My Photos

I've always been interested in photography for as long as I can remember. Throughout high school I had an old 35mm and would take a ton of photos. Back in those days you'd have to get the film developed, order prints, etc. and always make sure you had spare rolls of film so you wouldn't run out. I've developed film in dark rooms throughout college, used a variety of digital cameras since they came on the scene, including some very capable, if inexpensive, models. But I've never had any formal training, just a lot of experience taking lots and lots of snaps.

Since the iPhone started putting a fairly decent camera in my pocket, I've certainly been taking more photos. Ever since maybe the iPhone 3GS, and particularly the 4S with its superior screen, I don't feel the need to own a point and shoot. I also can't justify owning an expensive (comparatively) DSLR or the like. For one, I don't know enough to be able to make use of such equipment -- though I may want to spend the time learning, but also I would rarely carry it around unless I planned to take photos. Which seems to me to be the best way to kill any inspiration. So I tend to think of Chase Jarvis' quote, "The best camera is the one that's with you."

Now clearly I don't know what I'm doing when taking iPhone photos; I'm sure the composition is a mess, the subject matter is less-than-inspiring, etc., but I do love to do it. And as someone who's used Photoshop (and before that many iterations of freeware programs before I started a real career), I'm constantly amazed at what can be achieved directly on my iPhone. From taking high-enough quality snaps, to fixing the levels, contrast and colors quickly with something like Snapseed, adding layers with blending modes, simple filters and so on in Photoforge2, to sharing those images quickly in Instragram, Twitter, Facebook or directly in an email or iMessage, to quickly backing up your photos to iCloud or Dropbox... It's all so effortless and fun.

Now, looking at some of these images below, I realize I need a new theme. I'm leaning (very) heavily on the oversaturated, gauzy look and should probably try to go in the opposite direction. I think my winter shots tend to be much more subdued, which makes sense because the world can seem to be in greyscale. The spring and summer just beg for bright, bold colors and a dreamy treatment. But I need to move onto another look.

Regardless, here are some shots I like.