PixHole - A Unique Interactive Game to Enjoy Instagram

I'm always on the hunt for new apps - I'm not sure why since I have some pretty amazing ones already and haven't even tapped into their capabilities.  Not all of the apps I download are photo editing apps. Some of my favorites that have nothing to do with photo editing are Mailbox, MyFitnessPal, Launch Center Pro, W.E.L.D.E.R. 

A new discovery is one that allows me to view my Instagram feed while also challenging myself with the unique puzzle feature of PixHole.  I have to admit it is addictive!

I had a chance to interview the developer to find out more about PixHole.






G:  What is your name and where do you live?

S:  My name is Stefano Figurelli and I live in Italy, with my wife and our two kids, 4 and 2, in a small town called Savona near the sea.

G:  What is PixHole?

S:  PixHole is a photographic game for iPhone based on Instagram.

G:  How did you come up with the idea?

S:  I'm a software engineer so I try to stay updated with latest technologies and, since mobile is now overtaking desktop development, I decided to try to build a mobile application in order to put into practice what I was learning.  I chose to build a game since it's technically simpler than a utility app and you have complete freedom to do what you like.

At the same time I was discovering Instagram. Usually I don't like social networks, but I like photography and I realized how interesting this network is - a great place for people to share their photos and also to get inspired!

I decided to put this all together and build an app to play with Instagram photos that would provide an endless flow of great images and a way to enjoy Instagram in a different, fun way.  I approached the idea for gameplay by devising a puzzle that was completed by filling the holes drilled in the photos with their missing pieces.  To make it more challenging, some of the pieces may rotate.  There are also bonus levels, objectives to reach to increase the score multiplier.

I then decided on the app name, PixHole, for obvious reasons.  I'm not a huge fan of games, but when I do play on my iPhone, I prefer simple games that are quick and addictive.  I really enjoy Tiny Wings and Letterpress for example.  I couldn't come close to these great games, but I decided to try and make it simple and as elegant as those.

I wanted users to also be able to play offline, but that would mean I would need to insert some photos directly into the app.  I contacted 80 of my favorite Instagram users, explained my project and asked permission to use two photos inside the app.  Some said yes and others never replied.  In the end, PixHole now has 120 photos by 55 great photographers from Instagram. Several of them have over 100,000 followers (brahmino, brenton_clarke, croyable, hirozzzz, jeera, laurenepbath, puanindya, craighowes1, herbertschroer, kevinruss, to name few of them) so even being able to convince them was a success for me.

All photos have been lent to me for free for the app and everyone can play with them for free too.
Along with offline playing, PixHole offers the option to play connected to Instagram with the user's own photos, his likes, his feed, by searching photos for a particular tag or with the popular photos.

I'm offering PixHole as freemium with most features for free but there is also an in-app purchase to enable extra features. 

G:  Is this the first app you have worked on?

S:  Yes.

G:  What has been the response from people who have used PixHole?

S:  I receive a lot of messages from people saying that PixHole is really fun and addictive (and that's the most important thing).  Others are happy that they are discovering new users by playing with my selection of photographs.  All of the user reviews around the world have been very good.  I'm quite happy at the moment but obviously PixHole is a new app and it will take months to see if it is successful or not.

G:  Do you have a photography or art background?

S:  No art background.  I have always liked photography since I was a teenager (in the film era).  I even set up a darkroom in the basement where I used to make my own black and white prints using an old enlarger my parents bought in the 60's.

G:  I can see an app like this geared to children as well - have you explored that area?

S:  Yes, I think I could make an iPad version with images for children - that would be interesting.

G:  Do you have any other apps in the works?

S:  No...sorry!

G:  Is there anything else you'd like to add?

S:  I hope people will give PixHole a chance by downloading and playing with it once. That's the best way to understand its potential.  It is free to download so there's nothing to lose!  This is a small personal project developed in my spare time over a 10-month period.  I'm not a company and I'm not doing this for a living, so I can't really promote the app in the standard aggressive way.  I hope that word of mouth helps me to spread the app along with some exposure like this on blogs about iphoneography and gaming.

Download Pixhole

Find Stefano:  Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Website 

The Mobile Photography of Tracey Renehan

It has been a great experience getting to know different mobile photographers through this interview series.  This feature spotlights the work of Tracey Renehan.  You may be familiar with Tracey's street photography, but her talent doesn't stop there.  She's also a very gifted portrait photographer and also explores the realm of abstract editing in her work.  I'm sure you will enjoy learning about her as much as I have. 

Contemplation

G:  What is your name and where do you live?

T:  My name is Tracey Renehan and I am an Australian living in Sweden.

