This is The Digital Story Podcast #664, Dec. 4, 2018. Today's theme is "Prepare for Your 2019 Now." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

If you wait until January 1st to choose the improvements that you want to make in 2019, it's already too late. Before you know it, the month will be gone, and you won't have accomplished a thing. If you really want to up your game next year, now is the time to start. And I have some great ideas for you in today's TDS photography podcast.

Prepare for Your 2019 Now

Yes, December has its share of holiday madness. But that also means that friends, family, and clients can be a bit distracted, leaving you with a few windows to work on your 2019 game plan.

The reason why I like December for this is because it gives me time to research options, test out my ideas, then have everything locked and loaded by the time I pop the champagne cork on Dec. 31st. If you like this reasoning, here are a few things to consider for the month.

• Update Your Budget - Most great ideas need funding. I like to pay for things as I go, so a budget is vital to managing my business and personal life. I map out my expected expenses and revenue streams. Part of those allocations are for new projects that I hope will be successful in the new year.



• Take Stock of Your Gear - By this point in the year, there are items I'm not using that should be sold, and things that I need for upcoming projects. A good example was investing in additional SSD storage so I could more easily manage big photo projects. Lighting and lenses are also top of the list review items.
• Create One New Project that You're Willing to Take a Risk with - You can settle for the same projects and revenue streams year to year. You'll go backwards as things fade way if you don't have ideas to replace them. Some of my best new projects in the past included the TDS Workshop Series, TheFilmCameraShop, and The Value of Journaling for Photographers. This began as a personal project 3 years ago, and has become an important part of my creative life.
• Commit to Being Bold - If you listened to Kelly Cox last week, you heard a perfect example of this when shot presented 10 of her Canon Rebel images to Berkeley Athletics in hopes of securing an internship. She now shoots the Super Bowl. Be bold and give yourself a chance to succeed.

The Portfoliobox Inspirational Photographer

I got to thinking about some of the great PortfolioBox photographers out there, and how they could inspire us both artistically, but also in terms of our presentation online. So I started digging.

Each week for the month of December, I'm going to feature an inspirational photographer who uses Portfoliobox as his/her platform for presenting their work. This week I want to point you to http://www.simonerudloff.com/. Simone Rudloff is a photographer from Byron Bay, Australia, now residing in Hamburg, Germany.

Simone's next big project for 2019 is: "I'm currently opening a photo studio/event space in Hamburg with my boyfriend (also a photographer) which we plan on renting out and using ourselves. We've spent 6 months renovating and are officially opening at the end of November!"

If you've signed up for a Portfoliobox Pro account, and have published at least one page, then send me the link to that site. Use the Contact Form on the Nimble Photographer and provide your name, the link, and the subject of the page or site you've published. I will add it to our PortfolioBox Pro Directory.

To create your own Portfoliobox site, click on the tile or use this link to get started. If you upgrade to a Pro site, you'll save 20 percent off the $83 annual price.

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.

Jarine Lombardo did exactly that, writing: "I will send the camera tomorrow and I will take care of the shipping. It is the least I can do for all you have done for me in photography. I've gone back to Olympus because of you and I could not be happier. You are on my bucket list to take a photography workshop with in 2020. Living on the East Coast makes it a little more difficult, but I will make that happen."

Thanks for your contribution Jarine!

Photokina 2019 gets postponed, will become an annual event starting May 2020

DP Review writes:

"In 2017, Photokina's organizers announced the world's largest trade fair would 'reposition' itself an annual event starting in 2018 and subsequently announced that after this year's Photokina, which took place in September, the event would be moved to the month of May going forward.

"Naturally, it was expected the next Photokina event would take place in May 2019, but plans have changed. According to the German Photo Industry Association (PIV), conceptual sponsor of the trade fair, and Koelnmesse, the event's organizer, the 2019 Photokina event has been postponed a year, meaning the next Photokina event will take place from Wednesday May 27th, 2020 through May 30th, 2020."

Updates and Such

The 2019 TDS Workshop Season is Now Open

Inner Circle Members: Night Shot is our current photo challenge. More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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 #663, Nov. 27, 2018. Today's theme is "Kelley Cox - Pro Sports Photographer and Olympus Visionary." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

As a working sports photographer, Kelley knows that she needs every advantage to compete with her peers on the playing field. Her Olympus E-M1 Mark II provides her with a competitive edge by not weighing her down and allowing her to maintain her energy during a long day of active shooting. Kelly joins me on today's show to discuss technique, gear, and how she broke in to this exciting profession.

Kelley Cox - Pro Sports Photographer and Olympus Visionary

Kelley is a photographer based in Berkeley. As a freelancer with USA Today Sports Images, she regularly photographs all major sporting events including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, and NCAA football and basketball. She has covered multiple championship events including the World Series, the NBA Finals, and the Super Bowl. She photographs sports, love, corporate, adventure... and her feet!

She has had her images published by: Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, The New York Times, the Boston Globe, Fortune, USA Today, California Magazine, Swimming World, Business Sports Journal, among other print and online publications.

You can see more of Kelley's work at her web site. I think you will enjoy our chat in today's show.

The Portfoliobox Inspirational Photographer

I got to thinking about some of the great PortfolioBox photographers out there, and how they could inspire us both artistically, but also in terms of our presentation online. So I started digging.

Each week for the month of November, I'm going to feature an inspirational photographer who uses Portfoliobox as his/her platform for presenting their work. This week I want to point you to www.jakobbackrud.com. Jakob Bäckrud is a 22-year-old photographer from Sweden.

