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Photography Apps & Tools to Enhance Your Travel Photos

Guest Post by Lisa Leavitt

I still lug around my heavy 35 mm Canon camera, just like I still tend toward actual books and dirty bulky newspapers. However, you can’t be but amazed at what your iPhone camera is capable of doing. Here are some excellent apps and tools that will give you a hand toward creating those memorable pictures you’ve yearned to be able to take:

 
Ollo Clip
Ollo Clip is a four-in-one lens that can be easily attached to your iPhone or iPad. The four lenses include a wide angle, fish-eye (think strange distortions), 10x macro lens gets you 10x closer and the 15x lens gets you 15x closer (yep, peach fuzz). Pocket sized and very handy, these are extra cool. Remember, the one downside is you have to attach the lenses to the naked iPhone, so cases need to be removed before use. They did invent a special Quick-Flip case for it so you may want to check those out. The four-in-one for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus should be ready to ship by late November, just in time for the holidays. Made for iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, and 6 is to come shortly. Also works on Samsung Galaxy. Only $79.
 
Galileo
You likely have a dock for your iPod that amplifies the sound of your music. The Galileo is a dock for your iPhone that gives it a robotic spin rotating in every direction, expanding your photographic possibilities to the extreme. Features include time lapse video that can capture the transformations of the sky during sunrises and sunsets and passing cloud formations, face tracking technology allowing for hand free selfies, object tracking for hand free videography, and spherical photos featuring a composite picture taken from 360 degrees of angles.  $99.95-$149.95
 
GroupShot
This app merges a series of photos into one that everyone loves. Ever take a fantastic family photo but one person manages to blink so it’s just not perfect? Here’s your solution. Load all the pictures you have of that latest family photo, and replace the less than optimal face with one from another take. Problem solved. GroupShot costs .99 in the App Store.

 
ProHDR X 
Incredible definition for smart phone photos, called High Dynamic Range, combines several different exposures into one so you can create a single well-exposed image. You can easily turn on the HDR setting on your iPhone camera by tapping on the options button and turning on the HDR switch. It may take a bit longer to take an HDR photo, but it’s usually worth it. If you want even better HDR quality, try ProHDR X, which was just introduced last month. This app allows your iPhone camera to simultaneously get details on the object in focus, get the lush, saturated color you desire, show shadows with depth and produce a final image that looks almost surreal it’s so focused and highly contrasted. $1.99 from the App store.
 
TouchRetouch
This app will remove unwanted people and content from your photos. Use your finger to change your photos at will. The photos look very convincing and the app is a cinch to use. TouchRetouch is .99 in App Store.
 
 

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The Debut of the Fenway Park Suite at Boston’s Hotel Commonwealth

As part of Hotel Commonwealth’s $50 million expansion to double its size, they included another one of their signature theme rooms, one that’s destined to be adored by Red Sox Nation. The new Fenway Park Suite overlooks the iconic park and features original ballpark seats on its spacious terrace along with a mitt where you can catch one of Big Papi’s last home runs. Fenway Faithful will also relish all the memorabilia indoors, including the #6 from The Green Monster scoreboard, originally given to Johnny Pesky when his number was retired in 2008; signed baseball and vintage baseball cards from Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky; actual tickets from 1946, 1967 and 1975 World Series games; a coffee table signed by numerous Red Sox legends; and mixed-media artwork of Carlton Fisk created by Massachusetts artist Stephen Sheffield to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park. And forget that mint on the pillow. Guests staying in the Fenway Park Suite receive a bag of Fenway dirt as a special turndown amenity.  

 
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How to Buy a Turkish Carpet

Numerous vendors, most who speak excellent English, will approach you in Turkey, and invite you into their shop for cay (tea). Some shop owners will even offer lunch and introduce you to their families. By all means, except and enjoy their hospitality. After tea, they will throw down carpet after carpet, explaining in detail the point of origin, age, materials, and processes of weaving, knot-tying, and wool-dying techniques. Undoubtedly you will feel indebted to your new friend. The owner knows this, because that’s when he hooks you.
    “Which one do you like?”
    “I love the one in the corner,” you say while lunging for the prized possession.
    “Yes, you have a good eye. It is very fine workmanship. Over a hundred years old…How much are you willing to spend?”
You name a price and the owner shakes his head and laughs. He then looks at you and acts insulted. “I have to earn a profit. I have a family to feed.” Pangs of guilt emerge and before you know it, you’re walking out of the shop with a carpet you paid three or four time the normal price. This is the typical scenario and mistakes are plentiful. Here are some tips to assure that this won’t happen to you:

Never purchase a carpet in the first store you enter. By going into several stores before buying your carpet, you become knowledgeable about pricing and gain bargaining experience.

Act indifferent. If a shop owner realizes you love a carpet, he will overcharge you.

Make the owner quote the first price. Shop owners want you to say a price first. Don’t do it.

