Spring in the Park. Nikon D200. 105mm Micro Nikkor. ISO 800. 1/1500 sec at f/5.6. April 2013. Copyright Joanne Mason 2013.
Spring in Connecticut is in full bloom. I love the pastel colors of spring. This image is from a late afternoon stroll in the park on a lovely spring day. (Click for larger.)
Posted in Landscape, Nature, Photography, Uncategorized
Tagged 105 f/2.8 micro nikkor, Bruce Park, flowering trees, lake, Landscape, outdoors, Photography, Spring
Extraordinary Vision describes itself as the first fully interactive outdoor photography magazine on the iPad. It’s also free (the app will make you subscribe after your first issue but the subscription is free). Extraordinary Vision focuses on photographic vision. There is a how-to element, but the magazine does not do reviews of gear or highly technical explanation. For the most part, it is “diversely talented photographers [who] openly share their insights and inspiration into what makes their images so powerful and evocative.” [From the editor's introduction.]
Extraordinary Vision consists mostly of articles written by professional outdoor and nature photographers, including a small “in-house” crew, as well as articles from contributors (which are actively solicited). The articles are well-written and the photography is fantastic.
True to it’s self-description, Extraordinary Vision is very interactive. Many articles include accompanying videos. A feature I especially like is that each article includes, besides the mandatory facebook and twitter links, links to the author’s website, to books and workshops the author has done, and in some cases a direct 
email to the author. The website links are handled by an in-app browser.
Many authors seem to have published books, e-books, and iPad apps, and Extraordinary Vision promotes those and includes links. Other than that, there is no advertising. This magazine is truly a labor of love, and it comes across, as the attention to detail, to high quality content and appearance, is evident.
Some of the interesting articles in the first three issues of the magazine have included an article on lighting (specifically looking at ten distinct kinds of 
lighting and how to shoot for each), and article on composing pictures around water, an article on how to build a photography business, a wonderful article on shooting with long exposures.
You can’t beat the price – Free. Extraordinary Vision is a terrific almost one-of-a-kind addition to the range of photography magazine for the iPad.
San Francisco Peaks, Arizona. Copyright Joanne Mason
The San Francisco Peaks are the remnants of ancient (and not so ancient) volcanoes near Flagstaff Arizona and south of the Grand Canyon. They are very picturesque, especially in winter. I have posted numerous images from this region before. Recently, I’ve been working with an app on the iPad, Snapseed. I post this here as an example.
Snapseed was developed by Nik, about which I’ve spoken of very highly before (Nik here). Nik was recently bought by Google. There are now iPad, Windows, and Mac versions of Snapseed. The iPad version is free. Snapseed is an extremely efficient, slick, easy to use, and powerful photo-editing program. The iPad version makes some compromises. But the iPad provides an efficient and easy to use tool for photographers, especially in the field. So I have been playing around with it.
Here is the original image of the San Francisco Peaks.
(Click on the images for larger views.) This image was shot with the Fuji X100 and saved as a raw image. The image was then transferred to the iPad with the iPad camera connection kit and subsequently opened in Snapseed. The iPad retains the raw format and makes possible viewing of the raw image in the camera roll. Snapseed then does the raw conversion to a jpg. (Snapseed will only convert raw files if the images have been transferred with the camera connection kit.)
For the image above, and roughly in order: The image was straightened a few degrees with the Alignment tool, then cropped. Then converted to black and white. In the black and white conversion, several profiles can be applied; a “Contrast” profile was applied. In the black and white tool, brightness and contrast can be adjusted independently, and both were boosted. A red color filter was applied. Finally, a substantial degree of sharpening was done using the Details tool. The image was then exported back to the iPad film roll as a jpg.
Posted in Landscape, Photography, Reviews, Scenic, Uncategorized
Tagged Arizona, Black and White Photography, Fuji X100, iPad, iPad apps, mountains, photo editing, San Francisco peaks, Snapseed, software
I’m back! After an extended hiatus, I’m ready to start posting again on Random Sights and Diversions. Since last posting I’ve relocated from California to the east coast, although the move is only temporary. I’m looking forward again to posting photography, reviews, and commentary. I’m grateful for all my readers. I hope you enjoy, and leave a comment!
Posted in Uncategorized
Random Sights and Diversions is on an extended hiatus. We’ll return soon. Joanne
Posted in Uncategorized
I have not mentioned my book, Landscapes of the American Southwest, recently. So herewith a shameless bit of self-promotion! Landscapes of the American Southwest features some of my best images of California, Arizona, and New Mexico. The book is available in softcover, hardcover, and apple ibook format from Blurb. Here’s a preview…
Posted in Landscape, Photo News, Photography, Uncategorized
Tagged Arizona, book, California, Landscapes of the American Southwest, New Mexico, Photography
My photography is now available through Fine Art America at my website joanne-mason.artistwebsites.com. Drop by and let me know what you think! (Joanne Mason Photography is still active. I think the Fine Art America site is more attractive and easier to navigate. If you’re interested, check out Fine Art America. There’s a lot of fine art and photography by other artists as well!)
Posted in Uncategorized
