Going Full Circle

Months ago I downloaded a $0.99 iPhone app called 360Panorama made by a company called Occipital. After checking it out for a few minutes, it was filed away in folder called "photo" and left unused and neglected. 

Our company SmithBucklin holds a few annual corporate events at hotels in Chicago and Washington, D.C. We usually take a few photos to use in the planning of future events. This year someone said, "wouldn't it be great if we could get a panorama image of this room." And it was then that I remembered the 360Panorama app already downloaded and ready to use. Within a few minutes, I was able to create a really nice interactive panorama that could be uploaded to a webpage and share with others. Creating a panorama is now "standard protocol" for the corporate events we hold. 

The 360Panoram app is very easy to use. You slowly move the iPhone camera in a circle to fill in a grid and when complete, save the image. You can then upload it to a personal page provided by Occipital. Below is a panorama created near our office in Chicago. 
 

Experimenting in Low Resolution

A few weeks ago, neighbor and friend Scott suggested that I give Instagram a try. With very little knowledge about this iPhone app, I was somewhat reluctant to jump into another social media platform. But, based on Scott's recommendation, I decided to download the free app.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover 15 million images (as of December 2011) neatly organized and searchable by users and hash tags. I quickly found really terrific low resolution photos of favorite subjects such as the Wrigley Building, Lake Michigan and Cape Cod. It seems that Instragram is for iPhone image-makers what Flickr, and other photo-sharing websites, are for DSLR photographers.

I posted a few images and within a week had a handful of "favorited" images and some "followers." Once comfortable with Instagram, I started incorporating other iPhone image software, such as Photogene and Photo Collage to work in concert with the Instagram tools. This image of the Wrigley Building in Chicago is an example of using Photo Collage before Instagram.



Also, Instagram can send iPhone generated images to other social media platforms inclduing: Twitter, Facebook and Flickr or by email. Here are a few more of the low resolution images from recent experimentation. Click on the image to see the full-size (612 X 612 pixel) image.

Boston Arts Academy Fundraiser

Donate to win an original photograph of Cape Cod

Mix together the Boston Arts Academy, the Boston Marathon and the special talents of two first cousins to come up with something a little different when it comes to fundraising. These nine photographic prints of Cape Cod are available exclusively to those who support Howard Lurie and the Boston Art Academy's 2012 Boston Marathon Team. The series of nine photographs were made by Jonathan Lurie during several visits to Cape Cod and selected by Howard as among his favorites. Each print is 15" wide by 10" tall and placed in a smooth, white, acid-free, archival mat board that is 20" wide by 16" tall and suitable for a standard-sized frame. The prints are valued at $100 each and signed on the back.

How it works
Make a donation of $50 or greater to the Boston Arts Academy by clicking on this link. Forward the confirmation email to howard.lurie@gmail.com and when Howard's fundraising goal is reached, he will randomly draw names and distribute the nine prints to the winners. If you have a preference for one or more of the prints, please let Howard know.

Atlantic Ocean Morning - July 30, 2010

Do the Impossible - July 28, 2010

Dusk at Newcomb Hollow - August 4, 2011

Long Point Light - July 24, 2010

Morning on White Crest Beach - August 2, 2011

Morning to the West - July 30, 2010

Sailboat at Dusk - July 30, 2010

The Chase - January 28, 2011

The Raft - August 3, 2011