This is The Digital Story Podcast #554, October 18, 2016. Today's theme is "My Return to Iceland." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

My first trip to Iceland was nearly a decade ago, when I was there on assignment with the "Lightroom 12" to capture imagery and test the beta version of Adobe's fledgling image management application. We were there in the summer, and the days were 23 hours long. It was amazing. And now I'll return again. This time for another assignment.

It's going to be a crazy couple weeks. On Thursday morning I head up to the Eastern Sierra for the TDS Fall Workshop. I'm so looking forward to it. I return home on Sunday night, then catch a plane on Monday morning to Iceland.

I thought you might be interested in what I'm packing for these back-to-back trips.

In the News

Could Flash Porter Be The Field Back-up Solution of Your Dreams? (via ThePhoblographer)

Flash Porter is a Kickstarter campaign aimed at doing one thing: creating the worlds best field backup solution.

The unit is essentially a small battery powered memory card reader with a screen and built in storage of varying capacity levels - somewhat Gameboy-esq in its appearance. The idea is similar to something like WD's My Passport Wireless Pro, but more advanced with multiple memory card slots (not just SD) a built in screen, etc. The Flash Porter also supports RAW image display from most of today's popular brands, which means that unlike the Toshiba and WD offerings, you will actually be able to see and interact with the RAW files on the unit - such a key feature for us photographers.

The Kickstarter Campaign has 10 days remaining. If you would like to see this project become a reality you can head over to the Kickstarter page to get more information and to support the project.

Follow Us on Apple News for iOS Devices

I'm happy to announce that The Digital Story, The Nimble Photographer, and theAnalogstory are all available on the Apple News App for iOS devices. Just click on the following links on your iPhone or iPad, then save us to your Favorites.

• theAnalogstory.
• The Nimble Photographer
• The Digital Story

Updates and Such

Big thanks to all of our Patreon members! I was able to pay for the podcast server and the backup system from last month's pledges. Your contributions are making a positive impact.

I'll be announcing the 2017 TDS Workshop season by the end of October. And I have to tell you, this is our most exciting lineup to date. Keep eye peeled!

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #553, October 11, 2016. Today's theme is "If Only One Tradeshow." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photo Plus Expo is right around the corner, Oct. 19-22 at Javits Convention Center in New York City. It combines the best U.S. expo hall for photographers, and excellent conference program, and the opportunity to photograph once of the best street shooting cities in America. And if I could go to only one trade show a year, Photo Plus would be it. I explain why in today's show.

If Only One Tradeshow

I've attended a half dozen Photo Plus shows over the years and have loved everyone of them. Sometimes I was working, other times teaching, but always exploring and interacting. Here are five reasons why I highly recommend this event.

It's in New York! - This alone makes it worth attending. PPE is the perfect excuse to escape to Manhattan for street shooting, deli sandwiches, night life, and the electricity that is always switched on there. Plus you can finally make that pilgrimage to B&H Photo.

Terrific Expo Hall - More than 225 top quality exhibitors all under one roof. It's more intimate than Photokina, but much larger and diverse than Photoshop World and other mid-sized events. Over the course of my stay, I usually take at least three tours of the exhibits.

Meet Other Photographers - There are more than 21,000 of you there, and most of them are just as happy to be attending as you are. The years that I've been an exhibitor there, I thought the NY crowd was the most interesting to interact with. In this online world we live in, it's so nice to be in the same space as other enthusiasts.

Solid Conference Program - The PhotoPlus Conference features over 100 seminars, including Photo Walks, Master Classes, new One Day Intensive Classes, and Keynotes. If there's a photographer whom you've wanted to meet, chances are good he'll be there teaching.

Great Floor Demos - If you can't afford a conference pass, you can get into the Expo Hall for $20 (if you buy now) and enjoy great presentations in many of the large booths including Canon and Nikon. I think the demos are PhotoPlus are top drawer.

If you're in the New York area, I recommend attending the Expo on Friday Oct. 21 instead of Saturday the 22nd. The floor is less crowded and the exhibitors are still fresh.

In the News

The Cameras You All Really Want Are Only Going to Get More Expensive (via ThePhoblographer)

If you've noticed something about the price points of cameras, you'll realize that they're only becoming more and more expensive. That's because of a number of factors including the slow crush of most point and shoots from phones and exactly what they're capable of doing. Add onto that the fact that the prosumer market is growing and willing to spend a lot more money to get the image quality they want, and you'll now get what we wanted in some ways or another: the camera and high end photography industry is now something only available to the rich and those that truly want to spend the money to create something inspired by their creative passion.

