This is The Digital Story Podcast #743, June 16, 2020. Today's theme is "Questions I'm Asking Myself Before Wielding a Camera Out on the Streets." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

I saw an aerial photograph yesterday of a weekend protest in Los Angeles. For as far as the eye could see, people filled a wide boulevard from side to side. As a street photographer, my initial impulse was to be a part of it; to document this momentous moment in time. But I had to remind myself that this is not a Sunday farmers market, and that I need to be honest about justifying my presence. Those thoughts are the lead story of today's TDS photography podcast.

Questions I'm Asking Myself Before Wielding a Camera Out on the Streets

Over the years I've earned a fair amount of street creed for my urban photography. I've lead workshops, published photos, and written articles. But all of that means nothing right now in any big city in America.

Why? Because what's going on at the moment is far more important than any photo project that I'm working on. To be honest, my credentials are not valid in downtown LA, Atlanta, or Minneapolis.

That doesn't mean that I stand on the sidelines or that I can't document what's going on. But I need to ask myself some hard questions first to help me proceed with integrity.

Here are three of those questions.

• What is to be gained by my presence?
- My view is, that every person who is peacefully protesting has purpose. So, as a photographer, what would mine be? To be able to post a cool image in Instagram is not a legitimate reason to be there taking pictures. I need to be better than that.
• Am I confident that my images would send the message that I intend? - This is a tricky one. People are often blinded by their biases. A perfect example is someone who tells you they don't have any. My personal feeling is that we need some knowledge about our subject to accurately report on it. I have never been on the receiving end of racism. And even though I hate the thought of it, I may not be qualified to document it. Bottom line, I'm not confident that I know where all of my blind spots are. I want to do the right thing.
• What is the best way for me to participate? - I think by doing this. By offering things to consider to help our community of photographers come as close to their intentions as possible. To urge people to look inside before taking their cameras outside and putting them in the face of another.

Photography can be such a powerful medium. And I think this moment in time presents a good opportunity for us to talk about the responsibilities that come with that power.

One ideal that I've tried to embrace over the years when taking pictures on the street is to show respect for life and acknowledge that my view of the world is probably different than many of those whom I photograph. So far, that guiding light has served me well.

So, in that spirit, I'm going to try to be as honest with myself before taking my camera out on to the streets.

Just Released! Organizing and Archiving Digital Photos

It's a concern that lingers in the mind of just about every digital photographer: "How do I preserve my digital images and make them accessible while doing so?"

If you've had those thoughts, then help is available now. My latest LinkedIn Learning/lynda.com title, Organizing and Archiving Digital Photos is a complete course that shows you a variety of options and techniques to take control of protecting your image collection.

As your photo library grows, it becomes more important to back up your work. In this course, I teach the concepts and techniques behind efficient photo management for the long haul. First, I compare a few selected photo storage philosophies and techniques. I then show you how to create an ultralight backup system for travel, also back up photos stored on a laptop (or desktop), and finally, review archiving strategies for storing photos for decades.

Here are just a few of the talking points that I cover in the training.

• Creating an ultralight backup system for travel.
• Sending images from cameras to mobile devices.
• Internal vs. external hard drives (both have their roles).
• Organizing photos in managed vs. referenced catalogs vs. Finder-based.
• Re-archiving images from older hard drives (do this before they fail!).
• Integrating cloud services into your overall strategy.
• Including a few tips you might not have considered, such as making archival prints of your best images.

You can start fine-tuning your workflow today by watching Organizing and Archiving Digital Photos on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. It's a great way to begin the process of protecting your digital media for years to come.

Are Canon's Rumored Super-Telephoto Lenses a Serious Threat to Olympus?

You can read the entire article here that's published on Fstoppers.

Canon is offering super-telephoto lenses as well as 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. What does this mean? A full frame Canon mirrorless body will be able to shoot at 600mm and 800mm, heavily encroaching on where Olympus does its best work, but with a significantly better sensor. Now admittedly, the widest aperture of an f/11 lens and whether the 100-500mm, 600mm, and 800mm are compatible with the teleconverters is up for debate, but it's probably unlikely. I would say 1,600mm at f/22 and the autofocus still working is borderline impossible, but I'm not sure on that matter.

• Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
• Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM
• Canon RF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
• Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM
• Canon RF 600mm f/11 DO IS STM
• Canon RF 800mm f/11 DO IS STM
• Canon RF 1.4x
• Canon RF 2.0x

Really?

The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing

If you want to learn more about looking and sounding great for your next online interaction, then I think you'll very much enjoy my latest online workshop, The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing.

This 1-hour deep dive focuses on the 3 major areas of successful online interaction: Audio, Video, and Environment. During the course, I walk you through a variety of techniques that range from simple using gear that you already have, to improving your chops through a few inexpensive purchases.

The course is currently available for free to our Inner Circle Members on Patreon. Members, just go to our Patreon site, and all the information will be there. If you're not already an Inner Circle Member, you can join us for $5 a month.

The course is also available on our Nimble Photographer Workshop Page for $14.95.

I have tons of great tips and techniques waiting for you there. If you want to get serious about how you come across during online meetings, classes, interviews, and family interactions, then you definitely will want to watch this course.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes will outline a specific set of steps for you to accomplish. By the end of the course, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

You can sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $39 (on sale right now). It includes the 4 class videos, class notes, and access to the class forums that are a part of each movie.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we've had to postpone our July photography workshop at Lassen Volcanic Park. We so still have on the schedule, however, our Eastern Sierra event in October.

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #742, June 9, 2020. Today's theme is "Data Visualization for How You Shoot." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

We record EXIF data with every picture we take. But how often do we use it? If we examine our camera settings over a period of time with a specific model, we can learn a lot about how we capture images. This information can help us change the look of our pictures, plus assist us with buying decisions for new gear. And the best part is, this exercise is both easy and cheap. Learn how on today's TDS Photography Podcast.

