Sponsored: AT&T LG G4 Smartphone Sweepstakes & Photography Tips

Disclosure:  I received an LG G4 from AT&T and was compensated by AT&T for this post, however the opinions are entirely my own.    

I was so excited to be contacted to try out the LG G4 smartphone because I had heard about the amazing photo capabilities on this phone.  It really is fantastic, just wait until you see the photos captured with this phone below.  To celebrate the capture capability and 2TB storage on the LG G4, AT&T is giving away one LG G4 every 4,000 seconds (or every 66 minutes).  The 4,000 Seconds Sweepstakes started on May 29th and runs through June 20th, so you still have a chance to win (check out all the details on how to enter at the bottom of this post).

I take A LOT of photos with my smartphone, so having the opportunity to try out this phone with its advanced camera features was definitely something I was eager to do.  And I have to tell you I was blown away by all of its' features!

First off, let me say that I was most impressed by it's manual capabilities.  The LG G4 allows you to adjust your ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed and has an impressive 1.8 aperture.  As a photographer, having these features in a smartphone is beyond exciting! I was amazed by the images I could take with this phone.  Just check out these photos, with a few tips on settings, taken in my backyard.

For this snail shot, I used the manual mode and and set the aperture to 1.8 because I wanted the background blurred out and the focus on the snail.   Pretty awesome!

In the photo below, I kept the aperture at 1.8 in order to get the bokeh in the background.

Here is another image where I kept the aperture at 1.8 (can you tell that I love this feature?) and did a top down photo.  I love images where you change the perspective to add interest.

In this next image, I was drawn to how the light was shining through all the vases of flowers. I increased my aperture just a bit (to make sure all the vases were in focus).     :)

For action shots, having the ability to manually set the shutter speed is a great feature.  In this photo, I increased the shutter speed in order to freeze the motion.

Some of the other camera features on this phone are the ability to shoot RAW photos (for those of you who like to do some post-processing), a voice command feature to activate the shutter (i.e. "say cheese" and click), the ability to get the perfect selfie with an 8 MP front facing camera and convenient gesture interface (activate the shutter by opening and closing your fist).  Oh and let's not forget about the skin softening tool (bye, bye wrinkles).

Here's a selfie I captured with my mom (notice my dog Lulu photobombed us in the background).

The LG G4 has an auto mode (your average phone camera mode) and simple mode (a more pared down auto mode) for those of you who do not want to mess around with camera configurations.  All and all if you are looking for a new smartphone with an awesome camera, the LG G4 is definitely one to consider.  It is a great device for capturing hi-res images and video with plenty of storage space and it supports up to a 2 TB MicroSD card (MicroSD cards sold separately).

Additional features of the LG G4 include:

Dimensions: 5.86 x 3.0 x 0.38” (min 0.25”)

Operating System: Android Lollipop 5.1

Processor: 1.8 GHz 64 bit hexa-core processor

Battery: removable 3,000 mAh that provides up to 21 hours of talk time7

Ready to enter the Sweepstakes? For a chance to win, participants need to: 

1. Register at http://4kseconds.att.com/ 
2. Upload a picture they took from their phone. This can be done from a mobile device, tablet or computer. Images need to be .jpg or .png and less than 1 MB.

There is also a contest component to this program. All submitted photos (deemed eligible by the Official Rules) will also be housed on a gallery on the sweepstakes website. These will be open to public voting in order to determine a public appeal score. The photos will also be judged by a panel of judges. 

The photo with the highest combination score from the judges and public appeal will be deemed the Grand Prize Winner and will receive a 55” Class Smart Curved 4K OLED 3D TV with webOS 2.0 and a 3D-Blu-Ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers. The second and third highest ranked photos will be deemed the First and Second Prize Winner. These winners will receive a 65” Class IPS 4K UHD Smart LED TV with webOS 2.0 and 3D-Capable Blu-ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers. The winners will be announced upon completion of the Judging Period, which ends July 9th. 

Learn more at this AT&T Consumer Blog post and Mobile Minute video.

A Beautiful Mess App Review

I am addicted to iPhone apps.  I love using filters, textures, text and making collages with my iPhone photos.  So when I heard that one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess, was coming out with their own app, I HAD to check it out.

This app incorporates the signature style of the A Beautiful Mess lifestyle blog using hand-drawn doodles by Elsie & Emma.  If you are familiar with their blog, you'll know what I mean.

What it includes is:

• filters
• pre-written phrases
• pre-drawn doodles
• pre-drawn borders
• text 

It is a fun little app that is perfect for anyone who loves playing around with their photos and Instagram.   It is only .99 cents in the App store, however there is an extra charge for additional doodles, fonts, and borders.  The filter selection is not as robust as other apps, however I wouldn't really use the app for that.  I'm more about the fun fonts, doodles and borders.  Super cute!!

Here are a few I doodled up using their app.....cute, he?

So if you are looking for another great app to add to your collection, you should definitely check out the ABM App. 

Beyond the Green Box--Moving Past the Auto Mode

Earlier this month I attended the BlogHer conference in San Diego.  It was a fantastic experience and I met a lot of amazing women and bloggers.   One evening while attending a cocktail party, I was asked to take a picture of two women.   I gladly obliged and after snapping the picture handed back her SLR camera.  When she looked at the photo she said, "Wow, you must be a professional."  I smiled and said that I  had a photography business.

Creating Planets--Fun with Photos

If you are like us, you probably spend a lot of time on the web looking at various photo streams and photography blogs for ideas and inspiration.  

This week, while poking around (for hours) I stumbled upon this very cool photo project on Ramblings and Photos by Ashley Sisk.  She was inspired to do this "planet photography" from  photographer, Cheryl Tupsch who was inspired by Dirk's photo blog.  Anyway, the domino effect of inspiration continues on with me and hopefully you too.   Click on any of the blog links above to see the tutorial on how to create this cool effect.

Here is my "Desert Planet"..............

And here is the original photo......... Pretty cool, eh?

New View--Changing Perspective When Taking Photos

Do you ever find yourself taking a bunch of photos, loading them on your computer and then forgetting about them?    Of course, I'm referring to the photos you take for yourself not the ones for your clients. :)   Lately that seems to be my modus operandi.  I've been too swamped with other things (school auction, middle school graduation, son's birthday, a few photo jobs, etc.) and have not given my photos the attention they deserve.......

So this evening I decided to go through and edit some photos I took last month from my day trip to Filoli Gardens and I found myself appreciating the beauty of this wonderful place all over again.  If you have never been, you should definitely make the trip.  I have lived in California for  20 years and I am kicking myself for not visiting this gorgeous mansion and gardens sooner.


Anyway, that day I had so much fun shooting flowers from all sorts of different angles.  I'm sure the other tourists were wondering who the crazy lady was sprawled out on the ground taking pictures of flowers up towards the sky.  Or why without even looking through the lens, I would hold my camera at hip height and snap photos.  I was having a great time experimenting and the big lesson learned was changing your perspective can lead to very interesting photos.

Here are just a few of my favorites from the day......

Fabulous Foxgloves......

I'm not sure what these flowers are--some type of Agapanthus?

Poppin' Poppies

Do you have some fresh perspectives to share?  Leave a link to your favorite photos.  We'd love to see them!