Monthly Roundup: September 2018

These last few weeks have been so busy it’s unbelievable, but I’m glad that these last few weeks have been busy and productive as I’ve been able to keep pushing for the best result every time.

As always, I will take a quick look back at the articles/photo moments published over the course of September.

1.9.2018 – The time flew much faster this year than I initially anticipated, but as we head into Autumn, the autumn/winter jackets would be coming out as soon as the temperatures start to dip below 10°.

5.9.2018 – Ahead of the Autumnal cold weather, I was lucky to witness Nature’s Glow!

10.9.2018 – I was lucky to witness Nature’s Early Autumnal Blossom, meanwhile, the sky was the limit for London bearing in mind I was on a long journey as it was a wonderful sight to see that London looked so peaceful first thing in the morning, though I couldn’t resist capturing a photograph of The Shard By Dusk whilst I waited for my last train to arrive to get me home.

11.9.2018 –  Mother Nature showed off her Autumnal Grittiness, whilst the whole of the United Kingdom stood in solidarity on the day that changed the entire world forever.

14.9.2018 – London is always beautiful, and the weather was enough proof that London was in high spirits.

16.9.2018 – The next model I picked to photograph for my photography series was my close friend, Thomas Rodrigues. The photo-set was very brief as I aimed to capture some hidden emotions that I felt were and were not obvious at first but would be on the second glance.

17.9.2018 – Following Apple’s “Gather Round” event on Wednesday 12th September, iOS 12, along with watchOS 5, were finally released after a few months of extensive beta testing.

23.9.2018 – Marking the end of the Summer weather, Mother Nature embraced The Last Glow of Summer with her Autumnal Bloomers!

Thank you so much, everyone, for such a great month. It has been a really busy couple of weeks, but I will try to find some time, if I can, to publish some photos/article moments if the time is available.

Again, thank you so much, everyone, and I shall see you all in October!

Alex Smithson

Nature’s Autumnal Bloomers!

Nature wasn’t afraid to show off her Autumnal Bloomers ahead of the Autumn Equinox!

Were you ready to embrace Nature’s Autumnal Bloomers? I sure was!

I would love to hear your responses below.

Alex Smithson

Date of Photograph Produced: Tuesday 18th September 2018

The Last Glow of Summer!

I was fortunate enough to capture the last glow of Summer before the Autumn Equinox kicked in.

Ready for the Autumn/Fall season?

I feel ready, and I’m prepared as I have my Autumn/Winter jacket at the ready the second it starts to get colder and would love to hear your responses.

Alex Smithson

Date of Photograph Produced: Sunday 16th September 2018

iOS 12: Ahead of Time.

With the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR & Apple Watch Series 4 being announced last Wednesday, it was hardly surprising to see the rumours becoming reality.

After weeks of leaks, hype and anticipation, iOS 12, along with watchOS 5, were finally released after a few months of extensive beta testing.

The speed of the software has dramatically improved the iPhone 7 I’ve been using and I have noticed that a lot of the pre-installed apps have been given a UI (User Interface) overhaul, with some app icons changing completely.

The Photos app has seen some remarkable improvements, and photos, videos, selfies, bursts and screenshots have all been separated into their own designated categories to make organising photographs a lot easier.

Some apps have received complete UI overhauls, and the Voice Memos app has now gone universal by being added to the iPad for the first time since it was launched. Meanwhile, iBooks has officially been renamed to Apple Books.

Safari has received some updates, as icons for tabs have finally been added, though AutoFill for passwords has been improved, as you can now sign in to websites with your email address and password automatically filled in for you if you saved your account passwords to AutoFill.

FaceTime has finally received a much-needed upgrade, as you can now do a group FaceTime video call with up to 32 people at once.

For those of you with an iPhone X, the iPhone X will receive four new Animoji character heads, all of which come bundled with the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max & iPhone XR.

Screen Time is now a thing, as it will tell you how often you pick up your phone to open certain apps you may use frequently (i.e. Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat/Twitter), and you can now set a time limit for the apps you use on a regular basis, so if, for instance, you’re the power-hungry user who uses social media frequently or plays games on your iPhone, iPod touch & iPad, you can now limit how often you can use those apps every day.