Data Visualization for How You Shoot

I've been shooting with the Fujifilm X100V since March because if I do walk out the door, it is for street photography. My inclination has been to set the camera in Program mode with Auto ISO. My thinking was that things happen so quickly in urban environments, that I don't want to miss a shot because of camera settings.

This has worked quite well for me. And combined with choosing the appropriate film simulation, I have been really pleased with the shots. But, that being said, I didn't really have a feel for the actual camera settings used. Nor was I able to analyze how those settings are influencing the look of my pictures. So I decided that I wanted to do some analysis.

I had read about PhotoStatistica, a $2.99 app for the Mac that's a photo EXIF analysis too. You can point it to a Photos Library, Capture One Catalog, or a folder full of pictures, and it will analyze the EXIF data and present it to you in a variety of visualizations including bar graphs and pie charts.

Once you've created a stats sheet, you can save it as a .photostats file, or export it in CSV format. With the former, you can revisit it at any time, and with the latter, you can incorporate it into other reporting documents.

As for my shooting, it was really interesting. Here are the highlights for my street photography with the Fujifilm X100V.

• Most Common Aperture Setting was f/5.6 - I think a lot of this happened because of program mode in decent lighting. When I look at aperture bands (or groups) f/4-f/8 was 45 percent of the time, and f/2-f/4 was 41 percent of the time. I rarely shot over f/8.
• 65 precent of the time I shot at ISO 200 - Another 20 percent at ISO 160. Rarely did I hit ISO 400 or above.
• Nearly half the time I was using Exposure Compensation - So even though I was in Program mode 85 percent of the time, I used EC frequently to tailor the shot to my tastes. And more often than not, I was overexposing when I did.
• Exposure times were all over the map - My number one exposure setting was 1/15th, but even that was only 12 percent of the time. The balance was spread over dozens of settings.
• My most common time of day was 3-4pm. - That actually really surprised me. Subsequent bands were also in the afternoon. Clearly, I'm not a morning person when it comes to street photography.

This data gives me much to think about. Now I'm going to go back and look at the corresponding pictures and think about what I like, and what I want to change. It's going to be interesting to see the adjustments that I make as a result.

Tethered Product Photography with Capture One Pro for Better Efficiency

This has been the year of making my workflows better, and one of the improvements that I wanted to make was increasing the efficiency of creating product shots for TheFilmCameraShop. My theory was that using Capture One's excellent tethered capability would speed things up. And now that I've done it, I was right.

Tethering involves connecting a supported camera via USB cable directly to a computer running Capture One Pro. Once the connection is made, the camera will appear in the Capture Tab where you have a myriad of options and controls. I'll talk about those a bit more in this segment.

You can read the entire article here.

The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing

If you want to learn more about looking and sounding great for your next online interaction, then I think you'll very much enjoy my latest online workshop, The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing.

This 1-hour deep dive focuses on the 3 major areas of successful online interaction: Audio, Video, and Environment. During the course, I walk you through a variety of techniques that range from simple using gear that you already have, to improving your chops through a few inexpensive purchases.

The course is currently available for free to our Inner Circle Members on Patreon. Members, just go to our Patreon site, and all the information will be there. If you're not already an Inner Circle Member, you can join us for $5 a month.

The course is also available on our Nimble Photographer Workshop Page for $14.95.

I have tons of great tips and techniques waiting for you there. If you want to get serious about how you come across during online meetings, classes, interviews, and family interactions, then you definitely will want to watch this course.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes will outline a specific set of steps for you to accomplish. By the end of the course, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

You can sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $39 (on sale right now). It includes the 4 class videos, class notes, and access to the class forums that are a part of each movie.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we've had to postpone our July photography workshop at Lassen Volcanic Park. We so still have on the schedule, however, our Eastern Sierra event in October.

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #741, June 2, 2020. Today's theme is "How to Interview and Record from Remote Locations." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

I've talked a lot about preserving family memories from the past, but how about capturing what's going on right now? We may be physically separated from those we care about, but that doesn't mean that we can't capture their thoughts and feelings with video and sound. You can do it affordably and with excellent quality. And on today's TDS podcast, I'll show you how.

How to Interview and Record from Remote Locations

Some of the most important video that I have is of my late father talking about his life experiences. About a decade ago, I sat him down in front of a video camera and interviewed him. We were lucky. We were within driving distance of one another, so this was physically possible. And what he had to say was fascinating.

Right now, our friends and family are experiencing things that future generations may appreciate. Imagine being able to hear what your Great Grandfather was thinking in the middle of the Great Depression? That wasn't possible then, but we can capture how others feel right now in the middle of this pandemic and social unrest. And we can do so remotely.

This podcast builds upon ideas and techniques that I've discussed in Digitizing Family Memories and in Call Recorder y Ecamm Software. You can record multitrack, picture in picture, or split screen video with audio. Then you can fine tune the content using Ecamm Movie Tools afterward.

If you want to see what this looks like, here's a picture-in-picture family discussion during shelter in place.

Basic Steps for Setting Up a Remote Interview

• Make Sure Both Sides Can Videoconference
- In this workflow, both sides will need to be able to connect to Skype and communicate using audio and video.
• Set Up Call Recorder Software on Your Computer - You can purchase the entire toolbox for $39, then install it on your computer and test it using Skype.
• Keep the First Interview Relatively Short - Let the interviewee know ahead of time that you would like 2-3 interview sessions. Use the first session not only for content, but to evaluate the quality of the audio and video. Don't cover the most important topics in the first online meeting.
• Keep the Limelight on the Person Being Interviewed
- Keep your interviewee front and center. You can be the embedded picture, or if you wish, side by side, but don't overshadow the person who is the star of the show.
• Don't Be Afraid to Edit - There will be plenty of outtakes and dead air. Don't be afraid to trim as needed. Most of this will happen at the beginning of recording and at the end.

