Blended Paths

I've concentrated most of my energy discussing iPhone photography, photo apps, and tips/tricks/etc. for still photographs when I've posted artsy iPhone-ness to the site. But, lately I've been doing a lot of VIDEO with my phone - in fact, more video than photography, and I really began to think about why I have never shared anything about the iPhone's video capabilities.

Perhaps it's because I started this iPhone thing when I had an iPhone 3Gs and video wasn't an option or was a crappy excuse for a moving picture with that phone. I've had my iPhone 4 for less than a year and I can't even remember whether the 3Gs had video capabilities - I want to say it did, but then I wonder.

Alas, the iPhone 4 (which isn't even the newest or greatest iPhone on the market anymore) DOES have great video tools and I decided that I was going to share a bit about my love of shooting video with the iPhone 4, as well as the apps I love to use to edit my footage in-phone.

I love using my iPhone 4 for shooting video for two reasons: 1) I always have it with me, and 2) just as with photography, there are so many options for in-phone processing and editing of the footage I capture. It's a lot of fun and I have made a few videos that I never would have thought to try to "make happen" because they just played out in front of me and I happened to have my phone (happened? Ha!).

A little about the iPhone 4's video capabilities:

• Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
• VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second with the front camera
• The LED flash for still photography can be turned on for filming (indefinitely, turned off when filming stops).

Of course, the newer and better iPhone 4S is going to have quite the jump on these tech specs, what with it's better lens, higher MP rates, etc., but these iPhone 4 tech specs aren't bad for what the equipment actually is - a tiny camera in a slim phone.

So, without wasting any time trying to explain the technical here-to's and where-for's of the camera itself, lets talk about apps! Because, apps are everyone's favorite thing when it comes to the iPhone and it's camera/video accessibility!

Here is a list of my favorite video-related apps:

• iMovie (Surprise!)
• Super 8
• VideoPix
• Slowmo
• Splice
• Viddy

I'll talk about these in detail in separate posts, so for now I'll just decipher for you what each one actually does: iMovie is VERY similar to the iMovie app Mac users are used to on their computers. It allows nearly full control of video editing. You can use themes, add music and text, etc., to your footage. You can even splice. But, sadly, you can't add slides between clips manually. Oh, well. It's my favorite tool for editing my footage in-phone.

Super 8 is an actual "shooting" app - similar to the photo apps that allow you to take pictures from within them. It's an app that was released to promote the movie "Super 8" (great movie, btw), and it is really cool!

VideoPix is an app that allows you to pull still photos from your video footage. Getting a truly clear image is nearly impossible but it's still a great tool when you'd like to get a still from that great party or that crazy accident you happened to be filming.

Slowmo just allows you to slow your footage down (another feature iMovie for iPhone is lacking, as far as I know). You can save the clip and add it to your iMovie project, etc.

Splice is an editing app similar to iMovie, but it doesn't quite have the detailed functions that are available in iMovie. I haven't used this app since the last update so it's possible that could have changed.

Viddy is an app that allows you to create shorts of your footage (complete with themes and music) and share them with other viddy users, very similar to Instagram for iPhoneographers.

I'm so glad I finally got this much done on a post about iPhone video. It's not what I wanted or expected to accomplish, but with a sick kid and feeling a bit run down myself, it being 10:30PM and just getting him to sleep, I'm fairly satisfied with the start! I will soon be posting some individual blogs (with links) about the apps I've mentioned here (as well as some photo apps) and I will also include some links to some of the iPhone videos I've done as of late.

Blessings,

C~

We all know (at least those of us/you who know me or keep up with my life online) that I have been lazing about with things - really, a lack of self-confidence doesn't even come into play. It's just the fact that I'm the mother of a two year old and that drains the ever-loving life out of me. Well. At the rolling over of the clock to 2012, I decided to make a resolution - something I rarely, if ever, do at the New Year.

My son is older now. Yeah, he's still two. But, he's more "mature" than he was a few months ago. He behaves well for his age, at least when it comes to outings (and, if he's away from his Dad!). So, I decided that it was time for me to commit to some serious Christy time. I decided that I would concentrate more on my art, whether writing or shooting, and that I would not feel bad about asking Jeremy or our friends to give me a little help with Jesse so that I could do this. I didn't make a plan, I didn't wake up on January 1, 2012 with a grand scheme or a whole lot of oomph about the whole thing. I just knew that I wanted to take care of my own needs as an artist.

I'd started noticing, probably right around Thanksgiving, maybe a little a before then (probably right after Jess' 2nd birthday) that I was feeling really down. Not depressed, just very tired. Very bored. Very dull. Very...down. I started making myself up more, dressing up more, dressing differently. Slowly, over a period of two months, I felt like I was running out of options and I couldn't figure out what was wrong! Then it dawned on me: yes, spending a little more time ON myself was helping me to feel better about myself, but I wasn't spending any time FOR myself. I was never getting into that zone of "Christy." There was always Jesse or Jeremy in the outskirts of everything I was doing in life, even if was for me.

