Life on a Thistle, Part I.

Camera App: QuickPix with permanent flashlight switched on


Additional Apps used:
Iris PhotoSuite - for cropping a square 1:1 part from the original rectangular photo and resampling it to 2048x2048px.
Photo fx - for creating a pencil layer, pencil effect #5, both sliders to 100%.
Blender - to blend the pencil layer with the original photo. This was done to enhance outlining and contrast. Setting: Multiply, slider to 100%.
Blender - a second time to blend the first result again with the original photo. Setting: Normal mode, 50%. That way the flashlight effect was greatly reduced.
FilterStorm3 - to sharpen the photo a bit more.
DynamicLight - just a little bit to enhance the background.
PS Express - to reduce noise. Setting: slider to 65%.
Effects - for the nice frame. I found it a bit too large, so I used...
PS Express - to add a second black frame.
A+Signature - to add my copyright watermark.


Reading an article at www.lifeinlofi.com about the latest version of FilterStorm, I saw an ad on that page for a camera app called "QuickPix" that made me curious because I always wanted to have a camera app that loads and shoots quickly. Testing it I must say that QuickPix fully keeps its promises. It loads very fast and it shoots burts for as long as you keep the button pressed, 2 photos per second, which is quite fast for the iPhone. Also very positive is the flashlight that can be quickly switched on permanently. That feature came in handy the sun was going down and I discovered a thistle flower in the wild meadow behind my house. I had always been fascinated by thistles as they are such beautiful plants, a micro cosmos of its own with insects living on it. I discovered little black bugs and ladybirds eating greenflys. Shooting some photos I was amazed about the sharpness and the details pictured by the iPhone4's camera. The original photo looked already very good. I only processed it further to enhance it even more. This is the first one about life on a thistle, with some more to come.