He writes about Portfoliobox, "Portfoliobox is a great way of getting your work out there. It is very, very simple to create a good looking webpage where you can upload all your work to have it displayed in one place. I never have to do any sort of programing. I just upload my newest images and then it updates immediately on my personal page. Running my page recently helped me get a job in the industry. The work you are proud of should always be available for other people to enjoy and share and this is a great place for it, you never know where publishing could take you!"

If you've signed up for a Portfoliobox Pro account, and have published at least one page, then send me the link to that site. Use the Contact Form on the Nimble Photographer and provide your name, the link, and the subject of the page or site you've published. I will add it to our PortfolioBox Pro Directory.

To create your own Portfoliobox site, click on the tile or use this link to get started. If you upgrade to a Pro site, you'll save 20 percent off the $83 annual price.

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!

Updates and Such

The 2019 TDS Workshop Season is Now Open

Inner Circle Members: Continuing this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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 #662, Nov. 20, 2018. Today's theme is "TDS Holiday Gift Guide and Stocking Stuffers." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Window shopping is a long standing holiday tradition. And these days our computer screen is just as much part of the experience as the storefront display. On this week's show, I have assembled a delightful gift guide and a bonus list of stocking stuffers. So make yourself a cup of cocoa and join me for our annual holiday extravaganza.

TTDS Holiday Gift Guide

• 3 Legged Thing Toolz Multi-Tool ($7.99) - The perfect stocking stuffer for every photographer - Sturdy, lightweight, cool tools, and it fits on the keychain.
• SanDisk 128GB Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive ($28.74) - Think about it... 128GB of fast storage for less than $30. This could be a life saver.
• Think Tank Photo Lens Case Duo 5 ($20.75) - Far and away my favorite lens case these days. Comes in green or black. Great for most mirrorless optics.
• Tenba Tool Box 8 ($37.95) - With 7.0 x 8.0 x 2.75" interior dimensions, 10 compartments, and translucent cover, this is the perfect way to stow and organize gear. Comes in different sizes too.
• Tenba BYOB 10 Camera Insert Gray ($35.08) - The gray BYOB 10 Camera Insert from Tenba is designed to carry and protect a camera and gear inside other non-camera bags including larger backpacks, suitcases or handbags. Its soft outer shell molds to the shape of a variety of carry bags. The gray BYOB 10 will hold a DSLR or mirrorless camera body with up to 4 lenses and accessories and can fit a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens attached to the camera body. Super handy!
• Olympus Fisheye Body Cap 9mm f/8 Lens ($98.72) - One of the coolest lenses in the world - 18mm (35mm Equivalent), 2 Aspherical Elements, 140° Angle of View, and Extremely Slim Body Cap Profile.
• SanDisk 500GB Extreme Portable USB 3.1 Type-C External SSD ($109.99) - Incredibly light and compact - 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 Type-C interface, which is also known as USB 3.1 Gen 2 and delivers read speeds of up to 550 MB/s. Additionally, this SSD is IP-55 rated and features resistance against water, dust, and shock. It can withstand a water flow of up to 30 kPA for 3 minutes, 1500 g of shock, and 5 gRMS of vibration @ 10-2000 Hz. I've been using one and I love it!
• Zoom H1n Digital Handy Recorder ($119.99) - The H1n is geared for musicians, journalists, podcasters, and more, recording WAV and MP3 files to meet your professional needs. The H1n has a stereo X/Y microphone configuration that captures a realistic stereo image. The unit records audio to microSD or microSDHC flash memory cards, supporting capacities up to 32GB. The H1n records WAV audio at rates up to 24-bit / 96 kHz, and MP3 audio at rates up to 320 kbps. The pocket-sized device runs on two AAA batteries, providing up to 10 hours of continuous operation. If you ever need to capture audio, this is the device for you. I use one on the road for the TDS podcast.
• Genaray Ultra-Thin Bicolor 288 SMD LED ($139) - All-Aluminum, Slim, Lightweight Design, 3200-5600K Adjustable Color Temperature, 10-100% Brightness Dimmer, 2.4 GHz Receiver for 98' Remote Control, Integrated Barndoors & Diffuser. These LED panels are so handy, from portraits to product shots. Easy to transport as well. Very nimble.
• Panasonic Lumix G 25mm f/1.7 ASPH. Lens ($148 - $100 savings) - This is a compact, fast, sharp, and versatile optic for Micro Four Thirds shooters. Every photographer should have one of these in his/her bag. What a great value!

The Portfoliobox Inspirational Photographer

I got to thinking about some of the great PortfolioBox photographers out there, and how they could inspire us both artistically, but also in terms of our presentation online. So I started digging.

Each week for the month of November, I'm going to feature an inspirational photographer who uses Portfoliobox as his/her platform for presenting their work. This week I want to point you to Detomsign. His clean, engaging fashion photography is truly engaging.

He writes about Portfoliobox, "I like that this is not only a website creation tool, it's much more than that. It's like a community of creatives which are supported by professionals like Portfoliobox. I'm always recommending everyone that Portfoliobox is the best, easy to setup and ready to go at a minute. Will be using Portfoliobox for a long time and none of the others are as good as Portfoliobox You want the best? You can't go wrong with Portfoliobox I would say."

If you've signed up for a Portfoliobox Pro account, and have published at least one page, then send me the link to that site. Use the Contact Form on the Nimble Photographer and provide your name, the link, and the subject of the page or site you've published. I will add it to our PortfolioBox Pro Directory.

To create your own Portfoliobox site, click on the tile or use this link to get started. If you upgrade to a Pro site, you'll save 20 percent off the $83 annual price.