That's all OK. It's OK for your family, especially your kids, to be the constant forefront of your mind, actions, and life. In fact, I think your kids SHOULD be in that place. But, I realized, I couldn't go on truly caring for my child...truly being a good mom, without truly BEING ME. Yes, he's a part of who I am! But, I was losing parts of myself that I used to love because I just didn't care for a while and I lost the habits; I lost the fire...and it started to wear me down. I'm a mother before anything else, and I'd do anything in the world for my child that I could do. I would walk in front of a speeding truck to knock him out of the way. But, I have to take care of myself if I'm going to be able to take care of him, and part of that is completing myself with the activities in life that fulfill me. There is no reason to feel guilty about that! It doesn't constitute a bad mother. It doesn't mean I don't put my child first. It just means that I am human and have needs of my own, just like my child does...just like my marriage does.

Recently, Jeremy and I began to realize that there were some issues in our marriage because of one stupid thing: our son having to sleep with one or the other of us. It has nothing to do with sex - even when we do sleep in the same bed that's usually the last thing on our minds by the end of the day - it was about being separated from each other. Normally, each of us would relish the chance to sleep on the couch or in the study for some serious peace and quiet. Now, we long to just be near each other. We're working on this problem. Jess makes it difficult but we're working on it. It surprised us both how one little thing - sleeping beside each other - affected our relationship. Yeah, we're asleep so we don't really know what's happening. But there's a subconscious knowledge that my partner in life, my best friend, my love is near me. That's important.

It's the same with our relationships with ourselves. We need to keep close to ourselves. We need to express ourselves, especially if we're artists (of any kind!). We need to know that we are sharing our visions and our ideas and our work with others, even if it's not for monetary gain. The latter means very little to me - when I gave up my professional career in teaching/IT to stay at home with my son, I did it knowing the financial loss that would take place and Jeremy and I were prepared for that. While it is nice and I'd like to sell my work, hopefully, soon, my writing, to others, becoming a millionaire isn't my drive. It's sharing what I create with others. Knowing that a photo that I took is hanging on someone's wall. Knowing that my ideas are scurrying around in someone's brain, hopefully inspiring them in some way.

Alas, I started my year off with a huge self-achievement. I went out yesterday with Jess and JR to get out of the house so Jeremy could rest. We went to McDonald's and had coffee while Jess played on the indoor playground, safe from the freezing cold. We went to a child's consignment shop and I got a few things for Jess, and spent only around $20 (which I was very proud of!!). Then, we went to this great little bookstore called Book Nook. We hung out there for a good while. Jess looked at books, JR talked to the owner while I looked around and chose a beautiful Stephen King novel that I've read before but just HAD to read again, and then I joined them in the kids' section, sitting in the floor with Jess and having conversations with him about what he was looking at. It was a lot of fun!

Every now and then I would get involved in the adult part of the conversation, and at some point I mentioned a bit of empty wall space I had noticed and asked about displaying my photography there. They were thrilled to extend the opportunity to me. So, by late in the afternoon I had gotten together some prints and frames, and I delivered them and signed a release for them to spend a little time on someone else's wall – a business' wall. A business where a LOT of different people will see them. And, maybe, take something away from them that inspires them in some way. I also mentioned my forthcoming novella and this, too, brought forth a lot of excitement from the owner of the store. They're very interested, and excited about, local talent, artists, writers, whatever it is you do, and they want to help you express your art. Selling is good. But the bottom line is expressing it - getting it out there, sharing YOU. To have a window to do this and to feel like I'm making good friends along the way is one of the greatest things that has happened to me since Jesse was born, and I know it never would have happened if I hadn't opened my mouth and said, "Hey. I have photos. I'm open to the possibilities."

All in all, it's shaping up to be an OK year. Yeah, there are still the worries about bills and random things breaking and so forth. Oh! And let's not forget that the world ends this year, as well. But, I'm excited! I feel alive again. I know I have a child to care for but that thought doesn't drain me anymore, because I know that's not all there is to my life and it never had to be that way. I just had to figure that out.

My friend, JR, took some random photos of me the other day with his iPhone 4. Of course, I got his phone and mms'd them to myself and played with them and made them prettier. The whole series of photos was based on me getting this great hat and sporting it for hours, even after we got home...even after night had fallen and Jeremy and I had gotten into our pj's. Alas, it was so much fun that I thought, "why not share them in a blog?!"

Visit JR's blog for more fun photos and videos. He always has something creative to post!

