It is true, I have an Android phone and still post some of my “phone-tos” to Instagram.
The reason I do this is, for over a year now the majority of my phone shots went into a Facebook album where no one but friends could see them and no prints or magnets or books or fun things of any sort could easily be made from them. I wanted a place just for my phone shots that was not Flickr (the community aspect has gone from there like a pack of lemmings over the proverbial cliff) nor Facebook (everything looks terrible on there). I also did not want to start a tumblr or what-have-you… I think I am pretty close to my maximum maintainable web home limit. I was, however, craving the interaction that I used to have when sharing and browsing images on Flickr. Oh, the good old days of 2005-2008.
Basically I was missing my photo-based photo community. Apparently they have all gone to Instagram and who could blame them?  Instagram is the perfect spot…well perfect if you are lucky enough to have an iPhone.

I just HAD to join.
Now, I wish I had some simple hack for you, but I don’t. This is just my workaround and it requires and iPod.

I shoot all of my phone-tography on my Android based HTC Desire with the AWESOME Vignette app. I have tried so many of the Android photography apps and ended up deleting most of them for Vignette. It is a simple app that enhances the in-phone camera, but without much of that hip filter stuff. For that photo/filter play, I sometimes use the pixlr-o-matic app and web based editing program.  I have created my standard square shot format on Vignette and it takes pretty good photos. I can even add and adjust a faux tilt shift to those shots. The black and whites are all done in Vignette as well. I have always loved square format film (one of my first cameras being a Hasselblad) and especially love the aspect for phone camera shots as to me it adds a little bit of interest and harkens back to lo-fi film days. You know, when we did not expect plastic perfection and thought grain was gritty, not ugly.

I come home and upload the ones that I want to share to my iPod Touch. It is a first generation touch with no camera. Despite upgrading my OS, the version of Instagram app that I am stuck with is one of the first versions. I can’t do much and am missing some of the better filters. The only reason I have the iPod is because I listen to music on it. Well, I used to listen to music on it before the battery up and died and can now only stand to be disconnected for about 2 hours. Hello, Android phones that have replaceable batteries and sd cards for storage, I love you!

I understand that the Instagram developers want to keep the quality of the imagery on their program high and avoid spammers…at least that is their listed reason for not opening the API to upload capability, but I want to play. I promise no crap shots (on purpose) and I can’t figure out how to spam on there anyway. I am happy to have this little workaround, but really it takes away from the life on the go aspect that I adore about camera phone shots.

I may begin transferring all of my favorite phone shots from their lonely Facebook album over to Instagram…it will take a while as I don’t want to be one of those spammers they talk about. I am going to do this though as there are so very many adorable tiny products you can make from your adorable tiny Instagram photos. Magnets, itty-bitty books and stickers! We love stickers!

Here are my top web vieweers for Instagram so I can easily look at all the lovely photos of the people I follow…even if Instagram doesn’t actually want me to play along.

INK361

Statigram

Webstagram 

Followgram

Now Instagram if you are reading, I hear those rumors of your pending Android app AND I am happy to beta test that for you!

All my life I have been a magazine ripper-outer. As a kid, I would sit at the table and pull things I wanted out of the Sears catalog as a visual wish list. As I grew and developed a love of photography, I would tear inspirational images out of all sorts of publications. To this day, my house is littered with magazines in piles ready to be ripped apart. Some of these photos get posted on a “vision” board and most get stuffed into a file folder. Imagine my sheer glee at discovering Pinterest this year. It is a virtual “ripper-outer” service for the internet and I am in love. When I found out that the guy who came up with this brilliant service, Ben Silbermann, was going to also be at Alt Summit, I think I did a happy dance. Having the chance to meet Ben and chat with him about ideas was just brilliant.

Now, Pinterest is invite only at this stage still, but head on over to the Beyond Snapshots blog where we not only have a great interview with Ben, but an exclusive link to join the site just for our readers!

