Day 181 of 365 Day Challenge

My first day in Beijing and no chance to get many photos. The best turned out to be a photo from the hotel room.

Apps: Hipstamatic, Enlight 

Day 180 of 365 Day Challenge

Took two of my friends to the Sik Sik Yuen Wong temple in Hong Kong today which represents three religions: Taoist, Buddhism and Confucianism. The lanterns with all the incense just adds an air of festiveness about the place and I love the lantern shadows on the ground in today's photo.

Apps: Hipstamatic, Snapseed

Day 179 of 365 Day Challenge

Apps: Hipstamatic, Snapseed

Day 178 of 365 Day Challenge

On the streets of Hong Kong.

Apps: Hipstamatic, Snapssed, iColorama

Day 177 of 365 Day Challenge

I'm very lucky to live between two parks so if I go towards the city I walk through Hong Kong Botanical Gardens and if I walk the opposite way I walk through Hong Kong Park. I decided to get some exercise late afternoon and walk into town for a coffee and to do some photography.

I'm just amazed what photographs I get when I am especially going out to get one. Walking around the edge of the park I heard some frogs and discovered a little pond I hadn't noticed before. Oh, and there were some great frogs that you normally can't get close to because the pond is usually too big. The first frog hopped away quickly but I managed to get fairly close to the next one before he scarpered.

There was virtually nothing I needed to do to the photo I got except rotate it and maybe up the saturation slightly which I did in Snapseed.

Day 176 of 365 Day Challenge

Apps: Snapseed, iColorama, Imaengine, Facetune, SketchClub, Artomation, Retouch

Day 175 of 365 Day Challenge

View of Hong Kong from Bowen Road

Day 174 of 365 Day Challenge

Went on a great boat trip today with all my 'Golden Girl' friends. 14 of us. What a fun day. Anchored near Kau Sai Chau and not long before we were in the water and floating around on 'noodles' having a good chinwag with nostalgic 70s/80s music in the background.

On the way, terns started appearing and hovering behind the boat, maybe to get fish that might be churned up by the propellers. Wish I had an Olloclip x2 telephoto lens. Could have got some sensational shots. Anyhow, managed to get a few good shots so here are three, the first being the photo of the day.

Today's shots was taken with Hipstamatic and edited with Snapseed.

Day 173 of 365 Day Challenge

I've been experimenting with doing art journal pages on the iPad, particularly doodling and backgrounds. So this was today's picture together with a photo of a statue.

Apps; Hipstamatic, SketchClub, iColorama, Superimpose, Repix

Day 172 of 365 Day Challenge

Played golf today at the public golf course on Kau Sai Chau. It was a miserable day and when we got to the 4th tee a sheet of rain descended on us without warning. I quickly got out of the buggy to cover my clubs and was soaking wet in less than a minute. The gentleman playing with us was far better prepared. He obviously knew what was coming. The secret is to already have your clubs ready to cover, then jump into your buggy, put up the umbrellas on either side of the buggy and just wait out the 5 minutes while the rain lashes down! We had about 4 of these downpours and it brings new meaning to the words sopping wet and drenched. The most uncomfortable game I have ever played and was totally relieved to get back to the clubhouse at the end of the day and have a good shower. If we had been playing on our own, no ways would I have done more than 9 holes!

Anyhow, quickly took a photo of these flowers while the men were driving from the tee to make sure I had something to show by the end of the day.

Day 171 of 365 Day Challenge

Day 170 of 365 Day Challenge

Day 169 of 365 Day Challenge

I love coffee shops. I don't know why. Whenever I live in a new place, it becomes a ritual to find the best coffee shops. I go there snuggle in a chair, catch up on my iPad and watch the world go by. For whatever reason it feels sort of social. So today's photo is dedicated to one of my favourite drinks and pastimes.

Apps: Superimpose, iColorama, Adobe Sketch, Adobe Brush, Adobe Shape, Aerograph and Stackables

Day 168 of 365 Day Challenge

Mobile Apps: Hipstamatic, iColorama, Etchings

Day 167 of 365 Day Challenge

I went for lunch at a dim sum restaurant called Ming Yuen which is part of the Parkview Club in Tai Tam, Hong Kong. What I wasn't expecting was an exhibition of wonderful art in the foyers and landings, much of which was by very well known Asian artists which I recognise from some of my trips to art museums here.

I just loved this wax model of a butler which was at the entrance to the downstairs restaurant because when I first turned and saw it I thought it was for real. I have grunge him up in the Formulas app.

Day 166 of 365 Day Challenge

I'm feeling a real need to add some arty stuff to my photo manipulation so copied a photograph of a water bottle and glass I took today using SketchClub, with a final change of the canvas size in iColorama. I'm doing an online class in Values so this was my inspiration.

Day 165 of 365 Day Challenge

I was walking through Hong Kong Park this morning on my way to do some shopping. It had recently rained and everything was still dripping but it was already humid at 9.30am. Walking down the steps I saw something minute hopping in front of me. Oh, oh, oh, it's the tiniest of tiny frogs. Got to get a photo and unusually I am not prepared so I fumble in my bag for my iPhone at the same time trying to deflect the little chap from jumping away. Fortunately he has man-size steps to climb up. I snap, snap, snap but realise that I really need to put my macro lens on so more fumbling in the bag and waving at the little frog to keep him on the path and in the meantime the mosquitoes have smelled my blood and are hovering all over and I'm slapping at them too. The occasional person walking past must have thought I was insane. Oh damn and the macro lens has just fogged up so I'm wiping the lens, swatting at the mossies, shooing the frog. I finally get a couple of shoots off before I lose my subject but not sure if I have managed to get a good capture.