At the same time, many of you know exactly what lots of us have known for a while now: cameras are so good that you can pretty much use anything out there and get the image that you want. It makes sense when like four companies make all the sensors! What you eventually end up paying for then are more features, horsepower under the hood, and far better image quality potential that will force you to make a more careful decision. For example, how many of you really need 42MP sensors in your camera? What about 24MP? Or what about 16MP? Do you really need a more revamped autofocus or will you be alight with focusing and recomposing? We all love talking about gear, but sometimes it truly isn't necessary.

52 Projects for 2017

52 photography projects: A photo idea to try every week of the year

Here are five of my favorite from this excellent list.

• Water drop art - The basic idea with this project is to suspend a container of liquid and let drops fall through a small hole, then capture the resulting splash.
• Minimalist mono landscapes - Instead of cramming an entire view into a single frame, shoot a series of minimalist long exposure landscapes instead.
• Time-lapse photo - How many of us have the time to fit time-lapse photography into the daily routine? Force yourself to try this addictive technique by making it one of your photo projects for 2017.
• The 50 x 50 x 50 project - Take 50 pictures in 50 days using nothing more than a 50mm lens. A simple project idea that really helps to develop your photographic eye.
• Self-publish a photo book

Follow Us on Apple News for iOS Devices

I'm happy to announce that The Digital Story, The Nimble Photographer, and theAnalogstory are all available on the Apple News App for iOS devices. Just click on the following links on your iPhone or iPad, then save us to your Favorites.

• theAnalogstory.
• The Nimble Photographer
• The Digital Story

Updates and Such

Big thanks to all of our Patreon members! I was able to pay for the podcast server and the backup system from last month's pledges. Your contributions are making a positive impact.

I'll be announcing the 2017 TDS Workshop season by the end of October. And I have to tell you, this is our most exciting lineup to date. Keep eye peeled!

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #552, October 4, 2016. Today's theme is "Off-Season Projects." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Over the next few months, the days will shorten and the weather becomes less favorable for North American photographers. So after we've had our fill of Fall color, it's time to think about projects that we shelved during the long days of summer. This week I offer a few ideas for you to consider during your photography off-season.

Off-Season Projects

When I was mowing lawns to augment my income during those college days, I liked the Winter. I might not have made as much money, but I enjoyed working on my gardening equipment in the garage during those crisp Southern CA winter days. And now, as a photographer, I have similar feelings about getting my business in order for the next busy season. Here are a few suggestions for your downtime.

Migrate to Capture One Pro - Aperture users who have been procrastinating the move to Capture One Pro might want to tackle that project this Fall. Then everything will be in order for the start of the New Year. (Or, Give Photos for macOS a Second Chance - Now that macOS Sierra is live, consider looking at Photos 2.0 and the available editing extensions for it. It's come a long way since its initial release.

Upgrade Your Backup System - Are your hard drives beginning to budge at the seams? Maybe it's time to research new hardware and update your archiving system.

Make 12 Fine Art Prints - The ultimate backup system is committing a dozen of your finest images from the last year to paper. Printing is a great off-season project. And the level of satisfaction that you'll experience is off the charts.

Digitize Negatives and Slides - Since you can't be out taking pictures, how about leveraging images that you've already captured? By digitizing selecting film shots, you can put that work to use.(Maybe even add them to your upgraded photo management system...)

Catalog Your Photo Gear - Most likely, you've added a few items since your last inventory. Maybe this is the year you'll finally create that gear inventory system.

These are all projects that you can initiate, then work on them as you have time. But the most important part is getting started.

In the News

New MacBook Pro 13-inch and 15-inch likely announced by the end of October. If you're ready to update your laptop, you might want to hang on just a couple more weeks. Word on the street is that we'll see an announcement soon, and considering that there hasn't been a substantial update since Spring of 2015, this one could be good. The top rumored feature is the OLED touch bar being referred to as the Dynamic Function Row. We also might see Touch ID, Thunderbolt 3, and of course, lots of upgrades under the hood.

Drobo Dairies

So, once you've backed up your Capture One Catalogs to a new Drobo 5Dt, can you run them straight off the drive? The answer is yes!

How to Up Your Instagram Game, 16 Tips from Chris Burkard (2M Followers)

Here are five of my favorites from this cool article by Chris.