All of these versions were edited using my iPhone 4 and the Camera+, PS Express, and Impression (watermark) apps. All the photos were taken with the iPhone 4's built in camera/factory camera app.

I've always had a fascination with street photography. This curiosity has been mostly satisfied by viewing the works of my friends who focus on street photography and the work of photographers like Bill Cunningham, who is known for his work with the NY Times and his "trending" photos. Still, in recent years, my curiosity has grown and I have wanted to try my own hand at the art, but there are many problems to overcome. Thus, I have spent time researching as well as thinking on my own terms about my problems in direct relation to shooting in the "streets" and I'm going to share what I've learned or come up with in this post.

Problem #1: I live in a fairly rural area, more than an hour's driving time away from any true "urban" shooting grounds. How can I compensate and shoot where I live? How can I get "true street" shots in my own environment?

Problem #2: I'm timid and I don't want to invade anyone's privacy. What are the laws or "rules" for shooting street photos? How can I approach someone I really want to get a shot of? How can I deal with rejection?

Problem #3: What kind of equipment is best for street photography? Would a telephoto lens help me capture people with more shadiness or does that defeat the purpose? Would a point-and-shoot work best since there's a wider range to shoot with that type of camera? How about my iPhone? I'm really into iPhone photography, but would I seem less "serious" about what I'm doing if I were using such a tool, or would it actually be helpful since most people in my area aren't used to seeing giant SLRs and long lenses being sported around and that might make them more nervous about the whole situation?

Problem #4: I'm a stay at home Mom. I always have my toddler with me and it's tough to take a two year old on a shoot. There are safety concerns, as shooting requires almost as much attention as my child, and there are obstacles like diaper changes and baby boredom. How can I deal with these issues, from a mom point of view?

As you can see, I have some major questions to answer before I really try to head out and give street shooting a real shot. I have some ducks to get in a row and some marbles to get in a jar. These are serious questions for me - not just off the wall, I don't know what I'm doing, questions. Here are the answers I've come up with for myself. Perhaps they can be of use to you.

Problem #1: Rural vs Urban street photography. Bottom line first:

“As crowding increases, people’s personal space requirement decreases. Also, the space one needs and expects is culturally dependent. In some countries people naturally stand, talk and touch each other in public to a closer degree than in others. But there are general unspoken rules. Get too close, “In your face” — as the saying goes, and people get nervous, even if they don’t know exactly why.”

“At a fair, a midway at a carnival, a sports event, parade, concert or public ceremony, people’s need for personal space and therefore privacy is reduced. The level of sensory stimulation is also usually high at these events, which tends to reduce the need for space. As well, in most of these situations people are having fun so they are more relaxed.” Michael Reichmann

This is the crux of my problem. There's never "crowding" where I spend most of my time, and I avoid crowds as much as possible. I tend to stay in more open spaces, and limit myself to a certain number of people around me or I freak out (so the rural thing kind of works for me in that way). Back to the problem: is it even possible to shoot street photography in such an environment?

As it turns out, "Rural Street Photography" is a fairly new concept and is picking up some major attention in the art world. There are no true tips to be found for this, so I decided to create my own for what I think rural street photography could be:

• Street photography is generally about people, but it doesn't have to be about people. Shoot the landscape as much as the people. Buildings, lights, signs, autos - the big picture and the story you want to tell is, in my opinion, more about the environment than the person in a photo - even when you do have a person in a photo.
  
• If the first bullet made any sense to you, perhaps this one will, too. Even though the standard definition of street photography includes and revolves around people, my thoughts always go back to the story being told - what are the people doing? So, I think, for rural street photography, capturing the man on the tractor doesn't mean the man has to be the primary focus of the shot.
• Capture any and every thing that catches your attention. If it's industrial and of some use, it should count. Screws in a pile by the curb. Hay fields and the designs the bailed hay make as they await their relocation to a barn somewhere. The barn itself. Any of these things can help tell the story in the really rural scene.

As I consider more things of interest in this area, I will update (or perhaps blog about this in it's own right) this section.

Problem #2: The Self-Consciousness Issue. Chris Weeks, a well-known street photographer and artist, has answered my question in short: "You’d be better off studying the art of shadowing and surveillance than photography to be a successful street photographer [...] Not some pussy with a scope up in a tree waiting for some hapless f**king deer with no chance against a 30.06." His number one tip? "Street work has more to do with how you blend in to the scene, and less about how good you are with a telephoto lens waiting for your prey." That kind of takes care of the rest of the questions in Problem #2, as well. Blend in. Become part of the landscape. Become part of the environment. Become invisible to the people you are shooting.