Notification Centre received an upgrade, as all your text messages are now grouped together (i.e. WhatsApp & iMessage), social media apps will group notifications as they come in over every hour, and if your iPhone has 3D Touch, you can now clear all notifications with one long press and sweep away notifications that you don’t want to see or are not interested in.

iOS 12 is compatible with the following devices, as listed below:

iPhone

• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone SE
• iPhone 5s

iPad

• 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd generation
• 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st generation
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro
• 9.7-inch iPad Pro
• iPad 6th generation
• iPad 5th generation
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Air
• iPad mini 4
• iPad mini 3
• iPad mini 2

iPod touch

• iPod touch (6th Generation)

Below are the official release notes for iOS 12:

iOS 12 Release Notes

• iOS 12 brings performance improvements and exciting new features to iPhone and iPad. Photos introduces new features to help you rediscover and share the photos in your library, Memoji — a new, more customisable Animoji — make Messages more expressive and fun, Screen Time helps you and your family understand and make the most of the time spent on devices, Siri Shortcuts deliver a faster way to get things done with the ability for any app to work with Siri, augmented reality becomes even more engaging with the ability for developers to create shared AR experiences, and new privacy features help protect you from being tracked on the web. This update introduces new features and improvements to:

Performance

• iOS has been enhanced for a faster and more responsive experience across the system
• All supported devices see improved performance, going back to iPhone 5s and iPad Air
• Camera launches up to 70 per cent faster, the keyboard appears up to 50 per cent faster, and typing is more responsive*
• Apps launch up to twice as fast when your device is under heavy workload*

Photos

• New For You tab helps you discover great photos in your library with Featured Photos, Effect Suggestions and more
• Sharing Suggestions proactively recommend sharing photos taken at events with the people who are in them
• Search enhancements make it easier to find your photos with intelligent suggestions and multiple keyword support
• Search for photos based on the place, business name or event where you were when you took them
• Improved camera import with faster performance and a new large preview mode
• RAW support for editing images

Camera

• Portrait mode improvements preserve fine detail between subject and background when using Stage Light and Stage Light Mono effects
• QR codes are highlighted in the camera frame, making them easier to scan

Messages

• Memoji, a new, more customisable Animoji, make Messages more expressive with personalised characters that are diverse and fun
• Animoji now also include T-Rex, ghost, koala and tiger
• Make Memoji and Animoji wink and stick out their tongue
• New camera effects bring Animoji, filters, text effects, iMessage sticker packs and shapes to the photos and videos you capture in Messages
• Animoji recordings can now capture up to 30 seconds

Screen Time

• Screen Time provides detailed information and tools to help you and your family find the right balance of time spent with apps and websites
• See the time spent in apps, usage across categories of apps, how many notifications are received and how often devices are picked up
• App limits help you set the amount of time you or your child can spend in apps and on websites
• Screen Time for kids lets parents manage how their child uses iPhone and iPad from their own iOS devices

Do Not Disturb

• Turn off Do Not Disturb after a set time, location or calendar event
• Do Not Disturb During Bedtime hides all notifications from your Lock screen while you sleep

Notifications

• Notifications from the same app are automatically grouped together to help you manage your notifications
• Instant Tuning gives you control over your notification settings from the Lock screen
• New Deliver Quietly option silently sends notifications directly to Notification Centre without interrupting you

Siri

• Siri Shortcuts deliver a faster way to get things done with the ability for any app to work with Siri
• Add shortcuts using the “Add to Siri” button in supported apps, or in Settings > Siri and Search
• Siri suggests shortcuts on the Lock screen and in Search
• Get motorsports results, schedules, stats and standings for Formula 1, Nascar, Indy 500 and MotoGP
• Search for photos by time, location, people, topic or recent trips to find relevant photos and Memories in Photos
• Translate phrases in more languages, with support for over 40 language pairs
• Check facts about celebrities, such as when they were born, and ask questions about food, including calories and nutrient content
• Turn the torch on or off
• More natural and expressive voice now available in Irish English, South African English, Danish, Norwegian, Cantonese and Mandarin (Taiwan)

Augmented Reality

• Shared experiences in ARKit 2 let developers create innovative AR apps you can experience together with friends
• Persistence enables developers to save and reload experiences from where you left off
• Object detection and image tracking gives developers new tools to recognise real-world objects and track images while they move through space
• AR Quick Look extends AR throughout iOS, letting you view AR objects with built-in apps like News, Safari and Files, and share them with friends with iMessage and Mail