As I said earlier, it is important to preserve family memories from years ago. But I think it's also imperative that we hear from those we care about right now, and make that content available to future generations.

The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing

If you want to learn more about looking and sounding great for your next online interaction, then I think you'll very much enjoy my latest online workshop, The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing.

This 1-hour deep dive focuses on the 3 major areas of successful online interaction: Audio, Video, and Environment. During the course, I walk you through a variety of techniques that range from simple using gear that you already have, to improving your chops through a few inexpensive purchases.

The course is currently available for free to our Inner Circle Members on Patreon. Members, just go to our Patreon site, and all the information will be there. If you're not already an Inner Circle Member, you can join us for $5 a month.

The course is also available on our Nimble Photographer Workshop Page for $14.95.

I have tons of great tips and techniques waiting for you there. If you want to get serious about how you come across during online meetings, classes, interviews, and family interactions, then you definitely will want to watch this course.

Buy 3 M.Zuiko Lenses, Get an OM-D Body Free

This is a wild offer. Purchase these three lenses: 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO, 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO, and the 300mm f/4 PRO, and choose a Pro body: E-M1X, E-M1 Mark II, or E-M1 Mark III. You'll spend about $5,800 for the entire kit, but the savings range between $1,700 and $3,000 depending on which camera you choose.

You can learn more by visiting getolympus.com/freeomd. Offer valid June 1, 2020 through July 5, 2020. Available in the United States only. Customer must purchase all three lenses and one of the three OM-D bodies listed above at the same time in order to be eligible for the free camera body. All products must be purchased at full retail price.

I clicked on the Buy Now link, and it just took me over to a page to buy the camera, not the kit. So I would wait a day or so to see if they get this ironed out.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes will outline a specific set of steps for you to accomplish. By the end of the course, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

You can sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $39 (on sale right now). It includes the 4 class videos, class notes, and access to the class forums that are a part of each movie.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we've had to postpone our July photography workshop at Lassen Volcanic Park. We so still have on the schedule, however, our Eastern Sierra event in October.

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #740, May 26, 2020. Today's theme is "5 Ways to Improve Your Videoconference Presence." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

One way or another, you're going to find yourself sitting in front of a webcam. It could be for work, for family, for class or even for a job interview. But unlike a lot of other modern day situations we find ourselves in, no one has really told us how to do this. That is, until today. I hope you enjoy the show.

5 Ways to Improve Your Videoconference Presence

Needless to say, I've had some interesting online conversations over the last couple months. I have seen parts of people's houses that I really wasn't prepared for. And then, there's been the mix of interesting lighting and tin can audio.

So, I've decided to take the microphone by the horns and do two things for my contribution to the greater video conferencing world. First, I have some tips today that are easy to enable and that you can do right now. Then second, later this week, I'm releasing "The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing," a 1-hour movie that covers audio, video, and environment. I'll talk more about it later this show. But I'm going to mention now that it will be free to our Inner Circle Members who support this podcast on Patreon.

But for the moment, let's get to those 5 tips.

5 Tips

• Get Thee to Ikea - Your conference call lighting should be diffused and from the front. A good rule of thumb is that the light shining on your face should be brighter than the background. Go to Ikea.com and search on diffused lighting. You have choices among a number of lamps that would make perfect light sources for your online persona. And if you have a north facing window, that will work as well. Just put it in front of you, not behind. And finally, think Daylight Balance for your bulbs. Tungsten bulbs will render you orange and fluorescent tubes will make you green. Whatever light source you ultimately settle on, try to get it as close to daylight balance as you can.
• Darling You Look Marvelous! - Unfortunately, the built-in 720p webcam for many laptops and desktop isn't a flattering camera. Plus, you can't really adjust it. But, if you can get your hands on a a digital interface, such as Cam Link, then you can connect your wonderful mirrorless camera. The difference is striking. I'm using an Olympus PEN-F with 17mm f/1.8 lens. Oh, and don't forget to look into the lens when talking!
• What the Hell Is that Behind You?! - We don't want to see your bed, your laundry, nor your aluminum recycling bin - too much information of the wrong kind. Just like in photography, the background is almost as important as the subject. Keep it clean and don't show us anything that we don't want to see.
• Sound as Good as You Look - Audio can also be a challenge. Some built-in computer mics are quite decent, but others leave much to be desired. If you have a set of AirPods, those can improve your sound for both computer conferencing or while on the phone. For details on how to set them up, check out my article, How to Connect AirPods to Your Mac for Videoconferencing.
• Bandwidth, Bandwidth, Bandwidth! - If you've been cheaping out on your Internet service, you an endangered of becoming the zebra at the back of the pack in the new world. Video conferencing relies on data packets flying back and forth in real time, and that requires at least 1.5 Mbps (Megabits per second for both directions (download and upload). You can check your bandwidth here.

You can watch a BTS video of me using my rig. I have a USB mic with the PEN-F. More to come on this topic in the next story.

The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing

If you want to learn more about looking and sounding great for your next online interaction, then I think you'll very much enjoy my latest online workshop, The Essential Steps to Impressive Video Conferencing.

This 1-hour deep dive focuses on the 3 major areas of successful online interaction: Audio, Video, and Environment. During the course, I walk you through a variety of techniques that range from simple using gear that you already have, to improving your chops through a few inexpensive purchases.

The course will be available free to our Inner Circle Members on Patreon on Sunday, May 31. Just go to our Patreon site, and all the information will be there. If you're not already an Inner Circle Member, you can join us for $5 a month.

I will also make the course available on June 2 at our Nimble Photographer Workshop Page for $14.95.

I have tons of great tips and techniques waiting for you there. If you want to get serious about how you come across during online meetings, classes, interviews, and family interactions, then you definitely will want to watch this course.