Problem #3: The Equipment Problem. The classic technique for "professional" street photography consists of fitting awide (20mm on a full-frame camera) or moderately wide-angle (35mm)lens to a camera, setting the ISO to a moderate high speed (400 or800), and pre-focusing the lens. Not likely to happen for me. I don't shoot film because I can't afford it. I don't have a wide angle lens for my film or dSLR, and I certainly don't have money to buy one. So, for what I have to work with, this is the best solution:

• Start out with a cell phone or a point-and-shoot. Using low profile equipment forces me to be closer to my subjects, therefore forcing me to face my fears of offending or breaking the "space rule" up front. It also forces me to get more familiar with blending in, thus becoming one with my environment and seeing good shots to take.
  
• Another benefit? Back to Problem #1 - the culture I live in will be less like to freak out or find it out of place to see someone shooting "random" photographs with a cell phone or small point-and-shoot camera vs. a great, big, conspicuous dSLR or film camera with a giant lens (wide angle or not, to them any removable lens is going to seem massive - it's their mindset).
  
• And, finally, this method will work well in helping solve Problem #4 - the kid problem. Easy to manage equipment - no worrying about winding/changing film or the hassle of a large camera to work with, I can stuff my phone or small camera into the bag or my pocket for those random diaper changes or snack stops...or even get some fun shots with ease for those, "I'm bored and want to play/walk," moments.

Problem #4: The Kid Problem.  Taking a toddler anywhere is a pain in the butt. Grocery shopping, out for lunch, yes - EVEN to the park. You have to haul a lot of crap, from the diaper bag with half your kid's room in it to the snack bag to the cooler with a wide variety of juice and milk when you go on a farily long-planned outing. Then there's the issue of boredom. Sometimes, especially in this case, the kid has to stay in the stroller a good bit. I can't let him run around the streets at this age - it's not only an irresponsible plan but a stupid plan, and I can't shoot and keep him safe out of the stroller. Just not happening. So, what is the solution?

• Use the big stroller. It's more comfy for baby and has the basket underneath to haul those never-ending supplies.
• Keep a few of baby's favorite small toys/books in the basket for emergencies.
• BE FLEXIBLE. Be willing to miss a few great shots in order to keep baby happy - stop and play, let baby walk and run when we get to the park...
  
• Use baby as a conversation piece to help with the previous discussion of self-confidence. Keep that in mind to stay positive and less frustrated about baby's needs while I'm trying to "accomplish" something for myself.
• Bottom line? Baby always comes first, so this shouldn't be that hard. It's not hard to keep my eye on my son in public - it's almost a natural reaction when he's "loose" to be ever aware of his location and safety status. So, leave the worry at home and have FUN.
• Plan the outing to include specific, preshceduled breaks for diaper changes. I'm pretty aware of my son's potty behaviors and frequencies, so I'd never plan to go try shooting with him before he's had his morning poop, for example. That would just be silly.

More to come on this topic, including photos once I get the chance (who knows exactly when that will be?) to get out and give it a real shot with my kiddo. I'll be sure to take notes (even if it's just in my head) to let you know how the experience was and what I learned. I'm excited to consider getting out and shooting again - in a different environment than the nature I love and am so used to!

Happy shooting!

"She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." Proverbs 31:15-17

Tonight I took a few comments from Jer with a grain of salt, including the one that inspired the thoughts that became this post:

Jer: "I wish you'd taken your phone. I wanted you to get me some ice cream."

Me: "well, I'll go get you some ice cream. I'll be right back." (I'd just gotten home from going to the store with my Mom but I hadn't taken my phone with me.)

Jer: "No, just don't worry about it. If you leave I'll have to watch him (Jess)." (slightly agitated and hateful tone)

Me: "what?" (moment of silence) "I 'watch' him every day, all day, and have done this without you here for the past 12 days straight! (Jer's been working without a day off for going on two weeks)

I shook my head, closed my eyes, took a breath. I stopped myself here... Later, Jer apologized.

What I wanted to say in the heat of the moment - thoughts that crossed my mind:

"That was a sorry thing to say! What is wrong with you? You're his dad! He LOVES it when you're here and whether I'm here or not he only wants you - he misses you. If he's such an inconvenience for you, don't worry about it.

I do most of the dirty work every day! 99% of the time, I change his diapers, especially dirty ones. I bathe him. I change his clothes. I do his laundry - and yours! I clean up after him - and you! The only thing you do with him with any consistency is play with him and clean him and his tray after his supper - not that I haven't done that at breakfast and lunch while you were at work...

Why do you treat the situation as though my staying at home isn't as much or more of a 'job' than leaving the house to go to 'work?' You WANTED me to stay home - it was a choice we made together because it was best for Jess. I love being here, and I love serving my son and you. I love taking care of the house and my family. I don't complain when you leave clothes in the floor or dishes in the sink when you could just as easily put them in the dishwasher (and turn it on when it's full), and I appreciate what you do around here when you take the initiative to do little things here and there.

