For the April 2014 Photo Assignment, TDS shooters stopped and smelled the roses. See for yourself in our gallery, Flower Power. And which one will be the SizzlPix Pick of the Month?

Charles Brown writes, " I thought of scanning a photo of my 1965 VW bus, but went with this instead ;)" See all of the great images from this month's assignment by visiting the Flower Power gallery page. Photo by Charles Brown.

Participate in This Month's Assignment

The June 2014 assignment is "Any Kind of Light but Natural." Details can be found on the Member Participation page. Deadline is June 30, 2014. No limit on image size submitted.

Please follow the instructions carefully for labeling the subject line of the email for your submission. It's easy to lose these in the pile of mail if not labeled correctly. For example, the subject line for this month's assignment should be: "Photo Assignment: June 2014." Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. And feel free to add any IPTC data you wish (These fields in particular: Caption, Credit, Copyright, Byline), I use that for the caption info.

Gallery posting is one month behind the deadline. So I'm posting April 2014 gallery at the end of May, the May gallery will be posted at the end of June, and on and on.

Good luck with your June assignment, and congratulations to all of the fine contributors for April.

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iPad for Digital Photographers

If you love mobile photography like I do, then you'll enjoy iPad for Digital Photographers-- now available in print, Kindle, and iBooks versions.

This week on The Digital Story Photography Podcast: My 5 Favorite Cameras, iOS 8 for Photographers, and Photographing High School Senior Portraits - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: New Photos App in iOS 8 - Apple announced that the Photos app is receiving a complete makeover including sharing images and their edits across all devices. (source: Apple). Plus a host of new smart editing tools and time-lapse capture capability. And if that wasn't fun enough, Apple is introducing a plugin architecture for Photos so 3rd party devs can create new tools for the app.

In other news, Samsung "DITCHtheDSLR" event on June 4, 2014 in Times Square offers a brand new NX30 for those who want to trade in their DSLR. (Source: Imaging-Resource.com).

And finally, iStick: USB Flash Drive with Lightning for iPhone and iPad is open on Kickstarter until June 17, 2014.

Story #2 - My 5 Favorite Cameras - The most common question I get is, "Which camera should I buy?" Here are my current Top 5 and why I like them.

• Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds ($679 body only)
• Fujifilm X-T1 ($1,299 body only)
• Sony DSC-RX100 Mark III ($798 with Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens)
• Canon EOS 70D DSLR ($999 body only)
• Nikon D4s full frame DSLR ($6,496 body only)

Story #3 - The Nimbleosity Report: Auto Camera Backup with Transporter Sync - Now with version 2.2.24 of the iOS app, Connected Data has added automatic Camera Roll backup that is useful. I discuss why in the third segment of today's show.

Story #4 - From the Screening Room - Photographing High School Senior Portraits with Derrick Story. I think anyone who aspires to shoot portraits will enjoy this title, and especially those working with young adults.

You can watch me in action by visiting the TDS Screening Room at lynda.com/thedigitalstory. While you're there, you can start your 7 day free trial to watch other design, photography, and computing titles, plus every other topic in the library.

Virtual Camera Club News

Save on Ground Shipping for Red River Paper: Use coupon code ground50c to receive a 50 percent discount on UPS ground shipping for Red River Paper. No minimum purchase required.

Photo Assignment for June 2014 is "Any Kind of Light but Natural".

If you haven't done so already, please post a review for The Digital Story Podcast in iTunes.

BTW: If you're ordering through B&H or Amazon, please click on the respective ad tile under the Products header in the box half way down the 2nd column on thedigitalstory.com. That helps support the site.

Listen to the Podcast

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (32 minutes). You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

Podcast Sponsors

lynda.com - Learn lighting, portraiture, Photoshop skills, and more from expert-taught videos at lynda.com/thedigitalstory.

Red River Paper -- Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

SizzlPix! - High resolution output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com. SizzlPix! now is qualified for PayPal "Bill Me Later," No payments, No interest for up to 6 months, which means, have your SizzlPix! now, and pay nothing until August!

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After a few weeks with the Samsung NX30, I have a pretty good feel for it. Over at c't Digital Photography, I posted my hands-on review.

To help me write that piece, I compiled a list of pros and cons that I'm sharing with you right now.

Pros

• Large APS-C 20MP sensor that produces excellent RAW files and Jpegs.
• Electronic viewfinder that can be angled upward for a variety of shooting positions.
• Colorful 3" articulated LCD that's touchscreen capable.
• Clever fn button on side of lens that provides easy access to common camera settings.
• Excellent WiFi (with dedicated button) and NFC feature set for Android users.
• Image-stabilized kit zoom lens.
• Photoshop Lightroom 5 is included with the camera.

