Hmm, colorblindness.
Maybe it's that you don't get distracted by colors so pay more attention to the other aspects which are super important, form and grey tones, exposure, perspective etc...
The original photographers did only B&W, after all.

UPDATE: My Apple Store now offers a multitude of photography classes. I'm going to sign up for some. Soon. Or soon-ish.

James, when looking at the picture of your dog's nose, be glad he didn't sneeze!

tx_flower_child said:
Why is it that I can take a picture with my iphone and have it look sharp (not fuzzy) on my iphone and iMac, but when I upload it here it's blurry or fuzzy? (choose your adjective.) tia

I was then asked to give an example and replied that I'd have to wait until after the contest. So the contest is over and here goes. I don't think it matters but note that I'm typing this on my iphone
Let me know if the picture looks fuzzy or whatever.

Hmm, it does look a little blurry as if it is out of focus. It looks perfectly clear and sharp on your phone?

It looks like issues with low-lighting leading to a longer exposure and hence more motion blur. The small screens of phones can often make this difficult to detect unless you zoom in on the photo after you've taken it.

The picture is of an epiphyllum that blooms at night. The bloom usually starts to open about midnight. No special lighting but maybe had porch light on (to prevent Ms Clumsy from tripping). Just looked and camera says picture was taken at 12:38 am.

So, yes it looks sharp on my iphone and imac. Although I keep them both updated with new releases, etc, neither are new.

I don't understand about zooming in on a picture after taking it, unless you mean on my screen. I do and still look sharp except for zooming on the NGA screen.

For comparison or maybe just for grins could y'all please look at a similar one? Same plant but a few weeks earlier. Also, based on another picture taken within minutes, it looks like I had the back porch light on. It's a double spot light. Or I might have just had a flashlight with me so as not to trip.

Thanks and no worries about criticism. I have a hard head.

I wonder if it makes even a little difference if I upload from my phone rather than from my computer?

Yep, I do mean zooming in on the screen on your phone.

That second photo you've uploaded is much sharper and doesn't show any of the graininess of a high-ISO image (rough explanation - higher ISO means greater sensitivity due to lower light levels and hence increased noise/grain in the photo).

There probably won't be any difference between uploading from your phone vs computer unless one of them is modifying the photo first.

This is way too close for comfort... It is the Thomas fire. I've had to wear a mask everytime I go outside since it started.

Wow, Debbie! Do be careful!

Joshua — It's highly possible that I modified either or both of the pictures. I'm sure I would have cropped them if nothing else. But it's been too long ago to remember. Maybe my computer remembers. Will have to check. I do know that I either had on the porch light (which is not on the porch per se) or had one of those kinda big flashlights when I took the 2nd picture (which was really the first).

Ok. The single bloom had been fiddled with. Don't know how much or if on phone or desktop. I see where it's got what Apple calls 'Auto Enhancements' turned on. The double bloom does not have 'Auto Enhancements' on. But I obviously did something because it's asking if I want to revert to original. However, if all I did was crop, it would ask me the same question.

So who knows what I did. And to add to the fun, those were taken around the time I had eye surgery. Grins, y'all. And thanks for the help.

ChefDebbie said:

This is way too close for comfort... It is the Thomas fire. I've had to wear a mask everytime I go outside since it started.

those catastrophic fires are way scary. Always feel for those involved; always commend highly those who risk their lives to help. Not a good situation; I keep watching the news updates. Hope they get control sooner rather than later.

You're welcome, @tx_flower_child - hope my comments help with your future photos.

Debbie, that is definitely concerning. I don't know most of the details of the fires over there in the US, but I hope it's under control soon (if not already) and that you and those nearby stay safe.

tx-flower-child
The epiphyllum photo is much better, and I agree with Australis.
I have an idea. If we are thinking the problem might be "camera shake" you can do a little experiment. Prop the phone on your kitchen counter- hold it firmly with one hand and take a photo by gently touching the shutter "button" on the screen, not the actual button on the side of the phone. This method should keep you from moving the phone at all while the phone is being taken. Then hold the camera your usual way and do it again. If the first photo is better (zoom in like Australis says, either on the phone or the computer), your problem is camera shake and you can work on that. If not, it may be more of a low light problem producing graininess. That can be checked by taking your photo twice . Once in low ambient light, another with a bunch of lamps or flashlights on the subject. When taking cell phone photos of seed pods on my kitchen counter, the lighting is really important. I have some lights I turn on, and sometimes use a flashlight to highlight the seeds. The best photos are midday, taken under the skylight (it is not direct sunlight, just brighter).
You could try these experiments and upload them here, we could look at them together.

You are all so wonderful, thank you for your concern. It is now to be the second largest fire in Southern California history (just heard it on the news), and I do believe that it's only 40 percent contained. It has traveled so far and so fast it's unbelievable. Since it first started 2 weeks ago, the air quality has been so poor, you cannot go outside with a mask on and there's ash flying everywhere. A few days ago, I drove around the area that was devastated by the fire, only about 10 minutes from me- no words can even begin to describe what I saw. 270,000 acres were burned. I felt compelled to want to help in some capacity, so I signed up with the American Red Cross to do volunteer work with whatever they need.

Thanks, Pistil. Camera shake is highly possible!

Good on you, Debbie, for signing up to do volunteer work. I'm sure that there's a lot to do.

I was taking a walk earlier & noticed 2 squirrels chasing each other up & down the trees that were in the area. One of them stopped on a branch & looked at me. I could not resist the opportunity to take such a cute picture.

That is a cute picture- and it does illustrate how a photo that is not terribly sharp, and does not follow various "rules" of composition, can be effective. I really like it. It also shows you how the most important photography rule is "The best camera is- the one you have with you when you want to take a photograph!"

Sorry but I can't comment on the squirrels. I used to think they were cute until I had a large vegetable garden in Austin. Where I live now they're still pesky little rodents digging up my perennial beds and container plants and throwing acorns at my head.

Yesterday shortly before dark I was playing with my cellphone trying to take some Winter Interest pictures. That's when I remembered that part of the camera shake was made worse by a slight breeze just as I was hitting 'shoot'. Dang it. And double dang it because I planned to spend time today practicing but wouldn't you just know that it's been raining all day.

Last night I did compare a number of pics on my phone with those that had been uploaded to my computer. Big difference! Bye bye blur except for the occasional shake.

Photos taken last Aug 2017, while our pet Smokey enjoys climbing our neighbor's tree:

I took a photo class a hundred years ago and I remember the instructor encouraged us to view color photos in black/white mode - if you were still happy with the photo, you likely have your composition, lighting, and focus correct. I often do that, and sometimes a vibrant colorful photo will look kind of 'blah' in b/w. Back to the drawing board! I have not embraced cell phonery, so can't speak to that other than I've seen some quite lovely photos taken on friend's cell phones. I hope to die cell-less; I can't get past the rudeness factor. We'll see.