I am setting out on a trip around the world to capture photos for my very first travel photography book. I’m inspired by the freedom of shooting, editing, and sharing photos with a light-weight mobile device, so I’m leaving my professional camera gear at home and capturing the entire journey with an iPhone 4S (well actually two incase one gets tromped on by an elephant or snatched by a meer cat).

Over the past year, I’ve taken more pictures with my iPhone than my Canon 5DMKII. I’ve been really impressed by the dramatic quality improvements of iPhone 4S, and I honestly think that I will get better candid travel shots for my book with my iPhone. The best camera is the one you have with you and while I still adore my dSLR, shooting on the iPhone challenges me and makes me see capture photos in a new exciting way. Plus, it’s about 30lbs lighter than my camera gear!

When I started planning this world book trip, I had a list of about 100 places I wanted to visit spanning every inch of the globe. Unfortunately, being under a time constraint of 50 days and planning this all very last minute, I had to cut some incredible places because of technical flight details & burocratic red tape. Apparently, many cool places require travel visas which are not easily attained during Christmas holiday. Live and learn.

If you have any travel tips or suggestions for me, please put them below! I need all the help I can get!

Follow my Around the World blog and on Facebook, Google+ & Twitter.

One of the challenges with taking great iPhone photos is trying to take clear photos with minimal camera shake. Using the on-screen shutter button was challenging and extremely frustrating, especially in low light or whilst eating chicken wings. To solve this problem, especially the “greasy fingers on screen issue”, Camera+ added the ability to take a photo using the volume controls on your iPhone. After a few initial “hiccups”, we are thrilled to have VolumeSnap back in Camera+!

VolumeSnap allows you to hold your iPhone like a real camera steady your shots with both hands and quickly snap shots avoiding camera shake. The great part about VolumeSnap is that it also works with the volume up control on your headphones. Just plug in your headphones and snap photos with the volume up “+” button.

While we’ve seen some huge improvements on the low light capability of the iPhone 4S, sometimes it’s necessary to use a tripod to avoid getting blurry photos when there isn’t enough ambient light like in a dimly lit room, outside at night, or shooting macros. For these shots, you can use your headphones as a cable shutter release to snap the photo without touching your iPhone creating camera shake.

Ahh, the iPhone self-taken shot. I think we all tired of our seeing giant out-of-focus arms in self-taken iPhone shots of us and our bf/gf/bff/frenemy. Just pop in your headphone and trigger the shot from a distance that’s flattering your your arm as well as your face. Remember you can also tap to get a better exposure if your shot is blowing out.

Snapping photos with your headphones is an excellent way to get incredibly candid street shots or in places where some mean security will yell at you for taking photos which happens to me almost every day. No need for full ninja gear anymore, you can listen to music while surreptitiously snapping shots with your headphones. Works like a charm!

Do you have any useful tips for using VolumeSnap to get great shots? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out Camera+ if you don’t already have it!

I am constantly amazed by the photos people create with Camera+. It’s truly inspiring that everyone from a professional photographer to a hobbyist to someone who has never picked up a camera before can create extraordinarily beautiful photos with their iPhone.

I am ecstatic that so many people are exploring their creative side, sharing their photos online, and becoming bonafide iPhoneographers. Over the past year, I’ve seen some breathtaking images taken with Camera+ especially since we added our biggest processing breakthrough and instant “make better” button, Clarity.

I’ve hand-picked some of my favourite images to share with you today. Take a look through these inspirational photos and leave a comment to let us know what you think! For hints on how to take great shots like these, look at the recipes below each image showing the scene mode, crop, effect, and border used to edit the photo.

http://campl.us/amazing25

Click to view large.

A big thank you to everyone! We wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Here’s to 3 million more!

Just to sweeten the deal, Camera+ is on sale for 99¢ until Sunday!

Presenting…. Clarity!!! I’m so excited to share this amazing feature with you. I’ve been using Clarity on my images for some time and the results are fantastic!

See before and after picts.

It’s a free upgrade, so definitely pick it up if you already have Camera+, if not, well get it silly! :P

Behind the scenes photos from the video all shot on the Canon 5DMKII to come!!!

The first step to taking great photos is getting outside and taking a lot photos. I know it’s scary to step away from your Apple control station and out into the cruel world, but I know you can do it. We can do it together.

1. Capture the Big Picture

When you arrive at a location try to take a picture that captures the entire scene. Take a step back and try to compose your shot so that you get all the action in one shot.

Empire State, FX: Hipster + Vintage border.

2. Take a lot of pictures.

This seems like an obvious point, but I meet a lot of people who only take one or two shots of at a time and wonder why they didn’t get a great shot. To give you some perspective, I took over 500 photos a day on my recent trip to New York. In the 500, I probably got 20 great photos and the rest were meh.

The Situation :P, FX: Sunkiss’d + thin white border.