Holiday Stocking Stuffers for Photographers

• Pedco UltraClamp Assembly Camera Mount Accessory for Cameras, Scopes, and Binoculars (1.5-Inch) ($23.47) - The Pedco UltraClamp Assembly adjustable camera mount accessory for cameras, spotting scopes, and binoculars allows for stability and flexibility in attaching an optic device to bike and motorcycle handlebars, car windows, roll bars, railings, tables and other objects and surfaces. The ball and socket head provides a wide range of angles for framing subjects, and can be quickly and easily adjusted.



• Mini Tripod Table Stand with Pads and Soft Pistol Grip for DSLR 1/4" Cameras Weighing up to 2.5lbs ($8.99) - The ZaxSound is a heavy-duty tripod, can support cameras weighing up to 2.5lbs because it has 1 support leg that is built into the tripod main frame structure, which handles all the weight. and the other 2 legs that provide stabilization to the tripod.
• Lume Cube - Bluetooth LED Light (Single - Black) ($79.99) - Proudly known as the World's Most Versatile Light™, Lume Cube represents the future of LED Lighting. Built with professional quality specs, the Lume Cube is pocket sized at 1.5 inches cubed, emits a powerful 1,500 Lumens of daylight balanced light and is waterproof to 100 feet and made with a custom lens. Diffuse, Gel or Modify the light output via the Lume Cube Light-House. Mount it to any of your devices via the built-in 1/4" 20 tripod mount on bottom. Control with manual buttons for quick adjustments or our Bluetooth App, this powerful little light can be used as a Flash (down to 1/125 of a second in Slave Mode) or constant video light.
• LensPen New DSLR Pro Camera Cleaning Kit, NDSLRK-1 ($16.75) - Digital lens, filter and compact lens cleaning kit. Safe for use on all optical devices. Kit contains miniPRO II, FilterKlear and LensPen. Patented carbon compound. Over 500 cleanings.
• Giottos AA1903 Rocket Air Blaster Large-Red ($11.99) - Large black Rocket Air Blaster easily removes dust and debris from cameras, lenses and filters with a powerful blast of air. Made of rubber. Includes a one-way valve to prevent Blaster from breathing in dust and spreading it back to your equipment.

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!

Updates and Such

The 2019 TDS Workshop Season is Now Open

Inner Circle Members: Continuing this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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 #661, Nov. 13, 2018. Today's theme is "The 2019 TDS Workshop Season." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Every year we strive to make our photography events even more compelling than the season before. For 2019, we have what I consider our best offering to date. Four unique events in fantastic destinations at truly affordable prices. And in today's TDS Photography Podcast, I will share each one of them with you. So sit back, tune in, and contemplate the possibilities for your next photography adventure.

The 2019 TDS Workshop Season

Here is the event slate for 2019! You can reserve your spot by visiting the 2019 TDS Workshops page and placing your $100 deposit for the event of your choice.

• Joshua Tree National Park - March 13-15, 2019 - This will be our first workshop visit to Joshua Tree. This fascinating environment is perfect for landscape work by day and night photography once the sun sets. We'll also visit the Salton Sea to capture migratory birds and to explore this unusual body of water. During our lab sessions, there will be instruction on maximizing your results with Aurora HDR, Lightroom CC, and Luminar. Add a little aerial photography, and we're set for photographically satisfying adventure. Three days, $725
• San Francisco Street Photography - April 26-28, 2019 - We'll work entirely on location in San Francisco. We'll book a hotel in picturesque Union Square that will serve as our headquarters during the event. No rental car will be necessary. We'll explore the City's hidden treasures and capture them through our lenses. And we're adding new shooting locations again this year, including twilight assignments. This is San Francisco like you've never seen it before. And as a bonus, Olympus Visionary Mike Boening will be joining the teaching staff and leading sessions on street shooting and night photography. Two instructors, three days, small group, and all for just $725. (That's right, it's 3 full days in one of the most photogenic cities in the U.S.)
• The Sonoma Coast Exploration - July 17-19, 2019 - Northern California's rugged coastline is the perfect setting to fine-tune our landscape and long-exposure water images. Plus, we'll visit a former Russian fort, movie locations, and interesting fishing villages. This workshop is the perfect escape from summer heat and humidity while adding hundreds of beautiful images to your photo library. During our lab sessions, there will be instruction on maximizing your results with Aurora HDR, Lightroom CC, and Luminar. If a workshop could be relaxing and stimulating all at the same time, this is it. 3 days - $725.
• Humboldt Redwoods Photography Workshop - Sept. 18-20, 2019 - There is magic in the forest. If you've never experienced the magnificent redwoods of Humboldt County, you are in for a treat. Every detail of this vibrant ecosystem presents a photographic opportunity. The fern-covered floor with Dogwoods and azaleas, the towering Redwoods, fallen logs across bubbling streams... so much to work with. Additionally, we'll explore the fascinating Eel River and its wildlife. During our lab sessions, there will be instruction on maximizing your results with Aurora HDR, Lightroom CC, and Luminar. This workshop will delight your eyes and satisfy your soul. 3 days - $725

You can reserve your spot by visiting the 2019 TDS Workshops page and placing your $100 deposit for the event of your choice.

The Portfoliobox Inspirational Photographer

I got to thinking about some of the great PortfolioBox photographers out there, and how they could inspire us both artistically, but also in terms of our presentation online. So I started digging.

Each week for the month of November, I'm going to feature an inspirational photographer who uses Portfoliobox as his/her platform for presenting their work. This week I want to point you to Eva Fidziukiewicz. Not only is her fashion work outstanding, but her unique Portfoliobox design is equally appealing.

