Howdy!

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Things are looking brighter here at the ol’ Grier household.

Mr. B awoke this morning fever free and feeling like his old self again. Whew. I am not entirely sure what he had because who goes from a 102 degree temperature back to 98 in less than twenty-four hours? Hmmm…strange. Oh well, I am just glad that he is feeling better.

Today I wanted to mix things up.

Ya know, get a little funky and creative because that’s how we roll around here on CGM. Word.

As many of you know, I LOVE taking pictures. From sunsets to a cup of coffee to the adorable Mr. B, it all has a special place in my heart. But the funny thing, I didn’t know I had a passion for photography until I started this blog. Scouts honor. When Mr. B and I were in Europe over Spring Break my junior year of college, I would get extremely annoyed every time he would stop and take a picture. Why? Oh because I was a huge brat! I still can’t figure out why on Earth I would get so mad at him for taking a picture of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Who does that? Sometimes I wonder why he married me.

I digress.

Thank goodness I grew out of my picture hating phase because now, I am completely smitten with photography. One of my goals for 2012 is to officially go off auto mode on my Canon and start using the manual mode. This means that I will have to learn fancy camera terms like aperture and shutter speed. But I am up for the challenge.

Another goal of mine down the road would be to actually teach people how to take photos. What do you think? Yay or nay? Wouldn’t it be fun to have a section for photography on CGM? Yes? Oh goodie!

Alright back to the post.

I thought it would be fun to share with you guys my top 3 favorite camera apps for my iPhone that I use daily. Don’t get me wrong, I love my dSLR, but sometimes you need to mix it up.

#1: Pixlormatic

– I recently stumbled upon this app a couple of days ago. I didn’t really know what to expect, but let me tell you, it’s pretty freaking sweet. Besides the fact that it’s FREE, Pixlormatic offers a variety of different filters, lighting, and stylish borders. Plus, it’s user friendly, which means quicker uploads to Facebook or Twitter.

BEFORE: a simple cup of Cuban coffee

AFTER: a Cuban coffee directly from 1950

#2: Big Lens

– I discovered this app through one of the big photography blogs, Kevin and Amanda. This app is mainly used to focus on a single subject. It allows you to blur everything around the object to make it pop. There are some nice filter options, but overall, the app is somewhat limited. Even though it’s only 99 cents, and I don’t use it everyday, I still like to have it as an option for certain pictures.

BEFORE: a pretty average day at Wash Park

AFTER: a Bob Ross inspired picture of Wash Park

#3: Camera+

– This app is hands down my favorite of all three. Best 99 cents I ever spent. From the filters to the borders to the editing features, you seriously can’t go wrong with this app. If I need to do quick editing like add a flash, rotate a picture, or add a vintage feel to a photo in less than two minutes, I always use this app. Plus, like Pixlormatic, the uploading time is quick.

BEFORE: a picture of our regular hands



AFTER: a more thought provoking picture of our hands

Well, there you have it! My top 3 favorite camera apps for my iPhone. I hope you check some of them out because like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Cheers!

Thankful Challenge: Day 16

Today I am thankful for turkey burgers because no matter how big they are, I don’t feel bad eating the whole thing….especially with bacon and caramelized onions are on top. Amen.