G:  How did you get started with mobile photography?

T:  I have travelled extensively and have always taken a lot of travel photos with various cameras.  In 2011, I decided I wanted to learn how to use a “real” camera and bought a Canon DSLR. 
During my self-study of photography, I came across Mobile Photographers doing amazing photography and became curious.  Winter set in and it was too cold to take my system camera out, so I thought why not use my iPhone to at least practice composition over the winter.  It wasn’t until I joined EyeEm in April 2012 that my real journey into Mobile Photography began.  Looking at photos on EyeEm has been the equivalent of going to school.  It helped me see what both professionals and regular people can do and inspired me to learn.

Inner Prison

Sound Waves

G:  What device do you use?  

T:  I started with an iPhone 4S and received the iPhone 5 last Christmas. 

G:  Do you have a traditional photography or art background?

T:  I wish!  My learning curve would be far less steep if I had studied.  The only training I have done is two of the Story Telling Series Workshops with Mobile Photo Workshop.  Last autumn, I did the Portraits workshop and I just finished the Street Photography workshop last week.  Not only are Anton Kawasaki and Sion Fullana amazing Mobile Photographers, they are also gifted instructors. 

It is too early to see the results from the Street Photography workshop, but my photography significantly improved after doing the Portraits workshop.  I am actually very excited about seeing what I do in the coming months with what I just learnt from them. 

Waiting it Out

Erasing Thoughts

G:  Who or what inspires your work?

T:  Coming out of a tragic time in my life, I took up creative writing and wrote several short stories and a novel.  I realized I had a vivid imagination, but my writing skills needed a lot of work. The novel has been edited four times and I really love the story, but I don’t think it will ever reach the point where I am satisfied with the writing.    Regardless, one of my characters is an artist and in the course of the story she paints an image, which was related to my own personal story.  I considered commissioning someone to paint it and even casually mentioned it to an artist friend.  I’m now inspired to make that image myself.  It is still a long journey to reach the point where I have the skills I need, but hopefully I will get there.

I am also very inspired by images created by other mobile photographers. It is amazing what images are coming out of our mobile photography communities.  I just love when I log on to one of the photography sites and see work that takes my breath away.  Such images give me a high and I am inspired to try to create images that also speak to others.  There are many mobile photographers and traditional photographers I admire and look up to and I spend more time than I should looking at images. 

Face Off!

Morphed Streets

G:  Do you plan your shoots with a specific idea in mind?

T:  Mostly not, though I have planned some shoots.  Typically when I shoot portraits of people I know, I think about the person then have a rough plan of how I want to shoot them.  When I shoot street, I shoot what catches my attention.

G:  Your work is mainly in black and white.  Do you shoot in black and white with an app like Hueless or do you make the conversion afterwards?

T:  Even if I shoot with a black and white camera app, I always apply Snapseed’s black and white processing to my images. Color is still a part of my learning curve.  I hope one day to shoot more color even though I love and am mostly drawn to black and white images.

From Where I Stand

The Letter

G:  Do you shoot with the native camera app on your phone or a specialized app like Hipstamatic or ProCamera?

T:  So far I have mainly shot with Hipstamatic, 6x6 and Camera+.  I sometimes also shoot with Hueless, MPro and Pure, never with the native camera.

G:  Do you have any favorite editing apps?

T:  YES!!!  Some of my favourite apps are:  Snapseed, decim8, iColorama, ScratchCam, Blender, Pixlromatic, Photo FX, Filterstorm and BlurFX.  

Latte

PI Jones

G:  Do you do all your editing on your phone, or do you prefer a tablet?

T:  My preference is to edit on my iPad.  If I’m not on wifi, then I edit on my iPhone.  Some apps are only on my iPhone, so I go back and forth. 

G:  Please share a little bit about your editing process.

T:  First and foremost all of my images are processed in Snapseed.  It is a great app and sometimes it is all an image needs.   I edit both intuitively or with a specific edit in mind, so some of my images have gone through an array of apps.  I love playing with apps and can spend hours experimenting on getting different effects (some by accident, others with intent).  If I have a specific effect in mind and do not know how to achieve it, I will spend hours playing with different apps to try to achieve an idea.  Often I don’t quite manage what I had in mind, but usually get something anyway. This way of editing has given me the opportunity to learn apps and know what both the app and I are capable of. 

The Jogger

The Shadow

G:  When shooting on the streets, has anyone ever objected to you photographing them?

T:  So far I have been lucky.  If someone were to object, I would tell him or her what I am doing and offer a copy of the finished image.  If they still object, then I would respect his or her wishes and delete the photo.  Often I wish I had given some of the people I have photographed a card so I could send them a copy of the image.