If you've signed up for a Portfoliobox Pro account, and have published at least one page, then send me the link to that site. Use the Contact Form on the Nimble Photographer and provide your name, the link, and the subject of the page or site you've published. I will add it to our PortfolioBox Pro Directory.

To create your own Portfoliobox site, click on the tile or use this link to get started. If you upgrade to a Pro site, you'll save 20 percent off the $83 annual price.

Using Aperture and Automator to Add IPTC to Your Pictures

Former Aperture users... don't delete the app quite yet. I have a helpful, practical purpose for keeping it on your hard drive: to add IPTC metadata (semi-automatically) to your pictures.

I'm using the Automator/Aperture tandem to include my copyright and author info with images that may fall outside my normal workflow, and don't have camera functions to include them. I've been adding data to iPhone images and those from the Fujifilm XF10. Here's how it works.

Coming Next Week - The Official 2018 TDS Holiday Gift Guide

That's right. It's that time of year. And I have handpicked 10 fun, creative, useful gift suggestions for that favorite photographer in your life (who also might be you!). You definitely won't want to miss this show.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: Continuing this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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 #660, Nov. 6, 2018. Today's theme is "How to Manage Holiday Sales Temptation." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

We're entering that time of year when retailers dangle tempting deals before our eyes in the hopes that we'll make a big ticket purchase. More often than not, these items are a bit past their prime, but still quite serviceable. So, what's the best strategy for evaluating what is a great deal and a perfect fit, as opposed to a mere impulse buy? I'll share my sure-fire approach on today's TDS Photography Podcast.

How to Manage Holiday Sales Temptation

I've already fought off my first impulse buy of the season. And it required some discipline to do so.

B&H Photo is offering the Sony Alpha a7 II Mirrorless Digital Camera with 28-70mm Lens Deluxe Kit for $998. The kit included the full frame Sony, a Sony 28-70mm zoom, spare battery, charger, and 64GB memory card for less than a grand. If you buy the camera alone with no lens or accessories, it's $1,400. You can see why my pulse started racing.

But I have a system for evaluating such mind-bending deals. Five steps to sane purchasing. So let's see where we end up after walking through the process.

• Learn more about the camera - I pulled up a few reviews about the Alpha a7 II. First of all, it's not one of Sony's best low-light performers. It was release in 2015 and has had a couple firmware updates. But if I were to go full frame, I would want to shoot at high ISOs. And 24MP isn't more than I already have.
• Is the 28-70mm a lens that I would buy normally? - Again, after some research, many users feel that it's soft at the corners. It's a tad bulky, but not exceptionally well made. And its maximum aperture is f/3.5-5.6. I would rather have a compact, sharp, fast, prime.
• How would I use it, exactly? - It wouldn't be for commercial shoots because I don't have any glass besides the mediocre zoom. It's too big for travel photography. The shutter is too loud for street photography. So it doesn't fill a gap in my equipment arsenal.
• Do I have a $1,000 to burn? - Well, now that you mentioned it, I don't. If I were purchasing an item that could generate more work or better art, yes, I could afford the grand as a business investment. But I don't have that kind of money to spend on a whim.
• Would I regret my purchase after the thrill is gone? - Most likely yes. I just went through this process with the Fujifilm XF10. After a month of answering the above questions and shooting with the camera, I opted to buy it. Two weeks later, I'm more thrilled than ever to have it. I don't think that would be the case with the Sony.

Don't get caught off guard. Build your vetting process now, so when that super-tempting offer appears before your eyes, you have a system to determine if it's the right bargain for you.

The Portfoliobox Inspirational Photographer

I got to thinking about some of the great PortfolioBox photographers out there, and how they could inspire us both artistically, but also in terms of our presentation online. So I started digging.

Each week for the month of November, I'm going to feature an inspirational photographer who uses Portfoliobox as his/her platform for presenting their work. This week I want to point you to Raphaël Heymann. His still lives are incredible, true works of art. And his use of Portfoliobox complements his work. You've got to check out his site.

If you've signed up for a Portfoliobox Pro account, and have published at least one page, then send me the link to that site. Use the Contact Form on the Nimble Photographer and provide your name, the link, and the subject of the page or site you've published. I will add it to our PortfolioBox Pro Directory.

To create your own Portfoliobox site, click on the tile or use this link to get started. If you upgrade to a Pro site, you'll save 20 percent off the $83 annual price.

Capture One Pro 11.3 and Fujifilm RAW Processing

I was among the many pleased photographers who exclaimed, "Finally!" when Phase One announced their improved Fujifilm RAW support with version 11.3.

This highlight, of course, is bringing the Fujifilm GFX 50S into the mix. But a dozen Fujifilm cameras and another half dozen lenses were included as well. Among them was my humble, but loved, Fujifilm XF10 compact with APS-C sensor. I was dying to seeing how its RAW files were decoded with Capture One Pro. I was not disappointed.

The XF10 Jpegs are beautiful. And I shoot in that mode most of the time. But I've programmed the back Function button to switch to RAW+Jpeg when I want to extract as much image information as possible. And now, thanks to Capture One Pro 11.3, I can do so with confidence.

Coming Next Week - The 2019 TDS Workshop Season

Is 2019 the year that you will join me and your peers for a photo adventure? I hope so. Next week I will lay out the entire 2019 season for you, and open the reserve list so you can secure your spot. Be a part of the action!