Cons

• Feels large for a mirrorless camera, especially the kit 18-55mm lens.
• Some hesitation in performance when working with RAW+Jpeg.
• WiFi compatibility with iOS devices could be better.
• Standalone battery charger sold separately as an accessory.
• Mundane body styling.

I've handed the camera to many people to see how it felt. In general, those with larger hands thought it was comfortable, while others evaluated the grip to be a bit too deep. This leads to my bottom line: The Samsung NX30 is a camera that you need to test in person before purchasing. How it feels in your hands and responds to you commands will most likely determine its overall appeal.

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Many devices allow us to stream content to our iOS device, but iStick will let you copy photos from your iPad or iPhone to a flash drive.

iStick features include:

• Free universal iPhone/iPad/iPod touch iOS app
• Music & Movie Player (able to decode MKV, RMVB, AVI, WMV etc.)
• 1080p HD movie streaming, direct playback from iStick
• Photo & Document (Excel, Word, Powerpoint, PDF, iWork) Viewer
• Open files directly on the iStick without the need to copy to iDevice
• Copy/Move files between iDevice and iStick
• File Management (Copy/Cut/Paste/Delete/Rename/Create Folder)
• Backup photos/videos from iDevice Camera Roll to iStick
• Support "Open In" functionality
• Open files from other apps in iStick app
• Open files from iStick in other apps
• iDevice Contacts backup and restore

There's two weeks left in the iStick Kickstarter project, and you can jump in if this looks interesting to you. I'll publish a review once I receive mine in August.

The iStick has a high Nimbleosity Rating. What does that mean? You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

When I first covered Transporter Sync, I was intrigued by the $99 network device, but I thought its iOS functionality left a bit to be desired.

Now with version 2.2.24, Connected Data has added automatic Camera Roll backup that is useful. Once enabled on your iPhone or iPad, images from your Camera Roll will be automatically copied -- full sized and with metadata intact -- to your Transporter Sync. You have control over when and where this happens via Preferences. The app creates a new folder called Camera Uploads and places subfolders inside it labeled as your connected iOS devices.

Browsing the backed-up images on the iPhone still leaves a lot to be desired. But with Transporter Desktop 2.5.17, the viewing experience on my Mac is reasonable.

Browsing my backed-up iPhone images via the Mac desktop application.

So the scenario plays out like this: You connect your own hard drive to a $99 Transporter Sync, you have control over your private cloud with automatic and user-initiated backup of your mobile images (plus anything else you want), you can browse and access the content on your desktop computer (and mobile devices if necessary).

I wouldn't use it as my only mobile backup solution. But as part of an overall effort, this latest version of the software makes Transporter a nice addition.

The Transporter Sync has a high Nimbleosity Rating. What does that mean? You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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If you hang around the Embarcadero across from the Ferry building in the late afternoon, you might catch Felix and his team of talented skateboarders.

A small group of us stopped there on our way to a twilight shoot at Pier 14. We asked permission to catch the action. Permission was granted and the hat was passed.

"Air" captured with the Olympus 75mm on an OM-D E-M10. Photos by Derrick Story.

For the first time during the San Francisco Street Photography Workshop, I pulled out my Olympus 75mm f1.8 prime lens for the OM-D E-M10. That was a good choice. The 75mm is perfect for getting close to the subjects.

I set the ISO to 1600 and the aperture to f/2.8. This provided fast shutter speeds of 1/4000th and 1/2500th to freeze the movement. And of course burst mode allowed me to have several frames to choose from. After the shoot, I processed the images in Aperture 3.5 using my favorite urban presets.

We hadn't planned to shoot skateboarders. That's the beauty of street shooting. You just don't know what you're going to come home with.

Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn more about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.

The Digital Story on Facebook -- discussion, outstanding images from the TDS community, and inside information. Join our celebration of great photography!

This week on The Digital Story Photography Podcast: Analog Efex Pro 2 from Nik Software, Top Shape Camera, Bay Bridge Spectacular, and the $99 Fisheye - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: MBLOK - One memory for all devices. Always by your side - This 256GB storage cube could change the way you use your mobile devices.

In other news, Lomo Instant, the world's most creative instant camera system also has a Kickstarter project.

And finally, Thomas Hawk posted an interesting piece titled, 20 Cool Things You Can Do With Nik Software's New Analog Efex Pro 2. "The purist film photographers out there are probably going to hate this new software, but for you digital photographers who dig an analog look and feel, you are going to love this." ($149 for the package.)

