Garden Study

 As usual when the cacti are in bloom there is a race to take photos when the blooms are in shade and before they close up shop. This one nearly didn't happen. I was finished photographing so I barely aimed the iPhone and was blown away hours later when I discovered that the flower was perfectly positioned against a stone. Hipstamatic > Pic Grunger.

Photographed against the Agave is about all I know about this image.

Grapes on the vine growing up the post of the Pergola. Again, I don't know how many apps I used. Sometimes it's more fun to just try a lot of things rather than keep notes. (more photos over on my other blog. )

Apps. Recipe Book

A thirty minute study of the park next to the Library, La Quinta. Within a few yards I was able to capture numerous photos, all done blind due to the sun obscuring the iPhone screen. I was blown away by this one as I was only hoping for a decent image of the palm tree. Love the texture! The background was a plus. Apps: Camera+ image. and? I'm clueless as to what I did next.

 The goal for this one was to frame the Gazebo with the palm trees and hope that the fountain in the pond was in the image. Apps: Camera+ image cropped with clarity scene > ArtistaOil >; Oil portrait #4.

 Sculpture against mountains. Apps: Camera+ image > portrait scene.> and then?

Apps: Camera+ image > cropped > clarity scene.

More Apps recipes are posted below, on this blog, and on my other blog.

For this month's Apps Recipe Book be sure to check out the links on Dave's blog

Wing of an Angel

Sometimes it's good to sit at the computer and create with PSE. I'm enamored with the iPhone, so much so that I wonder if I'll remember how to take a photo with a digital camera; the brain cells aren't what they used to be.

Dave's April Recipe Apps Book

 April's Recipe App. Book will be posted on Dave's blog on April 25. I thought I'd get a jump-start.
Photo of twigs taken with Camera+ on the iPhone. Opened in Photoforge2 > pop! cam > color max cool > texture > paper 10 > frame.

 Every year when this cactus blooms I grab the camera and and try to outdo the images of the year before. I didn't have the iPhone last year; the blooms only last from sunrise to sunset. The photo was taken with Camera+ and cropped before saving it and opening it in Photoforge2. I chose Photoforge2 as the go-to app for April. White balance > Clarify > Fx > Gothic > pop! Cam > color max warm.

 Agave shot with Camera+, cropped, saved > Photoforge2 > shadows highlights adjusted > white balance > Gothic > texture, Paper 9 > frame, white.

I used this Pompeii image last month for the App Recipe Book and after using Photo Noir a few times I thought this image might be a good choice for Noir.

There are a few more photos on my other blog.

More Apps

 The bougainvillea blossoms are white, of course. The image was taken with Camera+ on the iPhone and then Gungetastic manipulated using various textures.

The top of a 27 year old Saguaro Cactus that was only one foot tall when I moved here; it obviously didn't like living along the foggy  Monterey Coast. The Saguaro proudly stands at 3 feet tall now. I have no idea how many apps this went through until I ended up with this. It's time to start thinking about removing the Cactus from the pot and putting it into the ground where it will live indefinitely.

April? Already

 My family survived March without any major event to add to the calendar of losses or surgeries. Yay! The sewing machine desk is looking very abandoned.

 This two fabric fragments are sitting on the sewing machine desk; I don't remember pulling them out of a drawer nor placing them on the desk.

View from the bed; I've spent a lot of time looking at that view lately. And yes that is a tall cactus nudging the pergola. Roger bought it three years ago when it was under a foot tall. It's had a baby that is already two feet tall. Grape vine on the upper right corner.

 Nearly didn't get the camera turned on fast enough to capture one image of this beautiful visitor to the hummingbird feeder.

Another iPhone image using mostly the Grungestastic app.

Thank you to the people who commented last month either on this blog or by email. I don't think I responded to everyone.