A Shout Out to Members Who Have Sent Film Cameras

It's been wonderful interacting with the recent contributors to TheFilmCameraShop. Here's a shout out to: Greg, Sergio, Bill, Tim, Nonnie, David, Paul, and Dave. All of you rock!

If you found a film camera that you're no longer using, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

If it's a camera we can use for the shop, I'll send you a Donation Kit that includes a USPS Priority Mail shipping box and prepaid label. All you have to do is tape it up, insert the camera, and add the label. USPS will pick up your shipment from the front door of your house during their regular mail delivery. It's that simple!

Your donation help get analog gear in the hands of aspiring fine art photographers, and the proceeds help support this podcast.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes will outline a specific set of steps for you to accomplish. By the end of the course, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

You can sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $39 (on sale right now). It includes the 4 class videos, class notes, and access to the class forums that are a part of each movie.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we've had to postpone our July photography workshop at Lassen Volcanic Park. We so still have on the schedule, however, our Eastern Sierra event in October.

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #739, May 19, 2020. Today's theme is "New Capture One Pro, and More!." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Capture One Pro continues to roll with its latest release that features new tools, RAW support (including E-M1 Mark III), lens profiles, and a discounted version for Nikon users. Plus, here's a way to put your skills to use to help small businesses in your community. All of this, and more, on today's TDS Photography Podcast.

New Capture One Pro 20.1

So much to cover with this pt.1 release of Capture One Pro 20. First of all, it's free for current licensed users of 20. I'll start with the new features, then get into RAW support, and wrap up with the new Nikon version of the app.

New Features!

• Heal and Clone
• Before/After feature - Two styles to choose from.
• New activation and onboarding flow
• Nikon profiles - The profiles available in Nikon Picture Controls are now replicated within Capture One for selected camera models. These profiles are available from the ICC Profile menu within Base Characteristics. They provide the same tone curve and color corrections known from the built-in Nikon JPG files as a starting point for your raw file. (compatible with RAW files from: D6, D5, D850, D810/D810A, D800, D780, D750, D610, Z7, Z6, D500, D7500, D5600, D5500, D3500, D3400, D3300, Z50).

New RAW Support

Canon 250D
Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III
Nikon P950
Leica M10 Monochrome
Olympus E-M1 Mark III
Phase One iXH-150
Zeiss ZX (which isn't even out yet, but has a B&H catalog page)

New Nikon Version

Get all the editing tools to you need to make your Nikon images look their best. And for selected camera models, apply built-in Nikon profiles that match the colors in your camera.

More than 75 Nikon cameras supported.

You can get Express for $99 a year via subscription or for $129 for perpetual license (compared to $278 for the Pro version that supports all cameras.) There are a few features omitted from Express, such as layers.

Improved Lightroom importer

New functionality in the Lightroom importer opens up for a better transition experience. It is now clearer what will happen and what you can expect when importing your Lightroom catalog into Capture One.

It is now possible to import offline images (Smart Previews in Lightroom) and have them automatically sync up once the original files become online again, for example when an external drive containing these images is reconnected. Files that failed to import will be compiled in a list to handle after the import is complete. This list will include files from unsupported cameras or file formats that are not supported in Capture One.

Learn Capture One Pro 20 in Just 2 Hours

You can master Capture One Pro 20 with my latest online class, Capture One Pro 20 Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or, if you're a lynda.com subscriber, you can watch it there as well.

Help Your Local Businesses with Photography and Social

Over the last two months, many shops and restaurants have been adapting to changes resulting from the pandemic. Part of the challenge, at least in my area, has been letting potential customers know they are open and how they are operating. I think this is something we can help with.

I was thinking that photographers and storytellers could serve as "ant scouts" to find these local establishments, photograph them, then share their stories on social media. By using the hashtag #open4pickup - people who follow us, or search via the hashtag could see the faces and places of these businesses who are adapting to these crazy circumstances.

We could also offer ideas to help keep everyone safe in the process, such as ordering ahead of time and paying with a credit card (including tip), wearing a face covering when picking up your purchase (even if you're staying in the car) and washing your hands throughly once your return home.

My personal plan is to research and visit a new local establishment once a week. I'll ask them if it's OK to take the picture and share it online. And I'm recording geotags at the same time using either my iPhone or my Fujifilm X100V, which also can record location. That way people can easily find the business when they see your post.

As I small business owner myself, I'm really pulling for the other shops and restaurants in my hometown. I'm hoping you will consider this idea as well - #open4pickup.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras

We have more time around the house than ever. And you finally dove into that bedroom closet that's been begging for some organization.

If you found a film camera that you're no longer using, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

If it's a camera we can use for the shop, I'll send you a Donation Kit that includes a USPS Priority Mail shipping box and prepaid label. All you have to do is tape it up, insert the camera, and add the label. USPS will pick up your shipment from the front door of your house during their regular mail delivery. It's that simple!

Your donation help get analog gear in the hands of aspiring fine art photographers, and the proceeds help support this podcast.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes will outline a specific set of steps for you to accomplish. By the end of the course, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

You can sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $39 (on sale right now). It includes the 4 class videos, class notes, and access to the class forums that are a part of each movie.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we've had to postpone our July photography workshop at Lassen Volcanic Park. We so still have on the schedule, however, our Eastern Sierra event in October.

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #738, May 12, 2020. Today's theme is "Thriving in the New Normal." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

A big part of our well being is the health of our artistic pursuits. Beyond finding ways to put food on the table and ensuring shelter overhead, the question lingers, "There's got to be more to life than this." Those of us who love photography know that it's changing. Big conferences and classes are going away. Physical workshops are being challenged. And even flying to a pretty place is looking pretty sketch these days. Welcome to the new normal. And here's how we're going to make it work to our advantage.

Thriving in the New Normal

Communication is a key to adjusting to changes in a relationship. If your wife has to leave for a long business trip, then figuring out how to maintain the connection should be part of the plan. It's easy when you can see each other daily. Distance makes things more difficult. Figure out a plan.

