost in it, there are so many effects and options.

Continuing with artistic effects in iColorama, I experimented with different effects and ended up here:

I liked the shapes and the smearing of the color, but this has gone too abstract. You can no longer tell what it is. Time to reign it back in by blending with other images. To create some alternate images for blending, I started with Autopainter, one of my go-to artistic apps, on the toned image from iColorama:

And also ran the toned image through Autopainter II, for the chalk effect:

Now it’s on to blending using Image Blender. First, the iColorama output with the Autopainter output:

And then with the Autopainter II output:

It’s getting there. There are several problems I need to fix:
– The leaves are still too abstract, so I want to add some shape to them.
– The color is too blue-purple, so I want more warmth.
– The bottom open area of the image is too patchy, with some abrupt transitions, so I want to fill it in a bit.

I can solve the first problem, the abstraction, by blending the image back with one of the original photographs to add the structure of the leaves. Then, I can use color filters and textures to shift the color and fill in the open area. To do this I used a couple of texture apps in sequence. First, textures in XnView Photo FX. You can see how the color has started to shift and the texture has evened out the background.

And finally, with Radiance and Grunge layers in Mextures, adding further texture and shifting color to achieve the final state:

I just love the transformation you can create with a few apps on a photograph. It’s magical!

If you would like to learn more, you can preorder my book on Amazon, Art with an iPhone: A Photographer’s Guide to Creating Altered Realities. It includes information on these and other apps, tips on blending, and much, much more. Thanks for your support to make the book a success!

October 13, 2015 by Kat

Impressions of the iPhone 6s

I’ve had my new iPhone 6s for a little over two weeks now, so it’s time to share my impressions. Was it worth it to upgrade? Let’s see…

The Device

First, let’s talk about the device itself. Wow, is it fast! Everything is faster to respond… Touch ID, opening an app, focusing in the camera, booting the device… Everything. There is a noticeable difference between my old device, the 5s, and this one. Just in daily interaction, that’s a great overall improvement.

The 3D Touch is very cool. It takes some getting used to, getting the press right to get the quick menu. The device gives a little “click” vibrate when you get it right, a nice little piece of feedback, and the background blurs as the quick menu comes up with four shortcuts. Do a quick tap on your selection, and bam, the app is opening to just the right place.

These short cuts combined with the overall speed of the device make a big difference in how quickly you can get in and begin using an app. Unfortunately not all apps are using 3D Touch yet, but hopefully this will be adopted broadly soon. I can see that I’m going to quickly get used to 3D Touch; I’ve already tried to use it on my iPad Air without thinking.

(One future improvement: It would be nice to be able to program your own menus. I’d love to program different modes on my camera app for even quicker access. Maybe someday!)

The Hey Siri feature, which allows you to use voice to access Siri when the device is locked without pressing the home button, is useful too. It was added for all devices in iOS 9, but for the 6s you don’t have to be connected to a power source in order to use it. I’ve been driving and used Hey Siri to read me texts, without ever touching the phone. Cool.

Finally, coming from the 5s, I’m finding the larger screen of the 6s nicer than I thought. It was especially helpful at my last art fair, when people were signing for credit cards – more space for that awkward fingertip signature. It’s still small enough to fit in my pocket or the palm of my hand, so the larger size is an improvement and not a detriment. The 6s Plus would definitely be too big for me.

Other than that, no real observations on the device itself. Battery life seems fine. I’m having no problem with overheating, like some people are experiencing. I’ve had a couple of instances where it’s gone into a deep sleep mode for apparently no reason, and I have to reboot to get it out. I’ll be watching that closely.

The Camera

Oh, but you wanted to know about the camera, right? Well, for starters it’s twelve glorious Megapixels and you notice it! The sensor size is 4032 x 3024 pixels, giving me just a bit more detail in every photograph and a little more room to crop of I need to. The aperture remains the same at f/2.2 and field of view is 29mm, so no real changes from the 5s there. Minimum focal distance seems about the same, at 2-3 inches. (I didn’t do any scientific tests here.)

Like everything on the 6s, the camera is fast. It’s quicker to focus and expose for each frame. Between that and opening the device and apps quicker, it means I can start taking photographs faster when I see something interesting. Very nice.

Detail, color, and sharpness of the images are all very good. Here’s an unedited JPEG, full resolution and straight out of the camera, to give you a better idea. The largest branch in the lower right of the frame is where I set my focus point. Zoom in to see the details.