I have my hands full with lens caps and what-have-you so although I am excited to see the results, I decide to carry on to my favourite coffee shop and have a look there. Well, I didn't get the perfect shot. There were some great pictures of him climbing up the steps which were blurred but I was fairly happy with two of them and here they are. The first one being my shot of the day and one taken with the Olloclip macro lens and the second one actually the first picture I took. Both were taken with Hipstamatic and slightly enhanced in Snapseed.

Day 164 of 365 Day Challenge

5 minutes after I stepped outside to take some daily pictures I had a phone call so had one possible photo to work with, an interesting building at the end of my road which I figure must have been an old sentry block which guarded the start or end of this road. The steps behind it lead to the old British Military Hospital which is now occupied by a school as well as other small community organisations.

I took it into the new formulas app and tried a couple of textures but it all looked a bit wishy-washy to me so took it into iColorama and after umpteen blends, brushes and the final use of Flat came up with this.

Day 163 of 365 Day Challenge

I was walking through Hong Kong Park and saw this gorgeous butterfly on some lovely little flowers but it didn't stay still for a moment. As well as taking some photos I took a video and ended up taking one of the stills from the video using Snapstill. I cropped it in Snapseed and increased the size in iResize. It was pretty blurred so I took it into SketchClub and started sharpening the edges by drawing around some of the elements. I finally took it into iColorama and upped the vibrancy and then used Style>Coherence to give it a painterly look and sharpen it even more. Here is the after and before:

Day 162 of 365 Day Challenge

It's a Thursday night and my hubby has a business supper so I have decided to go into the city to eat and do some photography. I love the area around the Mid-Levels escalator. Lots of lights, people and action.

I decided to go with this picture of the red Hong Kong taxis because it is so typical of this area: steep slopes, taxis and traffic jams.

Manipulated in Snapseed and Pixelinout.

Day 161 of 365 Day Challenge

Took a couple of pictures of flowers in Hong Kong Botanical Gardens and using iColorama and a blend from Megaphoto+ I created today's picture. The final treatment was the use of the new Bristle brush in iColorama.

Day 160 of 365 Day Challenge

Out and about today so took some pictures of the window displays in the mall and this is today's manipulation.

Apps: Hipstamatic, iColorama, Imaengine, Drawing Carl

Day 159 of 365 Day Challenge

Literally put my feet up this week when it came to my daily photos.

Apps: iPad camera, Snapseed, iColorama

Day 158 of 365 Day Challenge

I haven't played golf in Hong Kong for almost a year, but today my hubby and I went to Kau Sai Chau. This is an island off Sai Kung that has 3 public golf courses donated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for the public. It's a beautiful location and the courses are a real challenge. We made the mistake of booking at 1pm because this time last year it wasn't nearly so hot but we were playing the North Course which is a walking course with lots of hilly walking. By the end of 9 holes, I had to give up the heat was so intense but my husband carried on and at the end said that he hardly managed to finish. He is strong so I made a good decision not to continue. We won't do that again!

Here's a photo I took today from the club house looking out on the North course. Edited with Snapseed.

Day 157 of 365 Day Challenge

Day 156 of 365 Day Challenge

I've been experimenting with all my new 'toys' on the iPad and none of them are perfect but with a bit of this in one app and a bit of that in another app and wonderful iColorama to pull it together I have something I like.

Apps: Hipstamatic, Autopainter2, Formulas, iColorama (including the new bristle brush which is growing on me).

Day 155 of 365 Day Challenge

On my way to Wan Chai in the upper level of the tram. Apps: Hipstamatc, Snapseed and iColorama.

Day 154 of 365 Day Challenge

Apps: ProCam, SketchClub, iColorama, Aerograph

Day 153 of 365 Day Challenge

I went on another nature/insect finding mission today but covered in mosquito spray. However, I made the mistake of washing my hands and boy they still got me despite the fact that I could actually see them on my hand while I took photographs, the little blighters.

Anyhow, I saw this fly on a leaf and I thought no way would he just sit there while I took a close up with my iPhone and Olloclip but he didn't move a muscle. Was really pleased with the result. Can see all the little hairs and everything. Macro photography really is very rewarding!

Taken with Hipstamatic and enhanced in iColorama.

Day 152 of 365 Day Challenge

I went for a walk late afternoon today along my road, Bowen Road, which has a wonderful joggers path with overhanging vegetation. I felt that I should make more of an effort today to get a good daily photo and took my macro lens with me. It wasn't long before I realised that I should have applied some mosquito spray! Every time I stopped to take a close up there was a mossie hovering around my arms which doesn't bode well for keeping the camera still with a macro lens! Anyhow I did manage to get some good shots before giving up. Here is today's photo taken with Hipstamatic and tuned in Snapseed.

Bowen Road