MangoTree Photography Blog

iPhone pano images, and tips

I have been on a iPhone photo kick the last few months, and since posting images or emailing them to friends, I have gotten quite a few questions regarding the images.  Many people ask if the images I send them are really from the iPhone, because they look like they were shot with a more fully featured digital camera.  Since the comments have been a plenty, I thought I should give a little tutorial on capturing images with the iPhone.  

Tip #1

The iPhone camera is not a DSLR.  So don't try to make the camera do something it can't.  There is no flash on the phone so remember that you are working with a slow shutter, and available light.

Tip #2

The camera captures images when you release the photo button, not when you push the photo button!

Tip #3

Hold the camera steady until the shutter has released and the photo has been taken... By following just the first 3 tips, your images should be quite a bit better.

Tip #4

Buy 2 apps.  Camera Bag ($4.99), and Pano($4.99).  Both these apps will let you make very creative images from your phone.

Below is the results of tips 1-4, using the app Pano.  I hope you enjoy the images and this inspires you to take some really cool images with your phone.

Upcountry, Maui.  Shot with Pano, using 4 frames

 

Winters, CA  Shot with Pano, using 3 frames.

 

Lake Berryessa, CA Shot with Pano, using 3 frames.

 

Lake Tahoe, CA Shot with Pano, using 5 frames

 

Waking up to the City.

I feel like I fell off the blogosphere in the last few months.  I literally have been traveling and shooting since early December starting with Mike Colon’s Hawaii Intensive.  Then it was off to Asia for some photo work, and rounding out 2008 by  meeting up with my wife in Thailand for a mini vacation.  Last week I made it back to Maui, and directly jumped into a big 5 day event for a private client, and topped the week off with a Annual Report shoot for a commercial client.  

Waking up after my flight to California, this is what I woke up to!  I am here in San Francisco, where I will be shooting some portrait sessions for some wedding clients.  Then off to Lake Tahoe for another round of shoots.  Finally ending up in Sunny LA, for the last of the client portraits, before my final stop in Las Vegas for the annual WPPI show where it's off to network with photographers, hang with industry folk, and learn a few tricks from some of the best in the business along the way.

Thanks for hanging in there, and Aloha from the sunshine state.

Mike

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone.  I hope you are spending some quality time with family and friends.  As for me, I am spending my New Year in Thailand with my wife.  Have been here a few days and it's wonderful.  We have been cruising around town in Tukk Tukk's, and the country side via motorcycle. 

I will be out of the office for a few weeks, but will be back in action come late January with some fun lifestyle shoots, and some late winter weddings.

Again, wishing all of you a very safe and Happy Holiday Season. 

A special thanks to all our amazing clients, friends and business partners who helped make 2008 our best year to date.  Many Mahalos, and best of luck in 2009.

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou- Happy New Year

Mike

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our wonderful clients, business partners, and friends.  Thank you all for such a amazing year!  I hope you find yourselves in the company of great family and friends this holiday season.

The MangoTree Photography Team.

Xterra World Championships 2008, Makena, Maui

Here are some images from Yesterdays Xterra World Championships In Makena, Maui. I really enjoy shooting the event because of there are so many emotions from the competitors who take on the grueling Maui course.  

Thanks go out Trey, and his amazing staff, who put on this spectacle of an event.  Until next year!

A Hui Hou,

Mike

The Faces of the Xterra

I really like this shot.  The numbers on the athletes legs represents the age division of each competitor. Regardless of age, the course is the same!

 

Olivier Marceau, climbing to the highest sections of the course.

 

Julie Dibens, on her way to a victory in the mountain bike course.

This photo really show how hard the race is.  Even the Pro's have their struggles.

Ruben Ruzafa of Spain crossing the line in 1st place, and a $25,000 check in his pocket!

Photography at the Summit Workshop, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

What a week!  The summit workshop was definitely a great place to become inspired.  I loved the time in the field shooting athletes and lifestyle images until my memory cards were full.  If you get the chance to join next years workshop, I highly recommend it.