If what I give you in return - meals, clean clothes, a clean house, a well-trained son, etc. - isn't enough for you, perhaps you need to rethink the whole situation and whether you want to be here with us!"

A few short years ago, this is what I WOULD have said. Even the ultimatum, which would have been useless because neither of us wants to be anywhere else than here with each other. The fact that I managed to stop myself, think, breathe, and keep my mouth shut made me realize that I have reached some level of spiritual maturity and understanding of myself and what I want for my family that I didn't know I had reached. Still, just writing it makes me feel a twinge of anger and a shock of defensiveness.

It's rare for Jeremy to say things like what he said tonight, especially in regards to his responsibility as a dad, but lately the comments and snappiness have become fairly frequent, even when he's on a day shift at work (he's usually very laid back when he's on day shift). I know that he is very tired. I know that he is stressed and physically exhausted by the long hours he is working - but I count the situation as a blessing to get back on our feet after months of cut work hours and weeks of paychecks that were half, sometimes even just an eighth, of what he should have been making.

I thought for a long time throughout the evening about the whole situation, and I decided to make a list of the things I did during this day and the things I wanted to do but didn't get done, either because I was too busy or too tired (nine times out of ten I was simply too busy).

Things I did today, in chronological order:

• 6AM: Jesse woke me.
• 6:10-6:30: Changed Jess, fed Jess breakfast.
• 6:30-6:45: Gave Jess his milk and he sat and read books while I jumped in the shower.
• 6:45-9:30: Put Jer's breakfast dishes in the dish washer and turned it on, folded laundry in the dryer and washed another load, which I also folded when it was dry, cleaned the floors and picked up random things throughout the house (numerous times) while intermittently changing Jess, giving Jess a snack, coloring with Jess, or playing ball with Jess, or having him help me carry baskets or towels, etc. Oh, and I paid bills.
• 9:30-11:30: Took Jess across the street to play with Grady and sat and talked to Katie and Dustin for a while, did some party planning for Jess' birthday and then played with both kids.
• 11:30: Walked home with Jess and gave him some lunch.
• 12:00: Put Jess in his room for his nap.
• 12:00-1:30: Put away laundry, then laid down and watched news; took a 30 minute nap.
• 1:30-3:00: Watched "Napoleon" with Jess, intermittent running, coloring, diaper changing and snack feeding.
• 3:00-3:30: Played "jump" with Jess (this little game he made up where he jumps off the sofa and I catch him)
• 3:30: Called Jer, discussed dinner
• 3:45-4:15: Called to take care of an insurance bill. Started and cooked dinner, cleaned up Jess' messes in the kitchen and living room
• 4:15-5:00: fixed Jess and Jer a plate, we ate dinner, Jer put dishes in the dishwasher while I went outside alone for a few minutes of quiet
• 5:00-6:00: My parents came to visit, I went to the store with my Mom while my Dad and Jer visited and played with Jess.
• 6:15: I got home, my parents left, Jer made his comment
• 6:15-7:15: mopped, put on more laundry, organized Jess' bathroom stuff (soaps and such), picked up Jess' messes throughout the house, sat down for a few minutes, went back outside for a few minutes when I took out the trash.
• 7:15-7:30ish: Jess' bath time, played with him, washed him, dried and dressed him. Jer got his milk.
• 7:30-8:00: Played with Jess and Jer on the couch, fed Jess some yogurt, put Jess to bed at 8:00.
• 8:00-now: worked on this post.

Here's the list of things I would liked to have fit in today:

• I need to shave, but all I've had time for lately is a quick shower every morning while Jess is in a good mood and playing after breakfast. I went to WalMart with obvious stubble on my legs. Wow.
• I want to do some scrap booking because I'm so behind and have so many pages to do in Jess' scrapbook. I love doing that and imagining him look at the books when he's older.
• I need to organize our bills more efficiently.
• I need to start printing, clipping, and organizing coupons again. Wow, things are so high!
• I'd like to back up and clean off my computer.
• I'd like to clean my cameras and organize my files so that I perhaps I can go out one day, even taking Jess with me, and do a few shoots to get some newer work on my website.
• I need to update my website.
• I need to advertise my website and my prints more.
• I'd like to actually straighten and fix my hair after washing it instead of just spraying some gel in it and letting it dry as I go.
• I'd like to sit down and watch a movie to the end without either being needed for something or falling asleep.

When I thought about these things, my mind wandered to a comparison mode: comparing the things I'd done and the things I'd wanted to do but hadn't done and then asking myself why the things on those lists weighed out the way they did. The bottom line for me was obvious: I may not show it through my words and actions in a way that is obvious to many people, but I truly live to do what God wants me to do.

