Clearer Reflections

Private

2012-03-17T11:01:00.000-04:00

Private. David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 76/365.

Recipe:

I started with a 35mm film neg., scanned it, and imported this image into my iPad.

Opened this in FX Photo Studio where I applied these filters: "Tilt Shift" + "Hot Yellow" + Sanibel".

Deciding that the image needed a bit more grunge...and not overly fond of FX's grunge filters....I saved and moved on....

Reopened the image in PicGrunger and used their "Aged" + "Studio" + "Original" settings along with "border on".

A simple recipe this time....it is the weekend after all!

MAR RAM

2012-03-16T05:00:00.000-04:00

MAR RAM. David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 75/365. (Hipstamatic + FX Photo Studio)

A little March madness of my own....or....taking something very simple and making it...I'll let you decide!

Recipe:

Find a concrete wall showing cracks with real attitude. Gray or white walls will work best for this recipe.

Now...open Hipstamatic and "dial in" the Matty ALN lens and Blackys B&W film. Leave the flash off.

Take a bunch of shots...you're after the cracks with the most personality!

Pick one...save to your camera roll and open this in FX Photo Studio.

Okay...pay close attention...there are a bunch of steps ahead!

1. B&W Grained

2. Noir Blue

3. Sepia

4. Symmetry Vertical

5. Pencil Paint 2

Apply each filter in the same order as above...adjusting each to taste.

Before saving, do one last adjustment for contrast and hue/saturation.

Save...and enjoy!

Beauty

2012-03-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

Beauty. David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 74/365.

Recipe:

Start with an old black and white negative....preferably 35mm....

Scan this and import the image into your "iDevice".

Open in FX Photo Studio.

Do a little cropping if necessary.

Start with the "Sepia Glow" filter and adjust the saturation to give it a pop.

Add the "Old Photo" filter, adjusting for brightness and contrast.

Save and enjoy!

Bang

2012-03-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

Bang. David Hayes, 2012.

i365 project, 73/365.

I ran into this quote several weeks ago and ever since have been working on a photo illustration. I "saw" a gun...a revolver and a typewriter. I tried a couple of different approaches, but it wasn't until I realized it needed a "Frank Miller" treatment...then it all came together. Bang!

Recipe:

Okay...roll up your sleeves, put on a clean apron. This on is a bit involved!

Use the Streetmate app to take pics of a revolver, etc. You want a nice juicy black and white image!

Do a little cropping in the app of your choice, save, and then open in FX Photo Studio.

In this app, apply the "X-Ray" filter followed by the "Old TV" filter. Save. (This will be your right corner.)

Put together a scene with a typewriter and the same revolver. Use whatever camera app you wish. Save.

Open this image in Snapseed. (This will be your left corner.)

In this app, apply the "Vintage Film" filter (Style 8, Texture 1). Follow this with a bit of "Lens Blur" to set the mood and finish with a bit of "Drama" (Dark 2 @80%) Save.

Now....open the Strip Designer app and pick the appropriate template. Position the images to taste. Open the text box and "set" the quote.

Save and enjoy!

Reminder!

2012-03-14T04:30:00.000-04:00

Dave's App Recipe Book Project, March 2012 edition. March 21st! Check this out at: here!! Hope you'll join in the fun!!

Chucky?

2012-03-13T09:51:00.001-04:00

Chucky? Is That You? David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 72/365.

A little quirky...but just had to post this one! The original pic came from the same photo shoot as "Bulldog...in the same junk yard. One never knows what you'll find.... (I was using my Nikon D90 at the time and imported the file into my iPad. )

Recipe:

Start with an image...something with a little quirk (or at least the possibility of this...)

Open the image in the NIR Color app and apply the "Orange Turquoise" filter. Adjust the details, color, grain, and contrast to taste. Just remember...a little goes a long way!

Do a little more cropping and adjustments to finish it off....in this case I used the newest version of iPhoto.

Enjoy!!

Bulldog

2012-03-12T05:00:00.000-04:00

Bulldog. David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 71/365.

Back to my edgy side for a bit....

This is all Photoforge....other than the fact I shot the original pic with my Nikon D90 versus my iPhone camera and imported the file into my iPad.

Did a little cropping...then "Posterize". Followed by turning on the PopCam function....using "Paper #8 and "Frame #10". One mean dog, wouldn't you say!?

1930

2012-03-11T05:00:00.000-04:00

1930. David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 70/365.

Recipe:

I don't know about you all, but when I stumble upon a recipe I like....I tend to want to use it over and over. In any case, this is the last of this series...for awhile.

Set up an arrangement of silk flowers and iphoneograph it against a neutral background.

To create your first layer, open the image in Color Splash and bring back just the color of the flowers. Save.

Open up Iris, and load the starter image. Apply the "Vintage: 1930" filter. Adjust to taste. This is layer 2.

Blend Layer 1 and Layer 2 using the "Darken" setting. Again, adjust to taste.

Now, to finish it off nicely, open the "Text" function and add an appropriate line or two.

Save and publish.

Corked

2012-03-10T05:00:00.000-05:00

Corked, David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 69/365

Recipe:

First....drink lots of wine with real corks...and throw these into a glass vase.

When vase is full, take a pic using the 6x6 app. Save.

Reopen and create your first layer using Color Splash to bring out the subtle colors of the corks.

Now...again reopening the original image in Iris, create your second layer by adding the "Infrared" filter. Adjust to your tastes.

Blend Layer 1 and Layer 2 using "Multiply" ...no mask needed this time.

To top off...use Iris's "Text" function and add an appropriate line or two!

Enjoy. (Maybe open another bottle of wine and add the cork to the vase...)

Spring

2012-03-09T01:00:00.000-05:00

Spring. David Hayes, 2012.

i365 project, 68/365.

Recipe:

Set up a still life and iphoneograph it using the 6x6 app to get a nice "square" image.

Save, then open the image in ColorSplash. Use the brushes to bring back the color in just the flower. This will be Layer 1. Save this image.

Reopen the 6x6 image in Grungetastic HD; apply the "Beached 2' filter followed by the 'Abstract' filter. This will be Layer 2. Save this image.

Take a short break...maybe have a glass of wine or a cup of tea....

Now...open Iris. Load the ColorSplash layer (#1) and make this your base layer. Load the Grungetastic HD Layer (#2) and blend gently to taste using "Multipy". You will then need to apply a mask to bring out the yellow in the flower.

Take another short break...maybe another glass of wine....then...still using Iris....add an appropriate line or two of text. Position the text and save.

Tattoo

2012-03-08T01:00:00.000-05:00

Tattoo, David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 67/365.

Recipe:

Start with a digital image taken with a Nikon D90 during a junk yard shoot.

Import this into your camera roll using the transfer method of your choice. (I highly recommend the Photo Transfer App.)

Go to a favorite app such as FX Photo Studio and open the image.

Apply the "Pencil Paint 2" filter.

Overlay this with a touch of the "Hippie" filter and finish off with the "Bilbao" filter.

Tattoo's never looked so good!

City

2012-03-07T01:00:00.000-05:00

City. David Hayes, 2012.

i365 project, 66/365

Recipe

Start with a digital scan of a big, fat Holga 120 black and white negative.

Bring this image into FX Photo Studio and layer on a bit of "Solarize" then some "Marine", a touch of "Dirty Pic2" for flavoring, blended all together with "Radial Blur". Save this version.

Let set for a bit...then reopen in RainyDaze HD and top with "Vintage Rain 02".

Plate it and serve!!

Dave's App Recipe Book - March, 2012 edition

2012-03-07T00:45:00.000-05:00

The March, 2012 edition of "Dave's App Recipe Book" happens in two weeks from today...on Wednesday, March 21st! On this day my blog, Clearer Reflections, will host yet another chapter of this collaborative on-line project. Here is your chance to not only show off your latest smart phone photography but to also share your favorite "recipes" on how you created your image....and to find out how others created theirs. There is nothing better than a good old-fashioned swap!!

All you need is to do are two things. First, post your image on your own blog, website, or Flickr site on March 21st. Along with this image, give a step-by-step "recipe" on how you created it. Be as specific as you can as we'll all be taking notes. (I know I will!) Your image can be on any subject you wish and you can use as many apps as you want. You can also post as many images as you want! The only stipulation is that your image(s) must be created entirely "in-camera" or iPad. However...I am going to start allowing images that started their lives outside a smart-phone camera....meaning you can import a digital image created either as a scan of an analog image or from your digital camera into your iDevice and then apply your apps to build your final image. (No "shop-ing" please!)

On March 21st, I will post a list of all participants and their links on Clearer Reflections so that everyone can be sure to find your pics and recipes. Please (and this is important!) email me with a link to your post when it goes up so I can add it to my list on my blog. My email address is: clearerreflections (at) hotmail (dot) com.

I'm looking forward to this month's edition...I hope you join in the fun! If you have any questions, please get in touch with me. And...because the more the merrier, please pass this post on to those who you know who would also be interested!)

P.S.: I will post a reminder next week....but don't put it off!!

C.A.M.

2012-03-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

C.A.M. David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 65/365.

From the inside of the Cincinnati Art Museum....to it's exterior!

I shot this pic using the Streetmate app set at 28mm, extreme sharpness and contrast, true grayscale. This gave me a very "graphic" wide angled image to work with. (This is a great app for street photography by the way...nice gritty shots of life around you type of thing....)

Bringing this image into FX Photo Studio, I applied the "Lindale" cross processing filter, the "Ancient Canvas" filter, and finally...the "Vignette 1" filter. All in all...a great classical, vintage feel to the end result!

Stairs

2012-03-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

Stairs. David Hayes, 2012.

i365 project, 64/365.

This was taken at the Cincinnati Art Museum...one of the stairwells leading up to the second floor galleries.

I shot this using my iPhone4 camera, then I cropped it to square it up...and to strengthen the composition of the photo. Saving....then....I reopened in Camera Bag...applying the "Magazine" filter, "Square" cropping, and "Thin" border. A rather elegant photo if I say so myself!

Blue Nude

2012-03-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

Blue Nude. David Hayes, 2012

i365 project, 63/365.

This started out as a black and white 35mm negative I shot back in the 70's....and while the silver gelatin print I made from it is spectacular....sometimes it's fun to "mine" my old negs. So...I scanned the neg and transferred the digital version to my iPad....

From here....I opened up the FX Photo Studio app...and after my usual "try-outs" settled on the Charcoal sketch filter followed by the Marine filter. While this looked okay, I wasn't convinced that I was done....

Saving, I opened this version in the Camera Bag app. Again...trying out different combos, I decided to use the Instant filter, left the cropping the way it was, and applied the Instant border. I liked how this gave the image a retro-scratched-up Polaroid look....

Oh...I've started apply a "watermarked" copyright line to all my photos using the iWatermark app. While I know this can be "shopped" off...I figure it gives a bit of protection....

Undecided

2012-03-03T01:00:00.000-05:00

Undecided. David Hayes. 2012

i365 project, 62/365. Paper Camera. Going clockwise, starting in the top left..I used these filters: Comic Book, Gotham Noir, Granny's Paper, and Pastel Perfect. Grid created using Diptic.

Pic(ture) of the Week

2012-02-27T11:29:00.000-05:00

Royal Spelling Book. David Hayes. 2012

I thought the past week's images where pretty good all and all...which does make it hard to chose one to be the "Picture of the Week". In the end, I decided on "Royal Spelling Book".

This image started out as a "snap" I took using my iPhone4 camera while at antique show several weeks ago. The show itself was okay...some interesting items but mostly jewelry and what I would consider "Cracker Barrel" decorator items. (And all overpriced.) Lighting within the exhibiting space was rotten so I didn't take many pictures. I grabbed this one on the fly...and as is the case a lot of times....found a gem as I started to "polish".

I did a bit of cropping with PS Express...and a little adjusting for exposure and contrast. I then opened the edited version in Scratchcam....and tried out various different combinations within the app until I settled on what you see. (Since Scratchcam doesn't label/name their various filters, I couldn't begin to tell you what I used!)

I want to thank everyone who left comments on my "The Week As Art" postings last week. It was a thrill to see my series on the Create Mixed Media site...and a bigger one reading all the nice things you all said about my images!!!

The Week As Art - February 25, 2012

2012-02-25T01:00:00.000-05:00

25. David Hayes. 2012

Number 7 and the last in the series I did for Create Mixed Media's "The Week As Art". You can see the entire series here. My thanks again to Create Mixed Media for giving me this opportunity!!!

Okay...now I'm really guessing as to what app I used! I want to say it was Pic Grunger but maybe it was Grungetastic? Any other ideas???

The Week As Art - February 24, 2012

2012-02-24T01:00:00.000-05:00

24. David Hayes. 2012

Here's is the sixth in the series that I did for Create Mixed Media's "The Week As Art". You can see the entire series here.

The app that I used? Hmmm....once again....no notes! I wanna say Infinicam based on the frame....but not sure. What do the rest of you think???

The Week As Art - February 23, 2012

2012-02-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

23. David Hayes, 2012.

Here is today's "number".... part of the series I did for Create Mixed Media's "The Week As Art". You can see the entire series here.

I started with a snap of a curb number...you know...one of those painted addresses on the curb in front of houses....did a little cropping to focus on the number, 23. Then...FX Photo Studio....using the burnt paper filter...and probably the vintage canvas one as well. (I didn't take notes so while I'm sure about the burnt paper filter....just guessing about the vintage canvas.)

The Week As Art - Wednesday, February 22, 2012

2012-02-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

22. David Hayes. 2012

Fourth in the series I did for Create Mixed Media's, The Week As Art. I used the app, Pro Camera, to alter this image of two crossed skeleton key tops.

If you would like to see the entire series, please go here.

The Week As Art - February 21, 2012

2012-02-21T01:00:00.000-05:00

21. David Hayes. 2012

This is the third in the series I did for Create Mix Media's "The Week As Art" feature. I'm guessing from the looks of this pic that I used Artista Haiku to alter the image. I do know that it was taken at my local Lowe's....I did some rearranging of their display of mailbox/sign numbers to stage this shot. And yes...I did put everything back the way it was!!

To see the entire series at once, go to here.

Pic(ture) of the Week

2012-02-20T01:30:00.000-05:00

February Sky. David Hayes. 2012

I am going to give the honors this time to "February Sky". This image turned out to be a real sleeper...I thought it was a nice little image with not much going for it...but it seems to have garnered a lot of attention from viewers on Instagram and Flickr!! And who's to argue with such an audience!!!

I started with a shot I took just at sunset using the Night Cap app. (This is a really great app for catching low light scenes!). I then posted it on Instagram after applying their "Sutro" filter. Later...I opened it in SwankoLab and used the "Grumpelstitskin processing".

My thanks to everyone who submitted to this month's "Dave's App Recipe Book" project. It seems that this project is starting to get some "press" on Twitter and other places...which is exciting! I'm looking forward to March's edition...which will be March 21st. Stay tuned!!!

The Week As Art...Monday, February 20th.

2012-02-20T01:00:00.000-05:00

20. David Hayes. 2012

This is the image for Monday, February 20th....published as part of The Week in Art column on the Creative Mixed Media website.

I took this at my local Lowes store...it's a price tag for....I don't remember. And...I will have to say...I don't even remember what app(s) I used to create this image... (I really should have written this down!!)

You can see the entire week at once by going here.

The Week As Art...Sunday, February 19th.

2012-02-19T12:26:00.000-05:00

19. David Hayes. 2012.

My pics are featured this week in Create Mixed Media's "The Week As Art" posting. I'm so excited!!! So...I thought I'd share them with you, one a day. (Talk about an easy blog posting!)

I will have to admit that I didn't write down which apps I used to create each of my "days"...so I will taking some educated guesses with each of them. I believe I used TypePlay to create the number and then Infinicam to create the slide effect. Pretty sure about this....

If you would like to see the entire week's pics at once, please go to Create Mixed Media. Just scroll down a little and there they are!!!

Have a great Sunday!!!!

Dave's App Recipe Book Project - February, 2012 Edition

2012-02-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the February, 2012 edition of "Dave's App Recipe Book"! This is a collaborative online project designed to allow "smartphone" photographers a place to share their images....and how they created them with everyone.

There are no requirements other than posting an image or images taken with a smartphone camera on one's blog, website, or Flickr site and give the "recipe" on how that image was created. Listed below you will find the links to all those who have decided to participate this month. Make sure to visit all these links...and most importantly....leave comments about what you find. (Comments make us all very happy!!)

To prime the pump....here's my image and recipe for this month's edition!

Hippy Chick. David Hayes. 2012

"Hippy Chick" started off as an iPhone snap taken during the Christmas holiday of "The Eldest" clowning around with a skein of yarn. (I've used this same pic earlier but with different apps.) This time, I opened the image in a newly found app called PhotoTropedelic and played around with the "Detail" and "Colors" setting until I had a version I liked. I think I settled for a "Detail" of 4 and all 22 "Colors" for this. Saving this to my Camera Roll, I then opened the PhotoTropedelic version in Iris. Here I first cropped the image square....and after trying out a couple different filters settled on the "Classic Grunge Filter". Somehow this just fit...

Enough on my image! Here are the links to this month's contributors. Again, do visit each one and leave comments!

1. Jaeartworks

2. Four Corner Designs
3. Often Medieval in Mood
4. ValeriGailDesigns
5. Expression Studio
6. G-photos
7. David Roccato

Once again, my thanks to everyone who contributed this month!!

Pic(tures) of the Week

2012-02-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

The Four Dolls. David Hayes. 2012

I know...they have faces only their mother would love....or in this case, their iphoneographer! I had so much fun using FX Photo Studio to create these images that I couldn't decide which one to pick for the Picture of the Week. So... I present to you "The Four Dolls"! (I used Diptic to create this foursome.)

Here's the "recipes" for each of the Dolls. As I just said, I used FX Photo Studio in all cases, but different filter combinations for each. Starting in the top left hand corner, and going clock wise:

1. Doll One: Color Fantasy (Invert category) + Noir Red (Photo Style category)

2. Doll Two: X-Ray (SFX category) + Burnt Paper (Vintage category)

3. Doll Three: Pencil Paint #2 (Art category) + Hippie (Photo Style category)

4. Doll Four: 3D Effect (SFX category).

One of the things I like about FX Photo Studio is that you can combine any number of filters to come up with your final image. You can also create "presets" of your favorite combinations so it's easy to come back to them again. This is one great app...if you don't already have it, do look into it. It comes as an iPhone version (which will also work on an iPad) and a separate iPad version that costs a bit more than the iPhone version but comes with more editing options, etc. Naturally....I have both! (o:

Finally, just a reminder that my online collaborative project, "Dave's App Recipe Book - February, 2012" edition happens this coming Wednesday, the 15th. I do hope you plan to join in the fun. Check out the details here.

Dave's App Recipe Book - February, 2012 Edition

2012-02-08T01:00:00.000-05:00

The February, 2012 edition of "Dave's App Recipe Book" happens just one week from today...on Wednesday, February 15th! On this day my blog, Clearer Reflections, will host yet another chapter of this collaborative on-line project. Here is your chance to not only show off your latest smart phone photography but to also share your favorite "recipes" on how you created your image....and to find out how others created theirs. There is nothing better than a good old-fashioned swap!!

All you need is to do are two things. First, post your image on your own blog, website, or Flickr site on February 15th. Along with this image, give a step-by-step "recipe" on how you created it. Be as specific as you can as we'll all be taking notes. (I know I will!) Your image can be on any subject you wish and you can use as many apps as you want. You can also post as many images as you want! The only stipulation is that your image(s) must be created entirely "in-camera" or iPad.

On February 15th, I will post a list of all participants and their links on Clearer Reflections so that everyone can be sure to find your pics and recipes. Please (and this is important!) email me with a link to your post when it goes up so I can add it to my list on my blog. My email address is: clearerreflections (at) hotmail (dot) com.

One last thing...I hope you noticed my new "logo" for this project. (I like the distinquished look it gives me...) I thought it also might be fun to also post two versions of the logo...just in case you want to use them on your blog....

Icon

Thumbnail

Pic(ture) of the Week!

2012-02-06T12:09:00.002-05:00

Threshold. David Hayes. 2012

I liked the flower series I posted last week...thought there were some interesting things going on in each version. And I liked that each one allowed me to explore a little more about each of the apps I used to create a particular version. (I was particularly impressed with what one could do with ProHDR!) Yet...I didn't think any of them stood out as much as "Threshold".

"Threshold" started out as a very high contrast picture of a frosted window taken in a downtown building. The light was pouring through "just right"....giving the glass this unearthly glow. It was one of those moments where you quickly grab some shots knowing that you could put them to use later....

I hadn't planned how "Threshold" came out....I just started exploring. Not liking what was happening at first, I decided to go outside the box a bit and try Toon Paint on it. The more I tweaked and adjusted, the more I liked what I saw! After settling on an Edge setting of 80-85%, Gray @ 80-85%, and Black @ 60%...I then did a little "painting" selectively putting some blues into the panes. Then....after saving this version...I reopened in Camera Bag and applied a "Thick" border, "Square" crop, and a "Colorcross" filter to complete the image....which was totally different than what I had first envisioned. (I always like it when this happens!) I still have the original shots to work with on a different day...

Thanks for visiting...have a great week!!

Thought of the Day...

2012-02-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

Grandma. David Hayes. 2012

"If you are photographing in color you show the color of their clothes - if you use black & white you will show the color of their soul." - Anonymous

Pic(ture) of the Week!

2012-01-30T11:41:00.000-05:00

Produce 1. David Hayes. 2012

Produce 2. David Hayes. 2012

Looking over the past week's images, my first inclination was to pick the companion pick to "Produce 1".... which is creatively titled, "Produce 2". I like the bold contrasts created by Posterize in "Produce 2" and that it suggests the brain-on-drugs of a certain rock star named Keith....

"Produce 1" was also at the top of my list, so I went to my Flickr site and checked the stats for the week and found that this image had garnered the most view "hits" of any I posted for the week...in fact the most of any of my images for the past several weeks. So...I guess "Produce 1" was a clear favorite!!

Here's my "recipe" for "Produce 1":

go to your local grocer's and photograph heads of cauliflower. I found these purple and orange specimens on display and just knew I had to use them. And yes, they really are purple and orange! I didn't do any changing of color!!
When I shot these images, I decided to use the camera app, 6x6 'cause it gives a nice chunky square image...and is pretty easy to use on the fly. (I didn't want to being standing there and have the produce manager come up to me....)
Later, I uploaded this image into Ttv Studio Pro and applied that app's "Rolliflex - Grid" filter.
I might have done a little adjustment of contrast and brightness...but I don't think so.

So what do you think? "Produce 1" or "Produce 2"?

Pic(ture) of the Week

2012-01-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

Still Life. David Hayes. 2012

My favorite image from last week has to be "Still Life" which I posted on January 19th. There is just a certain air to this pic that makes it stand out. (Particularly in light of the original photo which wasn't much to speak of!!!)

So...I started with an iPhone snap of a bouquet of flowers sitting on a ledge that separates our "breakfast nook" from the family room. Nothing special to this pic....but I did notice that with the bean pot in the background, there was a nice composition going on....

I opened the original in FX Photo Studio HD and did some basic editing and cropping...nothing fancy. (I don't remember exactly but it looks like I probably played with the exposure, contrast, and saturation a bit.)

Saving and opening this version in ArtistaHaiku, I applied the "Abstract 08" filter...tweeked this a little, then applied the "crinkle paper" background filter. And there it was!

(Just as a side note: there are four apps in the Artista series - Haiku, Oil, Sketch and Vintage. These are available as an iPhone app or an iPad app in "HD" ...which means you'll pay more but it's worth it! I really like Haiku & Vintage...not so fond of Oil...and haven't tried Sketch. Yet!)

Dave's App Recipe Book - January Edition

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Warhol? David Hayes. 2012

Thank you for joining everyone for the January, 2012, edition of "Dave's App Recipe Book"! This is a collaborative on-line project where participants use a smart phone or tablet camera to not only take a photograph but then use an app or apps to edited/alter their image. They have not only posted the finished image on their blog or web site, they have also shared their "recipe" on how they created the image! With the hundreds of different apps available to an iphoneographer, the possible combinations are both mind-boggling..and exciting. It is my hope that we all can share and learn some new "tricks" through this project!

My own contribution to the project is entitled, "Warhol?"...influenced by...well you know! While I typically like to do combinations of apps, sometimes just one is all you need! I shot the can of tomato soup using the Andigraf app...the lens was set at "Andigraf" which gives four images in one...and the film was set at "Warhola Candy Color 35mm film"...what else! And there it was! I didn't do anything else but post it as part of my i365 project.

Now...for the main attraction! Listed below are the links to all of this month's participants. Please take some time to visit each...and to leave comments about their works. And...certainly take notes on their "recipes"!! I plan to!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated this month!! I know it takes time to not only create your image but also to create the post. (Thanks to for sharing!!) There is still time to join in the list...just send me your link and I'll add it ASAP!! (My email is: clearerreflections@hotmail.com). The next edition of the Recipe Book will be Wednesday, February 15th. Everyone is invited!!!)

Pic(ture) of the Week

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

DRF. David Hayes. 2012

As I looked over the pictures I posted this past week, I can't say that any of them really stood out. Don't take me wrong, I like all of them...but I wouldn't say any of them are "standouts". I'm not upset about this...I know that not all 365 pictures I will create during this project will be wonderful. I do know that I am having fun...and that's what's important!

So...since I have a weak spot for Hipstamatic, I chose "DRF" as this week's "Pic(ture) of the Week". It was created simply by first selecting the combination of: Salvador 84 lens, Dream Canvas film, and the Jolly Rambo 2X flash. Then I got up close to my typewriter and....Hipstamatic did the rest!! Couldn't be any simpler than that!!! (And sometimes, simple is best....)

I want to thank everyone who have left comments about my pics either on this blog, on Flickr, on Twitter, or on Tumblr. I do appreciate your feedback!! And....'cause I want to get as many of you involved as I can...."Dave's App Recipe Book"...the January chapter is this Wednesday, the 18th. I hope to see your pic and recipe come this Wednesday!!!

Thought For The Day....

2012-01-14T16:42:00.000-05:00

Negative. David Hayes. 2012

"Life is like photography. You use the negatives to develop."

-Anonymous

(P.S.: I hope you're planning to join in the fun this coming Wednesday and post your recipe for "Dave's App Recipe Cook Book"!)

Pic (ture) of the Week!

2012-01-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

Intersection. David Hayes. 2012

Here it is...my first Pic(true) of the Week. This was chosen from the first week's of posting for my i365 project...this was 3/365. I picked it for the power in it's simplicity. (And because it drew the most hits on my Flickr page AND made it into the CreativeHive gallery!!)

Here's how I created this image:

I shot the original image using the app Streetmate set for 35mm, full extreme settings for sharpness and contrast, and the duotone setting at none/True Grayscale.)
I cleaned this up a bit using FX Photo Studio....cropping it square and played a little more with the contrast and brightness.
Then, still using FX Photo Studio, I went to the Photo Styles effects and applied the "Marine" filter. To finish it off, I used the Photo Border 2 in Frames. (Although it's hard to see this in the pic.)

Quick, clean...done. And a very powerful image to boot!!

A quick reminder....please join everyone and myself next Wednesday, the 18th, for the January chapter of "Dave's App Recipe Book". I know there are lots of tasty recipes out there...come on now....share!!

Dave's App Recipe Book Project!

2012-01-04T17:01:00.000-05:00

Twilight. David Hayes. 2012. (Photo FX)

The new year is off and running!! My i365 project is on its way...I've been able to create and post images for the first three days of this year....and above is a sneak preview of the one I'll post tomorrow. I've been posting each day's image on my Flickr, Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter pages. (You can find links to all of those either in the blog header or along the right sidebar.) I've not posted the daily images to this blog, other than now, as it's my plan to post every Monday what I think was the prior week's best image. (Feel free to weigh in with your own vote each week if you'd like!)

As I stated in my January 1st post, I plan to start doing my App Recipe Book Project every month. First done back in October, 2011, it received enough interest that I'd like to continue hosting the project. Here's how it will work...

On the third Wednesday of every month my blog will host this online collaboration. This month's edition would be January 18, 2012. All you need to do if you would like to participate is first leave me a comment on this post and/or send me an email. (clearer reflections@hotmail.com). Then on January 18th, post an image on your own blog, Flickr, or Tumblr of a pic you created using a "smart phone" camera or iPad and apps. Your pic can be of any subject and you can use any app(s) you wish...the only stipulation is that your image must be done all "in-phone" (or iPad). Thirdly, along with your image, also tell us how you created it. Be specific...give us your "recipe"! Did you use a single app...or did you use several? Give us the step by step recipe so that if we wanted, we could use your "recipe" to create our own image. There are no minimum or maximums to how many apps used or how many images you post on your blog.

Come January 18th, I will post a list of all participating iphoneographers on my blog so that you can be sure to find all the links to all the "recipes". Please note (and this is important!!!): email me the link to your post when it goes up so I know to add you to the list on my blog. Again, my email address is: clearerreflections@hotmail.com.

If you have any questions, please ask! Also, please, please spread the word around to everyone you know who might want to participate...the more the merrier!! I'm looking forward to seeing all the wonderful images you all are creating...and sharing recipes!!!

P.S.: I will post reminders between now and then...

i365 Project

2012-01-01T14:24:00.002-05:00

New Sunrise. David Hayes. 2012 (001/365)

Here's the first. Went out to get the paper....and there was the sunrise...just waiting for me. How could I resist!!

Camera App: iPhone4

Editing App: none

FX App: Snapseed (Drama2 + Frame 3)

I won't be posting all my i365 pics here...just the best one for a particular week. You can catch them all of them on my Flickr, Tumblr, and/or Facebook pages...or look for it on Twitter! (Links to all of these are available in the Header Tabs or in the Sidebar.)

Master Class

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have been a participant in the 5th edition of The Pulse - The State of the Art, a collaborative project by Seth Apter of The Altered Page. The Pulse is a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. There are more that 130 of us participating who have answered a series of questions that make up the Pulse.
This edition is now into its third project, "Master Class". For this project, we were asked: "If you could take a class from one artist from anytime in history, including the present, who would it be and why?" My response to this question is included in today's posting...which is exciting! Along with my response, Seth has added links and pictures of his own chose. Now....I don't remember what I answered so this will be real interesting...besides the link(s) he's added to my response!! To read my response...click here.
Do stop by his blog and check out not only my response but those of the other participants featured today. And...once again, a big thank you to Seth for doing this for all of us!! You are the greatest!!

Shaking It Off....

2011-12-31T15:16:00.000-05:00

Forward...Back. David Hayes. 2011. Hipstamatic (Salvador 84 Lens, DreamCanvas Film.)

I think I've shaken it off. Those Christmas "wallows". Most of our Christmas decorations are down and put away. The tree will come down Monday...the outside decorations tomorrow. Tonight will be spent quietly at home...both daughters will be out for the night partying as they should. My wife and I will enjoy a nice dinner and each other's company...hopefully staying up 'til midnight!! Right now I'm sitting in our family room looking at the Christmas tree and listening to a recording of the Boar's Head Festival. Perfect.

My New Year's Resolutions are pretty simple...focus on my yoga and my art. Yoga is something I "discovered" last year and have found it to be a great source of energy and focus. My art is starting to focus and I feel I'm becoming more "fearless". Combining the two should make for an incredible year!!

I have a list a mile long of art projects I want to dive into next week...but I know I need to take it slowly. I'm going back to my photography roots...resurrecting my darkroom and digging out my plastic cameras. I'm also going to explore Polaroid emulsion transfers....I just picked up a vintage Polaroid Land Camera with some Christmas money so I'm excited about starting this. I have a couple of online workshops that I signed up for dealing with digital art and photo transfers. Of course I have half a dozen paintings/mixed media pieces in various stages of completion sitting in my studio....

I'm also going to plunge deeper into iphoneography...if that's possible for me! I have close to 100 photo/graphic design apps...many that I don't know much about! (If they look interesting, I download them!!) So...beginning tomorrow, I'm going to start a multi-part i365 project. Every day I'm going to take a pic using a different app or combination of apps. I'll also take notes as to what I used and so forth...and then I'll post the pic and notes on my Flickr, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (r-images) pages. (This isn't as overwhelming as it sounds....most apps allow you to post to all these places simultaneously.) The really good pics will show up on my Blogger...probably a weekly thing. And....if this isn't enough....I'm going to create an old-fashion paper and paste notebook....a print of the each pic and handwritten notes. Cool stuff, huh!! ("Forward...Back" is just a taste of what's to come. I shot this at 12:00 noon today.... I like the symbolism it suggests of leaving the old year....entering the new....)

Finally, I'm going to start doing my collaboration blog project, "Dave's App Recipe Book" on a monthly basis. I'm hoping to do this on the third Wednesday of each month, which would make January's on the 18th. More to come on all of this soon!!

It is my hope that everyone has a great New Year's celebration and that 2012 be your best year...ever!!!

Wallowing in Christmas...

2011-12-27T21:52:00.001-05:00

Self Portrait. David Hayes. 2011. Mixed Media. 6x6

Christmas has come...and gone. Just like that. As it always does. There are times when I wish Christmas would take FOREVER to get here like it once did. When I was a kid. Now...it seems to show up soon after Halloween. Don't get me wrong...I enjoy Christmas immensely...so much so that it's hard for me to give it up once it does get here! Like right now... I should be doing other things. Instead I'm sitting in my family room, laptop on my lap (!) just so I can continue to enjoy our Christmas tree!! Listening to new music bought with Christmas iTunes cards. (Yeah...I do buy other things than apps! I did also buy some of those....)

In any case....I think I will continue to wallow in the Christmas spirit sort of thing for a couple of more days...and why not. Christmas only comes once a year!!

Oh...the January/February issue of Cloth.Paper.Scissors magazine arrived in my mailbox this afternoon. And...and....I discovered that my self portrait is featured along with many other great pieces! Always a thrill to have ones work published!!! So...if you get a chance...do check this out!!! (I created this using a bit of Pic Grunger and Word Foto...and old-fashion collaging. Meaning I did some cutting and pasting!!)

Have a great New Year celebration!! I should be out of my wallow by next week....maybe.

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-24T10:41:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas. David Hayes. 2011. (Instagram, WordFoto)

Merry Christmas to one and all!!

Fractured

2011-12-21T15:01:00.000-05:00

Fractured. David Hayes. 2011. Scratchcam

So....a bit bored the other day....I took my iPhone4 out to my backyard in search of....anything. I found these great textures and using the "regular" camera app, snap a bunch for further altering...and here's one of them.

Using the app Scratchcam, I first did a little cropping within the app to make it "square". Flipping first through the "scratches" I found one that I thought enhanced the existing texture. Then...flipping through the borders, I added a film-like border. Finally, I went to colors...and added the yellow filter.

I think if I do this sort of thing again, I'd rotate the image so that the film border ran vertical vs. horizontal. But that's another day!!

And...just in case you're interested, you can also see this image in my Etsy shop!

I have a more Christmas-y posting in mind for Christmas Eve...but just in case I don't have a chance to write it...or you don't come back until afterwards....here's my wish that you and yours have a great holiday and a Happy New Year!!!

New Works....Colors

2011-12-17T16:59:00.001-05:00

Thought I'd put up a quick post showing off my newest mixed media pieces. There are four in this series: Black. Blue. Red. Green. Each is 4x6 inches, created on canvas board panels. Each has common elements: paper, tags, copper wire, and corroded copper panels. I kept them simple, meditative. I hope you like them!

Black. David Hayes. 2011. Mixed Media. 4x6.

Blue. David Hayes. 2011. Mixed Media. 4x6.

Red. David Hayes. 2011. Mixed Media. 4x6.

Green. David Hayes. 2011. Mixed Media. 4x6.

Redo!

2011-12-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

View. Version 1 (9x12, mixed media on stretched canvas)

There seem to always be "rules" on what makes an artwork "good". And it's those "rules" that, if followed too closely, keep us all from starting a new piece. That blank page, blank canvas syndrome. "Like....what if it isn't good enough?!" head trip. And...we all have ways of working through this...some more successful than others! (A glass of wine and the proper music always seems to help me!!!)

In any case, one "rule" that I had to learn was that working with mixed media is that it can always be redone! (Same goes for painting with acrylic...a good coat of gesso and/or white paint cover a multiple of sins!!!) Once I accepted this "rule" as a truth...it's been easier for me to try things out...and to redo a piece if I need to! This is the case with "View".

I showed this on my blog a little while ago with a couple of other pieces and asked for feedback. And...while the other pieces received favorable comments, "View" was met with "damning with faint praise...". All of which I had to a agree with.... Okay...so Version 1 is above. It really does need some help! So....I redid the slide image in the middle, "distressed" the background a bit more...and then added some "splats" that I feel tie the piece together...and help give it more of a "story"....

View - Version 2.

View -Version 2. (close-up)

What do you think? Better? Worse? Still needs work? Maybe something in the lower box? I'm undecided although I do like the changes. (Oh...and looking at these pics, I have to state that the color and focus could be better...sort of rushed here...)

I'm just finishing up four small collages...all part of a series. They're 4x6 inches and utilize some different elements...these I'm liking a lot! I should be able to post images of these next week...so do check back in!!

Please, sir....

2011-12-10T20:22:00.001-05:00

Please, David Hayes, 2011, WordFoto

Earlier this week, my wife and I ventured north for an early Christmas visit with her sister and her husband...who live on Torch Lake, Michigan...which is near Bellaire. The visit had several agendas: one was for the Christmas visit and merriment...the other to continue to check out the area. You see, we plan to move up to Traverse City...which is about 45 minutes to the east of Torch Lake...hopefully the early part of 2013. But this is a separate story....

We arrived at their house late Monday night and had an enjoyable dinner and visit. Tuesday was spent exploring more of Traverse City and that nearby area. Come Wednesday, they took us to visit Petoskey, Michigan which sits on Lake Michigan. It was a cold, snowy, blowy afternoon when we arrived in Petoskey but the town proved to be quite delightful!! Among other things, we discovered a shoe store like no other! Not only did it have all the right styles...but also all the sizes. Unheard of around were I live! And...it was decorated with a wonderful assortment of vintage items...none of which were for sale. We spent sometime in here browsing...I didn't buy any shoes but did buy a hat and some socks...again...another story. But I digress from the main point of this posting...

Our first stop was the Crooked Tree Arts Center. This is a wonderful center that was showcasing the work of many northern Michigan artists as part of their holiday festivities. All of the work was tastefully displayed...and for sale. Now...thinking about my blog...and bringing home ideas for future pieces...I took out my iPhone and started taking snaps of some great assemblage works. It wasn't but a short moment later that I was approached by someone in the Center and asked not to take photos. I instantly apologized and put my iPhone away. (Please understand that there was no notice about photography in the exhibit area.)

I have different thoughts about this policy. While I respect an artist's wishes not to have their work photographed, on the other hand I have no problem with the casual photography I was doing. I wouldn't mind my work photographed in this manner...feeling that a prospective buyer might want to take photos with them for future reference. So...I'm running another poll to check how you all feel about this. Do you approve of a no photo policy? Look to the right of this post...and vote!

We did end up buying two pieces...two tiles by Pat and Chip Denison of Denison Tiles. These are now hanging on our bathroom wall between our sinks. (The pics below were taken from this vantage point!)

Pat and Chip Denison

First Snow

2011-11-30T16:52:00.001-05:00

It snowed last night. Just a dusting. Gone within an hour. No where near what this picture from last winter shows...but...it's coming!!!

Besides, it is the Christmas season....and this does look like a Hallmark card....doesn't it?

Happy Wednesday!!!

Forward

2011-11-28T14:58:00.001-05:00

"Forward" - TypeMpress

Those who know me, know that I can be somewhat cynical when it comes to life...I've seen enough to know that sometimes good guys lose and bad guys win...but they also know that I'm also a firm believer in karma. So maybe it appears that the good guys have lost, but in the long term there will be a positive pay-back. The same with bad guys winning...there will be a negative pay-back. Karma. (I've also been around long enough to have both happen to me...so let me tell you....I do everything I can to avoid bad karma!!)

The long and short of all of this....is....this. I must have accumulated quite a bit of good karma recently as I found out on Saturday that I had been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by blog friend, Amy Duncan (or amyd...) whose blog, Four Corners Design, is something incredible. I am always amazed by the quality of her photography as well as the energy and creativity in her projects. So to have been awarded this recognition by Amy is quite an honor and for which I once again say Thank You!

The Liebster Blog Award, as I understand it, originated in Germany and recognizes up and coming bloggers and is meant to showcase those who have fewer than 200 followers. (Liebster means "favorite" or "dearest" in German.) This is done in the spirit of pay-it-forward. I accepting this award, I agreed to:

Thank the person that gave me the award and link back to their blog.
Copy and paste the award to my blog.
Reveal the 5 blogs I have chosen to award and let them know by commenting on their blog.

So...without further ado, here are the five bloggers whose work and whose blogs always leave me inspired to do more! Please make sure to visit each of these blogs and show your support!!

Questions, questions, questions....

2011-11-23T16:32:00.001-05:00

Blank Canvas, David Hayes, 2011

As of late I've been questioning where to best spend my time as an artist. You see, I run two Etsy shops: Clearer Reflections, where I show my mixed media and painting pieces, and Reflective Images, where I show my photography. Running these two shops takes time each day to keep them current and to do what marketing I can to stand out from the competition. (And there's lots of that!!)

I also have a Blogger blog (this one...), a Tumblr, a Flickr, a Twitter account, a Facebook page...and have just started a WordPress blog and another Tumblr...both of which need more work before I "unveil" them. Naturally all of these sites take a fair amount of maintenance and following. I do these sites not only to market my wares but also to keep up with what's going on in the world and art. (I can get lost for a long time on Tumblr!!)

Now...along with all of the above, I'm constantly doing something in my studio. Currently I have three big canvases started...one will be a figurative study (...an old-fashion over-the-bar nude!) and the other two will be a abstract diptych. Then there's my photography and a dozen or so other projects waiting in the wings. LIFE always takes a big part of the day...and ever since I discovered the "Angry Bird" app for my iPhone...hours can be lost here! (Crazy birds!!!)

So...I guess what I'm getting at is this. Where should I best spend my marketing efforts? However...that's not the question I'd like to pose to you all. Instead I'd like to try my hand at my first POLL and direct your attention to the right sidebar where you should find two questions. The first is "Why do you buy art?" and the second is "Why do other people buy art?" If you could take a moment to click your responses, I'd be most happy!! It is answers to these questions that will help me with my marketing effort thoughts...

Oh...the picture above was created by first taking an overhead shot with my iPhone camera of the blank canvases that I'm using for my diptych. I then used the editing feature in the camera app to reposition and crop it on a diagonal. I then opened the FX Photo Studio App and applied the Noir Blue filter...tweaking the settings a bit to get the color and contrast I wanted. What do you think?

And yes...have a great Thanksgiving and holiday weekend!!!

First Showing

2011-11-18T20:22:00.001-05:00

I usually don't do this...put pictures of my newest canvases out there for public crit. Yet...it's time to do this sort of thing....

I'm not even sure they're "finished"...yet I think they are. I haven't given them titles or even put the final protective coat on them. It's like I want to see if they make it through the night...

If you would...take a look at these...and let me know what you think. Are they "done"...or do they need more? More of what? Less of something else??

Each of these works are 9x12 inches, done on stretch canvas. Mixed media works...but mostly acrylic...

Thanks for taking a look...even more thanks if you take time to crit....

Painting #1, David Hayes, 2011

Painting #2, David Hayes, 2011

Painting #3, David Hayes, 2011

Painting #4, David Hayes, 2011

What My Grandma Missed!

2011-11-13T16:37:00.001-05:00

What My Grandma Missed!, David Hayes, 2011

This post is really about the app I used to create this pic, PicFrame, but first the story behind the pictures...

My grandfather, who has been dead for quite sometime, was quite the outdoorsman...hunting and fishing whenever he got the chance. Fishing mostly. His garage was filled with his gear...boats, tackle, rod, reels, etc. etc. It was his dream to retire to Florida and fish. Unfortunately, soon after he retired, cancer got him. (I suppose the moral here is not to smoke...but also "do it now!") In any case, on the walls of this "man-cave" where hung pinups of all shapes and sizes. Nothing obscene or revealing...at least by today's standards...just like the ones above. However, my grandmother was not too happy about this "art collection"! She wouldn't let her grandsons go out to the garage...although we always found a way...

The story is that soon after my grandfather's passing, while dealing with everything in the garage, my grandmother took down all the pinups. At least that's what I thought. Several months ago, while retrieving her storm windows from the garage, I stuck my head into a small corner storage closet in the back of the garage...and there on the door...where these lovely ladies!! Seeing a "photographic moment" I whipped out my trusty iPhone and took snaps. I left them there...for now. And didn't say a word to my Grandmother. She is 100 years after all...and I don't want her running out to pull these down as well!!

Okay...story over. Now on to the app...

There are any number of ways using Photoshop or Photoshop-like softwares and what are known as "actions" to group images together into frames. Which all work quite well. But this means you have to transfer your iPhone images to your computer to do this. Not what I want to be doing...being the "purist" (lol) and wanting to do everything "in-camera", I started looking for framing apps. I did find the app Diptic which is good, but somewhat limited in formatting options. Just recently, I discovered PicFrame. This app offers a lot more frame options as well as adjustment options for each frame. It also has this neat ability to let you put labels into your frames. It costs a little more than Diptic, but I feel it's worth the price.

So...to create, "What My Grandma Missed!" I picked the three-window frame you see, inserted the pics of the pinups, that I had cropped earlier using PhotoStudio, into each window. I then played around with the corners as well as the size of each window...making the center window just a little bigger. Going to the label function, I created and inserted the two labels you see. Simple as that!

PicFrame allows you to save to your camera roll as well as share to Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, and Twitter.

There you have it. Give this one a look. And, please....don't tell my Grandmother that these ladies are out in her garage!!!

Key. Board.

2011-11-09T16:46:00.000-05:00

Key. Board., David Hayes, 2011

It's been a busy last couple of weeks....can't say I've done anything amazing...just dealing with life. Which has been good. Just busy. So I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I'm working on four mixed-media canvases right now...9x12's. Two of them are "done"...just sitting on the shelf for contemplation before I show them. The other two are in progress...both giving me problems as to where to go next. Although I did solve one issue this afternoon so I might just be on the right track....again.

I've also been exploring and playing around with new apps. Naturally. So I wanted to show you one that I've been having fun with as of late. (There's a second one that I'll save for my next posting and a third that I haven't played with much...so that one will wait.)

The first app is called ScratchCam. While I first discussed this app a bit in my last post, the fact that this app gives some dynamite vintage and grunge filters as well as great textures makes it worth looking into again.

In my pic, "Key. Board.", I took a straight shot of old piano keys, then applied ScratchCam's folded paper texture. Then...I played around with the "scratch" and "grunge" filters until I found a combination I liked. (No...I don't remember which ones...I was in my zone and didn't bother to write this down!!) While this app has great effects, it is somewhat limited in where it lets you share your finished work...but it does let you Twitter and Facebook. (You can also follow them on these two sites.) The really cool thing is that right now...for a limited time (of course)....you can get this app for 50% off! I bought it at full price...and would do so again...but heck, get it at the discount!!!

So check this one out...and look for my next post in which I'll show you an app that helps you showcase your work!!

Dave's Apps Recipe Book - First Edition

2011-10-29T14:43:00.000-04:00

Apps. We all have them. One is never enough. There's always another one to have. Then there's those in-apps "updates". After awhile they all blur together. You find that you have...how many? Too many to really know what to do with them! Which is why I'm starting "Dave's Apps Recipe Book"...to give us all a chance to share our favorite "recipes"...how we used an app or apps to create an image. Welcome to the First Edition of my recipe book!!

Here's the deal....admit to your appoholicism and post on your blog, Flickr site, or Tumblr site a photograph you took with your iPhone/iPad/Android camera....and the app or apps you used to create it. Be specific on how your image came about. What did you do first, second, and so on to create it. Then email the link to me so I can add you to the list. There's no minimums/maximums to the apps used...or even to the subject matter. I'll be adding to the list not only today, but for as long as people send me links! Have any questions...please email those to me as well! (My email address is: clearer reflections (at) hotmail (dot) com.)

Make sure to visit your fellow app-oholics to check out their recipes and to let them know how much you appreciate their sharing. Take notes...I plan to!! Also, please check back here often to see who's joined in the fun!

The links will be numbered so you can keep track of what you have seen.

To start things off, here's my pic...and how I created it!!

First, here's the original snap I took using the "regular" iPhone camera. This was taken at an "antique mall"...the lighting was terrible and I just grabbed the shot to work with later....

And here's the final shot! I kept it simple this time...working only in Scratchcam. I didn't do any cropping, feeling that it really didn't need it. I didn't use their randomizer" function, instead I went for the "Edit" button! I played around with the color layer first....then I added the folded paper layer....and finally a scratch layer. While I played around with the adjustment slide, I decided just to leave the layers the way they came. Not a complicated "recipe"...but I do like the results!! I saved this to my camera roll...and then sent it on its way to Twitter and Facebook!!

Enough of my recipe....without further ado...here is the First Edition of Dave's Apps Recipe Book!

001 Land of Lost Luggage

002 The Altered Page

003 Often Medieval In Mood

004 Barnacle Goose Paperworks

005 Jumbled Hutch

006 My Ephemera

007 Ludid Ryu

008 Pumpkin Delight

009 FourCornersDesign

Cincinnati Flea - American Can Factory Edition

2011-10-27T16:08:00.000-04:00

Trailer Queens, David Hayes, 2011 (Instagram)

This past Saturday, we ventured forth to "Northside" ....a neighborhood of Cincinnati that we normally don't go to...too far removed from where we live. It takes something special to get us to go places outside our norm...and this was it! The Cincinnati Flea was having a special edition at the newly renovated American Can Factory...so we had to go!!

Saturday was a beautiful fall day.....sunny with clear, crisp air....and we arrived just at opening so had no problems with parking. It didn't take long for the venue to fill and soon the whole place was vibrating with positive energy from everyone there. We had a chance to talk with old friends while visiting all the vendor spaces...and I even ran into a former teaching colleague and student!!

We ended up not buying much...just a few trinkets and some "designer cupcakes" for dessert that night. I did take lots of pictures with my iPhone and Nikon...but the ones from my Nikon were all blurring! It looks like I had forgotten to change a setting, so the auto-focus was screwed up!! In any case, here are some pics taken using either the Hipstamatic or Instagram app. Can you tell the difference???

All in all, it was a great way to spend the morning! While I liked Cincinnati Flea's downtown location, I must admit that I enjoyed this venue a great deal...and hope they return here sometime!!

Just a reminder....my online collaborative project, "Dave's Apps Recipe Book" is this coming Sunday, October 30th. I hope you're planning to join in!! For details about this great opportunity to show and tell, click here!

Reminder: Online Collaborative Project

2011-10-25T12:35:00.000-04:00

Attic, David Hayes, 2011

Just a reminder to everyone....

This coming Sunday, October 30th, I'm hosting a online collaborative project on this blog, Clearer Reflections, that focuses on giving iphoneographers/ipadographers a chance to show off their work as well as share their favorite app(s) "recipes"...telling us how they created a pic.

Check out the details at: http://bit.ly/reRV96. Hope to see your work come Sunday!!

If you have questions, please email me at: clearerreflections (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Dave's Apps Recipe Book Project

2011-10-20T11:45:00.000-04:00

"Screenshot" - Infinicam - Autochrome (Q5E-23G8)

One of the reasons I switched to an iPhone this past spring was because of its photo/video apps. Okay...the only reason I switched.... Since getting my iPhone I have accumulated close to 100 of these apps and find myself adding to the list every week. Many of these I use often but I have to admit that most I haven't used since I downloaded them! (I suppose the subtitle of this post could be called, "So many apps, so little time...) Some day soon I will start figuring out what to do with them all...some day soon...

I have been a loyal follower of Seth Apter's blog, The Altered Page, for quite sometime. His blog is known, among many things, for the collaborative projects he hosts. It has been my pleasure to participate in many of these...not only do I get a chance to have my work seen by a host of wonderful artists, I also gain so much from what everyone shares. I have also felt that at some point I needed to "pass it forward" and so in this spirit, I would host my first online collaborative project.

One week and several days from today, on Sunday, October 30th, Clearer Reflections will host the first chapter of "Dave's Apps Recipe Book Project", an online collaboration. Please leave a comment on this post if you would like to participate.

All you need to do are two things. First, post an image on October 30th on your own blog of a pic you created using a iPhone/iPad/Android-based phone camera and apps. Your pic can be of any subject and you can use any app(s) you wish...the only stipulation is that your image must be done all "in-phone". Secondly, along with your image, also tell us how you created it. Be specific...give us your "recipe"! Did you use a single app...or did you use several apps? Give us the step-by-step recipe so that if we like what you did, we could use your "recipe" to create our own image. There are no minimums or maximums to how many apps used...just make sure to tell how and when you used each.

On the 30th, I will post a list of all participating photographers on my blog so that you can be sure to find all the links to all the "recipes". Please (and this is important!) email with a link to your post when it goes up so I know to add you to the list of links on my blog!!! My email address is: clearerreflections (at) hotmail (dot) com.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's favorite recipes...and hopefully this is just the first chapter of this "book". Also, please feel free to let your readers and anyone else you may know who might be interested about this project. The more who participate, the better!!!

Madness II

2011-10-18T22:39:00.001-04:00

Madness II, David Hayes, 2011

Just a quick post...this one was done using Photo Studio HD. While I can show you the original photo, I neglected to save each step I took while editing it in Photo Studio....and will have to admit that I don't remember exactly what I did!! In any case, I thought that I'd share this with you all given how close it is to Halloween!!!

Here's the original image:

A bit of cropping was first applied, then several different filters/effects to get that x-ray feeling...then a frame effect at the end. I'm going to have to go back and see if I can duplicate this...just so I remember for the future. I'll let everyone know what I come up with!!

2011-10-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

This edition is now into its second project, "Technique and Tools". For this project, we were asked: "The one technique or tool that you cannot live without is..." My response to this question is included in today's posting...which is exciting! Along with my response, Seth has added links of his own choosing to "...sometimes to products, sometimes to videos, sometimes to the artist's own work, and sometimes to something unexpected. Even the contributors do not know what I will be linking to!" (Apter). I am real curious what link(s) he's added to my response!! To read my response...click here.

Do stop by his blog and check out not only my response but those of the other participants featured today. And...once again, a big thank you to Seth for doing this for all of us!! You are the greatest!!

Photographers of Etsy Team Blog: Wandering Eye

2011-09-27T00:30:00.000-04:00

Wall, David Hayes, 2011

My photo, "Wall" is included in this collection! I'm very excited by this to say the least!!

Photographers of Etsy Team Blog: Wandering Eye: Well hello, and welcome back! When we last visited, a couple months ago, the Wandering Eye had settled on Black and White images. This tim...

Before...and After....

2011-09-26T15:06:00.000-04:00

I have received (and continue to receive!) so many wonderful comments about the pics I posted for the Stacking project that I thought it might be fun to do a quick post showing the befores...and the afters of each photograph. I'm not going to discuss how I did each...just they where all taken with a Nikon D90 camera (RAW files) and edited using Photoshop CS4 and layers...things like contrast, saturation, black and white, etc. No real "recipe"...mostly by the seat of my pants which is the way I like doing things....

Book 20

Book 20, David Hayes, 2011(Before)

Book 20, David Hayes, 2011 (After)

Book 21

Book 21, David Hayes, 2011 (Before)

Book 21, David Hayes, 2011 (After)

Book 25

Book 25, David Hayes, 2011 (Before)

Book 25, David Hayes, 2011 (After)

I feel that the "before" images have a beauty and power all of their own...just as do the "after" images....each showing the decay and change that this book went through. Looking at each, I also feel that they stand on their own as a statement...different statements and impressions. Which is the power of photography!

I hope you like these....have a great week!!

The Paper Stacks Project

2011-09-21T01:00:00.000-04:00

Seth Apter, 2011

Earlier this month, Seth Apter posted the above image on his Facebook page. A reader suggested that he should set up a collaborative project on his blog, The Altered Page, where those who wanted could share images of their "stacks".

Always one to oblige, Seth has done just that! Today, Wednesday, September 21st he is hosting "The Paper Stacks Project" where 70+ artists are sharing their stacks! As one of those who elected to participate, I went back to some of my "stacks" of images and pulled out these three. I had taken them of a book that I used for one of Seth's earlier projects, "Decomposition". The book had gloriously fallen apart after spending three summer months hanging outside...and as I slowly unbound the book, I took photos of what revealed itself. Then...I stored the book...and these images until a time when I could best use them.

The images were taken using my Nikon D90 camera and I always shoot and save at the "RAW" setting. What you see below is after a bit of Photoshop magic where I cropped, filtered, and layered to achieve the "moment" I was after. I decided to go after a mysterious, subtle feel...a change from the in-the-face grunge images I've been doing as of late.

The Paper Stacks Project

Book 20, David Hayes, 2011

Book 21, David Hayes, 2011

Book 25, David Hayes, 2011

So there they are, my Stacks. While I see room for improvement in all three images, I'm pretty happy with what turned out. I might just put my iPhone camera down more often and pick up my Nikon!!

My thanks to Seth Apter for hosting this wonderful opportunity for all of us to share our works. Seth...you are the greatest!!

A Grand Obsession!

2011-09-16T21:20:00.002-04:00

Self Portrait, taken and "processed" with Camera Genius

Earlier this year I traded my cell phone in for an iPhone4...and this summer I bought an iPad. To say that I have been "obsessed" with the photography and graphic design apps available for both these devices is an understatement! To fully understand my obsession you also have to know that I trained as a photographer back in the 70's...you know with FILM and chemicals and all that! For me to go over to digital much less iphoneography...well....

I thought it would be fun to start posting about the apps that I have found the most exciting...so this is my first post in what I hope will be a continuing series. My postings won't be reviews of apps...there are several great blogs that already do that and I'll share those with you in a moment. Instead, I thought I'd take a photo that I felt came out successfully and show what I did to it step by step. I will make sure that I supply links to all the apps and resources I give so you can check them out in more detail at their source...and if you like them...download them! (I get nothing from this...honest!!)

Before I get started with my first pic, here's some great sources on iphoneography for you to check out:

Create Great iPhone Photos, by Allan Hoffman. This is a great primer on a whole bunch of apps and how to use them.

iPhone Obsessed, by Dan Marcolina. See, I'm not the only one! In this book Marcolina not only reviews a bunch of different apps, you can view videos of him using them by using the qr codes he provides.

You can get both these books at Amazon.

Two blogs that I follow 'cause they give great reviews and notices about when apps go on sale or are offered free are:

Life in LoFi: http://lifeinlofi.com

Appotography: http://appotography.com

Both these blogs are also on Twitter and Facebook.

Okay...now for my pic!!

Original shot

This first shot was taken using the standard iPhone4 camera. It was a quick grab at a farmer's market...I couldn't get close enough to take the pic I wanted but I decided to take it anyway to see what I could do with it later. Actually...this isn't exactly the original shot...I did do a little editing and cleaning up using the app Photo Studio which allows you do some great editing very quickly.

Second Step

After the editing and saving, I opened the pic in the app Color Splash. This is a fun app that automatically converts your image to black and white...and then allows you to "paint" the color back in using a variety of brushes. It's great to work with as it lets you focus in on the details if you want...down almost to pixel level. As you can see, I let everything but the scale remain in black and white...letting the color of the scale make it "pop out" of the pic. After I was done, I saved this image to my Camera Roll. (What's great about doing this is that each step is saved as a separate image so you could go back if needed.)

Third and final step:
"Scale", David Hayes, 2011

To finish, I opened the second image in the app, Pic Grunger. Now talk about a very cool app! This one allows you to apply all sorts of "grunge" filters and textures to your pic to give it that "vintage" look. You can do some adjusting of the intensity of the filters and textures, but not much. You can't layer filters with this app...there are others out there that you can. (I show you those later!) I played around with the filters/textures until I found the combination I liked...and saved it!

There you are! I'm really happy with the way this came out...and you know what? This probably only took me 15-20 minutes to create. Now granted, I've had a little experience using each of these apps, but I didn't spend hours to create this one! And....once I was done and saved the image, I used PicGrunger to post the image on Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter...all at once!! This took another 10 minutes...

I hope you liked this post! I can't wait to show you more of what I'm coming up with in future posts!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

QR Codes....

2011-09-12T08:33:00.000-04:00

QR code - clearerreflections.blogspot.com

QR codes....they seem to be everywhere anymore...tempting me to whip out my iPhone and scan away! So far I've limited my use of these things...figured I don't need the information offered or to give up info about myself to some unknown source. Do use my reader from time to time and have found it to be a quick way to download without having to key in a URL.

Now...being a boy who likes to play with his toys...I was checking out all the features that my QR reader had to offer. (I have QR Reader for iPhone (Premium) by TapMedia Ltd.) Not only does this app quickly read QG codes, it also has a feature called "QR Creator"! This gives you the option to create your own codes from URL's, phone numbers, text, GEO locations, email addresses...and several more that I'm not sure about!! So...I just had to create some codes!!! First...I created a code for this blog...that's the one at the top.

QR Code - etsy.com/shop/clearerreflections

This second one is for my Etsy shop, Clearer Reflections.....

QR Code - etsy.com/shop/reflectiveimages

and...this third one is for my other Etsy shop, Reflective Images.

Okay...so what do I do with them? Haven't quite decided. Probably put them on my business cards. Could work them into my collage/assemblage pieces. Maybe into my photography! (I'll have to try using Hipstamatic on them....this might just be cool!!!)

I'm open to suggestions....in the meantime, point your QR Reader at the screen...it works...I just tried it!!

Have a great Monday...and a wonderful week!!

Oh well...

2011-09-07T15:33:00.000-04:00

A Moment's Thought, David Hayes, 2011

The long awaited finalist list for the Cloth, Paper, Scissors Artisan 2012 competition was published this morning...and I wasn't on it! Nuts!! While I trying to be philosophical about all of this...I'm still feeling a little down in the dumps. There will be next year's competition and I've already decided the pieces I just finished are stronger than the ones I submitted...so it just follows that anything I create from here on has to be even better! Right!!!

In any case, my hearty congratulations to those who did make the list. From those pieces I have seen, I know I was "beat out" by the best! If you'd like to see the finalist list, click here.

Right now, I'm going through my "stashes" to see what I have in the way of emporium...and finding lots of treasures!!! And I have a "Vintage Gentleman" project to start...and...and...and...so I really don't have time to feel sorry for myself, do I!!

New Works

2011-09-01T20:36:00.002-04:00

50,000 feet, David Hayes, 2011(mixed media, 9x12)

I thought I'd like to spotlight a couple of mixed media pieces that I just finished...well actually these have been finished for about a week...but it was only today that I got around to photograph them! Both these pieces will eventually end up in my Etsy shop...I need to live with them a bit before I can sell them...

"50,000 feet" was one that I did for submission to the Cloth, Paper, Scissors Artisan 2012 competition...so some of you might have seen this before. However...I didn't get much in the way of good feedback on this piece and my wife, who is my go-to-critic, told me she thought it was too sick-green! Now that's a killer comment if I've ever heard one!! So...I didn't submitted it, but instead put it aside for awhile. I eventually repainted it with a green that was more to her liking...so here it is!

This is a mixed media piece where I glued down bits and pieces of an old computer to a hardboard panel that was first coated with gesso then painted copper. The square, corroded sections are copper sheets that I applied an "aging" compound...and then I discovered if I put pieces of aluminum pan on them, the aluminum would dissolve and adhere to the copper...really cool! The next pic is a close up of these sections.

Now I will have to admit that my accidental discovery wasn't at all planned....I had put the copper sections into one of those disposable aluminum baking pans and covered the sections with the aging solution. I forgot about them for a day...and when I came back I found that the solution had dried up but not before dissolve the entire bottom of the pan! What was left behind was what you see above. Fortunately this happened on my messy work table...which gained more "character" from all of this!!

Air Mail, David Hayes, 2011(mixed media, 9x12)

"Air Mail" was another piece that I started for the CPS submission, but it wasn't going anywhere fast...so I set it aside until I could figure out what I wanted to do with it. I knew I wanted to work with the photo of the airplane you see in the center left...this was a pic I shot using my iPhone4 at the Dayton Air Force Museum...and used one of my apps to alter it. (And...I forget which one!) The trouble was I didn't know where to go from there! Finally, it all started to fall into place.

The panel it's all build on is another hardboard to which I glued an old printing plate. I "distressed" the plate using various Ranger alcohol inks...then applied the "Battery Location" layer using a gel transfer. (Yes, this was from another photo I took at the museum...). Using a bit of foam core, I glued down some more of the printing plate, distressed it as before then glued a print of the plane to it. The clock is from a photo taken from an old pocket watch that was my grandfather's railroad watch...the stamp is one I had. The frame is 1x2" molding that I cut and painted before gluing it down. And there it was! Here's a close up shot of this piece:

Like, "50,000 feet", this piece will eventually end up in my Etsy shop as well. (With anything I complete, I like to live with them for awhile before finding new homes!)

It's the Labor Day Weekend...funny how summer always goes so quickly! We're in for a couple days of super hot weather, but Monday promises to be delightful! I hope everyone can enjoy this weekend!!

The Pulse of Mixed Media

2011-08-26T16:20:00.001-04:00

Seth Apter, whose fabulous blog The Altered Page I have been following for some time now, has been hard at work on his first book about the mixed media community. While there was some sense as to what might be in the book, by in large he wasn't allowed to say much about it. Those of us who had submitted art pieces and written comments for the Q & A section of the book were also asked to keep what we knew to ourselves.

This past Wednesday, Seth sent everyone an email update on his project. He is now able to give out more info about his book! The title will be The Pulse of Mixed Media and will be released by North Light Books on March 2, 2012. To say the least, he is very excited about how his book is turning out.

I too am very excited as I will be one of the 100 artists "revealed" in his book! While my artwork didn't make the cut, many of my written responses to the Q & A section did!!! I don't know which ones will be included...guess I'll just to wait until the book comes out!!

My congrats to Seth for a job well done...and as he does his final editing my thoughts are with him! (Being a former language arts teacher I know how hard editing can be!!!)

A Day in Milford, OH!

2011-08-25T21:28:00.000-04:00

Main St., Milford!

The weather was absolutely beautiful this past Tuesday...perfect for a day of treasure hunting in Milford, OH! This is a small village near where I live that is chock full of antique and other "treasure" stores...always something great to be found!

Lunch at the 20 Brix

We (my wife, my youngest daughter, and myself) started our adventure by having lunch at the 20 Brix. This is a great restaurant/wine bar...and when we were there, we had the place to ourselves! (At least inside...the tables outside were full....)

Bins and bins of beads at Alley Beads!

Lunch finished, we headed over to Alley Beads, a fun little bead shop on Main St. I was looking for trinkets for a mixed-media project while my companions were just looking! I did find a few things but not what I was really looking for...but that's part of the adventure!!

Treasures!

Next up...was over to what I guess is like an antique mall! It does have a name...but I just don't remember what it is! The above pics are what I found...but didn't buy! (Unfortunately, they wanted "retail prices" for this!!)

But...I did buy this great cabinet for only $10!! With a little work...this will become my next "Cabinet of Curiosities"!

At the shop next to this mall...Gayle's Vintage Clothing...my wife and daughter spent a lot of time going through all the clothes and such while I went through the stacks and stacks of "stuff"! This is the type of shop where you have to climb over things to get at something...and you're encouraged to do so! I left so much behind...but I did pick up a couple of these V-Mail Christmas greetings and a small set of old rubber stamps. (Nothing special about these...just fun!)

A fun day indeed...I do love treasure hunts!!

"Hot" a Wired Terrier...He's Made the Big Time!!!

2011-08-19T16:48:00.000-04:00

I went out to pick up the mail this afternoon...found the Sept/Oct. issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors in amongst the bills and stuff....flipped through it on the way back to my house...and there it was!! "Hot" had made it into the magazine!!! How exciting!!!!!

Here's the cover.....

"Hot" is the good looking red-hotdog in the background! I don't like the looks he's giving Seth's piece...I hope he doesn't decide it's a play toy!!!

My wife and I were on our way out to run some errands when I picked up the mail. So after we were done, we stopped by the local creamy-whip and celebrated with large waffle cones!!! Life is good!!!

What I've Been Up To!

2011-08-18T21:28:00.000-04:00

50,000 Feet, David Hayes, 2011

Let's see....what have I been up to! Well over the past couple of weeks....

1. Had out of town visitors...

2. Celebrated my 58th birthday....

3. Had both of our daughters at home...at the same time....talk about dramas 24/7! (The oldest has gone back to her new "home" and the other has left for a long week-end with friends...so it's quiet again...)

4. Bought an iPad...talk about way too much fun!! (And of course I've been picking up new apps for it left and right! Now I need to take some time to learn how to use these!!)

5. Had coffee and lunch with old friends...nice to catch up!!

6. Had lengthy discussions with my wife about life after our children finally do leave home! Looks like we might just go ahead and move to Michigan!

7. And....and....I've been busy trying to finish up my submission pieces for Cloth, Paper, Scissors's Artisan 2012 competition. I was a finalist in last year's competition in the Book Arts category...and this year I'm going to try to win the Collage/Assemblage category!!!

I have completed four pieces, which I want to share now...and a fifth is rounding third and heading for home...so I'll share that one when it is done. Now...I can only submit three pieces so there are decisions to be made! If you care to give me your feedback on which of these four I should pick...please do so!

First up there's "50,000 Feet" that's pictured above. This assemblage is created on gessoed board that I then painted, fastened old computer parts, corroded pieces of copper (that was fun doing!!)...and then "distressed" with green paint. It measures 9x12 inches.

Untitled, David Hayes, 2011

Next...."Untitled" which is a mixed-media collage using such things has papyrus, molding paste, papers and the like. Not quite sure what it's message is...you decide. It measures 8x8 inches.

Memories, David Hayes, 2011

"Memories" started with the image of the woman in the top left corner. I made her by using a packing tape transfer from a magazine picture...then I had put it aside 'cause I wasn't sure how to use her. After a trip to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio...where I shot the image of the bomber tail that's in the right hand corner...the ideas started coming. This is created on board that I first put down molding paste then painted parchment. I then glued the woman down...the bomber tail image...which is a product of Hipstamatic...is a gel transfer to an aluminum plate...that I then glued down. The images of the building and post card where added to tie everything together. This piece also measures 9x12 inches.

Be Careful What You Fish For, David Hayes, 2011

"Be Careful What You Fish For" is my favorite...it definitely will be submitted! This is the newest in my Dada doll line...and I had a blast created this!! I first created the wire structure...then, using Fimo I created the creature at the top...which turned out to be two sided! I just love when my creations take on a life of their own. The mermaid was altered to change her skin tones a bit...and to give her nipples back! (Who has ever heard of a mermaid without them!!!) The base was created from a tube that I distressed and painted...and then added the gears and clock. The entire pieces sits about 14 inches tall and is about 5 inches in diameter.

Here's more views:

So there you have it...that's what I've been up to lately.....

Reflections Upon A Pending Birthday....

2011-08-10T21:39:00.000-04:00

Sorry...Miss Piggy, David Hayes, 2011

In two days time I will be 58 years old. It's hard to believe...why I was just a three year old running around the backyard naked just yesterday. (Try that now and I wouldn't be spending my birthday at home!) I'm not sure how I feel about this birthday. It's not my 50th nor is it my 60th. My grandmother will turn 100 this September...that makes me feel younger...and older...

While I was teaching, my birthday always made me sad...not because I was a year older...and my new students would still be 9 or 10...but my birthday always seem to fall a week before the start of a new school year. So I'd try to be of cheer that day...knowing that the next day I needed to start opening my classroom for the new year. Not this year!! I'm retired! In fact I might just have another beer Friday night to honor that thought...