I haven’t tried out any photographs in low light to see the performance there, but will let you know when I do.

That’s all about the back camera, and there are improvements in the front camera too. It’s now 5MP, up from 2MP on the 5s. I don’t use the front camera a lot, but I’m sure the family selfies I take on vacation will see some improvements. Woohoo.

The Verdict

Overall, the iPhone 6s is a noticeable improvement over the 5s, both as a camera and a general purpose device. The upgrade was worth it for me!

The only problem… All of my aftermarket lenses and cases no longer fit! I’m trying to decide what to do with them. Stay tuned, I may give them away here!

October 9, 2015 by Kat

A Belief in Seeing

The morning light streaming in through a window. The texture of peeling paint. The color of autumn leaves. The form of a coffee cup. The lines of bare tree branches. This is what I see.

Every day, as a photographer, I get to see interesting things. Scenes which might be passed by unnoticed by the average person will stop me in my tracks. These otherwise mundane things cause me to pause and observe. I honor the beauty that exists all around me, when I take the time to see.

If the time and scene is right, I may pull out my camera to memorialize the moment in a photograph. Find a piece of the world to use for my art. Like this tree, with this gorgeous morning light coming through the leaves. I drove around the block to park in a Burger King parking lot to photograph this tree after seeing a flash of these leaves, these lines, this light.

Beauty is available to me, to all. You just have to see.

I was giving a talk on mobile photography last week, and I talked about how my process starts with seeing. The art I create relies on a photograph as a starting point. And the creation of a photograph relies on the ability to see. To see the world as light, texture, color, form and lines. To see the beauty in the everyday.

And I realized, as a photographer, or any kind of artist, you and I are lucky. This skill of noticing, developed over time and practice along with our technical skill, is something special. It allows us to experience the world with wonder. It allows us to find something unique and special to honor with our notice, each and every day. It brings us joy and gratitude for the simplest of things.

What an exquisitely wonderful way to go through life!

The morning light streaming in through a window. The texture of peeling paint. The color of autumn leaves. The form of a coffee cup. The lines of bare tree branches. Do you see?

October 6, 2015 by Kat

Sneak Peek at my iPhone Book

My iPhone photography book is one step closer to being a real book! Last week I received the galley proof for editing, the final chance to make changes before it goes to print. Want a sneak peek?

The first thing my husband said, “It’s not going to be bound like that, is it?” No, of course not, I answered. It will have a real book binding. It will be 128 pages, 7.5×10, with 60 lessons.

It’s the perfect size — big enough to convey what you need to know to create iPhone art, small enough that it doesn’t overwhelm.

It’s fun to see what images they chose to highlight, the font, the layout. Here it is, in the real world, instead of just in my imagination.

The proof copy started out pristine, but now it’s covered in sticky notes and red lines. Not significant changes, but there are typos and a few updates for iOS 9.

I’ll finish it up in the next week and get it mailed back. The next time I will see it, it will be in print! Sooooo exciting!

You can preorder it here, and receive it as soon as it starts shipping in January. I greatly appreciate any and all preorders, which can have a big impact on the success of the book. Thank you for your ongoing support!

October 1, 2015 by Kat

Speaking in Portland area tonight!

Tonight I will be speaking on mobile photography at the Ledding Cultural Forum in Milwaukie, Oregon. Come on out and say hello!

Ledding Cultural Forum
The Pond House at the Ledding Library
2215 SE Harrison Street, Milwaukie, Oregon
Thursday, October 1
7 to 8pm

You can read an article the Clackamas Review did on me and my thoughts about mobile photography here.

It’s been a busy week for me in the studio! Got my iPhone 6s Friday, had a great Fall Festival art fair over the weekend, received the galley proofs for my book on Monday, and the talk tonight. Whew!

This image is one of the first I’ve created with the new iPhone. I’m loving it! More details on that later, when I have a bit more time.

If I don’t see you tonight, have a great weekend!

September 25, 2015 by Kat

When to Buy new Camera Gear

Like many people across the US, I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new iPhone 6s today. Exciting! I’ve been hoping Apple would increase the resolution on the cameras, and they finally did with these latest devices.