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: Continuing this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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 #659, Oct. 30, 2018. Today's theme is "How to Avoid Clogged Nozzles and Other Printing Woes" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

If it wasn't for printers, making prints would be a lot of fun. Yes, there's nothing worse than finally getting in the mood to print a beautiful 13" x 19" print, only to discover that you have a clogged nozzle or some other malady. The good news is, that almost every woe that plagues us is preventable. And I have some excellent tips from printing experts to ensure output happiness in your future.

How to Avoid Clogged Nozzles and Other Printing Woes

Among the many visits that I enjoyed at PhotoPlus Expo last week, one of the best was with the printing gurus at the Epson booth. I had a laundry list of questions from listeners that I wanted advice about. And they were more than ready to respond to my every query.

What I came away with were five tips that will help ensure a productive, non-frustrating printing experience, even if you only print every couple months. So without further ado, here they are.

• Use Your Inkjet as an Occasional Document Printer - Printers like to print. But if we save our fancy 13" photo printer for photography only, it might not get enough use to stay in top shape. They work great for documents as well. Fire it up once a week and print a few sheets.
• Cover Your Printer When Not in Use - Dust is your greatest enemy. Not only can it affect your prints, but it is the main culprit for clogged nozzles. It's the dust that commingles with residue ink that actually causes the problem.
• Turn Off Your Printer When Not in Use - Many folks leave their printer on when not in use because they think it dumps a bunch of ink each time it starts up. Actually, that's not true with modern Epson printers. All that chugging and churning is really just a comprehensive system check. You can verify this by weighting your cartridges before and after start up.
• Don't Change Cartridges When Their Warning Light Comes On - There's usually 10 percent or more of ink remaining when the warning lights illuminates. Don't change then. Use the light as a reminder to order a replacement cartridge when the previous one actually runs out of ink.
• Check Out Informative Video Available Online - Great videos can be found at the Epson Print Academy that will help you stay on top of your printing game.

HoneyBook Makes Your Business as Good as Your Art

I was sitting in a client meeting today, and one of the dominate topics was how we could get ahead of these projects, and stay more organized along the way.

As we were talking about this, I was thinking about HoneyBook and how this service is designed to do exactly that. From scheduling with its integrated calendar (that also syncs with Google Calendar), to staying on track with its task list and project management tools. And when it's time to invoice, all the bookkeeping is integrated as well.

If you're grappling with these same sort of challenges in your freelance or startup business, I encourage you to explore Honeybook. It won't cost you a thing to learn what it can do for you. But it can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars up the road.

"Honeybook is a purpose-built business management platform for creative small businesses. They help photographers, designers, event professionals, and other solopreneurs save hundreds, if not thousands of hours a year by adding time-saving automation into their business. HoneyBook makes it easy to streamline the client process, so you never miss a thing!"

And that's why, for a limited time, TDS listeners can get 50 percent off the first year of Honeybook with promo code THEDIGITALSTORY. Honeybook membership includes unlimited access to ALL features, at one low monthly price. So go to HONEYBOOK.COM today, and use promo code THEDIGITALSTORY to get started. Again, that's HoneyBook.com, promo code THEDIGITALSTORY.

Tonality Mega B&W Pack Free to Luminar Users

One of the reasons why I like Tonality so much for B&W work is that it has these fantastic presets that make it easy to view and convert my images to a variety of styles. Luminar 2018 ($59) users can now enjoy those same benefits by downloading the Tonality Mega B&W Pack... for free.

When they say "mega," they mean it. There are collections of Tonality presets in different categories, film textures, workspaces, and more. They come in zipped files that you unzip, then use the File > Add Custom Presets Pack command in Luminar to add them to your work environment. They will be available to you under Categories when you have Presets enabled.

If you love B&W photography, and are using Luminar 2018 as a plug-in for Lightroom, Photoshop, or Photos for macOS (not to mention as a powerful standalone app), then you will definitely want to download this free mega presets pack.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: Starting this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

HoneyBook - What small biz owner wants to spend their time on paperwork, endless emails, and dealing with payment collection? That's why there's HoneyBook. Learn more at HoneyBook.com. And save 50 percent your first year by using coupon code: THEDIGITALSTORY

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 #658, Oct. 23, 2018. Today's theme is "How's Lightroom CC Coming Along?" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Adobe recently release Lightroom CC 2.0 for the desktop and mobile devices. This seems like a good time to check-in on the Creative Cloud version of the app. Is it truly useful yet? Can it replace the Classic version? What's the experience like? I'll take a closer look in today's TDS Photography Podcast.

How's Lightroom CC Coming Along?

Among other things, Adobe provides RAW decoding for my new Fujifilm XF10 in Lightroom CC. So this seemed like the perfect opportunity to immerse myself in this application for a few days. And that's exactly what I did.

First of all, I should mention what's new in this 2.0 version of Lightroom CC.

• People View - Find photos of specific people faster now that Lightroom CC uses Adobe Sensei technology to automatically sort your photos based on who's in them. When you upload and sync photos to the cloud, Lightroom CC detects, recognizes, and groups photos of the same person.
• Migrate Apple Photos - You can now easily migrate your Apple Photos Library into Lightroom CC on your desktop. Your photos sync to the cloud so you can access, edit, organize, and share them on all your devices.
• Easily share your photos to the web - In addition to sharing albums, you can now share any random selection of photos as a web gallery.
• Improved search - Start typing in the search bar and Lightroom CC automatically offers suggestions to help you quickly find what you need. Search for cameras, locations, and other metadata with ease. Also, your enabled filters are kept neatly organized in the search box. You can even search for a filter using its name (try 'camera:').
• Local color toning - You can now apply colors to specific areas of your photo with the Brush and Gradient tools. When using the Brush, Linear Gradient, or Radial Gradient tools in Lightroom CC, scroll down to the bottom of the adjustment sliders panel to turn on Color.
• HEVC file support on macOS - Beginning with this release, Lightroom CC supports Apple's HEVC video format (High Efficiency Video Coding, also known as H.265) on macOS High Sierra (10.13) or later.
• Support for New Cameras and Lenses - New models include Canon EOS R, Fujifilm X-T3, Nikon Z7 and Lumix LX100 II.

