Monday, November 9, 2015
The Whole Story by Elaine Bastajian
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| © Elaine Bastajian |
I've had an iPhone a little over a year but had been a Hipstamatic Holdout until a couple of weeks ago. I was experimenting with Hipsta the other day while on my way downtown on the Max, Portland's light rail system, when I noticed this interesting character walking down the street. I thought he would make a great subject for a Hipstamatic image so I took his picture through the window of the train as he strode by.
Although I admire the genre of street photography, I am timid about taking pictures of strangers. But the need to pass the time when I'm riding public transportation has emboldened me to overcome my timidity and snap a photo or two of my fellow passengers. Of course, it was easier for me to take this picture since the subject was outside the train!
It was a quick shot and it didn't turn out very well, but I figured that with the help of a few apps I might be able to make it more interesting. A few weeks ago Geri held a drawing here on the Art of Mob for a promo code for ToonCamera and I was one of the winners! It seemed like it would be a good app to use to stylize this photo and camouflage the fact that the subject was out of focus.
Workflow:
iPhone 5s, iPad Mini Retina
Hipstamatic: Kaimal Mark ll, Blanko
Snapseed: Crop (remove Hipsta frame); Straighten horizontal lines
Perspective Correct: Straighten vertical lines
ToonCamera: Fountain Pen; Third variation of less squiggly line style
Background (original photo) - Brightness 50%, Contrast -20%, Saturation -60%, Temperature 10%
Foreground (ToonCamera edit) - Multiply Blend Mode, Opacity 100%, Brightness 40%, Contrast 100%, Saturation 0%, Temperature 10%
Snapseed: Frame 10
The Photographer
In 2008, I finally purchased my first digital point and shoot camera to photograph my jewelry for my Etsy shop. I was instantly hooked on the immediate gratification of digital photography and it wasn't long before the photography took over. Ironically, I ended up buying a DSLR a couple years later and had to learn the concepts I had been scared of when I was younger.
At that time I also started learning more about Photoshop which I had been wanting to do since I worked as an entry level graphic production artist in the early 90s. That led to starting a blog about photography and Photoshop a few years ago.
A little over a year ago my car was totaled in an accident but I didn't receive enough from the settlement to buy a car. I knew I'd be taking public transportation, so I bought a long coveted iPhone. I quickly dove in to learning about iPhone Photography and I rarely use my Nikon these days!
Now I'm as obsessed with editing with photo apps as I am (was?!) with Photoshop! I spend way too much time on Instagram and am in awe of the amazingly talented folks I've "met" there!
I have two Instagram accounts, Pink Tree Studio and Smiling at Strangers. Pink Tree Studio, also the name of my blog and my Flickr account, reflects my pretty and flowery style. Smiling at Strangers is my "experimental" style, where I push myself out of my comfort zone. The photo featured here definitely fits into that category!
Find Elaine: Instagram 1 / Instagram 2
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