• Focus on telling a great story, write a great caption
• Add a location to your photo for higher engagement
• If you comment, most people will check out your account
• Only use relevant hashtags
• Use editing apps like VSCO & Snapseed

Follow Us on Apple News for iOS Devices

I'm happy to announce that The Digital Story, The Nimble Photographer, and theAnalogstory are all available on the Apple News App for iOS devices. Just click on the following links on your iPhone or iPad, then save us to your Favorites.

• theAnalogstory.
• The Nimble Photographer
• The Digital Story

Updates and Such

I'll be announcing the 2017 TDS Workshop season by the end of October. And I have to tell you, this is our most exciting lineup to date. Keep eye peeled!

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #551, Sept 27, 2016. Today's theme is "Firmware Fantastic." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Aside from pure immediacy, my favorite aspects of the digital age are firmware and software updates. I'm thinking about this because I've just reinvigorated my laptop, iPhone, iPad, and the DxO ONE camera. And what a difference! But sometimes we're hesitant or don't have time for these maintenance tasks. And that's the subject of this week's show.

Firmware Fantastic

I know many folks hold off on OS and firmware updates because they feel that their devices may become destabilized as a result. Although there is always such a possibility, my experience has been that brand name software is usually vetted quite well before sharing with the public. Here are some recent examples.

macOS Sierra - I started using Sierra on my mid-2014 MacBook Pro during its public beta phase. There were very few hiccups then, and the only issues I'm having now is that some of the software I use hasn't been updated for the new OS. I love having Siri on my Mac.

iOS 10 - I've installed it on an iPhone 6S, iPhone 5S and iPad mini 2 without issue. The only challenges I've had are getting used to the new features, such as the change for the lock screen. Overall, I feel like my iOS apps are doing a better job at releasing updates for the new OS.

As an aside, one on my little tricks is to buy a new iPhone case when I update the operating system, especially if I'm not going to buy the latest phone, such as the iPhone 7. The new OS and case literally make my 1-year-old device feel brand new.

DxO ONE Firmware Update 2.0.3 - This is a killer feature enhancement adding WiFi capability, mobile smart lighting, better battery management and more. BTW: if you use a DxO ONE, you should update its firmware before moving to iOS 10.

Lightroom Mobile 2.5.1 - Makes it easy to capture in RAW if late model iPhones running iOS 10.

Photos 2.0 - Even though this is part of the Sierra update, I want to talk about it individually. My biggest thrill is the addition of object recognition, which as totally changed search for me.

Should you hold off on any of these? In my opinion, certainly not!

Drobo Dairies

This week I ran a straight Finder copy to test the speed differences between the Drobo 5D and the 5Dt. I used the Thunderbolt cable included with each device and plugged them into my mid-2014 MacBook Pro running macOS Sierra. Here's how the numbers stacked up:

Drobo 5Dt, 98.53 GB copy, 9:49.
Drobo 5D, 98.53 GB copy, 12:45.

That's quite a difference in speed. Next week I'm going to report on running my Capture One Pro catalog off the Drobo 5Dt.

In the News

The Fotr App Forces You to Shoot 'Film' with Your iPhone, Prints Every Frame, via Petapixel.

Fotr is as close to film photography as you're likely to get out of your iPhone. The new iOS app acts just like a film camera: you have to buy "digital" film, and every single photo you take with that "roll" is printed... even the crappy ones.

Once you download the app, you will have to buy a "roll" of film--there are both color and black & white film stocks available, and each one mimics a well-known film like Kodak Tri-X or Fujifilm Velvia. Once bought, you've got that many exposures to shoot, each of which will be printed and shipped to your door within 10 days... no do overs.

Like regular film, you'll have to pay to play here. The app itself is free, but each set of prints will cost you. 24 and 36-frame "rolls" of B&W film printed 4×6 will cost $17 and $23, respectively. Those prices include all tax, packaging and shipping.

Follow Us on Apple News for iOS Devices

I'm happy to announce that The Digital Story, The Nimble Photographer, and theAnalogstory are all available on the Apple News App for iOS devices. Just click on the following links on your iPhone or iPad, then save us to your Favorites.

• theAnalogstory.
• The Nimble Photographer
• The Digital Story

Updates and Such

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #550, Sept 20, 2016. Today's theme is "Mirrorless Photokina." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photokina truly offers everything under the photographic sun. But the most interesting announcements for me were the new mirrorless cameras and lenses. Panasonic, Olympus, Canon and even a newcomer to the market proudly touted their wares. To help you filter through these new items, I'm going to share my favorites on this week's show.

