Tag Archives: photography

New Apps for Storyboarding and Selfies

"Murphy and Mary," A Sequence Photographed by Mary Gow Using the Selfissimo App.
“Murphy and Mary,” A Sequence Photographed by Mary Gow Using the Selfissimo App.
At some point every day I review the day’s headlines for about five minutes, surfing the web.

From this habit I find something that peeks my attention and inevitably I take notes in my Evernote.

A recent find is well worth sharing!

Google is offering 3 new apps for free including one that allow styling of videos into comic strips. Wow!

This I found out from the article headlined with: “NEW GOOGLE APPS STYLIZE VIDEOS INTO COMIC STRIPS, NIFTY LOOPS,” written by Michael Kan, Dec. 11, 2017 for PC Magazine.*

“On Monday, the company unveiled three new imaging apps that leverage some experimental technology Google has been playing with. Google is calling the software “appsperiments,” which tap into the power of smartphone cameras and computer vision algorithms that can identify objects in a picture.”

THE FIRST APP: STORYBOARD

The first app called Storyboard is available only on Android phones. Your video will be converted into a single-page comic strip.
“The app automatically selects interesting video frames, lays them out, and applies one of six visual styles,” Google said.

THE SECOND APP: SELFISSIMO!

The second app is available on Android and iOS phones. It’ll snap selfies in black and white. The camera will flash when it detects that you’ve stopped moving.

THE THIRD APP: SCRUBBIES

The third app is only available on iOS. This app allows you to go over a video once it’s been shot and pick parts you wish to dramatize by slowing down the play rate.

“Shoot a video in the app and then remix it by scratching it like a DJ,” the company said.

The video can then play in a loop.

CONCLUSION

We’re living in an incredibly creatively expansive time. The ability to create storyboards using your phone, have your own photo shoot in black and white, create looping videos that can dramatize effects that used to be only available to those with sophisticated equipment.

Now all of this is available with what we carry in our purses and pockets.

These amazing smart phones get smarter every passing day.

Still there’s no replacement for the imagination needed to utilize these tools.

There’s only one YOU in the whole Universe who can create the way you do.

*Source: https://www.pcmag.com/news/357890/new-google-apps-stylize-videos-into-comic-strips-nifty-loop

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Black and White Photography

"Missing the Times," photo by Mary Gow
“Missing the Times,” photo by Mary Gow
I took this photo, “Missing the Times,” when I was taking practicing street photography in Harvey Stein’s class at the International Center of Photography in New York City. I love black and white photography. The over head light in this photo could use a bit more exposure so it’s not so bright but I like the general nostalgic feel of this shot.

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Briefly Seeing Harvey Stein, the Photographer Behind “Briefly Seen”

Mary Gow with Harvey Stein, holding 3 of his books.
Mary Gow with Harvey Stein, holding 3 of his books.
Briefly Seen - a book by Harvey Stein
Briefly Seen – a book by Harvey Stein
The World is Harvey Stein’s studio. He concentrates on the World-at-Large. Outside of the studio IS his studio. And books, he declared at the book signing, are his perfect form of sharing his observations.

Stein’s called New York City home for over 40 years. He’s a professional photographer, teacher, lecturer, curator and author. He’s received numerous awards and his photos are in more than 55 permanent collections including the George Eastman House, the Bibliotheque Nationale, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Boorklyn Musuem of Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Denver Museum of Art.

He teaches at the International Center of Photography (ICP) and has been on the faculty of the New School University, Drew University, Rochester Institute of Technology, School of Visual Arts and the University of Bridgeport.

Creating Flow from Chaos, by Mary Gow
Creating Flow from Chaos, award-winning photogram by Mary Gow

I took my first photography course at ICP with Harvey Stein as my instructor. It was a ten-week course and we did a lot of street photography. I was enthralled with seeing the chemistry process – especially when the image begins appearing on the photo sensitive paper. I loved darkroom work (though it’s becoming a lost art now).

One of my favorite photos by Harvey Stein
One of my favorite photos by Harvey Stein
My Favorite Book by Harvey Stein: Artists Observed
My Favorite Book by Harvey Stein: Artists Observed

One of the first things we learned in Stein’s class was how the enlarger works. At its most basic level, an enlarger casts light onto photo sensitive paper. It was then I made my first photograms by placing objects on top of this paper. The x-ray look of them got my attention. And it touched on my obsession with line, shape and form which could be highlighted through layers.

It was in Stein’s class I found an artform that really worked for me.

I went on to make more photograms, some won awards. I felt especially honored by recognition in a show juried by California photographer and photogram-maker, Robert Buelteman. I also went on to work as a freelance photographer and my work’s appeared in newspapers, magazines, online and in books.

It was a delight to see Stein again after many years. He visited the Leica Store in San Francisco in June of 2016 to introduce three of his books: Coney Island 40 Years, Briefly Seen and Harlem Street Portraits, plus offer a three day workshop on street photography.

Thank you Harvey Stein for your inspiration!

Visit his website to see his work and world at harveysteinphoto.com

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Butterflies and Blooming

Free Free Set Yourself Free, photo by Mary Gow
Free Free Set Yourself Free, photo by Mary Gow
This is the first day after the Your Turn Challenge and I decided to post again without prompting. It feels good to be writing and sharing today.

Here’s a photo I took in May of 2013 at the Butterflies and Blooms Show at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

My favorite part of the exhibition was a section where you could see caterpillars growing and if you were lucky, you could witness one becoming a butterfly!

I enjoyed the seven day writing challenge I’ve just completed. Last night I prepared this image to post today… after thinking about whether I was going to keep up the momentum. It’s one day at a time. I’ll see if I can continue these baby steps.

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.  ~Rabindranath Tagore

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