With work on our book in full swing, I have been thinking about documenting family life through photography a lot lately.  I have always been one to carry my camera with me almost all the time and my D3 has never seen the inside of a closet…it is always out and ready to go.  With the book work taking over, I find that my camera is clicking a lot, but not with my own family.  Every single memory card is currently filled with client work that is in process. Shooting with only one pro digital camera body has meant that I don’t have one at the ready to photograph the little life moments that I collect.I have been sad that I handed down the family point and shoot to Gemma since I find myself wanting to take shots and for once having no camera on me to take them… I think I was going into photo blogging withdrawls and then I got an email.

Samsung contacted me about reviewing one of their newest point and shoot cameras.  To be honest, I had not considered Samsung before (even though we have one of their giant TVs on both floors of our house) as a camera maker.  When I read about the special features that this little camera had to offer, I knew it was something I had to try.
Let me introduce you to the newest member of my camera collection, and one that is now on me at all times, the Samsung PL150!

First of all, this camera has a 1.5″ front LCD in addition to the 3″ one on the back. Your subjects can see themselves while you take the shot, but even better, YOU can see YOURSELF for self portraits! You can now get in the shot with your kids and not have to guess where everyone is in the frame while you hold the camera out at arm’s length.

(nobody panic…we were not actually driving at the time) how cool is the in camera editing into black and white!  The camera saves a new file for you with your edits and in addition to the black and white, you can do things like miniature (think tilt shift), vignette, portrait retouching, color effects and more!

Now talking about kids and being in photos, let me just mention again how OVER photos Clover is?  Well, this camera has a solution for photographing jaded babies of photographers (and any other kid who just WILL. NOT. LOOK. at the camera). Children’s mode is a unique feature of this clever little camera. Remember that front LCD I mentioned? In children’s mode it turns into your assistant and plays a cartoon with this little clown and a ball and silly noises.

I was skeptical at first, but I turned that thing on and all 3 of my children were suddenly in front of the camera and smiling.  Ok, so not all at once, but this feature even gets Gemma’s attention each time.

When the kids are no longer interested in the clown, there are a bunch of other free animations you can download and install to keep them looking at your camera! No more making goofy noises and waving like a crazy person to get your kids to look your way, the camera will discreetly do that for you.  Brilliant!  WHY hasn’t anyone thought of this before? No matter, the camera designers at Samsung have now and that is what counts.

The front LCD screen also serves an important role in another of this camera’s unique program settings, Jump Mode.  The camera can be set to count down for your subjects before the shutter is released 3 different times.  Not only does the jumper know when to jump, but then the whole thing is caught in 3 different shots so that you are sure to catch on mid air.

With the slight tilt that is built into the actual camera body, you can do self portraits without a tripod as the camera leans back just the perfect amount to get a better angle.  Use those two features together and you can easily catch yourslef looking like this:

Come on, you know you want to.

Above all else, the images from this point and shoot are great.  Just have a look at some of the photographs from last week as they really do speak for themselves.

Thank you Samsung for sending me the PL150 to review.  There will be more reviews of the other features in the future in upcoming posts and I am setting up a Samsung PL150 album on the sesame ellis facebook page.  This tiny little 12 megapixel gem of a camera is on me all the time now.  And because it is, I did not miss any of those moments above and we can always remember the day that Clover fell in love with a purple balloon.

Australian residents listen up!  Samsung is offering my readers $50 CASH BACK when you buy one of these great little Samsung PL150 cameras.
Here is the fine print made really BOLD:

Australian resident, bought from an AU retailer* with a valid receipt , offer expires June 15th, and receipt must be posted before July 1st.

*Participating retailers:

Big W
Bing Lee
Dick Smiths
Good Guys, Muris
Harvey Norman
JB HiFi
Retravision
Target
Teds Camera House
WOW

The buyer then sends a copy of their receipt with their name and address and Rachel Devine Promotion to:
Samsung PL150 Cashback Promotion
PO Box 1257
Darlinghurst NSW 1300

Want more detaily details about the PL150 from the Samsung people themselves? Click Here.