Would God rather me spend an extra five minutes in the shower to shave, or would He rather me just be clean enough to be semi-comfy for the day and get back to my making sure my child is safe? Would God want me to run to my computer as soon as Jer hit the door and update my site and try to sell my photos, or clean my camera equipment, etc., and let Jer worry about his own dinner and feeding Jess, or would He want me to have something prepared for my hard working, tired, hungry husband when he gets in?

God wants us to serve others, especially in friendships and marriages/families. It is not our job to be worried about ourselves (aside from the basic necessities of being alive). It is our job to take care of others, to love others, and to serve others in all the ways we can, and to let them take care of us and fill in the gaps that we leave blank for ourselves - which is where the teamwork and duality in marriage should come in.

"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phillipians 2:1-11

"And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:44-45

Sure! A nice night to oneself to relax in a bubble bath, shave, wash hair and fix it up, then read or work on a website or hobby that one enjoys is a wonderful thing, but it should be a gift - at least for someone in my position. I'm not saying that I'm not worthy of having such a thing more often, far from it! I'm saying that my family is more important to me than having excessive amounts of time to myself. Right now, being a mom to a child under two, time to myself isn't even a luxury - it's simply not an option for the fact that by the time he's in bed, I'm too tired to make time for myself (generally - obviously, tonight I am staying up long enough to write this post). Even on nights when I can't sleep, I can't really do any of the things I'd like to because I'd wake Jess or Jer up, so insomnia doesn't help, as much as it would seem that it could! ;-)

I am willing to sacrifice (obviously! WalMart, shorts, stubbly legs? LMBO!) certain things that are important to me as an individual in order to make sure that my household is running smoothly and that my family is taken care of in the ways that I am given the responsibility to care for them. I know that as Jess grows older and does more for himself and is able to spend time alone outside or with friends, etc., (I can't count school - our plan and goal is home schooling) I will be able to do more for myself with more ease and a lot less guilt than I feel when I do make time for myself now, as rare as those times are... But right now, I am doing not only what I feel I should be doing, but what I feel God wants me to do. It's not about meeting His expectations, but about serving Him through serving others.

I did a lot of things today. I do a lot of things everyday; usually, the the same things. What can I say about those things? They were what most would consider mundane and unrewarding. Do I feel that I really accomplished anything? Absolutely. My reward was in Jess' smile and giggle when I cleaned his hands and face after his dinner. My reward was in Jer telling me how much he enjoyed his dinner. My reward was in knowing that Jer had clean clothes to wear to work in the morning. My reward was in knowing that my child was going to bed fulfilled - between the yogurt just before bedtime and the love we showed him this evening, how could he not be? My reward is knowing that I love my family, and whether they realize what I do for them or they take me for granted, they wouldn't want to live without me.

I am doing the hardest, most special, and humbling "job" in the world: living life as a stay at home mom and homemaker, and even if I'm exhausted and cranky and annoyed at times, I couldn't be happier.

"But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:7

1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Here I sit, waiting to get brakes put on the car. I'm in a waiting room. It's worse than being at the doctor's office because the people are not sick - they're chattery and loud and SUPER enthusiastic about the magazines and flipping through them. LOUDLY. Which is one of my biggest pet peeves ever! Now, I'm not complaining. I'm just saying. My anxiety is already kicking bigtime and these idiots aren't helping with their ridiculous bellowing about football season coming up and Saban this and Saban that. I swear, this one woman should be a goat - she might as well be EATING her magazine vs. flipping through it because she LITERALLY tears every page when she turns it. Jesus help me!

OK. I have to go outside now. OMG. /going to pass out. For Christ's sake!

Used some brushes from redheadstock at dA for the archaic symbols and the gears, along with some of the retro looking squares. http://redheadstock.devian​tart.com/ Trying some new things with drop shadows, bevels...etc.

I've been working on this post for almost three days now. Trying to blog from a phone is a stupid plan. I suddenly realized that my phone syncs documents for a reason - so that I can write what I want to and sync the document to my phone, then copy and paste that text to the entry box and post! I guess we'll see how that works for pictures in the future (post to Flickr or some other such linkable site from my phone, then copy and paste the link to a document on my phone and sync and vice versa...).

Things have been getting really tight around here. I decided that the best temporary course of action was to turn of my cable all together (finally removing the Internet) and use my phone for access to the web. It's been working out great (now that I have figured out this document syncing thing and started utilizing it) for text. Uploading photos to the website is basically impossible, but as I said, it's only temporary. My cable company has agreed to reinstate my Internet service at no cost to me because I have my own equipment (modem and router) and all they'll have to do is flip a switch (so to speak) from their offices. That's pretty cool, I think.

