2019 The Year of Comfort: Week 5

If you’ve read a few of these 2019 posts you’ve probably noticed each title begins with the same “2019 The Year of” then changes to a short descriptive phrase from the past week.  In the past I’ve tried to keep yearly project titles more consistent but my objective with this new year of photos and weekly recaps is to explore how many times my point of view changes in a year.  I may start a January project with the intention to focus on one motivation but it inevitable slips and adjusts as life happens and months change.  This time around I decided trust and record my first instinct as I began typing each new post.  Some titles may seem a bit odd but it’s been a good exercise to acknowledge what I actually thought of the past week instead of simply noting what I’d planned for it.

The comfort aspect to this week’s photos reflects my last week of quiet rest at home.  I was feeling better but still needed to conserve my energy so you see a focus on soft colors and comfort surroundings.  I went out for short walks and enjoyed some pretty winter sunsets, icy blue water, pretty flowers, boats all in a row and a wintry shot of Finn comfortable in his fleece bed.

Editing choices this week are all from Hipstamatic.  If you like the lens/filter/flash combinations above I usually try to list them in each Instagram post but you can also ask me a question in the comments and I’ll be happy to share the details.

As with past year-long photo challenges I don’t plan to post here every day, I’ll save that for my Instagram and Twitter accounts, but you faithful blog readers will get one weekly recap every Sunday.

 

Lisa8 Comments

Waiting…

“The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them.”
― Stanley Coren

Labor Day has come and gone, our summer weather is turning to fall and after a long stretch of quiet days Ryan is back to school enjoying his junior year.  Dogs always notice when a routine changes and Wednesday morning two months of Ryan’s undivided attention came to an end. Finn watched with worried eyes as he packed a lunch, picked up his backpack and walked outside for the traditional first day of school picture.

Finn spent the day waiting, curled up by Ryan’s computer chair ready to jump up and welcome him home.  New routine firmly in place until next summer.

Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Waiting.

 

 

 

Lisa11 Comments

Shades of Blue: Part 2

Continuing my thoughts from last weeks post about Hipstamatic and Shades of Blue I have a new series of small photos from my walks around town.  This was a surprising spring morning filled with fog that could have passed for fall if you looked past the brave new blooms.  The air was damp and cold but since I was out I thought I’d make the best of it and see what I could see.

My day started with the early morning walk to the bus stop next to this warning sign for motorcycles.  Later I detoured to the beach on my way to the gym and our day ended wine tasting with friends.

All photos shot with my iPhone 7+ using Hipstamatic and the Elijah/Love 81 combination.

Lisa8 Comments

Shades of Blue: Part 1

If you’ve been with me for a while you might know I take all my photos with my iPhone and if you are a details person you’ve noticed I typically tag each photo or post with the editing app used in case a reader wants to try something new with their own work.  I’ve got more apps than I want to count and each has at least one unique feature that inspired me to download but when it comes time to edit images and post my results I skip over all of them and open one of these favorite three every single time.

In no particular order my favorites are Snapseed, VSCO & Hipstamatic.  Sometimes Oggl substitutes for Hipstamatic if I want to process a straight out of the camera shot into something with a Hipstamatic filter but really I like the immediacy of shooting and finishing all in one.

Snapseed is a great easy-to-learn app that quickly offers subtle balance corrections, straightening, cropping and some fun filter effects if you want a more dramatic change.

VSCO also offers corrective features, a large library of soft and pretty filters that mimic film photography and has a vibrant online community full of like-minded photographers.

While Snapseed and VSCO are my apps for subtle changes Hipstamatic is where I go to explore small moments in time.  When I’m overwhelmed and tired of the chaos that comes with a busy life I like how the square format directs my focus to just one or perhaps two things.  It’s a photographic chance to slow down and take a breath while tuning out distractions.  I know some people find the editing heavy-handed but I like it for just that reason because when I use Hipstamatic I’m not trying to capture a realistic image of the moment, instead I’m exploring how each little square is a work of art hidden in the day.  The lens/film/flash combinations add a painterly quality that transforms something easy to overlook into something that makes me think.

All of this is a long-winded way of introducing my next series of posts.  For months I’ve wanted to post more regularly but I was out of new pictures to share and as a result out of anything interesting to say.  Now I’ve got a series of Hipstamatic images ready to go and I thought I should give you a little behind-the-scenes insight into why they were shot this way.  Over the next week or so I’ll have several posts full of images from my daily escapes outside but instead of big, beautiful PNW vistas these are small in scale and more personal. Now you’ll see the one element in a big space that drew me in instead of a panoramic shot with something for everyone.  I have those too and will share them another day but this week will be all about Hipstamatic and shades of blue.

All photos shot with my iPhone 7+ using Hipstamatic and the Elijah/Love 81 combination.

 

Lisa14 Comments

Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Editing and Processing (Polariod Past and Present)

iPhone Thursday 9-3

Some weeks really make me work to find an interesting subject for Sally’s mobile photo challenge but the process is also part of the appeal and when it pushes me to wring the last bit of inspiration from my surroundings I count it as a win. This week I thought I had a fun photo ready to share but news of my Grandma Emma’s death Wednesday morning brought a change in plans.  I didn’t feel like posting the happy photo of a kite flying on Whidbey Island but at the same time I didn’t want the week to end without trying something new.