Test the age and quality. An older rug is usually more expensive than a new one. A slightly worn look can add to its charm.

Be patient. Bartering is time consuming. You might have to walk out of the store a number of times.

Never feel obligated to purchase a carpet. Since acting like a new friend is part of the shop owner’s sales tactic, this can be difficult. Never buy anything you don’t truly want.
 

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Climb Katahdin

The sweltering days of summer is when my mind wanders to the lofty peaks of North America. Unless you like climbing with ice axe and crampons, this is the best time to bag a peak. This week, I’ll be discussing some of my favorite climbs in the States. First stop, mighty Mount Katahdin at Baxter State Park, Maine. 

 
Katahdin is a fitting end to the Appalachian Trail in the north. Reaching the mass of rock atop the 5,267 foot summit is a challenge to the most experienced climber, even the AT thru-hiker who spent the last six months racking up more than 2,100 miles. Yet, it’s somewhat of a disappointment that the AT ascends Katahdin from the Hunt Trail, the easiest (if there’s such a thing) and least spectacular path to the peak. For an unparalleled mountainous ascent in the northeast, you should opt for the Knife Edge. Like the name implies, this three to foot wide granite sidewalk sharply drops off more than 1,500 feet on either side.  
 
The best way to reach the Knife Edge is the Helen Taylor Trail from the Roaring Brook Campground.  All the ascents are a struggle. You start at about 1,500 feet and don’t stop climbing until you run out of mountain. When the Helen Taylor trail hits Pamola Peak, a little over three miles into the climb, bear left to find the Knife Edge.  First you’ll ascend South Peak, then Baxter Peak, the actual summit of Katahdin. Rest those spaghetti legs and take in the exquisite vistas of northern Maine—Chesuncook Lake, the West Branch of the Penobscot River, Big and Little Spencer Mountains, and all the peaks that form massive Katahdin.
 
As you gloat, proud of your grand accomplishment, just remember that Henry David Thoreau climbed Katahdin without a trail. “It was vast, Titanic, such as man never inhabits. Some part of the beholder, even some vital part, seems to escape through the loose grating of his ribs as he ascends,” Thoreau noted in The Maine Woods.   No doubt, you’ll agree.
 
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Julius Jermanok Enjoyed The Ride

I was out of the office all last week, dealing with the unexpected death of my 83 year-old father. Jules Jermanok was a brilliant man, graduating at the top of his college class at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point), before having an esteemed career at General Electric. He was my most trusted advisor, teaching me life lessons like “Enjoy the Ride.” Like him at one point of his working life, I was jumping from plateau to plateau, never satisfied with my current success. Highly ambitious, I was missing out on life, taking precious friendships and relationships for granted. So he taught me to chill out and enjoy the ride, to live life in the present. 

He was always open to new experiences, new adventures. Last winter, I had to write a story on the Everglades. My brother came down with me and we sea kayaked through mangroves, biked on abandoned dirt roads, and then partook in an unusual experience called a swamp walk. My father insisted on going, so we bought him Tevas and met our guide, thinking that we’d be wading in ankle-deep water. Wrong! We walked into murky water up to our waist trying to stand on the unsteady ground. The guide told us about all the exquisite orchids that bloomed in the swamp in June. Unfortunately, it was December. The only thing I was looking at was the water behind me, making sure there weren’t any alligators or pythons lurking. At one point, my father turns to me and says, “Is this worth it?”
 
My dad is already sorely missed, leaving a huge void in my life, but I’m thankful to have memories like this one to hold onto. 
 
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MLK Ski Resort Deals at Liftopia

With most regions in the country getting snow this week, MLK Weekend is turning out to be a great time to carve those perfect turns. Don’t be foolish and wait until the last minute to purchase your lift tickets. Check out Liftopia, the largest online marketplace for discounted lift tickets. Some of the many deals on the site this week include a three-day lift ticket at Jay Peak starting at $125, a 42% savings compared to walk-up window rates. In upstate New York, three-day lift tickets at Gore Mountain start at $128, a 45% savings. Out West, at Colorado’s Copper Mountain, three-day lift tickets start at $194. Taos is also offered, with a three-day lift ticket that start at $182 (26% savings). Check it out and have a great weekend! I’ll be back on Tuesday. 

 
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Hotel Explora, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile is a twisted mass of monoliths and hoodoos that rise sharply from the dry Patagonian steppe, a stunning glacial landscape where guanacos (orange and white-colored members of the llama family), rheas (ostriches), and flamingos congregate near watering holes. This is where Town & Country Magazine sent me to check out the luxurious, yet intimate Hotel Explora. Its superior location is apparent upon entering the lobby. The resort has vistas of the park’s most dramatic formation, The Horns, a block of sweeping granite that pierces the clouds.  Almost all of the hotel’s thirty rooms, even the whirlpool-adorned bathrooms, afford the same mind-blowing view.
 

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