Many of us are feeling a distance between our art and our daily lives. In my case, I'm not spending time with other photographers, I'm not traveling, and I'm not being hired to take pictures. Your particular variables might be a bit different, but I bet you have many of the same feelings.

So, what do we do? Here are five ideas that I think will help us move forward the new normal as photographers.

Five Possible Ways to Thrive in Pandemic Life

• More Self Assignments - Just because we don't have the physical freedom that we once enjoyed, that doesn't mean the we're confined creatively. We can explore how to stir those embers by creating self-assignments and seeing them through. If we're successful, we'll enjoy both the fruits of our efforts and a level of self-satisfaction for the accomplishment.
• Branch Out into Different Types of Photography - When I was working with Skylum, over 80 percent of our customers focused on landscape photography. But there are so many other disciplines within the craft. For example: night photography, close up photography, microscope photography, still lives, and on and on.
• Improve Post Processing Skills - This is an area that practically every photography can get better doing.
• Explore Movie Making - Our cameras are fantastic video recording devices. But many photographers don't really explore their movie making capabilities.
• Join Online Courses - If your embrace a new endeavor, then you probably want to learn more about the tools required to do it. For example, learning movie making might involve finally learning Final Cut X as well. Online courses are perfect for software attaining software knowledge.

I think the earlier that we accept that things have changed, and in some ways forever, the sooner we can start to move into the new spaces that will satisfy us creativity. And to be honest, I don't have time to sit around and hope that the things I miss return. Do you?

And when we can have some of those things back, whenever that is. I will be happy. But I will also bring a new set of skills to the table to augment the things I loved before. Who knows, I may even find a new favorite thing that I never acknowledged before.

This is truly a chance to grow. I say, let's start right now.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras

We have more time around the house than ever. And you finally dove into that bedroom closet that's been begging for some organization.

If you found a film camera that you're no longer using, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

If it's a camera we can use for the shop, I'll send you a Donation Kit that includes a USPS Priority Mail shipping box and prepaid label. All you have to do is tape it up, insert the camera, and add the label. USPS will pick up your shipment from the front door of your house during their regular mail delivery. It's that simple!

Your donation help get analog gear in the hands of aspiring fine art photographers, and the proceeds help support this podcast.

Adobe's 12th Annual 99U Creative Conference will be free and virtual this year

You can read the story on DP Review..

Adobe has announced its 12th Annual 99U Creative Conference, which is usually a paid, in-person event, will be hosted on Adobe Live for free as a virtual event this year amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Tickets for the annual event normally cost around $1,000, so being able to take in the event for free, in the comfort of your own home, is quite the discount. This year's event will take place on Wednesday June 17 and will feature a mix of keynotes, creative workshops and masterclasses throughout the day. The presentations will be available stream via Adobe Live or available on-demand shortly after completion of each event.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes will outline a specific set of steps for you to accomplish. By the end of the course, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

You can sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $45. It includes the 4 class videos, class notes, and access to the class forums that are a part of each movie.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #737, May 5, 2020. Today's theme is "Has ON1 Figured Out the Connected Experience?" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

ON1 360 joins the ranks of Adobe and Apple for offering a connected desktop to mobile experience with tons of features and editing tools. On the surface, ON1 makes a very good argument. We'll dig a bit deeper on today's TDS podcast to determine if this is a service that you should seriously consider. I hope you enjoy the show.

Has On1 Figured Out the Connected Experience?

Starting this June, you can subscribe to a complete photo capture, management, editing, sharing system that works on macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android devices. It's called ON1 360, and there's much to unpack.

ON1 360 automatically keeps track of the photos you choose to access from any of your devices, including their metadata and where you want to store them. The desktop and mobile apps share the same processing engine, which enables non-destructive editing settings to remain in sync as well.

An Overview of the Features

• All the Powerful Editing Features of Photo RAW - built-in effects, portrait retouching, and layers.
• Choose Which Photos to Sync Between Devices - Somewhat similar to Lightroom Desktop where you can manage your Cloud storage needs by choosing which images are shared across devices. Regardless, your original files stay in their original locations.
• Impressive Compression Option - store smaller files (4x smaller, high-quality) OR the full raw files and sync in multiple directions
• One License for 5 Desktop and 5 Mobile Devices - This provides more flexibility than Adobe's plan that only allows for 2 desktop devices.
• Flexible Pricing Plan You can buy a perpetual license for Photo RAW or rent it as a subscription option. The first offering lays out two plans, one for 20 GBs of Cloud storage, and the other for 1 TB of space. Pricing depends if you include renting the software or not.

ON1 pulls off this magic by creating a temporary version of the photo under-the-hood (similar to a compressed raw file) and storing in the Cloud. The photo maintains the tone and color of the original photo while using only about 25 percent of the Cloud storage space a typical raw photo uses. For those who demand the full raw file at all times and don't care about storage space, uploading and editing the raw photo is also an available option.

Your original photo files stay put, right where you keep them. Your original photos can live on any of your devices, including external hard drives and file servers. You can choose to upload copies of your original photos to ON1 360? as well, if you need to access the full, original file remotely.

How Much Does it Cost?

If you buy your own copy of Photo RAW for $50, then you can get the 200 GB plan for $60 a year, or 1 TB for $110 a year. Those plans include the mobile app. Preorder now, and you won't be billed again until July 2021. If you decide to rent Photo RAW, the 200 GB plan for $90 a year, or 1 TB for $180 a year.

If you decide to rent Photo RAW, the 200 GB plan for $90 a year, or 1 TB for $180 a year.

Who Is It For?

This could be appealing to photographers who don't have a Cloud-connected workflow and want one. Capture One Pro, Luminar, and DxO are great on the desktop, but they're not available on mobile devices. Also, artists who are not satisfied with their current situation, whether it be Creative Cloud or iCloud, may see ON1 as a better end-to-end solution.