In terms of the usability, Lightroom CC is becoming a real pleasure to use. Here are some of my observations.

• Basic adjustments work well.
• I like the way presets are handled.
• The brushing tools are quite serviceable.
• Linear and Radial Gradients work well.
• Seems odd that there are no shortcuts for copy and paste settings.
• Creative Cloud syncing is excellent.

Overall, I give Lightroom CC V2.0 high marks. If you're coming to it from Lightroom Classic, that might be difficult. There are still many tools that are not available in the CC version. Two that I really miss are HDR merging and Pano stitching. But if you're coming from a mobile perspective, then LR CC should be a welcome upgrade to working on a mobile device.

HoneyBook Makes Your Business as Good as Your Art

I was sitting in a client meeting today, and one of the dominate topics was how we could get ahead of these projects, and stay more organized along the way.

As we were talking about this, I was thinking about HoneyBook and how this service is designed to do exactly that. From scheduling with its integrated calendar (that also syncs with Google Calendar), to staying on track with its task list and project management tools. And when it's time to invoice, all the bookkeeping is integrated as well.

If you're grappling with these same sort of challenges in your freelance or startup business, I encourage you to explore HoneyBook. It won't cost you a thing to learn what it can do for you. But it can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars up the road.

"Honeybook is a purpose-built business management platform for creative small businesses. They help photographers, designers, event professionals, and other solopreneurs save hundreds, if not thousands of hours a year by adding time-saving automation into their business. Honeybook makes it easy to streamline the client process, so you never miss a thing!"

And that's why, for a limited time, TDS listeners can get 50 percent off the first year of Honeybook with promo code THEDIGITALSTORY. Honeybook membership includes unlimited access to ALL features, at one low monthly price. So go to HONEYBOOK.COM today, and use promo code THEDIGITALSTORY to get started. Again, that's HoneyBook.com, promo code THEDIGITALSTORY.

Digitizing Family Memories with the Epson FastFoto Scanner

I have a shoebox in the closet that contains family snapshots from over the years. They came to me in a variety of ways. Some I took myself. Others were included in letters from my Mom. And I even have original prints that my Dad discovered doing his family archiving project. All of these valuable, important pictures were lying dormant until recently when I got my hands on a Epson FastFoto Scanner. Now they are digitized and cataloged in my photo management software.

I talk about this unique scanner in this segment of the show.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: Starting this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

HoneyBook - What small biz owner wants to spend their time on paperwork, endless emails, and dealing with payment collection? That's why there's HoneyBook. Learn more at HoneyBook.com. And save 50 percent your first year by using coupon code: THEDIGITALSTORY

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 #657, Oct. 16, 2018. Today's theme is, "Gearing Up for PhotoPlus Expo." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Much in the way that Photokina was an important European event for the photography community, I think PhotoPlus Expo will carry more weight than usual in the U.S. How will the manufacturers follow up all of those September announcements? On today's podcast, I discuss what I anticipate in New York, and how I'm preparing for it. I hope you enjoy the show.

Gearing Up for PhotoPlus Expo

The show floor opens on Oct. 25 in Javits Convention Center, NYC. Most of the heavy hitters are there, ready for their U.S. encore performance. I will be there as well, reporting first, then working in the Skylum booth on Friday and Saturday.

As I prepared for my show reporting, I started with the Expo Hall booth layout. I think a lot can be deciphered from the floor plan.

For example, Canon, Nikon, and Sony have the largest booths, with Fujifilm right on their heels. The investment by Canon and Nikon make perfect sense, since they both have new full frame mirrorless cameras to show off. Sony, being the leader in this category, needs to be on the offensive as well to protect their position.

But Fujifilm's very large booth shows their confidence in the X-T3 26 MP APS-C mirrorless offering - as well they should. They have a more extensive library of native mirrorless lenses than either Canon or Nikon, and a proven track record for the X-T series of cameras.

At the next level, we have Olympus, Epson, Tamron, and Sigma. Tamron and Sigma have been very active lately, including Sigma joining the Leica/Panasonic partnership for full frame mirrorless. Epson needs a lot of space to display its output and printers. But for me, Olympus is the interesting member of the second tier. They don't have any new announcements, so they may be positioning Micro Four Thirds as the smart alternative for travel photographers.

In the third tier, we have Ricoh/Pentax, Skylum, Think Tank Photo, Zeiss Camera Lenses, and Panasonic North America. I didn't see Lowepro or Tamrac on the list, so Think Tank so have the bag sector sewed up. Ricoh may show off a prototype of the GR III, but doesn't have much else in the works at the moment. Skylum is preparing to release their long-awaited digital asset manager, so their footprint makes perfect sense.

What seems odd to me here is the tiny Panasonic booth. They made one of the biggest headline announcements at Photokina. It seems odd to not follow that up with the big guns in New York.

As for my preparation, I'm going with the Olympus PEN-F with one zoom and 3 primes. I'm also keeping the Fujifilm XF10 in my pocket at all times, whether I'm at work or not. I'll have my audio recorder with me, just in case I'm able to snag an interview or two. Everything is already packed in my Think Tank Retrospective 7 II shoulder bag.