Here are some of my favorites from the week.

A special thanks to all the instructors, staff, models,and new friends!

Out of the Office...

It's that time again... Off to the Mainland for some Workshops, Networking, Travel and photographic inspiration!  This year we are off to L.A, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Wyoming!

We are gone from the studio between September 1st - October 2nd.  During this time "Email" is the best way to reach us, and we will respond to emails on Mondays and Thursdays each week.

In the event you have a  "Very Important Matter" please call 808-264-1726, and we will respond when we have an extra minute or two!

Please keep in touch, as I will be posting images from Pictage Partner Con, The Photography at the Summit Workshop, in Wyoming and are travels to the mainland.  

Thanks again for being patient with us during are travels.  We love meeting new photographers, attending great workshops, and just plain travel around the country side.   Every time we return to the islands, we are fully inspired and ready to give you an even better experience with your photography needs.

Aloha

MangoTree Photography

The phone Review

So after the last week and half with the phone, here is my take on this little device.

The look, feel, and style of the phone is amazing.  It fits your hand very comfortably, and the large screen is gorgeous.  Over the years, Apple has made many products that follow the mantra, form follows function, and the new phone fits very comfortably into that mantra.

The new phone is quite a noticeably faster on the new 3g network, but, the only downside to this is the increase in battery consumption.  This little phone sucks up the juice!  In all the years I have used cellular phones, I have yet to charge a device more that this black beauty.  When I contacted ATT about this issue, they told me, it's the price to pay for having high speed applications like web, and maps!  The one advice I can give is buy the car charger, it will be your savior when half way through your workday the phone is at 10% battery life.

Applications on the phone work brilliantly, and really what makes this phone a must have.  The phone, Ipod, Web, are all very easy to use and deliver great results.  The developers program has allowed 3rd party developers to create some very useful apps to help with things you might use often like Restaurants, movies, language translators, currency exchange...  Tada lists help keep all my to do's in order and works great on the iphone.  I did find the app store almost overwhelming.  I will shop through over the next few weeks and see if there are any must have apps.

As a business tool, the phone is a necessity.  For a photographer it is always important to show a client or prospective client your work ASAP.  As much as you can talk with someone and tell them your a photographer there is nothing that compares to viewing the work for themselves, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.  

Importing my images into iphoto and then setting up slideshows for different clients is so simple, it is almost to easy.  The phone's glossy display does the photos justice, and sets up a beautiful slide show in just seconds for clients to view. 

  

The phone also serves another purpose for our business.  It has the ability to handle all our orders, and bookings no matter where we are, whether it be a Destination wedding in Mexico, or personal travel in Asia, the new phone paired with Mobile Me, allows our business to use Push email, calenders, and contacts anywhere anytime.  Simply put, I can sync all my computers, and devices instantly over the web.  this is slick, and I can't recommend this enough for business people on the go.

Overall the new phone has made vast improvements on a device that was already industry leading. Apple does this so well, takes their best products and makes them better.  Now if we could only have signature templates and longer battery life... Maybe next year!

iPhone and Business

A few days with this already and it is an amazing business tool. I will post my thoughts soon. Have a great weekend.

 

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July to everyone.  I hope you are all planning to have a fun day of Americana.  The traditional BBQ, Parades, and Fireworks.  

Here in Hawaii, we do things a little different.  We celebrate both the 3rd of July, and the 4th of July.  

At Aloha Tower in Honolulu last night, there was live music by Jake Shimabukuro, dinner aboard the Star of Hawaii, and a Pre 4th of July fireworks show.  The fireworks show last night was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time!  Looking forward to another fun filled day.  Hope you have fun with your long 4th of July Weekend.  

Aloha 

Mike

I found this photo on flikr.  Fire Works in Hawaii.  I thought it showed a neat contrast between the Palms Trees and the Fire Works.  Get creative tonight when it's time for the show to begin.