The Bottom Line

If you're happy with your current workflow, I don't recommend the switch to ON1 360. But if you've wanted a connected photo experience and don't have one currently, I think it stacks up well against Creative Cloud and Photos for macOS.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras

We have more time around the house than ever. And you finally dove into that bedroom closet that's been begging for some organization.

If you found a film camera that you're no longer using, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

If it's a camera we can use for the shop, I'll send you a Donation Kit that includes a USPS Priority Mail shipping box and prepaid label. All you have to do is tape it up, insert the camera, and add the label. USPS will pick up your shipment from the front door of your house during their regular mail delivery. It's that simple!

Your donation help get analog gear in the hands of aspiring fine art photographers, and the proceeds help support this podcast.

New MacBook Pro 13" Looks Great for Photographers

Apple announced today their new 13" MacBook Pro, and it looks pretty darn good.

Highlights include: the Magic Keyboard with a redesigned scissor mechanism, a 13.3" Retina Display, immersive stereo speakers, and all-day battery life. The Touch Bar adapts to different apps to provide useful functions without having to navigate menus. It features a Retina-quality display and supports multi-touch input. The power button contains the Touch ID sensor, so you can quickly log into your MacBook Pro using your fingerprint. You can also use Touch ID to make purchases over the web, thanks to Apple Pay.

The model I like for $1,499 is powered by a 1.4 GHz 8th Gen Intel Core i5 Quad-Core processor that features a burst speed of up to 3.9 GHz, while 8GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 onboard RAM helps to ensure smooth multitasking and also allows the computer to quickly access frequently used files and programs. The system memory cannot be upgraded.

For long-term storage of your files, this MacBook Pro is equipped with a 512GB SSD. If you want to add external peripherals, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports support bi-directional transfer speeds of up to 40 Gb/s, while also supporting 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 and device charging. Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) is built-in for wireless networking, and Bluetooth 5.0 technology will allow you to connect additional compatible peripherals. There is a FaceTime HD webcam.

You can preorder the 13" MacBook Pro today for $1,499.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes in the course will outline a specific set of steps that you have one week to accomplish. Then, the next week, we build on that progress with new techniques and assignments. By the end of the four weeks, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

Patreon members can sign up for free on the Patreon site. I have a post there for you. All you have to do is comment that you want to join us. If you're not a Patreon member, you can sign up at the Inner Circle level for $5 a month and become instantly eligible for the course.

Non-Patreon members can also sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $45.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #736, April 28, 2020. Today's theme is "Prime Time - Break Out the Fast Glass." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

As we explore spaces in our home environment that we forgot even existed, who knows what photo opportunities that we will uncover. And what better way to capture them to their full extent, then by breaking out our fastest primes to document the shadowy corners of our lives. This week I talk about 5 prime lenses that have become important tools in my new normal.

Prime Time - Break Out the Fast Glass

Zooms are great when you're on the go, but primes are perfect for backyard and interior exploration. Here are the 5 primes that have been keeping me out of trouble during our ongoing Shelter-in-Place.

• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 lens on an E-M1 Mark II. Some say this is the sexiest lens that Olympus has ever designed.
• Pentax-A SMC 50mm f/1.4 on a black Pentax Program Plus. Possibly the most beautiful coatings I've ever seen on an optic.



• Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIS Aspherical Lens for Nikon F on a Nikon D610. The best of both worlds: silky-smooth manual focusing and outstanding design with click-stop aperture ring, but also has the Nikon chip so it records metadata and works on practically every Nikon F-mount camera.



• Kamlan 50mm F/1.1 II for M4/3 on an Olympus PEN-F. Lovely bokeh and softer contrast make this a wonderful portrait lens for MFT photographers.



• Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 II ASPH. Lens on an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. This was the first premium prime lens that I bought for Micro Four Thirds, and I use is practically every day. It's compact, sharp, and contrasty. I even use it for movie making.

Exploring your home base with your favorite prime can transform the world that you've grown tired of looking at into a completely fresh look. Try it. Get out a prime, and re-explore your home universe. I bet you'll come up with something new.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras

We have more time around the house than ever. And you finally dove into that bedroom closet that's been begging for some organization.

If you found a film camera that you're no longer using, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

If it's a camera we can use for the shop, I'll send you a Donation Kit that includes a USPS Priority Mail shipping box and prepaid label. All you have to do is tape it up, insert the camera, and add the label. USPS will pick up your shipment from the front door of your house during their regular mail delivery. It's that simple!

Your donation help get analog gear in the hands of aspiring fine art photographers, and the proceeds help support this podcast.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes in the course will outline a specific set of steps that you have one week to accomplish. Then, the next week, we build on that progress with new techniques and assignments. By the end of the four weeks, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

Patreon members can sign up for free on the Patreon site. I have a post there for you. All you have to do is comment that you want to join us. If you're not a Patreon member, you can sign up at the Inner Circle level for $5 a month and become instantly eligible for the course.

Non-Patreon members can also sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $45.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #735, April 21, 2020. Today's theme is "LUTs, RAW Power 3, and More." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

LUTs may sound like some kind of technical mumbo-jumbo, but they are quite useful, and they allow us to easily add creative color effects to our images. Today, I'll do my best to demystify LUTs and encourage you to give them a try. Plus, we're going to look at RAW Power 3, the robust $39 image application that can tap your entire iCloud library of images. All of that and more on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Color Grading with LUTs

Focusing on color can help photographers communicate style and emotion. This approach is often referred to as color grading. You may have wondered how this differs from color correction, which is more of a technical adjustment. A tungsten bulb, for example, will produce a color shift in our images that's warmer than what we're accustomed to seeing with our eyes. Often we want to adjust that hue, cooling it off a bit so that it appears more natural. That's a correction.