I'll be sure to get plenty of pictures and as many tidbits as possible during my visit to New York. If you plan on attending, be sure to come by and say hello on Friday or Saturday while I'm working in the Skylum booth.

HoneyBook Makes Your Business as Good as Your Art

I was sitting in a client meeting today, and one of the dominate topics was how we could get ahead of these projects, and stay more organized along the way.

As we were talking about this, I was thinking about HoneyBook.com and how this service is designed to do exactly that. From scheduling with its integrated calendar (that also syncs with Google Calendar), to staying on track with its task list and project management tools. And when it's time to invoice, all the bookkeeping is integrated as well.

If you're grappling with these same sort of challenges in your freelance or startup business, I encourage you to explore HoneyBook.com. It won't cost you a thing to learn what it can do for you. But it can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars up the road.

"Honeybook is a purpose-built business management platform for creative small businesses. They help photographers, designers, event professionals, and other solopreneurs save hundreds, if not thousands of hours a year by adding time-saving automation into their business. Honeybook makes it easy to streamline the client process, so you never miss a thing!"

And that's why, for a limited time, TDS listeners can get 50 percent off the first year of HoneyBook.com with promo code THEDIGITALSTORY. Honeybook membership includes unlimited access to ALL features, at one low monthly price. So go to HONEYBOOK.COM today, and use promo code THEDIGITALSTORY to get started. Again, that's HoneyBook.com, promo code THEDIGITALSTORY.

A fully-featured Photoshop is finally coming to the iPad

As published on DP Review

Earlier this year, Adobe Chief Product Officer, Scott Belsky, acknowledged Adobe was working on a full version of Adobe Photoshop for iPad. Today, we were given a glimpse into the fruits of its labor, with Adobe previewing Photoshop CC on iPad on stage at Adobe MAX 2018 in Los Angeles.

To achieve this, Adobe had to create an updated version of its PSD file format it calls Cloud PSDs. In Adobe's own words, "when we ship Photoshop on the iPad, [Cloud PSDs] will also run and automatically show up on your desktop...Suddenly, you'll have this cloud-powered roundtrip experience akin to a Google Docs experience, where literally the source of truth of your Photoshop creation is in the cloud." Gone are the days of having to figure out how to export files in a compatible format and send them to various devices.

Adobe Photoshop CC on iPad won't arrive until 2019. In the meantime, you can sign up for a chance to be included on the beta version on Adobe's website.

iPhone XS Max Comes Out on Top in New Battery Test

Via iPhone Hacks

This test includes the iPhone XS Max, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Google's Pixel 3 XL (which just got rave reviews), and Sony's Xperia XZ3. It's worth noting here that Apple's iPhone XS Max actually has the smallest battery out of the bunch (iPhone XS Max: 3174mAh; Galaxy Note 9: 4000mAh; Pixel 3 XL: 3430mAh; Xperia XZ3: 3300mAh), and that screen resolutions between phones should be the same for a proper test. That's the case here with Mrwhosetheboss, which made sure to set the Galaxy Note 9's display to the resolution of 2960×1440, rather than the 1080p HD resolution it can be set at.

With the resolutions set and the phone's fully charged, Mrwhosetheboss went to work on the test. The iPhone XS Max came in at just over six hours, while the Galaxy Note 9 fell about 12 minutes shorter. In third place? Google's Pixel 3 XL, which lasted about five hours. And the Xperia XZ3 finished out the bottom, finishing up under four hours before dying.

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: Starting this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

HoneyBook - What small biz owner wants to spend their time on paperwork, endless emails, and dealing with payment collection? That's why there's HoneyBook. Learn more at HoneyBook.com. And save 50 percent your first year by using coupon code: THEDIGITALSTORY

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 #656, Oct. 9, 2018. Today's theme is "5 Cool Imaging Tricks with macOS Mojave." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

macOS Mojave, otherwise known as version 10.14, features a handful of goodies for imaging buffs. Starting with dark mode, that just makes all of our pictures look better, to improved performance under the hood, this latest operating system for Macs is a pretty sweet ride. But there are a few more goodies that aren't immediately apparent to the eye, but are delightful just the same. And that's the top story in today's TDS Photography Podcast.

5 Cool Imaging Tricks with macOS Mojave

I've been working on my new Photos title for LinkedIn Learning and lynda.com, and I've enjoyed discovering all the new goodies for photographers. I thought that you might to know my 5 favorites of the bunch.

• Gallery View in the Finder with EXIF Data - Gallery View is the source of so many good things in the Finder. First, it's a great way to browse your images. Second, you can now view the full EXIF data in the view. And third, there are plenty of tools here via Quick Actions. More on that in just a minute.
• Built-In Video Screen Capture - This is really fun. Use the new command: Shift-Command-5 to display a robust screen capture tool for both stills and video. There are plenty of options including screen capture area, save to location, delay timer, audio recording, and show mouse clicks.
• Trimming Video with Quick Actions - There are four Quick Actions included with Mojave that allow you to perform editing functions right in the Finder: Rotate, Markup, Create PDF, and Trim. I like them all, but having Trim available to clean up my screen capture movies is super handy. And if you're handy with Automator, you can easily create your own Quick Actions. I've already created a few for myself.
• Instant Scanner - We've been able to take pictures of documents with our iPhones for some time, and there are some nifty iOS apps to make that even better. But with Continuity Camera in Mojave, all I have to do is right-click in the Finder, choose Import from iPhone in the popup, and click on Scan Documents. I can create multipage PDFs right on the spot. Perfect for receipts and documents, especially when traveling on the road.
• Show File Names in Photos - Here's a feature that just happens automatically, and that photographers have been asking for since Photos came out. Now, if a picture does not have a title that you entered in the Info box, Photos will display its file name in the thumbnail view. Yay!