Mirrorless Photokina

Here are my favorite mirrorless lenses and cameras from Photokina 2016.

The Olympus 12-100mm f4.0 IS PRO Zoom Lens - You can truly leave the tripod at home for this one. The just-announced Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO incorporates in-lens image stabilization that works in concert with Olympus in-body 5-Axis IS on compatible OM-D and PEN cameras to create 5-Axis Sync IS, ultra powerful image stabilization with 6.5 shutter speed steps of compensation. That is some serious stuff. Available in November 2016 for an estimated street price of $1299.99 USD and $1599.99 CAD. You can preorder it now.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 - As DP Review writes: "The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85 is an SLR-style mid-range interchangeable lens mirrorless camera. It features 4K video capture, 2nd-generation 5-axis image stabilization and a 16MP Four Thirds sensor with no optical low pass filter. A sister model, the G80 will be available in other markets."

I love the sensor-based IS (and am happy to see Panasonic going this way more often), splash-proof weather sealing, and of course, 4K video. This camera is for those who like the SLR look and want great video capture.

The Panasonic G85 will be available by end of October in the US for $899 body only and $999 with 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 Power O.I.S. kit lens.

YI M1 Mirrorless Camera - The part that I though was really cool about this new offering from China-based Young Innovators, was that the bundle included both a zoom and a prime lens - a 42.5mm F1.8 prime and a 12-40mm F3.5-5.6 zoom, plus a camera strap, a USB charging brick and a micro USB cable.

The camera uses a Sony 20MP Four Thirds sensor offering resolution of 5184 x 3888. There's no built-in flash nor electronic viewfinder. And even though it has a Micro Four Thirds mount, I don't know about Panasonic and Olympus lens compatibility.

All of that being said, it is an intriguing little camera. It looks well-built with an excellent menu system and touchscreen LCD. It captures both RAW and 4K video. And the pricing is going to be very competitive.

The new YI M1 will be released September 23rd in China and will cost $329 USD for the kit with the standard zoom lens (12-40mm F3.5-5.6) and $449 USD for the kit that comes with the 12-40mm F3.5-5.6 zoom and the 42.5mm F1.8 prime.

Fujifilm 51MP GFX 50S Medium Format Mirrorless - According to Petapixel: "The GFX 50S features a new Fujifilm G format sensor, one that measures 43.8×32.9mm and offers 51.4MP in resolution. The sensor can be adapted to various aspect ratios. 4:3 is the default, but you can also choose 3:2, 1:1, 4:5, 6:7, and 6:17 -- aspect ratios that were available in traditional large and medium format cameras."

In the film days, I thought Fuji medium formats were some of the best cameras and lenses available. Looks like they're picking up where they left off with this new digital offering.

Compared to traditional medium format cameras, however, the GFX is more compact and lighter. It also follows in the footsteps in the X Series by offering a wide range of physical buttons and dials while maintaining an ergonomic design.

The GFX should hit the shelves in early 2017. Fuji's goal is to price the camera below $10,000 for the body with the 63mm F2.8 lens. We'll know soon enough.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 II - And finally, the camera that many of us have been waiting for. Olympus says the the Mark II has been four years in the making.

Highlights include a new 20-megapixel Live MOS sensor with TruePic VIII image processor. This is not the same sensor that Panasonic is using. The Olympus offering is optimized for low power consumption, much higher-speed data readout, much better noise performance and dynamic range. Noise performance improved by one stop. 50 megapixel High Res Shot mode can compensate for moving subjects (via Imaging-Resource.com).

New high-speed, high-precision autofocus system. 18 fps in full-res raw with continuous autofocus active. (!) 75% vertical and 80% horizontal coverage, all 121 AF points are cross-types. Uses all focus points in every shooting mode, all of the time. Uprated subject tracking can better handle background and subject with similar texture.

Other goodies include: 30p Cinema 4K footage at 237Mbps straight out of the camera, Dual SD card slots, UHS-II compatibility, 50 percent faster startup time, splash-proof seals, and 120 fps EVF with lag of just six milliseconds. Olympus is suggesting some pros who were shown pre-production units thought it was an optical viewfinder, not an EVF (via imaging-resource.com).

No release date or pricing information yet, but I should have more to report by the end of October.