3. Pay Attention to Details

Street photography is all about capturing quirky, candid and unexpected shots. This is why it’s almost better to shoot with your iPhone, instead of your dSLR. You can sneak shots in almost anywhere when you are taking it with an iPhone. Try the same thing with a professional dSLR and feel the wrath of angry shop owners, pedestrians and over-protective dog owners :P

King Kong is sad :( FX: So Emo.

4. Compose your shots

Taxi! FX: Redscale.

Composing your images is the key to getting images. With the iPhone you don’t have to worry about setting your aperture, shutter speed or white balance, so it’s the perfect opportunity to focus solely on the composition of your shots.

5. Process your images

Ice Cream, FX: Vibrant.

Before I started working on Camera+, I used to process a lot of my iPhone pictures in Photoshop. No joke, I’m that much of a control freak :P Now I just tap the one-touch FXs and share directly from my iPhone to Twitter, Flickr and Facebook. Obviously I’m biased since I made the FXs, but I’m having so much fun adding them to my photos. I can’t wait to see your shots!

I am starting a Mostly Lisa Photo of the Week contest to encourage you to share your best Camera+ photo and win great prizes!!

The first contest’s theme is street photography. Any images taken outside in urban environments will be considered for the contest. Photos must be taken with the iPhone using the Camera+ app.

Here are the contest details:

1. Follow me, @mostlylisa on Twitter.
2. Share your photos on Twitter using the Camera+ Share button and include the hashtag #MLPhotoContest in your tweet so we can find you.
3. The contest ends June 22, 2010 at midnight EDT.

There is no restriction to the number of entries, so feel free to enter as many times as you like! I will announce the winner on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010.

This week’s winner will receive a $100 iTunes Gift Certificate.

I can’t wait to see your shots!

I’m just about to fall asleep for the first time in 41 hours. The launch of Camera+, the iPhone photo App I’ve been working on with Taptaptap, coupled with iPhone 4  buzz, the AT&T fail, and general WWDC pandemonium.

I just wanted to let everyone, especially budding photographers, about this ridiculous promotion we are doing for Camera+  to win my dream camera rig (valued at over $10,000).

It will physically hurt me to give this amazing gear away, but they are making me… boo hiss.

Good luck to all of you. I really hope one of you wins! *fingers crossed*

Best iPhone Camera App Ever and my first App ; )

Camera+, the App that I’ve been working on for over a year, is now available in the App Store.

Woooo! *does a happy dance*

If you’ve been following my Twitter, Tumblr or Flickr stream, you’ve probably noticed a lot of iPhone shots pop up recently from my trips to New York and San Francisco. Now I can finally share the amazing app that created all those cool FXs!

HDR (Special FX)

I partnered with the amazing Taptaptap team including, John Casasanta, Scott Meinzer, Wolfgang Bartleme and Karl Von Randow, on Camera+ and I truly believe we built the most streamlined and extensive camera App for the iPhone.

Purple Haze (Colour FX)

I spent most of my time creating and tweaking all the custom Scene and FXs for the App in Photoshop. In all honesty, it was really hard coming up with 24 unique FXs.

I can’t even count the number of crazy and horrible FXs I came up with in the process, but I’m sure my colleagues can tell you that “subtlety” is not in my post-processing vocabulary. :P

Hipster (Retro FX).

We went all out on the names of the FXs, “So Emo” being my absolute favourite.

We’ve all had so much fun testing and creating the App, minus the time when we got slapped with a big rejection from Apple for trying to sneak in an illegal feature :-/

It’s been a long process and one that has renewed my passion for taking and sharing images. I am ecstatic to share this App with you! I can’t wait to see what you create with Camera+.

Download the App & show me your photos!

NYC: A city that is dead serious about yellow taxis, car horns, smoking, noise, fashion, firemen & late night diner food.

As soon as I step out of the plane in Newark, NJ, I am in full sensory overload.

Arriving in Newark, NJ.

The stifling, muggy heat is a shock to my system. It reminds me of Toronto in mid-August during an unbearable heat wave.

Pete Cashmore being hit with the muggy air outside of Newark Airport.

The city is sticky. My flip flops slap against the side walk and actually stick for a fraction of a second, until they get a dunk in something wet. I’m hoping it’s left over rain water. *crosses fingers*

Sex & the City sign in Chinatown.

Before coming to NYC, the only things I knew about the city came from flagrant fictional tales spun by the writers of movies and tv shows like Sex and the City. But what about the real NYC?

NoHo Firestation.

New Yorkers seem to have a very strong attachment to their city, something you just don’t see in Canada. I certainly felt immense pride during the 2010 Olympics, but six weeks later I’m already looking to ditch my hometown for the opportunities and sunny weather of the cities in SoCal.

The Fanfare of Little Italy.

