Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the "staff" here at scottcollinsiphoneography.com!

Happy Halloween!

Pumkins

Pumpkins this month, pumpkin pie next month.  I love the fall season!

Pumkins

Mud Magnets

If there is ANY mud in sight, large or small spots, this little four year-old girl goes out of her way to find it and step in it.  And not just when she is wearing boots.  She will do it any where, any time.  Grandkids are great!

Mud Magnets

Calm before the storm

Hurricane Sandy is headed for landfall on the East Coast.  Everyone has been warned, preparations are being made and prayers are being said.  This is a big one.  Having witnessed first hand the destruction from Hurricane Katrina and participated in the clean-up efforts, my prayers are included for those in Sandy's path.    Batten down the hatches.....

Calm before the storm

Onion breath waiting to happen

This will fix you up and you'll have onion breath for days.

Onion breath waiting to happen

Salad fixings

Ready for some good food.  Find something natural instead of processed.  Nothing processed and packaged here.

Salad fixings

Take Me Home

Can't you just hear them begging?  "Take me Home.  Let's make some pizza tonight."

Take Me Home

Wegmans needed

Wegmans grocery store.  Now that is a grocery store!  I visited my first one last week in Virginia.  Man, we NEED one of these stores in Utah.

Wegmans needed in Utah

Back Yard in Virginia

Fall foilage is past is prime in this Virginia back yard.  However, the view is still stunning and it makes for a great image when converted into a painting "Benson" style using the AutoPainter HD app.

Back Yard in Virginia

Beautiful Autumn Day

I love the fall.  The weather is moderate--well at least on average.  One day can be sunny and beautiful and the next cold, windy and snowy...did I smell snow in the air?  It is coming.... 

Beautiful Autumn Day

The Great Pumpkin Patch

Charlie Brown is getting ready.  Tis the season.  Soon he will spend the night waiting for the arrival of The Great Pumpkin.  By then all these pumpkins will be gone.  Kids come every day to pick one for themselves. They won't last long.

The Great Pumpkin Patch

We have liftoff....

Sometime you must be on your toes to handle what come at you each day.  Then there are times when even being on your toes is not enough--you need that extra stretch that lifts you right off your toes....

We have liftoff...

Scream for Ice Cream

I scream.  You scream.  We all scream for ice cream!  And sherbet too.

Scream for Ice Cream

Harvest Time

Time to clean up the fields and store away the season's harvest.  Pull out the wagons and tie up the corn stalks......

Harvest Time

Recycled Wagon Wheel

Recycling used to be a way of life, even before plastic became all the rage.....

Recycled Wagon Wheel

Alternate Reality

Bored by the mundane, every day reality of life?  Grab you camera and post processing apps and escape!  You imagination is the limit to what you can create.

In only a minute or two and you can spice up your life.  Play with it.  Change your colors and have some fun....  This big barn takes on a new life in its alternate reality....

Alternate Reality

And to think it started out like this... before playing with Cropping, Curves and Saturation in the Filterstorm app.

Lunch Truck is Here

Monday is a great day!  Even lunch at the office is good because on Mondays the lunch truck stops by, parks in the parking lot and serves up some pretty good Japanese fare.  With their wireless credit card processor they take credit cards.  I get a great and convenient lunch and a few more credit card points added to my travel bank.  Yep, today is a great day......

Lunch Truck is Here

Ready or not, here it comes

I wonder if these guys used to spend hours with their Lincoln Logs and Erector Sets when they were young....

Ready or not, here it comes

Hanging in there....

Life is like an ongoing construction project.  Each experience adds to our structure and over time we become a magnificent finished product.  During the construction process however, at times we may be right up to the edge, hanging on tight and our only hope for the next step is to receive help from above....

Hanging in there....

Special Privileges #4

The last in the series and finally, a parking place for my wife.  Since it is upfront I will just have to ride with her.

Parking Privileges #4

Special Privileges #3

With enough time and imagination we could probably come up with a special privileged parking space for about anyone with each having their own spot.  This one is for my brother who is bald by choice.

Special Privileges #3

Special Privileges #2

The second in the series.  Be on the lookout, may be coming to a parking lot close to you soon.  Then again, maybe not....

Special Privileges #2

Special Privileges #1

Some folks get special parking privileges and deservedly so.  Handicapped persons are the most common.  I have also seen spots for pregnant women and occasionally even some reserved for those with small children.   However, recently a lot close to my office set up their own unique special parking spots.  Today is the first in the series -- shopping malls take heed......

Reserved Parking #1

Child safe neighborhood

Now there is a child safe neighborhood!

Child safe neighborhood

Tis the Season

Weather turns cold, nip in the air, first time frost to hit anytime now.  Sure enough it is the end of summer, fall has arrived and Halloween is just around the corner now.  The mountain leaf color show has peaked and is winding down.  A few weeks of corn field mazes, pumpkins sales, scarecrows and cool nights.  I love the fall....

Tis the Season

Reach for the sky little guy!

Kids have the most interesting imaginations.  Sometimes I still see the kid in me.  I should let him out more often.

Reach for the sky little guy!

Stack those cups

We had kids go through the speed stacking cup stage at our house.  The cups, mat and timer are still around to challenge any takers who think they may have fast hands.  I'll tell you what....you have no idea just how fast those hands can get until you watch a talented speed stacker in action.  Just check out the Speed Stacking record videos on you-tube and you will see what I mean.

Stack those cups

911

It's amazing what a little adrenaline can do to your system.  Under pressure some people cannot recall even the most basic information.  All fine motor skills are lost.  The simplest physical and mental tasks become extremely challenging.  It is one of those illogical circumstances that no one believes can actually happen.  Until you have been there you may not believe it either.

Help!  What's the number for 911?

Looking down the barrel

A writer's instrument.  However, just to be clear--pens don't damage people's reputation, harm society or even write good and uplifting prose.  People do!  Hmmmm, seems like that reasoning applies to many things in life, not just pens.  It is not the instrument that does good or bad things, it is the person using the instrument...

Looking down the barrel...

Berry Happy!

Life is good when surrounded by some of your favorite things.  What helps you be happy?  Try finding something that works for you today and enjoy!  Life is too short to not find and enjoy some happiness each day....

Berry Happy!

Water Bottle

I'll tell you what....inspiration lies hidden just about anywhere.  This image has been sitting at my side for days going unnoticed all the while.  Then one day I am driving home from work, commuting on the freeway, traffic is stopped.  I look down and notice the sunshine illuminating the water bottle that has been sitting in the cup holder by my side..

A quick draw of my iPhone from its holster, a few shots and traffic starts up again.  It's over just that fast--at least the capture.


Later, in a quiet easy chair moment, I open the original image and begin a quick post-processing session.  Filterstorm is opened and the crop to square is complete in a flash.  Then I head over to the Curves filter in Filterstorm, turn the background dark and paint in the darkness to isolate the bottle--it takes two separate curves adjustments to completely eliminate the entire background by darkening it and then painting out the offending pieces.  A slight touch of saturation and sharpening wraps up the Filterstorm work.  About 2 minutes has past.

Then I open PhotoStudio and find my favorite frame to add to the image.  That's it.  All done.  A traffic jam happenstance moment for capture and a few minutes of post processing.

Water Bottle

Here is the pre-processed image as captured by the iPhone during the traffic jam.