Follow Us on Apple News for iOS Devices

I'm happy to announce that The Digital Story, The Nimble Photographer, and theAnalogstory are all available on the Apple News App for iOS devices. Just click on the following links on your iPhone or iPad, then save us to your Favorites.

• theAnalogstory.
• The Nimble Photographer
• The Digital Story

Comments About My Post on the Canon EOS M5 Mirrorless Camera

Tim Covington: At first I seriously considered it. But, when I found out the image stabilization is a software trick that only works for video, I said nevermind. I'm not happy with the cost of lenses on the Sony mirrorless platform, so I'm considering changing back to Canon (I still have a lot of Canon gear, like flashes). If I switch to another mirrorless system, it will probably be an Olympus camera. Otherwise, it will be an 80D.

Sonny Portacio: Totally agree with you Derrick. They (Canon) took too long for me. After I waited long enough, I ended up biting the bullet and selling all of the Canon gear that I've shot professionally with. Now I'm invested "Mirrorlessly" (hey new term!) and I ain't goin' back. This camera looks good though and might be an option for those who can, less painfully, jump in.

Walter Ikehara: Agree. I used to use Canon and so have a bit of a soft spot for them. I switched entirely to Olympus and have no legacy Canon gear anymore. So, despite the lure of this new M5, I have no reason to change. I love my M43 system. Canon's EOS M ecosystem can't even get close. Why would I change?

Scott Stuart: Works for me. I've got lots of Canon lenses. Love the Canon UI and menu systems easily over the Olympus and Panasonic mirrorless cameras I have. I may keep the Olympus, but the GX7 will go.

Thanks to all of our commenters on this post, and to everyone who participates on our TDS Facebook page.

Nimble Photographer Workshop, Portland, Nov. 5

The Nimble Photographer is on the road again, this time making a stop in Portland, Oregon for a 1-day Nimble Photographer Workshop. We're setting up camp at the Pro Photo Supply Event Center on Saturday, November 5, 2016.

Highlights over the course of the day include my sharing the techniques that I've developed during years of nimble photography, participant "What's in Your Bag" sessions, street shooting and portrait tips, hands-on session, post production discussion, gear review, photo sharing, and more. We're even including lunch. You can register here.

Updates and Such

The Drobo Diaries will return next week.

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #549, Sept 13, 2016. Today's theme is "iPhone 7 and the Age of Smartphones." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

No doubt that initially the rise in smartphone photography was due to convenience. Having a camera integrated into a connected device made it easy to send and share pictures, especially when practically every person we know is online. But we've gone way beyond simple convenience into truly capable cameras. And with no end in sight. I talk about the iPhone 7 specifically, and smartphone photography in general on today's show.

iPhone 7 and the Age of Smartphones

I think the best way to start this conversation to cover what Apple announced with the iPhone 7. I'm sure that many of you are familiar with the basic specs. But they're worth repeating.

• 12MP backside illumination sensor with f/1.8 aperture
• Optical image stabilization
• Six element lens
• Quad-LED True Tone flash
• Sapphire crystal lens cover
• Hybrid IR filter
• Live Photos with stabilization
• Improved local tone mapping
• Auto HDR for photos
• Photo and video geotagging
• 4K video recording at 30 fps
• 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps
• Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps
• Timelapse video with stabilization
• Cinematic video stabilization (1080p and 720p)
• Take 8-megapixel still photos while recording 4K video

Clearly, these are impressive specs. And we're seeing this kind of technology in the other brands too, which are also designing fantastic image capture devices. And this got me thinking about the role of my iPhone with the pictures I shoot. Being in Maui on vacation for the past week, I'm the perfect demographic for this device.

How I'm using the iPhone. There are three of us here using our iPhones for photography. One 5S, 6, and 6S. The boys use the iPhones for everything. We purchased waterproof lanyards (very popular here in Maui), and they've shot with their phones up in the air while parasailing and underwater while snorkeling. It's their singular go-to imaging device.

Me, on the other hand, shoot some with the iPhone, but use it mainly as a conduit between the Olympus TG-4 and my Photos library. I like shooing with the TG-4 better because it affords me more options, plus it's waterproof. But it talks to the phone easily, and my images still end up there thanks to WiFi.

The bottom line is this: the smartphones are so versatile that you can customize their use to the workflow that suits you best. The boys see it as an all in one. I like it as a link the chain. But at any moment, we could change our approach and be just fine.

