A rare Weekend

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It’s a rare weekend for me.  I’m almost caught up on work (except for marketing) and our beach rental house in Mission Beach is open.  So after a long day Friday I loaded up food, tools for the never ending maintenance and Zoey and headed to the beach.  Friday was still a work day for Pez so she arrived in the early evening.  We had a great evening drinking wine, walking with Zoey and catching up on reading.

Sometimes you just need a break.  The weather is beautiful, the beach still somewhat quiet and I’m ready to just enjoy it all.  I have two shoots next week and I’m not going to think about them till Monday.  I hope you all have a good weekend.

And now the ad:  Need a good place to getaway.  Check out the Shores 2 where we’re staying this weekend:  http://www.vrbo.com/124652

Techy stuff:  Images from an iPhone 5.  Images downloaded from iPhoto and edited in Lightroom.  My real work stuff is at:  www.zwink.com

Apple seeks patent to eliminate lousy photos

A patent application filed today by Apple could see smartphones capture a series of images of the same scene and then automatically pick the “best” one.

(Credit: CNET)

Snapping bad pictures with your iPhone could become a problem of the past if a new Apple patent ever sees the light of day.

Published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent application dubbed “Image Capturing Device Having Continuous Image Capture” envisions a process in which your smartphone camera captures and processes a sequence of quick images of the same shot.

That by itself may not sound too innovative. But taking it a step further, your smartphone would then automatically pick the best image of the bunch based on exposure times and other factors.

The idea behind the patent is to work around a frustrating flaw of many smartphone cameras — shutter lag. There’s a delay between the time you press the button to take the photo and the time the photo is actually taken. Such a lag can result in blurry or poorly composed photos, especially if you’re trying to shoot a fast-moving object.

Human errors, such as a shaky hand on the camera, can also lead to bad photos.

The process described in Apple’s patent would allow you to keep your finger on the camera button to quickly snap a series of shots in succession until you release your finger. Those images are stored in a buffer. The technology would then review the buffered images, choosing the best one based on a variety of factors. You’d then have an opportunity to review that choice to see if you agree with it.

As the patent explains it:

The method can automatically select one of the buffered images based on one or more parameters. For example, the selection may be based on an exposure time of one of the buffered images and optionally an image quality parameter (e.g., image contrast). Alternatively, the selection may be based only on the image quality parameter. The sequence of images can be captured just prior to or concurrently with receiving the user request. The method can include automatically displaying the selected image on the display of the image capturing device.

So my big question is:  Do you want the camera to decide your best photo?  Will this affect or eliminate your “arty” work?  Next will be a patent to tell you when to take the photo.

Originally posted at Apple then CNET

Take the Road less Traveled

I was coming home from a two day job in Santa Maria the other day by myself.  It’s a 300 mile drive.  One thing you quickly notice is not only how tired you get but also how beautiful and different the area is than southern California.  My original intent was to drive straight through.  Counting LA traffic nearly a 6 hour drive.

Then something wonderful happened.  I remember seeing an old steel structured bridge spanning a valley along the coast near Gaviotas.  So, I decided to become an explorer and see what surprised awaited.  A short drive down a narrow winding road opened up and I found myself at the Gaviotos State Beach parking lot and the structure I had seen the other day.  An added treat was that right between the iron and steel beams was a pathway to an empty beach.

After shooting for a half hour and enjoying my new found subject I remembered I still had a long trek home.  I reluctantly left but content with my discovery, refreshed to continue the drive and the desire to look for new places to explore.

techy stuff:  Iphone5, capture in Hipstamatic app and processed in Snapseed.