Jesse has been doing a lot of new (and strange) things lately. He's taken to trying to put on his own shoes. He doesn't wear shoes very often, but when he needs to have them on he'd prefer to put them on himself. He's always been that way about things once he's figured them out. He hasn't quite gotten the hang of putting on shoes but at least he's showing signs that he knows what they are and where they go, even if he can't get his foot into them on his own. He's also become much easier to communicate with in recent weeks. He's really great about pointing things out. If he wants something in particular, he's discovered that pointing and grunting gets it to him much faster than random whining or crying (since neither of those two things tells me much about what he actually wants). He RUNS to the bathroom if we ask him if he's ready for his bath, and he is climbing like a monkey. He's such a smart little creature, even though he can't yet speak our language. He makes up for it with funny and quirky and very obvious Jesse-isms.

I hope to put together a video today since I haven't done one in a while, but, again, getting from the computer to the phone to the Internet could prove difficult. I won't know until I give it a shot, though! If it proves to be beyond my range of patience, I will just go to a friend's house, or to my parents', and borrow Internet long enough to upload it directly from my computer!

Project 365 uploads have been falling behind along with blogs and other posts. I hate trying to type all the info in from my phone! But, that's an unavoidable situation - it's more work to create a descriptive document with tags and the like and then copy and paste the different sections to the different boxes, so I'll just have to deal with that a few at a time, I guess. The good news about Project 365 is that I always have my picture for any given day (well, 99% of the time) so at least I'm not just missing 20 or so photos!

Hope to get things squared away soon and be able to post loads of new photos!!

A few weeks ago Jeremy's iPhone kicked the bucket. Actually, it wasn't completely dead - it was merely flakey enough that it was totally undependable, therefore totally useless to him. The solution was simple: I got a new 32GB iPhone 4 and handed my mint condition 32GB 3Gs down to him. Let's hope he doesn't kill it, too (I have a suspicion that part of the reason the phone went life-phobic on him is related to the amount of time he used the phone, which was ALL the time!).

Alas, getting the new phone meant that I got new camera capabilities. Getting new camera capabilities meant that I needed apps to fully test them out. At least, that's my excuse! So, I've gotten some new photography apps (a few of them prior to getting the phone, actually) and as the list is getting longer, it's time to go ahead and do an app blog!

Here's the list (I'll discuss the apps below):

• PerfectPhoto
  
• PhotoStudio
  
• SlowShutter
  
• ShakeItPhoto
  
• WordFoto
  

PerfectPhoto

PerfectPhoto is VERY similar to the PS Express app. The main difference between the two is PerfectPhoto's pretty and user-targeted interface versus PS Express's straightforward approach to the UI. While PS Express has one of my favorite tools (the best noise removal tool I've used on the iPhone), PerfectPhoto is a close contender to replacing PS Express as my favorite touch-up app for the iPhone. It does pretty much everything PS Express allows and MORE!

PerfectPhoto offers the ability to meticulously touch-up photos with the following very user-friendly and judicious tools: crop, rotate/flip, alignment, brightness/contrast, gamma, exposure, shadows, highlights, levels, hue/saturation/lightness, color balance, color temperature, sharpen, denoise, red eye reduction, and spot healing. While PS Express is missing several of these options, even if only in the lack of precision control when editing, PerfectPhoto does not lack the effects offered by PS Express (which is not saying much for PS Express - the list of these is short in PS Express and these tools are "tap and go" without allowing for adjustment of the special effects (opacity or intensity level). But, that's not too important - PerfectPhoto's goal is not to provide filters (although it does provide a few more choices than PS Express) or bling for your photos - it's about making your original photo better!

There are NUMEROUS apps out there for special effects and the like, but there's only one PerfectPhoto. I haven't personally used any touch-up app that truly compares to what PerfectPhoto offers. And, one of my new favorite "bling" apps was developed by the same team as PerfectPhoto (below). PerfectPhoto is well worth it's $0.99 price tag!

PhotoStudio

PhotoStudio is a "bling" app for the iPhone that offers numerous filters and effects to really make your photos pop and become anything you want them to be. From the app store description:

"Now with 187 effects and filters, the possibilities are endless when it comes to editing your photos. For those of you looking to keep it simple, you can also, crop brighten, flip and make other basic changes for quick modification of your photos.

Variety of Lo-Fi effects, plus Sketches, Vintage, Bizarre, TiltShift, Sepia, Night Vision, Glow, Grunge, Blur, Textures – FX Photo Studio features them all and MORE.

MIX, MATCH AND ADJUST FOR THE PERFECT EFFECTS

Combine any of the 187 effects to create the perfect look. A completely customizable interface allows you to label your most often used effects and combinations as favorites, giving you instant access to preferred presets.