In the News

Instagram is working on iPhone 7-specific features (DP Review) - In one of the next versions of the app, the zoom of the iPhone 7 Plus dual-camera will be controllable from the Instagram camera. In addition, the new taptic engine will indicate how much the photographer has zoomed into the scene in both video and stills mode. Instagram says it is also looking at adapting its image filters to the iPhone 7 display's wider color gamut, which lets viewers see a wider range of color.

For all iPhones, there will also be a function to convert Live Photos into Instagram Boomerang GIFs, which repeatedly play back and forth. This function will be based on the new Live Photo API in iOS 10. The new Instagram version is expected to launch sometime after shipping of the new iPhone models has started on September 16.

Nimble Photographer Workshop, Portland, Nov. 5

The Nimble Photographer is on the road again, this time making a stop in Portland, Oregon for a 1-day Nimble Photographer Workshop. We're setting up camp at the Pro Photo Supply Event Center on Saturday, November 5, 2016.

Highlights over the course of the day include my sharing the techniques that I've developed during years of nimble photography, participant "What's in Your Bag" sessions, street shooting and portrait tips, hands-on session, post production discussion, gear review, photo sharing, and more. We're even including lunch. You can register here.

Drobo Diaries

I've begun working with a Drobo 5Dt five bay storage device that can manage up to 64TB with Thunderbolt 2 or USB 3.0 connectivity.

The first step was setting up the device and installing the five hard drives: 6TB, 6TB, 2TB, 2TB, 2TB. Make sure you hear a click when you install the drives to confirm they are seated properly.

Next, install the Drobo Dashboard software and fire it up. It will find the connected Drobo and ask if you want it formatted. I set mine up as a Mac drive so I can use it for Time Machine, Photos libraries, and Capture One catalogs.

Once that process completed, I used Hedge for Mac to copy all of my Capture One catalogs from the 5D to the 5Dt. I wanted to do this anyway, and I thought they would be a good test.

The copy went smoothly, and Hedge verified all of the files so I know that there were no gaps in my copy job. The next step for this week will be to copy all of my legacy Aperture and iPhoto libraries. I'll report on that during the next show.

Updates and Such

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #548, Sept. 6, 2016. Today's theme is "And Then It's Over." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

I recently learned of the passing of Scott Sheppard, who helped me in the earliest days of The Digital Story podcast. This show is a bit about Scott, digital content in general, and how it all can just disappear in the blink of an eye.

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #547, August 30, 2016. Today's theme is "WiFi and GPS." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

I must admit that in the beginning, cameras that added WiFi and GPS felt more like novelties than real tools. But that was because the initial supporting software, and the implementations themselves, were a bit crude. But we've come a long way since those early days, and those radio technologies are very important to my work now. I explain why in today's show.

WiFi and GPS

I'll start with WiFi because it has had such an impact on my mobile photography and the speed at which I can share images. I tend to shoot in RAW+Jpeg then move the Jpegs to either my iPhone or iPad wirelessly.

I know some photographers would like to be able to make this transfer to their computers also. Well, all they have to do is use Macs and Photos for OS X. Images that are transferred to the mobile device's Camera Roll, automatically show up in the Photos application on the computer. You don't really have to do anything.

As for GPS, Photos, Lightroom, and Capture One Pro all take advantage of this data. Photos 2.0 that ships with macOS Sierra will be the most unique because it integrates the location data into its overall organizational scheme.

Because I've found so many ways to use location data: my dairy entries into Day One, Memories organization in Photos 2.0, and even Google Maps pins via Capture One Pro, I find myself shooting more and more with cameras that record this information.

My current GPS favorites are the iPhone 6S, Olympus TG-4, and the DxO ONE when connected to the iPhone. If I'm shooting analog, then I always capture a digital version too with one of these devices. It's nice that they all fit in my pocket.

And I'm getting to the point where if I shoot with the E-M5 Mark II or the E-M10 Mark II, I record a couple frames with a GPS camera too, just so I can have those coordinates available in the same collection.

In the News

Canon 5D Mark IV Includes Built-In GPS - For news photographers capturing hundreds or even thousands of images while moving around throughout the day, landscape photographers on location and even photographers on vacation, GPS has become an indispensable part of a daily workflow.