Color grading, on the other hand, leans toward the artistic. The photographer may add or enhance oranges and teals to create a mood similar to what one would experience in the movies. Exact reality isn't the goal. It's more about a creative look that elicits a feeling.

The Power of LUTs

Lookup Tables sound like a technical adjustment. And indeed there is plenty of color science at work under the hood. They are used to precisely shift colors from one spot to another. But those shifts can be stored in a container, such as a .cube file, that can used to color grade an image.

So even though LUTs are precise color science, their recipes can be wonderfully artistic.

Tips for Effective Color Grading with LUTs

Creating a separate adjustment layer for your color grading provides lots of flexibility. The base layer is used for basic adjustments and the other tools that you need to establish a good range of tones. The adjustment layer contains the LUT Mapping, HSL, and other creative filters. You can then use the blend modes and the opacity slider for precise control over the grading.

Applications that support LUTs include: Lightroom Classic, Capture One Pro, Luminar, and RAW Power 3.

Your viewers may not realize the techniques that you used to create the enticing color schemes in your images. What they will notice is your style and creativity. And using LUTs can contribute greatly to that pursuit.

RAW Power 3 Brings Star Ratings, LUTs, and More to Photos Users

Gentlemen Coders has released RAW Power 3.0 for macOS and iOS. It's a comprehensive update with much to unpack over the coming weeks, but the focus today is how it brings Star Ratings to Photos for both the Mac and iOS versions of the app.

The rating system is easy to use, and is ingenious in its design. If you're running macOS Catalina, the RAW Power app allows you to use your Photos library in real time. This even works if you have the Photos app open. Within RAW Power you can tap all the powerful tools to enhance your images and have those improvements saved directly to your iCloud Photos library. But now, you can also rate and tag those pictures, and they too will be saved to iCloud and acknowledged in the Photos apps.

RAW Power creates Star Rating Albums that are displayed both in RAW Power, and in the Photos app. RAW Power uses Aperture style keyboard shortcuts for the ratings allowing you to move quickly through the images. What's really cool, even if you're running Photos on macOS Mojave, which doesn't allow the library sharing as in Catalina, the Star Rating Albums still appear in the app if they were added in RAW Power running on a Catalina machine using the same Photos library. The overall approach is both clever and works great.

This update, over a year in the making, includes tons of other stuff as well. Here's a brief overview.

RAW Power 3.0 for Mac and iOS creates the first real option for serious photographers in the Apple ecosystem. RAW Power 3.0 is now the first and only third-party app to include full support for Apple Photos libraries on Mac and iOS, allowing photographers to rate and edit their images anywhere and any time. New features introduced today include flexible storage options, synchronized ratings and flagging for Photo libraries, support for Files.app on iOS, advanced auto enhance, LUT support and one-tap integration with the popular Halide camera app on iOS. RAW Power 3.0, developed by Nik Bhatt, a former Apple engineer who led the iPhoto and Aperture teams, is available for download today on the Mac and iOS App Stores.

The new RAW Power app for iOS introduces the much-requested ability to manage photos either in Photos or in Files.app. Now, photographers can easily work on their collections of images in either or both environments and switch seamlessly between them. Users can import images from an SD card into RAW Power using the Files app. Additionally, the new Copy to RAW Power Share Extension makes it easy to import images from other apps into the Files storage for RAW Power.

RAW Power 3 also supports LUTs. It has a great collection built in, including 7 of the Fuji film simulations, which look very good to my eye. I also had good success importing .cube files that appeared in My LUTs. Very nice!

RAW Power 3.0 runs on macOS Catalina and Mojave and is available for $39.99 or as a free upgrade for existing users of RAW Power for Mac 2.0. (It does not support the iCloud Library sharing on Mojave, however.) RAW Power for iOS 3.0 is available for $9.99 or as a free upgrade for current RAW Power for iOS customers. RAW Power for iOS 3.0 runs on iOS 12 and 13, but does not support iPhone 5s, 6 or 6 Plus, or iPad mini 3 or earlier.

Digitizing Family Memories Course Now Available Online

Each of the four classes in the course will outline a specific set of steps that you have one week to accomplish. Then, the next week, we build on that progress with new techniques and assignments. By the end of the four weeks, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

Patreon members can sign up for free on the Patreon site. I have a post there for you. All you have to do is comment that you want to join us. If you're not a Patreon member, you can sign up at the Inner Circle level for $5 a month and become instantly eligible for the course.

Non-Patreon members can also sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $45.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #734, April 14, 2020. Today's theme is "Project Productive - Digitize Family Memories." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Most of us have at least another month indoors. So I've designed a 4-week online course that I think most photographers will find extremely satisfying - finally getting to those shoeboxes of family photos that need to be organized, digitized, and cataloged. We are going to embrace Shelter in Place in a most productive way. I hope you enjoy today's show.

Project Productive - Digitize Family Memories

By now, we've accomplished many of the "low hanging fruit" projects. We've organized our camera gear, caught up on paperwork, and maybe even have cleaned a closet or two.

But the 800-pound gorilla that's lurking beneath many of our beds is that box of slides and snapshots that we've been meaning to tackle. Why haven't we done so yet? To be honest, the project can feel overwhelming. There are so many aspects to it, it's hard to know where to begin.

Well, now you have a starting point: my Digitizing Family Memories online course that begins Monday, April 20. And the best news is - if you're an Inner Circle Member, the class is absolutely free.

What We're Going to Do

First of all, you'll have structure. Each class will outline a specific set of steps that you have one week to accomplish. Then, the next week, we build on that progress with new techniques and assignments. By the end of the four weeks, you will have an organized digital archive of your most valuable family images.

The approach is to break the project into smaller parts. Everything we do will be easy to understand and implement. When it comes to digitize, you'll learn techniques that are as simple as using the camera on your smartphone, or as sophisticated as tapping a dedicated film scanner.