Many of you have read at least one of my posts about Grandma Emma and her 96th and 97th Virtual Birthday cards are the second and third most viewed posts here at Northwest Frame of Mind.  Grandma loved receiving your birthday wishes from around the world and after the first one she even posed for a photo next to the post to share long-distance how much she enjoyed seeing herself on the computer.  Some of my favorite family memories are of posing for photos with Grandma, listening to her outrageous comments designed to make us smile and playing with her Polaroid camera.

The photo I’d planned to post today was taken during our August “staycation” and processed with a new favorite app, Polamatic by Polaroid.  Instead of walking away from my original idea I decided to keep the theme intact but trade the photo for two 1975 Polaroids of my brother and I with Grandma followed by an edit in Polaroid’s new digital version to tie the past and the present together.

Lisa21 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Symbol (Summer Smiles)

Share your smile with the world. It’s a symbol of friendship and peace.

Christie Brinkley

This morning I’m remembering our 2014 Lopez Island adventure and dreaming about planning a return trip. One year ago today we hiked to the top of Iceberg Point and Ryan’s smile shone brightly from morning to night.

Sharing friendship and peace this post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Symbol.

Lisa18 Comments

A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up June With Hipstamatic (week 2)

Sometimes these weekly recaps highlight random, un-linked moments from my days and sometimes an unexpected theme emerges.  Flowers, flowers and more flowers filled the second week of June.

We filled our empty deck planters Sunday afternoon and before they were finished I snapped a photo of a few of the bright colors waiting their turn for a new home.  Monday’s image is a picture of a 1920 picture taken in Bellevue, WA from the intersection of Main Street and Bellevue Way.  If you’ve been to Bellevue lately you’ll know this is now prime retail real estate now but I really like the view of the way it was 95 years ago.  Tuesday is a moment from my morning walk and some new flowers blooming along the side of the road.

Wednesday is one more shot of the light pink peonies.  I like the yellow filter treatment and wonder if I can find a variety that actually blooms this color.  Thursday was my birthday and this lovely bouquet was waiting on the table along with my morning coffee. 🙂 Friday’s photo is of my new Olloclip that should provide lots of fun photos this summer.  The clip system includes 4 lenses that add variety to the iPhone native camera with options for wide angle, fish eye and two levels of macro shots.  Saturday I couldn’t wait to try the fisheye lens and combined it with my Hipstamatic selection to show a garden path in our backyard.

Each photo was taken with my iPhone 6 using Hipstamatic’s “shake to randomize” function then posted without any additional editing. If you like a particular combination and want to try it at home just click on the image to see the lens and filter used.  For variety I continue to add new lenses and filters so if you want to try Hipstamatic but are unsure how to start let me know and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

I’ll be packing and traveling the rest of this week and won’t post new material until next week but will do my best to respond to comments and questions as I can.  I’m looking forward to returning soon with plenty of new material and some interesting random shots of where I’ve been!

Lisa14 Comments

Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Macro in Pink

iPhone Saturday 6-13-15

One last peony photo for the year as part of Sally’s Mobile Photography Challenge:  Macro. Shot with my iPhone 6 native camera and edited in Snapseed.

Lisa45 Comments

A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 5)

It’s hard to believe June starts tomorrow but the photos above are proof that our unseasonably warm spring is leading right into an early summer.  Next week will bring some rain back into the Seattle area but until then we’re enjoying these sunny last days of May.

Hipstamatic’s random processing of Sunday’s image distorts the fresh green shades of our Hemlock tree but I always like the few weeks each spring when the bright green tips of new growth shine across the ends of each branch.   Monday’s photo is the marquee on our Edmonds Theater with a list of current and coming attractions. We saw Tomorrowland on Memorial Day and plan to go back soon when Mad Max comes to town.  I remember seeing the first movie at a drive in theater when I was far too young for an R rated feature but my mom bundled all of us kids in the car for an evening out so I’ve got to continue the tradition and buy a ticket for Ryan and his first R movie. 🙂  Since we’re talking about movies did you know the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is the largest and most highly attended film festival in the country?  Each year over 155,000 tickets are sold and Trainspotting, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Poltergeist, Braveheart, The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi, and Donnie Darko are just a few of the films that have held their world or American premiers during the festival.  In case you missed it there’s a large banner advertising the 2015 festival on the left side of Tuesday’s photo.

Wednesday revisits the red rhododendrons I shared two weeks ago and Thursday is an early morning shot of our sprinkler in action.  Friday evening was a perfect 70 degrees on our deck and Saturday is a row of P.O. boxes in our downtown post office.  Edmonds’ first post office opened on this block in 1884 and even though the buildings have changed many times the post office has maintained its presence on the corner of 2nd and Main Street.

Each photo was taken with my iPhone 6 using Hipstamatic’s “shake to randomize” function then posted without any additional editing. If you like a particular combination and want to try it at home just click on the image to see the lens and filter used.  For variety I continue to add new lenses and filters so if you want to try Hipstamatic but are unsure how to start let me know and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

 

Lisa10 Comments