G:  ‘Jaded’ is a most interesting piece – please tell me more about it.

T:  ’Jaded’ was created when I was trying to hone a special effect for a Poetry series.  I chose a portrait from my album, which had the right facial expression and applied the Bunker filter in decim8.  I then took the image to ScratchCam for texture and into iColorama for the colour tint, warping and transitional adjustments. I then blended a part of another image to balance it out.  The subjects are actually siblings in real life, so the story I imply is pure fantasy based on her expression and the colour.  I think it is interesting to think about why an image comes about and from where it comes.  With this one I can’t give you an answer.  Such images I think are like dreams, they have a meaning, but perhaps not always the most obvious one. 

Jaded

G:  Have you ever exhibited your work?  If not, any plans to do so?

T:  You know I am fearless when it comes to posting my images on the Internet.  The only time I feel nervous is when I post images to art albums.  I almost feel like I am an impostor and have no right to post.  I post anyway, but not without some trepidation.

If I were asked to exhibit, I would do so in a heartbeat and would enjoy every second!  

G:  Anything else you'd like to add?

Thank you so much for featuring me on your Blog.  I visit regularly and so enjoy reading your artist features and catching up on mobile photography news.  Great job, Geri!  I would also like to share that you emailed to ask about the feature on the day of my birthday.  I was both honoured and delighted to receive such a wonderful surprise birthday present.  Thanks again.

Silent Love

Find Tracey:  EyeEm / Flickr / iPhoneArt 

All images in this feature are copyrighted property of Tracey Renehan published on iART CHRONiCLES with the consent of the artist. 

---

Art of Mob

I have been curating a Mobile Photography ezine through Scoop It for a while but just switched over to a new platform using Flipboard.  Now you can download the FREE Flipboard app and get the latest mobile photography news by subscribing to Art of Mob.

You can also access Art of Mob directly from the web or the tab link on iART CHRONiCLES.

To read the magazine, just hit your spacebar or click on the right and left arrows on the side of the page to move back and forth through the magazine.  If you want a closer look at an article click on it to view.

Enjoy!

The Whole Story - Photo by Mansi Bhatia

Striking is the word that comes to mind when I see this self-portrait of the uber-talented Mansi Bhatia. Read on for The Whole Story behind this image.  Interested in submitting a smartphone photo of your own for a chance to be featured? Get more information here. 

The Photograph

The Whole Story 

I am not curvy 
or lady-like
in physical appearance
or mannerisms.

I am ambitious
and have a strong
sense of self-worth.

I snore
I hate shopping
I don't like socializing.

I hate doing the
laundry
and the dishes
and am no
fan of keeping
things organized

I like hanging out
with the guys
And can argue 
Until the moon
goes to bed.

I am judgmental
and opinionated 
and you've heard 
me fart.

I am obsessed
with planning
and usually have 
a Plan C and D
ready in case
A and B fail.

I prefer my space
and want you 
to have yours.

I nag at times
and complain
that you give away
"my" unused things
to those who
need 'em.

I am selfish
and clingy
sometimes both at 
the same time.

I don' like
sharing you 
with anyone...
not even your mom.

I am not patient
or wise 
and I'm a 
sore loser.

I keep grudges
and it's hard for
me to let go
even when I know
I should.

I am strongly opinionated
and will not
take advantage of
the perks that come
with "being a woman."

I am self-critical
and confused
about where I want to be
and what I want to do.

I lie at times
when I think it's 
the reasonable thing to do
but also sometimes
because it's easier.

I dig my nose
and my ears
and will not wax
my armpits until
I absolutely have to.

I make excuses
for little things
when I don't need to
but still have the
urge to.

I recognize
all my "flaws"
and know that
perfection is but
a myth
a mirage
a non-attainable 
ideal.

It doesn't mean 
I don't try to
become a
better person,
more tolerant
less critical
more accepting
less disparaging.

It doesn't mean
I don't strive
to improve 
upon my shortcomings

All it means 
is recognizing
that perfection
isn't a standard
by which to judge 
ourselves or fellow
human beings.

I am not perfect.

But my imperfections
make me the
unique person
I am.

They make me
the real me
not the person
I want to be
or pretend to be
but the person I am.

I am me.

Self-portrait shot with Hipstamatic and edited in Procreate, Filterstorm, Scratchcam, Image Blender and FlowPaper.


The Photographer 

Mansi Bhatia - As a child I spent hours transforming photographs into watercolor paintings, losing myself in another world. As a teenager struggling to find my identity, I found my voice through art. But somewhere in adulthood, my artistic leaning was lost. I craved time for painting. I yearned to unpack my brushes. I willed myself to recreate that lost world where I could just be. But life became too fast-paced, too short, and too technology dependent for that.

Surprisingly, these very things converged to introduce art back into my life. Creating photography-based art on the iPhone has allowed me to explore something new: the freedom to make art anywhere, at any moment, without the need for extra space, materials or planning.

iPhoneography introduced pause in my life and I hope that, through my work, you may find a new appreciation for the convergence of technology and art. 

Find Mansi:  Facebook / Twitter / iPhoneArt / Instagram / EyeEm  

Painterly Mobile Art Monday - No. 9

Here is the bimonthly presentation of some of the beautiful images submitted to the Painterly Mobile Art Flickr Group.  Thank you all for continuing to create and inspire!  (Slide presentation created with Photo Slideshow Director app)



Painterly Mobile Art - No. 9 from Geri Centonze on Vimeo.
Featuring mobile photo art by the members of the Flickr Group Painterly Mobile Art http://www.flickr.com/groups/painterlyma/.

Music: J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No4-1 BWV1049 by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com)



Featured artists:
Maarten Oortwijn
Kimcurtin 1
Anne Highfield
Gianluca Ricoveri
Nicholas Broadway
Patty Larson
Drjazz
John Mallon
Wayne Greer
Hal Cantwell
Solly Avenue
Brent Mosley
Aldo Pacheco
Dr Pajchiwo
Em Kachouro
Clint Cline
Cat Morris
Geri Centonze
thistledownup
Christianna Pierce
Cindy Patrick
iphoneography2012
Cecily Mariece Caceu
Paul Cutright
Vivi Hanson
Michael Manza
Linda Owens
Sarah Jarrett
Skip Brown - Phoneographer
Luci Zoe

The Whole Story - Photo by Tomas Frid

What do all these numbers mean?  Read The Whole Story to find out. Interested in submitting a smartphone photo of your own for a chance to be featured? Get more information here. 

The Photograph

The Whole Story

One day some girls on my street got hold of chalks and started writing on the paving stones in the backyard. Then one of them must have come up with the bright idea to number all of the stones.  And probably - just to finish the job - they wrote the only sentence they know in English: "I love you".

The Photographer - Tomas Frid

I'm 62 years old and live in Sweden. Since my father was very interested in photography (he once owned a Hasseblad camera) I probably inherited that passion.  My photo activity was very low - almost none - then I got an iPhone through my job.  That meant a restart for me.  I have taken more than 10 000 pictures the last 3 years!  For me a good picture is a picture that says something and causes a reaction.  I don't care about lenses, pixels or camera brands.

Find Tomas:  Instagram / EyeEm / Lomography 

This Has Nothing to Do With Mobile Photography

But...I thought it was sharing for the sheer enjoyment of it!  Dutch filmmaker Jeroen Wolf captured footage of people ages 0-100 and put it together in this video montage.



'100' (from 0 to 100 years in 150 seconds) from Filmersblog on Vimeo.

The Whole Story - Photo by Richard e. Arp-Barnett

Time again for another edition of The Whole Story.  I admire people who are adventurous enough to seek out interesting places to photograph.  After seeing this image I really wanted The Whole Story from photographer Richard Arp-Barnett.  

Interested in submitting a smartphone photo of your own for a chance to be featured? Get more information here. 

The Photograph

The Whole Story

Taken during a group explore during the late winter months of 2013, I’ll remember this capture for the beautiful water reflection and opportunity to spend a day with friends new and old learning about and capturing  the history of Detroit. Flat on the ground in a water filled floor with a mobile device, the feeling was that of being submerged in time with those that came to worship and pray at St. Agnes. Additional history on St. Agnes here.

The Photographer - Richard e. Arp-Barnett

A journey of discovering others, what others love, and self discovery are reasons why I am passionate about photography and choose to devote time to capturing life images.  Urbex photography in particular and the art that can be created from its beauty have my attention at the present time.  The special camaraderie of exploring with amazing peers and mentors of this photography community into places many might find foreign to their lives adds a sense of uniqueness to this adventure.  Life changed pretty radically and unexpectedly over the past two years with losses of loved ones and a modern day corporate downsizing and job elimination after 13 years of professional work experience at EMI Music.  What better time to reinvent oneself and pursue new opportunities!  Mobile photography is one of those avenues and I’d like to thank Geri and each of you for sharing your art, your imagination and unique perspective.  You matter and make a difference.

Find Rick:  Instagram / EyeEm / Facebook - Richard Arp-Barnett / Email / KIK and LINE @rikkr 

A Video is Worth 1000 Pictures - Single Image HDR Tutorial

If a picture is worth 1000 words, then what is a video worth?  I find written tutorials hard to follow but when I see something demonstrated, my mind can grasp it better.  I put together a tutorial for creating an HDR effect using a single image.  You can make the effect as subtle or dramatic as you like.

If you have any questions, please be sure to leave them in the comments.

Apps Used
Adobe Photoshop Express
Pro HDR
Filterstorm
Snapseed
Photo FX Ultra 



Single Image HDR by Geri Centonze from Geri Centonze on Vimeo.

Before

After

Before image by Seemann at MorgueFile (thanks for sharing this fabulous image!)

Double the Resolution of your iPhone Photos with ClearCam App!

Watch iPhone artist Dan Burkholder as he explains the ClearCam app and learn how you can take an 18MP image with your iPhone!  Then check out my results as I test the ClearCam app.




I took Dan's advice and ran my own test.

Here are images taken using the Quick (top) and Enhanced (bottom) modes.  They look similar from this view.  (Artwork by The Secret Hermit Micki Wilde)

I loaded the photos into my PhotoSize app and there is indeed a difference.

When blown up 503% however you can see that there really is an improvement on the resolution.

Quick Mode image blown up (below)

The enhanced version blown up shows less pixelation.  

ClearCam is available in the App Store for $0.99

Photos Reimagined with New Tangent App!

I was pleased to be part of the Tangent App beta testing team and am happy to announce the launch of the Tangent App from the makers of Deco Sketch.

Press Release:

Transform digital photos into one-of-a-kind works of art with Tangent

– Highly innovative new photo app allows users to reimagine their images –

San Diego, CA – July 11, 2013 – The photo app development team at Pixite LLC, in partnership with award-winning creative technologist Ben Guerrette, is excited to announce the release of Tangent for iPhone. Tangent is an innovative new photo app that gives anyone the ability to easily transform their photos into one-of-a-kind works of art, a skill set once reserved for graphic artists.

Designed with a simple-to-navigate interface, Tangent allows users to transform their images into totally unique art forms using a creative toolbox of frames, patterns, fills and vectors, as well as the ability to apply and selectively blend colors with ease. Inspired by the shapes of the world around us, the geometric forms are completely scalable, empowering the artist to drag, zoom and rotate at will using simple finger swipes and pinches. 

Fully integrated with popular social media channels, Tangent’s users can either opt to share their creations seamlessly with just a tap or “Retangent,” a feature that allows the user to save their creation and continue adding more layers to their design. This unique feature alone means that the creative possibilities for Tangent are truly limitless.

“The goal in creating Tangent was to provide an intuitive platform for people to create inspiring images through mobile artistry,” says Tangent’s creator and lead developer Ben Guerrette. “There’s an inherent beauty in the simplicity of the interface, which gives users of every level the capability to creatively approach and reimagine photos with endless possibilities. My excitement, both as an artist and a developer, is seeing the astonishing work conceived using Tangent as a tool for creative expression.”


Tangent from Tangent on Vimeo.


Some of Tangent’s creative tools include:

• 15 easy-to-use, fully customizable templates, or “styles”, which professionally combine shapes, fills, and blends for an amazing look- 39 versatile shapes (11 out of the box)
• 43 background fills (11 out of the box)
• 350 stunning combinations of blends and colors
• Unlimited combinations of shapes, fills, and blends that will completely transform any photo into a work of art

Tangent iPhone app officially launches to the public on July 11th, and will be available on the App Store  Purchase and Download in iTunes

Device Requirements:
* iPhone with iOS 6.1 or later
* 35.7 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Tangent is $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Photo and Video category.














Tangent Website

About Pixite:

Pixite LLC, located in San Diego, California, was founded by Eugene Kaneko and Scott Sykora in 2009. Pixite creates the highest quality photo viewing apps for iOS devices like Web Albums app, the most popular and highest rated paid Picasa app on the App Store. 

Most recently Pixite produced Tangent, a revolutionary new app that empowers users to recreate photos into stunning geometric works of art. 

About Ben Guerrette:

Ben Guerrette is a creative artist and technologist who produces art generating software applications. With fifteen years in the interactive space, Ben has created award-winning, multimedia experiences for internationally recognized brands. His work gives users the ability to create both temporary and permanent art using touch and motion gesture human interfaces. Ben is the creator and developer of Deco Sketch, used by award winning artists internationally. His latest app, Tangent, which give people the ability to transform their digital images into one-of-a-kind works of art, will be available July 2013.