I will show you techniques that will help you research, organize, digitize, add metadata, and catalog. We'll also discuss retouching and mending damaged photos.

Every Monday during the class, I will post an instructive video on Vimeo for you to watch. You can watch it whenever you wish, but don't let too much time go by, because there are assignments associated with it. There will also be handouts that you receive via email. And you can comment or ask questions via the comments section on Vimeo.

Patreon members can sign up for free on the Patreon site. I have a post there for you. All you have to do is comment that you want to join us. If you're not a Patreon member, you can sign up at the Inner Circle level for $5 a month and become instantly eligible for the course.

Non-Patreon members can also sign up for the course by visiting the Workshops page on The Nimble Photographer. The course fee is a reasonable $45.

Start preparing now. The first step is to find a dedicated work area where you can leave the project spread out on a table for the duration of the course. You don't want to waste time setting up and breaking down each time you want to work on an assignment. That's the kind of stuff that discourages us from working on these things in the first place.

Next, begin your search for family snapshots, slides, and negatives. You don't have to do anything with them yet, just find as much as you can, and put it on your worktable. If you want, you can start enjoying some of the pictures and reminiscing, but don't begin the project until you've watched the first installment of the course.

I hope you can join us for this online workshop. I think you will find it extremely rewarding!

Do You Have a Film Camera that Needs a Good Home?

Over the last year, I've received donations from TDS members who have film cameras that need a good home. What I do is inspect the items, repair and clean as I can, then list them in TheFilmCameraShop where I can find a good home for them. If you're interested in donating, please use the Contact Form on TheNimblePhotographer site. And thanks for you consideration!

LaCie 8TB 2big 2-Bay USB 3.1 Type-C RAID Review

Photographers interested in enterprise-caliber backup storage, housed in handsome easy to use hardware, should definitely take a look at the LaCie 8TB 2big 2-Bay USB 3.1 Type-C RAID Array. It looks great sitting next to your desktop computer, is surprisingly quiet, and is a joy to use.

Inside the stylish enclosure are two Seagate IronWolf Pro NAS 4 TB hard drives. They are easily accessible through the front of the enclosure via the spring-opening doors. The 7200 rpm SATA 3 drives are hot-swappable, although I haven't had the guts to try that yet. I've powered down the unit the examine the internals. But the documentation says hot-swappable works just fine. (OK, I'm a chicken, I admit it). And after a month of testing with a RAID 1 configuration, I am very pleased with their performance.

The LaCie 2big works great for both Mac and Windows computers right out of the box. Just plug it in and go. But most will want to configure the unit for their particular workflow, and for that, LaCie provides the excellent Toolkit software to format the drives and choose the RAID configuration that you want.

The first option is RAID 0, which provides the best performance and gives you 8 TBs of storage. The two hard drives work together to ensure the fastest data transfer possible.

The second option, RAID 1, is what I'm using. In this scenario, the drives mirror one another to provide an extra level of protection from drive failure. If one goes down, all of your content is still available on the other. The downside to RAID 1 is that your total storage is 4 TBs, and performance is a bit slower than with RAID 0.

And finally, if you're a willy-nilly kind of guy or gal, there's the JBOD option, short for just a bunch of disks. Two drives appear on your desktop with 4 TBs available for each. All of this is configured with Segate Toolkit.

In all honesty, the 2big checks all the boxes for me. I have an enterprise RAID device that looks like industrial artwork sitting on my desk. I can feel like a smart system admin when all I'm really doing is just checking a couple boxes in the easy to use Toolkit app. And the read/write performance has been similar to a standalone HDD. What more could I ask for?

You can purchase the LaCie 8TB 2big for $451. There's also a 4 TB version for $349, and a 16 TB option for $649. At the moment, I'm quite happy with my 8 TB model. And I highly recommend the 2big to photographers and videographers who want reliable enterprise backup enclosed in a handsome hunk of hardware.

Update for the TDS 2020 Photography Workshop Season

Those of you on the registration list for the Humboldt Redwoods Workshop, I'm looking to reschedule the event, and I have a note in your inbox to discuss this.

If you have questions about Humboldt or the other workshops, feel free to drop me a line using the Contact Form on www.thenimblephotographer.com.

The summer and fall workshops are looking less tentative at the moment. If you're interested in either, jump over to our 2020 Workshops Signup Page and place a $100 deposit to secure your place. Only participants on the Reserve List who have placed a deposit will be eligible to register for a workshop. If you have questions or need more information, fill out the "Send Me Info!" request form. I'll get back to you asap.

• Lassen Volcanic Park Photo Workshop - July 16-18, 2020 - 2 Seats Remaining -- We'll convene at a spacious cabin at Lake Almanor that serves as our HQ. From there we explore the stunning Lassen landscape, peaceful shores of Lake Almanor, and the magnificent mountain night skies. This hands-on photo workshop is limited to 8 participants and is a wonderful blending of experience, camaraderie, and artistry. Limited to just 8 participants, you can reserve your spot and learn more about this event here.
• The Eastern Sierra Photography Workshop - Oct. 1-3, 2020 - 2 Seats Remaining - Our event is headquartered at the Silver Maple Inn in Bridgeport, CA - gateway to Bodie, Mono Lake, and June Lake. We'll take advantage of the magical morning light to photograph some of the most unique landscape in North America. We'll photograph the sparkling night skies of the Sierra and explore rustic urban environments. Limited to just 9 participants, you can reserve your spot and learn more about this event here.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

How to Watch Photos for macOS Catalina and iPadOS - Learn everything you need to know about Photos for the Mac and iPad by checking out my latest course on LinkedIn Learning and on lynda.com. This course is perfect for Mac and iPad based photographers who shoot with iPhone, Mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. It covers both photography and movies. And if I say so myself, it's a lot of fun.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. (The Digital Story is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.) And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.