Story #2 - Top Shape - More and more, I see similarities between our digital cameras and high performance automobiles. One of those being the value of a little TLC. In this segment, I talk about firmware updates, LCD screen protectors, multicoated filters, and cases.

Story #3 - The Nimbleosity Report: The Olympus 9mm f8.0 Fisheye Body Cap Lens was put to the test this last weekend during a twilight shoot at the Bay Bridge. This super nimble $99 lens turned out to be quite a performer.

Story #4 - From the Screening Room - Portrait Project: Changing a Sky Background with Chris Orwig. This is a handy technique to know, not only for bland skies that need a little oomph, but any selection and mask in a photograph.

You can watch Chris in action by visiting the TDS Screening Room at lynda.com/thedigitalstory. While you're there, you can start your 7 day free trial to watch other design, photography, and computing titles, plus every other topic in the library.

Virtual Camera Club News

May is Wow and Double Wow Month For Graduation, Engagements, June Weddings, Birthday, Fathers Day ... and, because SizzlPix! loves making you a super hero with a camera strap around your neck, order TWO: one for them; one for yourself, and your second SizzlPix! is 25% off! Any two SizzlPix!, from the same image or two different, any sizes, any hanging options, save 25% on the second or more.

Save on Ground Shipping for Red River Paper: Use coupon code ground50c to receive a 50 percent discount on UPS ground shipping for Red River Paper. No minimum purchase required.

Photo Assignment for May 2014 is "Around the House".

If you haven't done so already, please post a review for The Digital Story Podcast in iTunes.

BTW: If you're ordering through B&H or Amazon, please click on the respective ad tile under the Products header in the box half way down the 2nd column on thedigitalstory.com. That helps support the site.

Listen to the Podcast

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (31 minutes). You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

More Ways to Participate

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. And from those images, I choose the TDS Member Photo of the Day.

Podcast Sponsors

lynda.com - Learn lighting, portraiture, Photoshop skills, and more from expert-taught videos at lynda.com/thedigitalstory.

Red River Paper -- Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

SizzlPix! - High resolution output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com. SizzlPix! now is qualified for PayPal "Bill Me Later," No payments, No interest for up to 6 months, which means, have your SizzlPix! now, and pay nothing until August!

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I encouraged everyone to experiment and have fun during the Saturday night session of the SF Street Shooting Photography Workshop. I knew that I wanted to play with Art Filters and Live Bulb on my Olympus OM-D E-M10 with M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 prime lens.

Bay Bridge from Pier 14 with Olympus OM-D E-M10. Photo by Derrick Story.

We had set up shop at Pier 14 on the Embarcadero. I perched my MeFOTO DayTrip Tripod on a covered trash receptacle, set the E-M10 to RAW+Jpeg, enabled the Pop Art filter, and proceeded to have a blast capturing the bridge as it came to life at twilight. The long 13-second exposure helped smooth out the water, and setting the 17mm lens to f/10 with manual focusing allowed me keep all the details crisp.

I also have the master RAW files if I decide to apply a completely different treatment to the image at another time. (When you shoot RAW+Jpeg, the Art Filter is applied to the Jpeg and the RAW is left untouched.)

We wrapped up for the evening around 9:30 pm, then headed back to the Hotel Cartwright to prepare for another day of street shooting.

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You want to capture quality, but not necessarily a huge file size. Is the new Nikon sRAW format the answer?

Nikon Rumors posted, What exactly is the new Nikon sRAW file format? that provides a good overview with a link to even more detail if you want it.

Personally, I've shied away from sRAW on Canon because of some decoding problems with image editing apps. I'll be curious to see how Nikon users embrace this streamlined format.

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OTTO is an interesting little camera with an unique set of features. Powered by Raspberry Pi, you can customize and even create new shooting modes via WiFi and your mobile device.

Currently, its creators are raising money via its KickStarter program that is open until June 14, 2014. Backers can pledge $199 to receive the first shipment of OTTOs if the project is successfully funded.

Among its talents, OTTO can capture animated Gifs in-camera, time-lapses, stereo images, and really just about anything the mind can conceive. Part of this magic stems from its brains. OTTO is the first product to be powered by the brand new Raspberry Pi Compute Module, a thumb-sized system on module identical to the Raspberry Pi Model B, but in a much smaller package meant to be embedded in products.

It includes an optical viewfinder, 35mm f/2 manual focus lens, 5MP CMOS sensor that also captures Raw, and HD video up to 1080p30 / 720p60, and VGA 640x480 at 90 frames per second.

If I were teaching a high school photography class, I would probably buy a half dozen of these for exploring and creating new media.

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