iPhone photos…

Just a few…I was clearing off some of the stuff I’ve grabbed with my iPhone and I thought I’d put a few of them on the blog.   The iPhone is definitely not a Nikon digital single lens reflex camera, but it’s better than not having a camera at all.  I’ve been reading a bit about the new Samsung phone (it’s supposed to have a really great camera and unlike the iPhone, it’s waterproof).   I may upgrade to the Samsung, but in the meantime, here a few recent phone photos.

These first two photos are of a 2014 Corvette I saw on my way into work today.   I just haven’t seen that many new Vettes on the road since the ’14 model change, and this morning I saw two!   After I recovered from that, I grabbed these two pics…

You might wonder why there appears to be several superimposed images in those two photos above (especially in that second one on the freeway).   Well, it’s because there actually are three superimposed images in each photo.   I had the iPhone camera in the HDR mode (that stands for high dynamic range), which basically takes three photos in rapid succession each time you press the shutter button.   The idea is that one is overexposed, one is underexposed, and the third is supposed to be just right.   If you’re holding the camera still, there’s not much movement and all three images are right on top of each other.   The camera then kind of blends them together to get the entire photo properly exposed.   The problem here is that I wasn’t holding the camera still…I was holding it with one hand while the Subie was bouncing along.   It grabbed three photos all right, but there was enough camera movement that it couldn’t superimpose them.   It’s an interesting effect.

You know, that blue color really works on the new Vette.  The other one was a metallic maroon, and it wasn’t nearly as attractive.   The blue Vette had black mag wheels and red brake calibers, and the whole affair looked very business like.   I thought it looked great.

Here’s another photo I grabbed when I was the airport this weekend.   It’s a Kawi police cruiser that’s most likely been purchased at auction by a civilian after the police ran the wheels off the thing.   These are pretty cool bikes.  They’re tough as nails, not terribly comfortable, but generally in very good condition because the police pay good money to keep them in perfect condition (your tax dollars at work, I guess).  I’ve toyed with the idea of getting one of these bikes myself and maybe painting one dark metallic blue with gray and orange pinstripes, but I have too many other projects underway right now.  Maybe someday, but not any time soon.

My friend Bob rides a police Beemer, and he left it in the black-and-white paint scheme the motor officers use.   I’ll tell you, that comes in handy.   When you pull up behind some dufus running 55 mph in the fast lane, they move over pretty quickly.

Here’s another iPhone photo…a cool VW painted a flat OD green color.   I spotted this one last week…

I like that OD green color.   One of my all time favorite CSC motorcycles is the Sarge.   The color just works.   Maybe it’s my Army background, but I really like it.

And one last photo…I was in a very small town in Missouri last month, complete with a county courthouse…

That photo above has been tweaked a bit in Photoshop, and I like the way it looks.  The town is Maryville (it’s about 80 miles northwest of Kansas City), and if you ever find yourself out there, you’ll see a little Thai restaurant right behind where I was standing when I snapped this photo.   You can’t miss it; it’s right across the street from the courthouse, and it’s special.   It’s the best Thai food I’ve had this side of Bangkok.   Trust me on this…you won’t be disappointed, and you can’t get the restaurant wrong…it’s the only Thai place in Maryville.

Like I said, the iPhone does okay.   It’s no Nikon, but it’s better than not having a camera.   But I am going to check out the new Samsung phone, and if I pull the trigger on that one, I’ll let you know about it.