TONS OF WAYS TO SHARE YOUR CREATIONS

You can easily share your photos with friends and family via E-Mail, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Flickr directly from the application! You can even generate codes for customized presets as well as use codes provided by others, to create a pool of unique iPhoneography art tools for everyone to tap into.

CONVENIENTLY MANAGE ALL OF YOUR PHOTOS

Save creations to the in app photo album, copy to the Clipboard, and even save to a document folder for convenient sharing between the iOS device and computer. You can print your photos directly from the app too!

If that's not enough, you can upgrade up to even more effects via in-app purchases!"

That about covers it. Again, well worth the money ($2.99). Also available from the Mac app store for laptop/desktop use (pro verson, $29.99).

SlowShutter

SlowShutter turns your iPhone into a virtual dSLR by allowing the user to work with a simulation of slow shutter speeds ranging from 1/15 through 1/30 of a second. It also provides a built in exposure compensation function. This app features (from the app store description):

- Shutter speed range : 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30(sec)
- Exposure control : Manual, Auto, HDR, Light Trail
- Exposure compensation : +/- 2 EV ( 1, 1/2, 1/4 steps )
- Output size : You can select High or Low resolution in the Setting app.
The resolution with each device is as follows.
-> iPhone4 720x960(High), 360x480(Low)
-> iPhone3GS 480x640(High), 360x480(Low)
-> iPhone3G 304x400(High/Low)
- Other : Shutter-timer, Twitter uploader, Tap to focus

The latest version of this app is V2.3 (4th, Jun 2011). This update provided:

- Added support for the "Light Trail" effect.
- The shutter will also sound in manner mode.
- Several minor changes to the user interface.
- Minor bug fix.

This app goes for $0.99.

ShakeItPhoto

The slogan: "Perfect Polaroid Photos From Your iPhone." The accuracy of the slogan: right on! This app is not only the best Polaroid simulation I've tried with my iPhone. To top if off, you get to (have to) shake the phone to process the photo just like you would if you were holding and actual Polaroid photo in your hand, which means this app is tons of fun!

The price tag is a little steep (imho) considering the fact that what you shoot is what you get. The app costs $1.99 and for that you literally get the functionality of taking the photo and having the phone process it as is. Personally, I think this app is easily worth no more than $0.99. But, even having said that, I do not regret the extra buck I paid. The only other "good" Polaroid simulating app I've tried that worked well in the past was Polarize, which at least offered the ability to import photos from your camera roll to be turned into fauxlaroids, but this app is no longer supported and no longer works on my phone (if anyone else is still able to use this app or has any idea or suggestion why mine may be lacking functionality, I'd appreciate a heads up!).

WordFoto

WordFoto is truly a unique app and is a lot of fun to use. This app allows photos to be turned into typographic art by overlaying words or phrases of the user's choice (or some pre-stored ones) on a photo. The UI allows changes in fonts, transparencies, colors, and sizes of the text and randomizes text size "throughout" the image based on the largest font size selected. From the WordFoto website:

"You've probably heard the tired cliche about a picture being worth a thousand words. We've taken this phrase quite literally and created WordFoto, an app that turns your photos and words into amazing typographic works of art."

You can get WordFoto for $1.99.

Video

Because the iPhone 4 comes with much more enhanced video capabilities, I've decided to share some of the apps I use and have recently downloaded for video editing. In the near future I will do an independent blog describing these apps but I'll share the list here:

• Qik Video Pro
• iMovie
• iTimeLapse
  
• Slowmo
• Splice
  
• Super 8
  
• VideoPix
• Viddy

This past Saturday I was asked by my good friend to attend the homecoming of the 214th MP Company. Her husband is a soldier and MP in that company, and she wanted me to be her paparazzi. I had plans to attend a couple of other events but decided to change those plans and complied with her request at the last minute. After all, how many times would this opportunity present itself for me? Hopefully not many!

I took over 700 shots during the one hour wait/homecoming and after going through them all I ended up with only about 100 that I felt were decent. I will, of course, make a disc for my friend that contains all the images, but I have taken the ones I have selected as "decent" and processed them to meet my own approval. The sunlight was harsh (the time of day was between 12:30PM and 1:30PM) and the clouds weren't hanging around to help me out. Because I was doing burst shots at different angles and in different locations throughout this "shoot at will" event, I decided to set my camera up with a few settings that I like to use under most any circumstances and let Aperture help me fix any that might come out completely "blown out."

The odds were NOT in my favor, but I did manage to get those few good shots and after applying some really handsome filters to a few of them I thought I got some great memories recorded. Here are a few of the unedited images that I thought were decent:

Here are a few of the images that I thought looked especially nice with the PX 100 filter applied (Aperture 3):

Here are a few images that I really liked seeing in black and white: