iPhone Photo Apps

Hello friends. I've been having fun playing with the photo apps on my iPhone 4. It really has great photo capabilities--and as Matthew always says, the best camera is the one you have with you. So here are some of my favorites:

So, these are the apps in my photo folder. Today, I'll talk about Camera+, Diptic, Pixlr-o-matic, and of course Instagram.

Camera+ is great for photo editing. It allows you to crop, color correct, add fun borders, and apply effects. It also has a built-in photo capture capability that allows you to focus and adjust the exposure.

Camera+ costs $.99, and the Analog Effects folder is an additional $.99. Totally worth it.

Pixlr-o-matic is another great photo-editing app. It has so many great vignettes and frames that it is often challenging to select a favorite! Bonus: it's free!

Diptic is a fun app with built-in layouts so you can have two images in the same picture. It lets me mix things up, and I'm into it. Cost is $1.99 ($300 phone, no problem, but a $2 app--outrageous!) but it's worth it.

Diptic photos always come out square, which is great because that's the format Instagram posts in.

Ah, Instagram--my new favorite pastime. It allows you to zoom and crop photos (always in a square), and apply 15 styles to your photographs. It's an easy photo-sharing app that will also link to your Twitter, Facebook, and more. It's free and joyous--highly recommended.

So go forth, capture some memories, and post them for the world to see!

Do you use any of these? What do you think of them? And what other apps do you like?

♥ Shannon

Date with Myself (courtesy of my iPhone)

I enjoy time with myself. I bring a notebook into restaurants and dally, brainstorming, ordering my favorite things. I browse through stores and take my time. It's just sort of slow and thoughtful, without worrying about imposing on someone else.

I needed a few hours like this yesterday because I've been feeling anxious about moving, and my unplanned trip robbed me of the time I planned to use to accomplish personal goals. I wanted a few hours to just relax and remind myself that most of the timelines I set up for myself are arbitrary and can flex a bit when needed.

Do you go on dates with yourself? Where are your favorite places to go?

♥ Shannon

iPhone Case

Finally! I've got my phone and I've got my case! Let me tell you all about it!

It's a Case-Mate Verizon iPhone 4 Barely There case. The awesome thing about Case-Mate is that they have all these great functions to customize your case. You can upload photos or use their design software.

I spent a little while designing cases, but then I decided that what I wanted was already created by someone else, and that person is Julia from The Spotted Sparrow. I had her gorgeous honeycomb print and thought it would look great on my phone, so I asked her if I could use it to make the case.

I'm so pleased with how it turned out!

The Barely There case hugs the phone, but leaves the front clean. I'm so glad I have it because I've dropped the phone probably 50 times already! 

Yay! Now I can start taking the famed iPhone mirror photos! I might need to practice a bit...

I totally recommend checking out Case-Mate if you're looking for a case. They've got so many design options, excellent customer service (seriously!), and competitive prices. They didn't even give me anything to say that!

♥ Shannon

Decisions Decisions

We all knew this day would come: I have finally treated myself with an iPhone (the Verizon iPhone 4, in fact). Now I just have to figure out how to make it even sexier.

1. Skinit.com: Lavender Skin; Kingfisher Skin

2. Clear Belkin case

3. GetUncommon.com: Birdcage; Owl

4. Oma+Olaf Owl

5. Zazzle.com: Chameleon; Tutu Grunge; Heart Strings

6. Speck Argyle

So many choices!! Here is what I know: 

1. I need a case (my little Motorola flip has cracks, scratches, and paint blotches on it)

2. I want it to be pretty.

Right now I'm leaning towards a fun skin with a clear case...but oh how to choose? Let me know what you think--and how you've jazzed up your phones.

♥ Shannon