Join Samsung Capture on Facebook to keep in touch with PL150 specials and promotions! http://facebook.com/samsungcapture

the lensbaby tag line is “see in a new way”

and i am finding it easy to do just that.

this lens really does transform the mundane into simple beauty.

it is nice to be free from a self imposed sense of precision in my images.

and to see the hidden perfection in the imperfect.

i am enjoying this lensbaby more than i could have imagined in ways that continue to surprise me.

tech details:
lensbaby composer with double glass optic (sponsored by lensbaby.com)
nikon d3
very very last light of the day

lensbaby has generously given me a lensbaby composer lens to review and work with.  i am so excited to add this unique dimension to my work and i am taking the blog along with me as i learn something new.

i have long admired the work that deb schwedhelm and jefra linn have done with lensbabies and have wondered if i could incorporate the distinct look into my work as deb, jefra and i  all have such different styles.

yesterday i took the lens out of the box and had a very short play with it.  i think gemma gave me about 5 shots to figure it out (my kids are a tough crowd.)  these were taken without bending the lens to adjust the “sweet spot” of focus as i was just trying to make sure that i could figure out how to focus (where the heck did i put my glasses?…this is like manual focus through a peep hole) and the metering.  it proved very easy (found my glasses and the d3 diopter!) to do both, so in less than a half dozen shots, i was able to get these.  i quite like them and i know that i can do some fun work with this lens.

this is just the beginning of many “learning lensbaby” posts to come.  i decided not just to do one review, but a series of them as i grow with my new equipment.

it has only been two days, but what i have found out so far is that it is not so much if the lensbaby will fit with my style, but how i can expand my style to work with the new tool.  i think it is very important to go out of my comfort zone to find new ways of seeing the world around me…look, an entire life lesson in one tiny lens.

coming soon, using the new lens with my studio lights and in some kid fashion shoots.

the sigma 24mm f/1.8 macro lens (for my nikon d3) arrived this afternoon while the twins were napping and my camera battery was charging.  i loved having a wide angle lens when i shot with film, but i sold it many years ago.  this was a range that i was missing from my equipment and really interested in working with again.  while the new nikon 24mm f/1.4G is without a doubt kickass, i will never be able to justify the cost.  if i shot weddings or was a photojournalist, it would make sense, but not for what i do.  after a lot of research online, i decided to give sigma a try.  i have never owned a sigma lens.  i did not really have a good reason for that, just never thought about them as an option.  when i started looking, i was really impressed with the photographers i found using sigma gear.

so by the time everyone was home, fed and the battery was ready, i was left with cruddy light and dirty and tired models.  i was too excited to wait another day though, so on the lens went and i gave it a whirl.

gemma noticed i had a new lens.  (i was very proud.)  her interest faded after 2 shots.  kind of fun though…the bobblehead distortion makes her look younger!

left: one shot that kieran “took” while i held the camera and clover.  kieran likes to push buttons…he is also and excellent garage door shutter, washing machine starter and crosswalk signal alerter.    right: kiki hunting baby in the backyard.  i do not understand how i get the ONLY crazy ragdoll cat in the world.  every other ragdoll cat i meet is docile and mine is the one with the attitude problem.  sigh.

being a macro, this lens can really get in close and focus.   kiki actually bit my camera today (see?  crazy!)  it gets that close.

verdict (on the lens, not the cat).
great lens for the price!
pros:
feels solid and well built
focuses fairly quickly.  no hunting around even in the dim light.
beautiful balance of sharpness and shallow depth of field at f/2.2, but still pretty sharp wide open.   i just found the focus was falling ever so slightly in front at f/1.8….that could be user error though.  ;)
colors rendered well

cons:
you have to clean up because it shows everything in your messy living room that you could hide from the 50mm.

so hello there, Sigma.  i am sorry that i have never given you a chance before.  welcome to my camera bag.  i had better go and see what else you have…i have heard there is a sweet 70-200mm f/2.8 in your catalog.

i have heard it all.  from various people.  however differently they said it, they all meant the same thing… the twins are too old for bottles.

thank you to the many strangers who have preached to offered me advice, i think it is wonderful that your child was drinking from a regular cup in utero.

i went out and bought various drink containers.  we have the straw, the sippy, the sigg.  all hold and dispense water just fine, but put milk in them and it is another story to these guys.

you just try to take those bottles away from them.

in my opinion, there are plenty of other things to obsess over as a parent, but i am taking the “i’ll parent mine, you parent yours” stance.

i highly doubt that they will be 22 and still starting the morning with a nice cold evenflo.  in a blink of an eye, they will be having coffee with me.

so go on…call them babies. they are babies.