My first taste of New York City pride is in Little Italy. It’s the stuff of dreams: Bold, brash, and colourful with the smell of Italian Roast and pungent pizza pies lingering in the stagnant air. I am tempted by wafting scent of mozzarella and oregano, but ultimately pulled inside by indulgent pastry display at Ferrera’s Bakery and Cafe.

Eating Canollis at Ferrera’s in Little Italy.

The cheerful waitress is happy to fill my plate with Canollis, Neapolitans, & everything and anything stuffed with sweet creamy cheesy goop. Mmm.

Kitschy souvenirs sold in Little Italy.

Bada Bing is right. After gorging on sugary snacks, I take a stroll down the back streets of Little Italy. Enter John Jovino, the oldest gun shop in America. If the pictures of deer with target marks splotched between their innocent eyes displayed in the store front didn’t give you the warm and fuzzies then the vast array of weaponry sure would.

This shop scared me.

At some point Little Italy merged with Chinatown and a strange zone of nothingness that no one had bother claiming.

No-man’s land in between Chinatown, Little Italy & SoHo.

No one except monstrous, multilevel parking lots that reminds me of my beloved Hot Wheels Parking Garage set I had when I was a kid. Except this fun game charged you $10.50 per half hour! And I thought parking prices in downtown Vancouver were ridiculous.

Insane vertical parking-lot fills the void.

At this point, I am dying for some Air-Con and a Starbucks. Just as my mouth started watering for a skinny, half-sweet Chai Latte, a Starbucks magically appears right before my eyes. That seems to happen more and more these days.

Starbucks on Canal St, Chinatown.

Douchy Starbucks’ drink in hand, I set off to explore Chinatown. The combination of smells and noises on this sweltering day, is not for the faint at heart. Most of the knee-jerking aromas are difficult to pin-point, but if I have to wager, I’d bet on something fishy, or as the picture below suggests, once ducky. :(

Noooooooo!

After a moment of silence for my fine feathered friends and purchasing a gorgeous pashmina scarf for $5 –is that even legal?– I press on to SoHo.

Broadway St, Soho, NYC.

The scent of hot dogs & pretzels drift down Broadway St. as high-end shops mingle with discount boutiques in one of the best shopping areas in Manhattan.

Broome & Broadway in Soho.

Being useless at shopping for anything other than electronics, I look for someone to guide me in the right direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the girls of Sex & the City: The Real World. Unfortunately, they have little time to talk as they are on Red Alert for a “cute pair of this season’s to-die-for strappy sandals.”

Shop til you drop gfs!

Unsuccessful at finding anything wearable I turn my attention to SoHo for my newly acquired NYC sport: Model watching.

The tall, leggy beauties dance among the mortals, draped in expensive swaths of cloth, cigarette in one hand, $3K handbag in the other.

The day is closing out and I’m due at a Mashable shin dig in TriBeCa. I hop in a taxi that gets stuck in traffic on the same 3 blocks for 30 minutes RRR.

Canal St., TriBeCa.

$20 later I arrive 5 blocks farther where the NY tech scene is gathering to celebrate Mashable’s new NY Office.

Mashable Team NYC: Adam H, Adam O., Pete Cashmore, Brenna & Sharon (5DMKII).

I have a few too many “just surprise me” drinks and end up taking skewed artsy pictures of men in suits.

4 hours later we are all packed into a diner, kitty corner to the 14th St. Apple store. What a trip!

Though I didn’t venture in the direction of Time Square due to the crazy bomb scare, I feel like I took in a lot of the city.

The 14th St. Apple Store. (NB. I still don’t want an iPad :P)

NYC is a photographer’s paradise with both the city and it’s people as potential muses.

Making smoking sexy since 2000.

A city that seems to strike both stereotypical poses…

NYC Taxis are scary!

Doggy-walking in SoHo.

God Bless Soft Serve.

and surreal ones…

The skyline at sunrise from my hotel room.

Skynet? LOLzorz.

And with that I bid adieu to the city that never sleeps… I’m tired and need longer than a New York minute to recover. Back to the frozen north I go…

Mukmuk sees the Rockies! Almost home.

Timbits in hand :)

Photo by Pete Cashmore :P

If you think this is weird, you should see the outtakes! Oh boy. I’ll post the behind the scenes video once I recover from this all-nighter. ZzZ.

I had a lot of fun making this video and playing with the Voices app. There is nothing funnier than sounding like a drunk robot or a possessed chipmunk. Especially at 3am after being up for 30 hours and engulfing massive amounts of helium.

The lights were so smoking hot they popped a few balloons including the one that surprised me in the video!

Best $29 I ever spent. How can you not love a raccoon hat?

For more info & fun, go and checkout all the voices sound bites I made on the Taptaptap blog. The Voices app is only 99¢ and worth every penny.

PS. Chipmunk costumes are unbelievably hard to find. Hot business opportunity, any takers?