Introducing HoneyBook to Make Your Business as Good as Your Art

What small biz owner wants to spend their time on paperwork, endless emails, and dealing with payment collection? That's why there's HoneyBook.

I was very curious about this service, so I set up an account so I could explore in greater depth. The number one appeal for me was the ease of bookkeeping. I'm sure I'm not the only business owner who struggles with that. And Honeybook can definitely help me be more efficient there.

But there are other features as well, such as managing your tasks, calendar, projects, and more. And I began to realize that this is an integrated system to ease the pain of managing all aspects of my business.

The way they explained it to me was this: "Honeybook is a purpose-built business management platform for creative small businesses. They help photographers, designers, event professionals, and other solopreneurs save hundreds, if not thousands of hours a year by adding time-saving automation into their business. Honeybook makes it easy to streamline the client process, so you never miss a thing!"

And that's why, for a limited time, TDS listeners can get 50 percent off the first year of Honeybook with promo code THEDIGITALSTORY. Honeybook membership includes unlimited access to ALL features, at one low monthly price. So go to HoneyBook.com today, and use promo code THEDIGITALSTORY to get started. Again, that's HoneyBook.com, promo code THEDIGITALSTORY.

Luminar with Library Due to Be Released in December

It's been a long wait for Luminar fans, but the much-discussed digital asset manager will finally see the light of day this coming December.

This is also good news for those who signed up earlier this year for my Nimble Classroom on this very subject. As soon as I get an actual release day, I will schedule that online class.

Skylum has released teaser videos that provide glimpses of the upcoming Luminar Library. At this point, it's hard to say what features the software will actually have in its first release. My guess is that a lot of that will depend on how well the closed beta testing goes.

More to come on this story.

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!

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: Starting this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

HoneyBook - What small biz owner wants to spend their time on paperwork, endless emails, and dealing with payment collection? That's why there's HoneyBook. Learn more at HoneyBook.com. And save 50 percent your first year by using coupon code: THEDIGITALSTORY

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 #655, Oct. 2, 2018. Today's theme is "My Top 5 Photokina Picks." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photokina is the largest photography show that I've ever personally attended. And once again, it didn't disappoint in terms of major announcements. There was gear that dazzled me while other news well, just puzzled me. This week I'm going to talk about those products that turned my head.

My Top 5 Photokina Picks

In large part because of the mirrorless movement, we're in a great cycle right now. And I think this year's show in Cologne reflected that excitement. Here are the things that I'm hoping come to market sooner than later.

• The Panasonic Lumix S1R - It's huge, like DSLR huge, but this product of the Panasonic / Leica / Sigma L-mount partnership provides an interesting full frame alternative to Sony, Canon, and Nikon.
• The Fujifilm GFX 50R - A relatively compact medium format rangefinder for $4,500. It seems that Fujifilm has gone this route rather than compete in the full frame space. Time will tell on the wisdom of that decision.
• The Ricoh GR III - A compact classic with an APS-C sensor gets a feature update. New goodies include a new 24MP sensor, touchscreen and image stabilization. The problem is, we don't know exactly when we will see it. Ricoh has announced its development, but no price or release date.
• The Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN lens for Sony E and Micro Four Thirds - On Micro Four Thirds, the lens will behave as being equivalent to a 112mm F2.8 lens on full frame. On Sony E mount, it will act as an 84mm F2.1 equivalent. Super Multi-Layer Coating, Weather-Sealed Construction, and Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm. The lens will be part of Sigma's 'C' (for Contemporary) range of lenses which aim to strike a balance between quality and price.
• The Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10-25mm f/1.7 for Micro Four Thirds is the first lens that achieves a wide f/1.7 aperture through the full zoom range. The zoom will cover the 35mm equivalent of a 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm. It's not a compact optic, but wow.

Things I Learned During the TDS Fall Workshop

We closed out the 2018 workshop season high in the mountains with a spacious cabin as our headquarters. During the course of the event, there were many pearls of wisdom, and I thought I would share a few of them with you now.

Dave learned- Lens hood on the front of the lens may not be enough. Use your hand or a hat to shade. I learned from Jeremy that I was using too long of exposures for my star photos.

Kevin learned - You're never to old to desire a McLaren. When you're switching camera gear, it's really helpful to work with others who have it. (Kevin is learning Olympus gear.) For star shots, use Fluorescent WB preset to add blue to the stars.

Susie learned - Never do a workshop with only seven men. I learned about the Photographer's Ephemeris so I know when to go out for a night shoot. I learned how to do pano merging in Lightroom with the resulting DNG.

Jeremy learned - I'm over-dependent on technology. Take away WiFi and Cell service and I'm a gonner. Everyone sees things differently. I missed shots that others got right next to me, or they interpreted it differently.

Fred learned - I for the first time have used a graduated ND filter that helped me control the light on one side of the scene or another.

Earl learned - For Milky Way shots, duplicate the layer 3 times then use blend mode soft light to brighten the stars and intensify the color and image.

Kirk learned - I learned how to pack being a nimble photographer by observing how the other guys packed - not too much, not too little. Plus, I really enjoyed hanging around the other guys.

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!

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: Starting this month - Photo Critique. Check out the post on Patreon. Send your images to me with the subject line, "Photo Critique." More details on our Patreon page.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members:

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.

Portfoliobox - Create the site that your best images deserve by visiting Portfoliobox. And get a 20 percent discount by using our landing page!

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.