Every summer I go through the usual annual checkups. Just went through this last week. Nothing terribly wrong...just a year older...but my doctor wants me to cut way back on my carbs & sugars...and lose some weight. So much for the metabolism I used to have! And we noticed that my eye sight is getting "older" as well. I'm sure this will be confirmed when I go see my optometrist at the end of this month. I've been wearing glasses for years and each year...a little more goes...

I renewed my driver's license on Monday...quick and painless except the picture taking. I looked at my new picture and wondered who that old guy was. The young lady behind the counter kept calling me "sir"...no flirt in it. Maybe she was just having a bad day...

My daughters are young adults now, both wanting the comfort and security of home....but not my advice. I suppose I was the same way when I was their age...it's a good thing they're this way....but still...

I was at the local mall on Tuesday picking up an early birthday present to myself...an iPad! A boy with a new toy...that's me!!! As I was walking down the mall after picking this up at the Apple store, I noticed a very attractive young woman look at me and then break into a big smile. At first I thought she was giving that smile to someone behind me...but then she made her way over to me and greeted me with a big hello! It turns out she was a former student of mine from when I first started teaching. She is now a econ/polysci major doing a summer internship with UBS. We stood there and chatted for a long time...and as we parted she gave me a quick hug...telling me how pleased she was to see me again! Now...for someone who was in my sixth grade class room some 10 years or so ago to feel that way about a former teacher...let me tell you I floated out of the mall!!

Yes...life is good! I have just started really enjoying my retirement, no longer feeling guilty about spending so much time "becoming an artist" and now just do "Art". My health is good and my wife and I are busily planning new adventures. So...I'm actually looking forward to my birthday...

A final note....a bit about the photograph. This is all done with and in my iPhone. I took the base shot at a local flea market using Instagram...then used an app called Half Tone to crop, filter, and add the text blocks to finish it up. Who said you couldn't have fun making art!!

Buried Treasure

2011-07-30T15:45:00.001-04:00

Seth Apter's blog, The Altered Page, is once again featuring a collaborative project that "invites art bloggers to go into the depths of their blogs and dig for buried treasure....this gives us all an opportunity to see highlights from posts we may have missed from so many of our favorite bloggers!"

As part of project I am reposting this post from last December where I reflected on my father's death. While this posting isn't about my work...it is about what influences my work...and that is my life....

It snowed once again this past Wednesday night...five to seven inches when it was all done depending on where you lived. A pretty snow if you didn't have to go out into it...which I didn't and for which I was thankful. Just being able to watch it come down, glistening in the Christmas lights was very peaceful.

My youngest brother had called earlier in the week to tell me that our father had come down with pneumonia. Dad had a major stroke over Thanksgiving week-end so this latest news wasn't very good but at that point we were hopeful. My brother called again early Wednesday evening to let me know that Dad wasn't responding to treatment and that the doctors only gave him a day or two more to live. Later that night, early Thursday morning, he called again to tell that Dad had died quietly in his sleep.

All of my brothers but one...I have five...and I got together on Saturday for the annual Hayes Christmas gathering. The missing brother was to come down from Chicago on Sunday. While there was much sadness in the house, we also knew that my father would want us to enjoy being together so we all made the most of it that afternoon. Dad's services were held this past Monday morning. A short visitation followed by an even shorter graveside service...all in keeping in Dad's wishes. Afterwards we all gathered at the local Perkins for lunch and more remembering.

After my mother died several years ago, the spark seemed to leave him and his health went downhill in a hurry. We all came to realize that he wasn't going to do anything to help himself...so when he had his stroke in November, I think we all knew it wouldn't be long. My father lived a good life and taught his six sons well. He will be much missed.

My thanks to Seth for offering this opportunity to us all. Please visit The Altered Page - Buried Treasure to see all the great repostings that are happening even now!!

Is it already July 28th?

2011-07-28T21:21:00.001-04:00

Michigan, David Hayes, 2011
(Hipstamatic...then Instagram!)

So...what happened?

I got back the first week of this month from my "summer vacation" in Michigan....and here it is...July 28th!! How can that be??

This is almost as bad as when I was teaching and I'd watch each day of my summer break disappear...but at least I knew where each of those days had "gone"....

Okay...so what have I've been doing....

Counting the consecutive days of 90+ heat and humidity...twelve or thirteen by now...

A couple of doctor's appointments...nothing serious...just the annual checkups....

Bought a Nook...Barnes & Noble's ereader...which meant I had to download books for it...they make that part way too easy...now I have 5 or 6 to read...but when?

Reflective, David Hayes, 2011
Submission to CPS - Self Portrait challenge

Working my butt off in my studio trying to get several submissions ready....a reader's challenge for Cloth, Paper, Scissors (that one is done...)... my assemblage/collage submissions for Cloth, Paper, Scissors's Artisan of 2012 competition (these are taking a lot of work...but I'm enjoying doing them! I'll post pics on these soon!!!)....and a small piece for a Stampington & Company reader's competition (almost done with this one...and I'll post a pic of it as well!)

I've also been trying to keep my Etsy shops up-to-date...and keep track of all the cool art going on there...

Downloading lots of camera apps to my iPhone4...and learning how to use them....to say that I've become compulsive about this would be an understatement!

However...I have also shot a bunch of black & white film using my Nikon 35mm camera, my Holga 120 camera, and a new/vintage camera...a Kodak Duaflex II 620 camera (....can't wait to see how these negs turn out!) Now...to find time to process all this film! Perhaps tomorrow....

What else... I was a featured artist in Seth Apter's blog, The Altered Page. That was pretty exciting!!

Oh...I've also turned this month into the month to join more "social networks"! I'm now on Tumblr, Twitter, and today...Instamatic!! Of course setting up and "feeding" these sites is taking a lot of time!!! Wonderful things going on in all of these...like who has time to sleep!!! Unfortunately I haven't given much time to my Blogger blog...which will change as of tonight!!

In any case...I would love to have you "follow" me on Tumblr...Twitter...Instagram! Here's the links:

Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/reflectiveimages
Twitter @d_twf
Instagram: @rimages

And of course...I would "follow" you as well!!!

Now it's time to go read some blogs!!! Have a great Friday...and a greater week-end!!!

Whence It All Came by rubybliss

2011-07-19T11:28:00.000-04:00

A quick shout out to rubybliss for including my photo, "Egg" in her latest treasury! This unique collection is well worth checking out! Do so at:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjQ0ODUwMXw0NjI2MzAzNTc/whence-it-all-came

The Pulse

2011-07-17T10:52:00.000-04:00

Seth Apter produces a fantastic blog, The Altered Page. In his blog, Seth not only focuses on his art, but the art of many others. I have found this to be a great place to find out what's going on in the world of art and the artists in that world.

A regular part of his blog are editions of The Pulse -- The State of the Art which is a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. It is now in it's fifth edition, The Pulse is a collaborative project that introduces the reader to both new artists and those already established. Reading these editions gives insight into the creative processes and minds of these very talented people. In this current edition, more than 130 artists answered a series of prompts presented to them my Seth. Their responses, which have been running for several weeks now, are posted every Sunday.

The first installment of this edition is entitled the Style File which examines how each of these 130 artists view their technique. I am very excited that today, I am one of those artists to be featured in this edition! Click here to read today's installment which not includes my collage and statement but those of other incredible artists!!

My thanks to Seth for his continuing support and encouragement. This means so much to me...as well as to the all the other artists he has spotlighted over the years!!

Greetings from Ireland!!

2011-07-13T15:37:00.000-04:00

No...I'm not in Ireland...although I wouldn't mind if I was! Actually it's my youngest daughter, Melissa, who is there with her Ohio University group taking a film writing course. She's there for a least three more weeks...having left the end of June.

When she asked me what I wanted her to bring back from Ireland, I told her all I wanted was a picture of her having a pint of Guinness at a "real" Irish pub. Now...you have to understand that Melissa, who is of legal drinking age, doesn't...drink...anything alcoholic...much less beer! But...one doesn't go to Ireland and NOT have a pint of Guinness....just wouldn't be right! So...I told her she had to go to a pub, with her friends, and at least have one ladies pint...and send me a picture...

This post card arrived a couple of days ago...and she has posted a picture on her FB page that appears to show her drinking from a pint....but we all know how to use Photoshop...so I'm still a tad bit suspicious!!

In any case, she is having the time of her life...and will come back with some great memories!!!

Orange!

2011-07-12T15:30:00.000-04:00

Just a quick shout-out to Tinglymim for including my collage, "Bananas", in her newest treasury. Do check out Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

City Flea - July Edition

2011-07-11T14:06:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, my wife and I made our way downtown Cincinnati for the July edition of the City Flea! It was a perfect morning...lots of sun, a bit of a breeze, not too hot....lots of interesting people to watch...all those beautiful women in their pretty little sundresses....hmmm.

There were many of the vendors that we met during the June session...as well as some new ones...which kept things all the more interesting! Here's some more pictures from that morning....

I couldn't pass this one up...bought it first thing!!! So kitschy that's it's beautiful!!

Can't pass up a mermaid...bought this one as well....

We're already planning to return in August....maybe then I'll focus on taking pics of all those sundresses!! (And for those who care...and you know who you are...the only Hipstamatic pics are those in the top grid...the rest are from my Nikon D90!)

Winter in July?

2011-07-10T11:00:00.000-04:00

Early Freeze, David Hayes, 2010

I know...it's only July 10th....lots more of summer to enjoy. (Although I did see the first "back to school" ad today in my paper!!!) And...I'm not trying to rush things....but given the heat and humidity that seems to have my area in its grips....this treasury provides a cooling reprise!!

My thanks to meydalle for including my print, "Early Freeze" in her newest "cool" treasury!! So...when you come in from the heat of the day...check this treasury out at: Ice, Ice Baby!!!!

There Be Monsters!

2011-07-09T01:00:00.002-04:00

There Be Monsters, David Hayes, 2011

I guess it's two weeks ago now (June 27 - July 1) that I was fortunate enough to spend time with a great group of participants led by two wonderful instructors, Jennifer Reis and Juliette Montague for a week long workshop entitled "Ultimate Assemblage!" This was part of Miami University's (Ohio) Craft Summer.

During this week we learned assemblage construction and embellishing techniques including sewing, bead embellishing, incorporating photographic images, and working with fabrics, paper, and leather. For me this was certainly an "out-of-the-box" experience! While I'm comfortable working with my rivet gun, soldering iron, and drill....having to use needle and thread....way out of my league! I rose to the challenge...and by the end of the week I was threading my needle with the best of them! I even took on beading and won! (However...embroidery won...maybe next time!!!)

"There Be Monsters" was my final piece....it incorporates stitchery, beading, and printing on metal. I didn't think I would get this done...but I did!!!

If you'd like more information about this class, go here. If you'd like to see more pics of what this amazing class accomplished, please go here.

My thanks to Jennifer, Juliette, and all the members of the class for making this a great experience. I'll be back next year!!!

Lay lady, lay, lay me black and white by Katrin00

2011-07-08T14:15:00.001-04:00

Egg, David Hayes, 2011

My thanks to Katrin00 for including my photo, Egg, in her sexy cool treasury, Lay-lady-lay-lay-me-black-and-white. There are 16 of the most sexy yet beautiful studies of the female form included in this collection...it's well worth your time to take a look!

Mail Art - Just Received

2011-07-07T21:32:00.001-04:00

Kim

Well actually...I didn't just receive these pieces. I've had them for several weeks...but between my "Ultimate Assemblage" class and trip to Michigan....well...I guess I owe an apology to everyone for not getting these posted sooner!!

First up is this wonder work by Kim...just beautiful, isn't it!

Courtney

This really great envelope...which held a nice note, came to me from Courtney. So many layers to this work...so cool!!!

Pen Thief

And...this fun card came from Pen Thief. Very nice indeed....

My thanks to all three mail artists for sharing these with me. As I always have said...a day with Mail Art is a great day indeed!!

Into the Sun: Mail Art! {with apologies}

2011-07-06T21:08:00.001-04:00

Into the Sun: Mail Art! {with apologies}

Torch Lake, Michigan

2011-07-03T17:39:00.001-04:00

Sunset, David Hayes, 2011

Happy 4th of July everyone! My wife and I are spending this long weekend at her sister's home on Torch Lake in Michigan. This is the sunset that greeted us yesterday evening when we arrived!