The EOS 5D Mark IV camera's built-in GPS helps photographers and filmmakers both tag their images with critical location data, and also adjust the time and timestamp on the camera automatically. Featuring both built-in GPS and Wi-Fi technology, the EOS 5D Mark IV can use GPS and WFT (Wireless File Transfer) together, making it easy to upload numerous images and movies both quickly and from increasingly distant locales. Compatible with American GPS satellites, Russian GLONASS satellites and Japanese quasi-zenith satellites Michibiki, the EOS 5D Mark IV's GPS information stays reliably accurate in many locations.

The camera has two GPS modes to help manage battery life. One keeps the GPS on, even when the camera is off, and the other turns off the GPS radio when the camera is off.

Hedge at IBC in Amsterdam Sept. 9-13

Hedge is teaming up with LaCie at the show to give away a LaCie 12Big array - (48TB, 72TB, 96TB) comes with Enterprise Class Drives (24/7 operations) and 5-year warranty and 25 Hedge Pro licenses. You can enter to win even if you're not attending the event. Just go to hedgeformac.com/ibc and click on the Create It Big link.

Keep these three things in mind...

• Hedge is the fastest app for importing and backing up media on macOS.
• Import multiple sources to multiple destinations, at the same time.
• Every file copied by Hedge is cross-verified with the original.

There's a free version and a premium version. Use this URL, hedgeformac.com/tds and save 20 percent off the price of the pro version that provides the full Hedge experience with Fast Lane copies, unlimited simultaneous transfers, plus NAS and RAID support.

Drobo Diaries

Speaking of massive storage, I've just unpacked a Drobo 5Dt five bay storage device that can manage up to 64TB with Thunderbolt 2 or USB 3.0 connectivity.

"Drobo 5D Turbo builds on the fully automated functionality of previous Drobo arrays by adding blazingfast performance. Leveraging cutting-edge Thunderbolt TM 2 and USB 3.0 connectivity Drobo 5Dt is the highest performing personal storage array on the planet."

I have 2 6TB drives and 3 2TB drives to start out with. "The Turbo Edition supports 4k Thunderbolt connected displays, includes an mSATA card for increased performance of up to 30 percent on streaming video and 3x read performance via Drobo's Hot Data Cache. Three years of DroboCare support is included on every 5Dt sold to ensure the best storage experience ever."

"The Drobo 5Dt doesn't just protect from drive failures, it also includes a battery backup system that protects all data in memory or cache. That's right, Enterprise grade data protection for you on your Drobo 5Dt! If power spontaneously goes away, the Drobo stays alive long enough for the data to be written to disk, ensuring your important information is always safe. The onboard battery recharges itself and is designed to last for the life of the product."

Over the next few shows, I'll be reporting on how I integrate this new drive into my workflow. Stay tuned. This is going to be fun.

Updates and Such

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #546, August 13, 2016. Today's theme is "The Black & White Project." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Over the past few days, I've been seeing the world in Black & White. "How?" you may ask. It's been through the viewfinder of my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, set in monochrome mode. And as a result, I saw the rugged landscape of Pt. Reyes in a whole new way. What I discovered is the subject of today's podcast.

The Black & White Project

I had toyed with this idea before. But after spending an entire day scouting for the TDS Pt. Reyes Photography Workshop, it dawned on me that the foggy mornings, hillsides covered in tall grasses, and charismatic trees were perfect elements for monochrome work. So that night, I pitched the idea to my workshop group.

The key elements go like this...

• The project works best for those who have mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders that let photographers compose the scene in monochrome.
• Shooting in RAW+Jpeg allows for the Jpegs to be B&W, while still having a full color RAW of the scene.
• With the absence of color, I found it easier to work with the main element of the composition.
• I also slowed down, carefully zooming in and out looking for just the right arrangement of elements.
• Then, on the computer, I found it interesting to see which shots looked better in B&W, and which ones in color, And shots were clearly one or the other.

I've published a small gallery of photos from this project so you can see what I was seeing through the viewfinder all weekend. I have to tell you, it was a blast.

In the News

How to Figure out what to charge for your next portrait assignment via The Phoblographer.

This is a challenge for freelancers and emerging pros alike. How much do you charge for a portrait shoot? The key is to analyze all the steps involved in the project, and the time that it takes to accomplish them, then attach a dollar amount to the endeavor.

I break my shoots into 3 categories: preparation, actual shoot time, and post production. All of those have to be accounted for. But also, you need to consider consultation, travel costs, and gear investment. This article helps put all of these things, and more, into an equation that will hopefully lead to to determining how much to charge.

