Bert Gildart: Writer and Photographer

©Bert Gildart: Janie has been convalescing, meaning she sleeps lots in the afternoon.  At such times I’ve occupied myself riding one of the bikes I brought with me from home in Montana.

iPhone Camera photos made in relatively good lighting.  Limitations included
loss of detail in image one (when I enlarged slightly); inability to brighten shadow area on face of statue; and the difficulty
with the several second delay that occurs following the clicking of the shutter,  as
in image three.  Luck positioned the two riders rather than the realization that I had created acceptable composition.

 

All above images from Burke Gilman Trail

Seattle has lots of great bike routes but the most famous is the Burke Gilman trail, which follows a historic railroad route near the Lake Washington Ship Canal.  From here it proceeds north along Lake Washington to the Sammamish River. Along the way it passes the Hiram Chittenden Locks, Fremont Canal Park, Gas Works Park, University of Washington, Magnuson Park, Log Boom Park in Kenmore, Wayne Golf Course in Bothell and Blyth Park in Bothell.  In other words, the trail, which is about 60 miles long, provides riders with many splendid views.

Above, then, are three images taken with the camera in my iPhone, and I was amazed at its capabilities.  There are, however, limitations with what you can do.  Image sizes are relatively small, fill flash is weak, instantaneous composition impossible, ISO is pretty much standard, and post processing in PhotoShop is virtually nil.

Nikon D-800E Camera Photos from Pike Place Market (previous posting), all taken in horrible lighting
but created using high ISO, much post-camera processing to include “Noise Reduction.” Here I was able to improve detail in shadows, reduce contrast, and preserve detail, not important for Internet photos (which is forgiving) but important for print publication (not forgiving).  Compare with above and I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.

But if your photography is confined to bright, sunny conditions, and if you can anticipate the timing of your subject, then you can probably get by with the camera in your cell phone; and as I poke around on Facebook I see that some have become quite proficient with the use of this small camera.

I intend to study iPhone Camera techniques because the difference weight wise can be as much as ten pounds.  Put in other words, if any intend to ride all of the Burke Gilman Trail, here’s where you might want to opt for the camera in your cell phone.

UPDATE:  AFTER ONE FULL MONTH IN SEATTLE, AND FOLLOWING SOME SERIOUS SURGERY, WE ARE HEADING HOME TO A FUTURE THAT SEEMS AS CERTAIN AS ANYONE’S FUTURE CAN SEEM.  WE ARE GRATEFUL TO DOCTORS AND TO THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE AT THE COLLEGIAN HOSPITALITY HOUSE, WHO HAVE MADE US AT HOME DURING ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULTY TIMES OF OUR LIVES! THANKS AGAIN TO ALL. AND NOW WE’RE OUT THE DOOR FOR A SEVERAL DAY DRIVE FROM SEATTLE TO OUR HOME IN BIGFORK!

 

THIS TIME LAST YEAR:

*Sexton Glacier, One of Glacier’s Last

 

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 30th, 2013 at 7:31 am and is filed under Photography, RV Travel, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.