Measure

• New augmented reality app to measure objects and spaces
• Draw lines across surfaces or in free space to measure, and tap a line’s label to see more information
• Automatically measure rectangular objects
• Capture, share and mark up screenshots of your measurements

Privacy & Security

• Enhanced Intelligent Tracking Prevention in Safari prevents embedded content and social media buttons from tracking cross-site browsing without your permission
• Suppresses ad retargeting by reducing advertisers’ ability to identify iOS devices uniquely
• Strong and unique passwords are suggested automatically when creating an account or changing a password in most apps and in Safari
• Reused passwords are flagged in Settings > Passwords & Accounts
• Security code AutoFill presents one-off security codes sent over SMS as suggestions in the QuickType bar
• Sharing passwords with contacts is easier than ever using AirDrop from Passwords & Accounts in Settings
• Siri supports quickly navigating to a password on an authenticated device

Apple Books

• All-new design that makes discovering and enjoying books and audiobooks easy and fun
• Reading Now makes it simple to get back to the book you’re currently reading or find great recommendations for what to read next
• Add books to the new Want to Read collection to keep track of what you’d like to read next
• The Book Store makes it easy to find your next favourite read with new and popular selections from our Apple Books editors and recommendations chosen just for you
• The new Audiobooks store helps you find immersive stories and informative non-fiction books narrated by your favourite authors, actors and celebrities

Apple Music

• Search now supports lyrics so you can use a few of the words to find a song
• Artist pages have an easier-to-browse design with a personalised station of any artist’s music
• The new Friends Mix is a playlist of songs you’ll love from everything your friends are listening to
• New charts to show you the daily top 100 songs in countries around the world

Apple News

• Apple News is redesigned to make it easier to discover new channels and topics
• The new sidebar on iPad and Channels tab on iPhone make it easy to jump straight to your favourite publications and discover new ones

Stocks

• All-new design lets you easily view stock quotes, interactive charts and top news on iPhone and iPad
• Top Stories section includes articles selected by Apple News editors to highlight the latest news driving the market
• Read Apple News stories directly in the app, formatted to look great on iPhone and iPad
• Watchlist includes colour-coded sparklines that let you see daily performance at a glance
• See an interactive chart for every ticker symbol, plus key details including after-hours price, trading volume and more

Voice Memos

• All-new design with improved ease of use
• iCloud keeps your recordings and edits in sync across all your devices
• Available on iPad with support for both portrait and landscape orientation

TV

• Get notified when films and TV programmes are available to watch in Up Next
• Share your favourite films, TV programmes and sporting events with universal links

Apple Podcasts

• Now supports chapters for shows that include them
• Skip 30 seconds or to the next chapter with forward and back buttons in your car or on your headphones
• Easily manage new episode notifications from the Listen Now screen

Accessibility

• Live Listen now works with AirPods to help you hear more clearly
• RTT phone calling now works with AT&T
• Speak Selection now supports using the Siri voice to speak text that you have selected

Other features and improvements

• Camera effects in FaceTime transform your look in real time
• CarPlay adds support for third-party navigation apps
• On supported campuses, use contactless student ID cards in Wallet to access buildings and pay with Apple Pay
• Website icons can appear in tabs on iPad by enabling them in Settings > Safari
• Weather includes air quality index in supported regions
• Quickly swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go home on iPad
• Swipe down from the top right to access Control Centre on iPad
• Mark Up includes a palette of additional colours and options to change line width and opacity for each tool
• Battery usage chart in Settings now shows your usage for the last 24 hours or 10 days, and you can tap a bar to see app use for that period of time
• On devices without 3D Touch, touch and hold the keyboard Space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad
• Maps adds support for indoor maps for airports and shopping centres with indoor positioning in China
• New definition dictionary in Hebrew, and bilingual dictionaries in Arabic and English, and Hindi and English
• New English thesaurus
• Automatic software updates allow iOS updates to be installed automatically overnight

* Testing conducted by Apple in May 2018 using iPhone 6 Plus supporting normal peak performance, pre-release iOS 11.4 and pre-release iOS 12. Keyboard tested using Safari; Camera tested by swiping from the Lock screen. Performance varies based on specific configuration, content, battery health, usage, software versions and other factors.

Some features may not be available in all countries or all areas; for more information, visit: https://www.apple.com/uk/ios/feature-availability and https://www.apple.com/uk/ios/whats-new

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

https://support.apple.com/HT201222

The Concept of Expression: Thomas Rodrigues

The next model I have picked to photograph for my photography series is my close friend, Thomas Rodrigues.

