Joe Reifer

I don’t want to sound like a commercial for the iPhone, but having a GPS capable version of Google Maps in your pocket is incredibly useful. Yesterday I was photographing over in Marin, and then heading to an event in San Rafael in the afternoon. I got directions to the trailhead, used Yelp to find a great burrito place after the hike, searched for the nearest bank because I was running low on cash, got smoothly from the bank to the event, and was able to check the traffic before heading home. Excellent.

There are a few really useful iPhone apps for photographers. Below is a short video tour of some of my favorites: Emerald Chronometer, PhotoCalc, and iCSC (Clear Sky Chart). You’ll also get a useful setup tip, and a quick overview of some free apps for movies, food, and music. Please feel free to leave a comment with your favorite iPhone apps. If anyone has used one of the two popular astronomy apps, Starmap or GoSkyWatch, I’d love to hear what you think!

One key feature of the iPhone that’s not in the video, is having a portfolio of your best images with you at all times. The iPhone’s screen and interface are superb for impromptu image sharing while you’re out and about.

The Tsui House, also known as the fish house, is located on Matthews Street in Berkeley, and was completed in 1995 at a cost of $250,000. The design was inspired by the tardigrade, a small segmented animal related to an anthropod. More details on this project can be found on the Tsui Design website. A 2007 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, and recent write up in the East Bay Express provide additional information on Tsui.

The house is located in an otherwise normal looking SW Berkeley neighborhood. The image above was photographed during the June 2008 full moon around midnight, with an exposure time of approximately 6 minutes. The moon is reflected in the window at upper right. As the camera position faced to the East, the star trails from the long exposure are quite pleasant in a print. This image will be part of a night photography group show called Nocturnes…in Berkeley? that runs July 14th-August 22nd at The Lightroom.

Devil bomber (B-45A Tornado) — by Joe Reifer

Ghost/dog, an outtake from the new Ghost in fog image in the night photography gallery