Today was absolutely gorgeous! Clear skies, cool breezes...perfect day. We went out on their powerboat for a tour of the lake this afternoon...what a way to spend the day!

I've been away from my blog lately...spent last week at a workshop making "Ultimate Assemblages" with a great group of participants and instructors. I hope to have a posting up about this real soon. But for now...I'm just taking in the sights and sounds of Torch Lake as I write this posting sitting on their porch...

Way Too Much Fun!

2011-06-20T12:05:00.000-04:00

"Reflected", David Hayes, 2011

This past spring I switched my then current cell phone for an iphone4...and to say that I've been having way too much fun with it's camera and the camera apps out there would be an understatement!! I had heard a lot of positive things about the iphone's camera and was seeing more and more about the apps...as well as the pictures taken with these....that I decided to get the iphone4 sooner vs. later.

As of late I've been playing around with the Hipstamatic app and it's "newest" in-camera app, the Retro Pak which gives the user a "Salvador 84" lens, "Dream Canvas" film as well as another lens that I haven't tried yet...I really like the Salvador 84 lens! The picture above, "Reflected" was taken with this app as were these next two pics:

"Friday Night", David Hayes, 2011

"My World", David Hayes, 2011

I'm impressed with how this app mix takes ordinary scenes and changes the perspectives of what is seen. You never know what you'll get...so each of these are a delightful surprise!

"Self-Portrait #2", David Hayes, 2011

This next pic, "Self Portrait #2" was one that I played around with using several of the camera apps that I have. I first started with Incredibooth that mimics an old portrait booth and took 4 shots of myself in various head poses. I used the Photoshop app to clean this up a bit, then the ColorSplash app to focus the color just on my head, leaving the background black and white. Then...I used Pic Grunger to "grunge" it up with "bleach spills" and a wrinkled paper background. Saving all of this, I then sent it to my printer, which did it's own cropping...so instead of getting all four frames, I was left with the center two frames...cropped in half! Since this final image only existed in print form, I had to scan it to get a digital image of it. Talk about going through a number of generations!! But...creating all of this in-camera....before sending it to the printer and then scanning...only took me about 10 minutes! Too much fun!!!

Of course, I've featured all of these pics in my Flickr site and on my Etsy shop...as well as my Tumblr site. Two books that I have found very useful and would highly recommend are: Create Great iPhone Photos by Allan Hoffman and iPhone Obsessed by Dan Marcolina. You can get both of these books at Amazon.

I have been a photographer since the 70's...learning the mysteries of black and white film and paper development in the darkroom. I own many cameras...film and digital...have a darkroom...use CS4 alot...but I have to tell you, this iphone4 camera and apps are certainly changing how I go about creating photographs!!

Altered Bits - A New Zine

2011-06-19T01:00:00.002-04:00

Here is something exciting! Alicia Caudle, who's blog, Altered Bits' Altered Blog, has just released her first print zine. Called Altered Bits Mixed Media Art Zine, it is now available for purchase on Lulu, both as a book or as a digital download. You can also get it through Amazon. The zine contains 46 pages of mixed media art from 21 artists...a great addition to your art library!

I am particularly excited by this as one of my collages is included! Thanks Alicia...this has made my summer!!

"Stripper" is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

Catching Up! Part Two...

2011-06-18T16:29:00.000-04:00

Okay...we made it home from the graduation weekend late Sunday afternoon. Monday was spent trying to catch up on several things...as was Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon left us some time to attend our first farmer's market of the season. This was the Loveland Farmers Market which is being held this year in a new spot just minutes from our house.

It's not a huge market but there was great veggies, flowers, herbs, breads/baked goods, soaps and a lot of great vibes floating around!! We had a great time checking everything out, talking to the vendors, making new friends...and I had a great time grabbing pics with my iphone4!

The market is held every Tuesday throughout the summer...we'll definitely be back for more!! This last picture is for you, Amy of Four Corners Design. I thought of you the minute I saw this scale!!

Catching Up! Part One...

2011-06-18T16:17:00.000-04:00

Burr Oak Lake, Burr Oak State Park, Ohio

This past week-end, my wife and I journeyed to Ohio University (Athens, OH) to attend the graduation of our oldest daughter, Cary. It had taken Cary six years to finish her degree in printmaking...and we all were looking forward to the graduation ceremony and celebrations afterwards. We arrived late Friday afternoon at Burr Oak State Park Lodge...which is about 40 minutes from Athens...and after checking in/settling in...checked in with Cary and her younger sister, Melissa, who also attends O.U. And the adventure began...

You see...we found out that Cary had been suffering from a bad cold all week and wasn't feeling much better...and Melissa was starting to experience strong stomach pains. Canceling plans to meet up with them that evening...telling them to go to bed and we'd see them in the morning...we enjoyed a quiet evening by the lake...

The next morning...graduation morning...Cary was worse so it was decided that she'd skip the ceremony!!! After six years of hard work...but it had to be. Melissa...well...her pains had also gotten much worse...so much so that we decided to take her to the Urgent Care facility...where she, her mother, and I spent the next four hours...instead of attending graduation! Meant to be I suppose. It turned out to be nothing really...just a "hidden" infection...the first dose of meds helped her feel better. They both felt better by the evening so they joined us for dinner at the lodge. What a day!

In any case, the next morning we had Cary put on her cape and gown and took the usual post-graduation pictures around campus. She's an O.U. grad now...what's next...who knows!! That's another story..

Congrats, Cary bug!! I'm proud of you!!!

City Flea

2011-06-04T16:46:00.000-04:00

Sue and I ventured forth today on what we hope is the first of many "quests" this summer...to get out and do different things...

Today it was to go to the first every "City Flea" event held today on Vine St., downtown Cincinnati. This turned out to be a a lot of fun with over 50 different vendors featuring everything from vintage items to handcrafted art. When we were there, it was full of fun, energy, people, and great vibes!

It's our understanding that they plan to hold this event again on July 9th, August 6th, and September 3rd. We will most definitely be back! For more information about the vendors and the event itself, City Flea has a Facebook page and a website: www.thecityflea.com.

Here are more pictures of what I saw today...all captured with my iPhone4....I'm loving using this camera!!

Umbrellas and Butterflies

2011-06-02T16:14:00.001-04:00

Umbrellas, David Hayes, 2011

I finally made it to the Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory today. My wife and I have put this off until a day we thought wouldn't be so crazy....boy were we wrong! The place was packed! School groups...families with whining children and indulgent parents...I didn't know who to smack!

I did many to get some great pics....here's some of them. Hope you like butterflies!

Sunsets

2011-05-30T10:27:00.000-04:00

OBX sunset, David Hayes, 2011

Summer time...that time we all long for...sometimes more of a state-of-mind than a time on the calendar. While summer days are to dream for...to me the best times of the summer are sunrises...and sunsets. Magic is always in the air at these moments...

My thanks to lisamonaghan for including my photo, "OBX Sunset" in her newest treasury. This has to be one the most beautiful treasuries I've seen in a while...and certainly that I've been in. Check out all the gorgeous images in this treasury at: Sunsets...

Kipling - retro

2011-05-29T16:31:00.000-04:00

"Kipling", David Hayes, 2011

It's in the 90's here in Loveland...with humidity climbing. Not a day I enjoy being outside for very long. A day that gives me a chance to explore the camera apps I've been downloading into my new iPhone4. Must have over 20+ by now...some I've not even tried yet. Took this shot of some books in my "library". Used the app, Hipstamatic set for the Jimmy lens, KodotXGrizzled film, flash off. Just had to share...it's amazing what technology is doing to and for technology! (But my heart still belongs to the darkroom and silver gelatin emulsions!!)

Life Is A Journey

2011-05-27T16:35:00.000-04:00

Life Is A Journey, David Hayes (Collage, 4x4)

"Life is not a race but

a journey to be savored each step of the way."

Unknown

My thanks to hidesign for including my collage, Life Is A Journey in her latest treasury, "You've Always Had the Power." Truly...this is a powerful collection. Check it out!

Citris in A Pail

2011-05-25T14:59:00.000-04:00

Citris In A Pail, Kimberly Vanlandingham, 2010 (oil, 4x6)

Life can bring one some fun surprises sometimes...which is always the case with mail art. Last week, I received a piece that I found to be particularly wonderful. I also learned something that I didn't know about an artist whose work I admire.

This piece came from Kim, who is a member of a small circle of mail artists that I belong to and with whom I've exchanged a number of pieces. Now I have known her as Kimberly McLaughlin and her blog, happy little trees studio. So I was a little confused when I saw that this work was by Kimberly Vanlandingham of Kimberly Vanlandingham Originals! Fortunately, Kim had enclosed a note explain that this where she shows her works on her blog of this name and ebay. Makes perfect sense now!

Checking out her "other" blog, I was truly amazed at the quality of work exhibited there. If you have not visited this blog before, you owe it to yourself to do so! Check it out at: Kimblerly Vanlandingham Originals

Kim, thank you again for this wonderful painting!!!

Buy the Hundred by quiltymcquilterson

2011-05-22T20:15:00.000-04:00

A fun treasury by quiltymcquilterson. My thanks to her for including my little collage, "One Hundred Dreams" in this collection. Check it out at:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dd85fbde90e8eef72201f78/buy-the-hundred

Sunny Saturday!

2011-05-21T10:45:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it...I woke up this morning and the sun was shining!! This makes two days in a row that we've not had rain, rain, rain! Time to get out and enjoy it...before the rains come back which from the forecasts will return this evening and stay, stay, stay....

But first, a quick shout-out for this treasury, "The Mermaid Cries Tears of Joy". My thanks to Lolailo for including my print, "La Sirena" in this very beautiful collection. Make sure to visit it at:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dd75d6a355f6d9165eff2ce/the-mermaid-cries-tears-of-joy

Now it's time to change into a pair of shorts...and get outside!!

Friday Double-Header!

2011-05-20T17:29:00.000-04:00

Ohio, David Hayes, 2011

Today is a good day for my Etsy shops! Checking them this morning, I found that two of my listings had been featured in two different treasuries!! A true double-header!!!

First up...my photo "Ohio" was included in a great collection put together by KatMariee. My thanks to her for this! You can check out this treasury out at:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dd563da27c78eefb101ba94/ohio

Pose #1, David Hayes, 2011

The second treasury was put together by grimmlynn and is called "Beauty & Grace Through the Eyes of a Goddess". My thanks to her for including my watercolor painting, "Pose #1" in this beautiful collection! You can check this one out at:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dd6126204126d913a33a90c/beauty-grace-through-the-eyes-of-a

Egg

2011-05-19T10:05:00.000-04:00

Egg, David Hayes, 2011

It's been cold and wet in my neck of the woods as of late...perfect time to go through old pic files and negatives...looking for hidden treasures. I found this image in some black and white negs that I shot back in the 70's. (I'm sure I printed this then...but for some reason I don't have it!) Looking at the neg and it's contact print, I wouldn't say that this shot is a winner right off the bat. Sure, the pose is a classic...but the overall exposure of the neg leaves much to be desired.

Well...there's nothing like using Photoshop to help rescue an image! A little cropping here, playing with the levels there, and a few more tricks everywhere...and "Egg" appears! What was once a so-so image has become, in my mind, a very elegant statement on the female form. I'm sorry that I didn't "find" this image sooner!

Just in case you're interested, this image is available in my Etsy shop, Reflective Images at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/74379116/egg-digital-nude-photograph-11x14

Wednesday Ramblings

2011-05-18T12:08:00.000-04:00

Do you all remember, Hot...the wired terrier that I created for the magazine "Cloth, Paper, Scissors" challenge? I was pleased to learn last Friday that he had made the finals! So...he was shipped of to the offices of "Cloth, Paper, Scissors" on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed that he will be chosen for publication...the competition is tough...but I know he has it in him to pull it off! I'll let everyone know the results as soon as I do!

And...I discovered this morning that my photo, "Heritage" was included in another great treasury, "Man in Black" created by VisualizingVintage. My thanks to her for making me part of this wonderful collection!! Check this out at:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dd32a28902f8eef252e2965/man-in-black