It’s highly unusual for me to be one of the first people to get a new device. Technology for technology’s sake doesn’t excite me. Over time, I have developed some personal guidelines I follow around upgrading gear, which keeps me from running out and getting every new device or lens or widget that comes along. My philosophy is not going to win me any friends in the camera hardware industry, but it has served me well over the years, ensuring a good return on investment.

Today I’ll share my thoughts with you on how to cut through the marketing hype and figure out when it’s the right time to upgrade your camera gear. This applies to all camera gear, whether we are talking about an iPhone, dSLR camera bodies and lenses, or accessories.

Understand your current gear

The first step before upgrading is to really understand your current gear. Have you taken the time to learn the ins and outs of what you already have? Have you pushed it to its limits? Have you played with every feature, read the manual, watched the tutorials? There is often more capability in your current gear then you realize.

When you dig in and really learn to use what you have, you have a better understanding of what an upgrade might bring you. For example, if you have a new lens, use it exclusively for a period of time to see how it performs in a range of situations. See where you feel limited, where it surprises you with its capabilities; where you surprise yourself by using it creatively. It’s not until you understand the current capabilities of what you own that you can understand what the increased capabilities of an upgrade might bring you.

When you do spend this kind of quality time understanding your gear, you learn what matters to you. It’s the limitations you discover and the frustrations you encounter which tell you where you might want to make your next purchase. But you have to invest the time and energy to use the gear you have and really learn why it’s limiting you, or you may be throwing good money away for capability you already have or will never use.

Know your style

As you learn more about photography and the gear you have, you will also learn things about your personal style that affect your gear purchases. When you know your style — the type of photographs you like to make, the way you like to make them — you can filter through the sales messages to get to what will truly work for you.

For example, unlike many women, I am a minimalist when it comes to what I carry around with me. I always have been, long before becoming a photographer. I don’t like to carry a bag or a purse if I can help it. So those cute designer camera bags which allow you to “carry it all” are not going to work for me, no matter how gorgeous or functional they are.

The same principle applies to gear of all types… Just because it’s the most popular, whizzy thing out on the market doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you. When spend some time to think through and factor your personal style into your evaluation of a purchase — asking, “Knowing what I know about myself, will I really use this?” — you will find you make better decisions. Maybe fewer investments in gear, too.

Experiment before purchase

Of course, if you want to move in a completely new direction, it can be hard to know whether it’s worthwhile to buy the gear until you have some experience. Rather than go directly with a purchase, look for ways to experiment with the gear you are interested in. Borrow, rent, or take a class where you can try the gear out. Talk to others with that area of interest and listen closely to their recommendations, tempering them with an understanding of your style and experience as compared to theirs.

It’s amazing how a little first-hand research can seal the deal on whether or not to make a purchase. In the past, holding a camera body has told me it was not the right weight or fit for my hand. Borrowing a LensBaby taught me that it frustrated the heck out of me, and I probably wouldn’t use it much. Experimenting with mobile photography using an old iPod Touch, which had a terrible VGA camera, quickly showed me the potential of this kind of device. I confidently upgraded to my first iPhone.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, so a big investment might be best served with a small investment first to try it out. Having some hands-on experience can make a big difference in purchasing gear you will use instead of gear that will sit on a shelf, gathering dust.

(Side note: That doesn’t mean I recommend buying a cheap version of something, to make a decision whether to invest in more expensive version. I believe in doing my research in advance, and then buying quality gear, once.)

Purchase only when it makes a difference — for you

The underpinning of my philosophy is to buy new gear when it’s really going to make a difference in my photography. When I’ve run up against a limitation in my current gear, when it will solve a problem, make my life easier, or allow me to explore a new creative direction are the key factors in the decision. Framing that with what I know about my style and how I’ve used (or not used) past purchases helps too.

Just getting the newest thing because it is touted as “better” is a waste of money if it doesn’t change anything for me. The camera improvements in my last upgrade, the iPhone 5 to the 5s, were minimal. It was a scratched camera lens which drove me to get a new device. Funnily enough, it turned out the Touch ID new to the 5s had a much bigger impact on my photography than the camera, by enabling me to get into my camera apps quicker.

So why am I getting the iPhone 6s? What great things will it bring to my photography? The increased sensor resolution is not going to substantially change the images I make, but it will improve the quality of my images straight out of the camera, requiring less in the way of upsizing and resolution management as I edit. That will be nice efficiency improvement.

Beyond that, whether the new device brings any other improvements to my photography or editing processes will remain to be seen. I will keep you posted!

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