*all images in this post are made with the new diana toy camera lens on my d200*

one of these is my house and if you guess wrong, you don’t know me at all.

just to help you out in case it was not completely obvious

since moving to australia, i seem to have the christmas spirit of a gnat. and that makes me sad because i used to LOVE christmas. it is really going to take me some time to embrace long, warm, sunny days leading up to the holiday where i spent my life praying for snow.

i am enjoying the summer days, i just wish they were in july where they are supposed to be.

now as a mother, i feel the need to develop at least a shred of festive enthusiasm. i have such beautiful christmas memories from childhood that i want to give to my kids. then again, maybe that is part of what is holding me back. not much could top those experiences. a giant family dinner…bundling up for the freezing cold walk down the road to my aunt and uncle’s home. early nightfall and candles in every window. singing carols with the neighbors…all the adults holding warm grownup drinks and the kids scanning the dark night sky for a red nose amongst the stars. if i was lucky, it was a clear night and there was snow on the ground to crunch underfoot.

i need to learn how to let go of my attachments to those memories. record them somehow so they are not lost and then maybe i will be free to build new ones here.

this diana toy camera lens is the photographic version of my christmas spirit dilemma. i want to let go of my ideas of what makes a perfect image and experiment…put myself in a situation where i do not have full control and can’t make things the way i normally would have them. i don’t fancy being a one trick pony. i enjoy using different lenses, various camera settings, and even artificial lighting to ensure that my work is not by rote. you will not find me repeating the same session poses under the same tree in the same park for my clients. i do crave consistency in my work though. i want to produce images that make sense together and that are nice to look at. it presents a complex problem while i try to grow as a photographer.

i decided to add this plastic lens to my d200 and just point and shoot. i set the camera to vivid and am just making jpgs. there is no editing beyond the resize ( and occasional crop) for web. it is not a greatly expensive way to step outside of the box either. if i had to buy film for my holga and have it processed, it would quickly add up to and surpass the $60.00 spent on the lens. i am terrible at committing to daily photo projects, so this is my challenge to myself. let go and create. whenever.

it may take some getting used to, but eventually a hot christmas and a blurry photo will both be things that i love.

i want to hear from you…what are you doing to grow? what challenges your convictions? comment below and show me what you are aiming to do in the new year to expand your world.

early in the day, the postman delivered my belated birthday toy from photojojo. with big plans to release my unintentional psychological grip on perfect photos (what is a perfect photo anyway?), i put it on the d200 and got the twins ready to join the big kids at the park. i will have to do a review on that lens in another blog post for 2 reasons.
the first being, i really have no clue what i am doing and i would actually like to have some photos that i actually like before i compile my thoughts.
and the second, the ups-delivery-guy-by-proxy showed up (just as i returned home) with the50mm f/1.4g lens for my d3.
it was hard to pick what to play with as i usually don’t have any new toys, but the 50 that trumped the diana in the end.

santa came early in australia!

i went and grabbed bottles for the babies and just let them have their milk in the pram while i opened up the box. luckily i happened to place those babies just by a window and strapped into their seats happy with their milk, they were perfect little models for my first shots with the new 50. while i usually do not shoot at maximum aperture, i had to see what this lens could do. it was so smooth and quiet, these shots make me very happy.

but then my models went to bed. and while i was very happy that they went to bed, don’t get me wrong. naps are a very good thing, but it left me with a dearth of people to photograph.
so…

i am going to have to figure out if it is my old eyeballs, or if the lens slightly front focuses at maximum aperture. doesn’t really matter as it is just a teeny tiny bit and with a razor fine area of focus, it is most probably user error (ie: my old eyeballs.)

i heard that the lens had a bad reputation for slow focus. after a week of shooting with my tamron 90mm macro (which i love, but is DAMN slow), this seemed quite speedy.

i like the feel of the lens. it sure looks like there is a lot more going on there on the front of my camera now compared to the old (OLD!) 50mm f/1.8.

i am thrilled with the purchase and am excited to put it to good use for the next 15 years.

yes she does. i have seen her do it.