Hedge Free License

Not sure if Hedge will improve your workflow speed drastically? Go to hedgeformac.com/tds, download the app, and you'll receive a free 10-day pass to give it a thorough test run. If you like, there's a link to a 20 percent discount there for you too."

And if you're a Lightroom user, try the free trial and think about how this could help your Lightroom import experience. Next week I'm going to discuss how Hedge can better integrate with Lightroom, and we want to hear your thoughts.

Keep these three things in mind...

• Hedge is the fastest app for importing and backing up media on macOS.
• Import multiple sources to multiple destinations, at the same time.
• Every file copied by Hedge is cross-verified with the original.

There's a free version and a premium version. Use this URL, hedgeformac.com/tds and save 20 percent off the price of the pro version that provides the full Hedge experience with Fast Lane copies, unlimited simultaneous transfers, plus NAS and RAID support.

SmugMug is Helping Save 200 Million Photos Lost when Picturelife Died

When photo storage site Picturelife shut down, users were left high and dry without a way to access and/or download the images they had stored there. This didn't sit well with SmugMug, who reached out to Picturelife and, today, is helping reunite those photographers with their lost images.

In all, some 200 million files were lost into the ones and zeroes of Internet history when Picturelife went under--but out of this sad tale came 200 million opportunities for SmugMug to be both altruistic, and maybe snag a customer or two for themselves.

It's important to note that it will cost you nothing to take advantage of this offer from SmugMug. It's something SmugMug was adamant about.

You can read more about this and get the link to begin retrieving your images in this Petapixel article.

Updates and Such

The fourth episode of The Nimble Photographer Podcast is not posted for our Patreon supporters. If you wish to join the inner circle to support this show, click on the Patreon tile that's on all the pages of The Digital Story.

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

I'm currently working on an article that will show you the easiest way to print fine art greeting cards with Capture One Pro and Red River Fine Art Card Stock. I think C1 users are going to dig this. And I'll let you know as soon as it's live.

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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 #545, August 16, 2016. Today's theme is "Conservation Photography." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Most of us probably think that we're ethical photographers. But what does that really mean? Is it a common sense thing, or are there real guidelines to help us act responsibility when photographing landscapes, wildlife, and indigenous cultures? I explore this topic today with Alexandra Garcia, executive director of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Conservation Photography

I met Alexandra Garcia at the MindShift Gear Headquarters in Santa Rosa, CA. She was working with them on a project, and agreed to take time out with me to talk about conservation photography.

And you get to listen in thanks to MindShift Gear, who is sponsoring this portion of the podcast, as part of their goal to help outdoor photographers engage with nature and to support the conservation of our environment.

We cover a lot of ground in this 30 minute interview. And I think you'll learn much and enjoy the conversation along the way.

This interview with Alexandra Garcia is sponsored by MindShift Gear, supplier of innovative outdoor backpacks for adventure photographers.

In the News

The Top 10 DSLRs and Lenses Canon is Loaning Out at the Rio Olympics via PetaPixel.

Here's how the Canon loans went the first week of the Olympics...

• EOS 1D X Mark II | Loaned 285 Times
• EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X | Loaned 231 Times
• EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM | Loaned 211 Times
• EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM | Loaned 131 Times
• EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM | Loaned 130 Times
• EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM | Loaned 126 Times
• EOS 1D X | Loaned 123 Times
• EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM | Loaned 105 Times
• EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM | Loaned 84 Times
• EOS 1D X Mark II VIP and EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM | Both Loaned 77 Times

Hedge Free License

Not sure if Hedge will improve your workflow speed drastically? Go to hedgeformac.com/tds, download the app, and you'll receive a free 10-day pass to give it a thorough test run. If you like, there's a link to a 20 percent discount there for you too.

Keep these three things in mind...

• Hedge is the fastest app for importing and backing up media on macOS.
• Import multiple sources to multiple destinations, at the same time.
• Every file copied by Hedge is cross-verified with the original.

There's a free version and a premium version. Use this URL, hedgeformac.com/tds and save 20 percent off the price of the pro version that provides the full Hedge experience with Fast Lane copies, unlimited simultaneous transfers, plus NAS and RAID support.

Updates and Such

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

I'm currently working on an article that will show you the easiest way to print fine art greeting cards with Capture One Pro and Red River Fine Art Card Stock. I think C1 users are going to dig this. And I'll let you know as soon as it's live.

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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.