This photo-set is very brief as I wanted to capture some hidden emotions in this small photo-set that I felt were and were not obvious at first but would be on the second glance.

Thomas is a natural in front of the camera as he was confident, calm and collective and wasn’t afraid to express himself freely.

 

It’s Not How I Feel. It’s the Way I Feel.

What Did You Ask Me?

Thanks for Making Me Feel Positive.

Seriously?

Now I Feel More Relaxed.

You’ve Got My Full Attention Now.

All of these photos were so good that I edited them in-house with Instagram’s Inkwell filter to Black & White. These photos are just as good in colour as they are in Black & White and I was impressed with the final result of this photo-set.

It’s Not How I Feel. It’s the Way I Really Feel.

What Did You Ask Me?

Thanks for Making Me Feel Positive.

Seriously?

Now I Feel More Relaxed.

You’ve Got My Full Attention Now.

This photo-set, for me, is a remarkable improvement in the photography skills I currently have, as I’ve always intended on improving on my work every time I produce a photo-set.

Photography isn’t just about improving on what you already know, rather it’s the hunger and passion to produce the work and the attention you pay to every small detail of a photograph that really matters.

It’s not just all in the details, it’s all in the passion and whether you have a keen eye to do photography.

For me, I can say I have a keen eye in my own photography work as I produce the photography work, and I oversee the work I produce, as my photography work is me showing all of you what I can do, and the photography work that I produce myself is my own signature, as this is the work I want you to see; the reality instead of the expectation.

Also, mental health is something close to my heart, and with these photos, especially the photo-sets I produce, I intend for my work to raise awareness and give hope that you can always be yourself, you can always express yourself freely and always be open in a world that expects otherwise and there’s absolutely no shame in being open with everyone.

The captions I use on the photo-sets I produce I have made myself as I intend to explore real emotions, but also capture hidden emotions that aren’t visible at first glance but will become visible on the second or third glance.

If you feel there are any improvements I could make for next time, please comment below what you feel I could improve on for the future photo-sets I intend to produce.

Alex Smithson

DSLR Used: Nikon D3300

Lens Used: 18 – 55 mm NIKKOR Lens

London is Beautiful…As Always!

London is always beautiful where the scenery comes into motion and today was no different.

Please see below the original, unedited photograph, including the edited version.

I felt this photo stood out more unedited and edited because it has a mixture of both, though I wanted to make sure the photo would pop and show some details that may have not been noticeable before but will be noticeable now.

Original Version

Edited Version

Did you travel up to London today or in the last few weeks?

I would love to hear your responses below.

Alex Smithson

9.11: Standing in Solidarity, 17 Years On.

The whole of the United Kingdom stands in solidarity on the day that changed the entire world forever.

Please value every precious second and value the time you have with everyone because each day could be your last, so please value the precious time and value and never take life for granted.

Life is precious, so share it with everyone and make a difference.

It is very hard to believe and numbing to accept it was exactly 17 years ago today the world changed forever, but stand in solidarity for everyone and anyone who lost their loved ones on that fateful day.

Also, please remember the people who fought to save lives on this day 17 years ago.

Alex Smithson

Autumnal Grittiness!

As we head towards the end of the year, mother nature shows off her autumnal grittiness ahead of the autumn season.

Did mother nature show off her autumnal grittiness for you ahead of the autumn season?

I would love to hear your responses.

Alex Smithson

The Shard By Dusk!

After a long and tiring journey on Thursday, I couldn’t resist capturing a photograph of The Shard By Dusk whilst I waited for my last train to arrive to get me home.

Original Photo

Edited Black & White Version

Did you get caught in the rainfall on the way home from your daily commute?

I would love to hear your responses. Please feel free to comment below.

Alex Smithson

Date of Photograph Produced: Thursday 6th September 2018

The Sky’s the Limit for London!

The sky was most certainly the limit for London on Thursday morning, bearing in mind I was on a long journey, and it was a wonderful sight to see London looking peaceful first thing in the morning.

Original Photo

Edited Photo

Were you in London in the early hours of Thursday morning?

If so, was it tranquil and peaceful for you, or was it busy and packed for you where you were?

I would love to hear your responses. Please feel free to comment below.

Alex Smithson

Date of Photograph Produced: Thursday 6th September 2018