Author Archives: blurb

Mattebox Camera App & Website

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Over on Petapixel, I saw this post about a sweet looking app and companion website called Mattebox. The app is modeled after a 1990s Konica camera called Hexar. The app looks really beautiful and intuitive:

What I love is that you can play around a bit with the software before you buy it. The app’s author, Ben Syverson, created a website using HTML 5 that shows off the software using a sample image. However, any image can be tweaked using the site. You simply paste the URL of an image and the site will pull it in and allow editing. The site itself is clean and simple and the resulting edits can be stunning:

The app might seem pricey, but the two-stage shutter is worth the price alone. Having composed thousands of shots on DSLRs by holding down the shutter release half way and then recomposing the shot, this looks to make working with selective focus much faster on an iPhone than clicking on an area and waiting for the autofocus.

Check it: Mattebox in the App Store

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I’ve been trying to land on a washed out look that I like. This has been a more difficult task than I initially thought. I think it’s fairly straightforward to amp everything up in terms of saturation and contrast, but getting to a place where the image goes the opposite direction is more difficult.

To get to this image, I desaturated the source and then bumped up the vibrance. I also jacked the white balance temperature a bit higher to bring in more yellows. I love that this looks like it could have been shot in 1974. The desolation is pretty remarkable considering the time of day and the usual volume of traffc along this stretch of I-15.

In Session

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Apologies if the title lead you to believe that this was a therapy reference. While I’m learning a lot in therapy, that has nothing to do with the title.

The state legislature is actually in session. The subject building is where that happens, which some of you may or may not know. This shot of the Utah State Capitol building is one where I’m trying to stretch my palette a bit. By introducing grain inside Lightroom, I feel like it lends a very subtle texture that adds a somewhat pseudo analog feel to the image.

The dome is clad in copper. I’m not entirely sure of the date, but the state re-clad it in 1989 (if you know the correct year, please let me know) and it was gleaming for a few months until the green patina settled in. I wish I had taken shots of it back then, because it looked like a massive new penny. When the sun was setting, the reflection was amazing. The building itself underwent a massive seismic retrofit and restoration a few years back. I took some interior and exterior shots a couple of years ago when Hipstamatic was still new to me:

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I owe a lot of you email. I swear it’s coming. So many of you have written to offer support, tips and encouragement. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your thoughts. I’ve been so very moved by the kindness shown to me during this challenging time. It’s a great thing to receive such beautiful energy. I will answer your messages. Right after I finalize my living arrangements.