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I Hate Leaving Stuff in the Car

I'm getting ready to head out the door for a "day into evening" trip to Oakland, CA. As I'm doing so, I'm reminded once again why I'm so dedicated to nimble photography: I hate leaving stuff in the car.

PA150354.jpg This kit comes with me and has everything I need for the day. Photo by Derrick Story.

As far as I'm concerned, nothing good can come from leaving electronics in a parked automobile. First, there's the heat. In California, that's an issue. We're still "enjoying" weather that tops 80 degrees, which means considerably higher temps in a locked-up car - not really ideal conditions for your electronics.

Even more importantly, possible theft is an issue. I have a sizable investment in my Apple and camera hardware that's stuffed into my daily Lowepro backpack. Leaving it unprotected in an automobile is not good for my business nor peace of mind. Traveling with a much lighter kit just makes more sense.

And finally, I enjoy traveling light. Having everything I need for the day packed neatly in a small, nondescript bag that doesn't attract attention and gives me a real sense of freedom.

Take today as an example. I have a meeting in Oakland this afternoon. Then I'll probably enjoy a little street shooting, finished off by attending the Warriors game at Oracle Arena. In between those events, I'll find a Starbucks for a caffeine pick-me-up and the opportunity to answer email and check what's going on with my sites.

To ensure that nothing gets left behind in the car, I have to pack to the lowest dominator, which is bag size allowed into Oracle Arena (14" x 14" x 6"). At first this may seem daunting, but my city kit is actually smaller than the arena requirements. Here's what I pack:

  • Vanguard Havana 21 shoulder bag - 11" x 7" x 5" (I also use the Nimble Shoulder Bag about half the time, depending on the gear inside).
  • Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera with 14-42mm compact zoom and 45mm f/1.8 telephoto
  • iPad mini with Bluetooth keyboard
  • DxO ONE camera (that connects to my iPhone 6S or iPad mini)
  • Accessories including earbuds, spare battery, SD card, mini tripod, microfiber cloth, nimble stylus pen, business cards, and an USB cable.

I keep a power adapter in the car if I need to charge anything during transit. I get a ton of work done with this kit, and never have a problem with venue access. And the only time it's in the car is when I'm there too.


Nimble Photographer Logo

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

I don't understand why anyone would build a $600, 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor camera, and market it for selfies. We have a selfie camera. It's called our smartphone.

Unlike the co-announced Canon G5X, which looks like a truly interesting and capable camera, the M10 is a watered-down mirrorless body aimed at consumers who seem quite happy with their iPhones.

canon-mirrorless-selfie-web.jpg The Canon EOS M10 in selfie mode.

If you're going to compete in the mirrorless space that's dominated by Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, and Samsung, you have to come in stronger than, "puts imaging power and convenience in the hands of the social media generation." Then go on to make it worse, "...sharp images that are sure to draw 'Likes'." This would be like me saying "that's dope" to my 18-year-old son. You just don't do it.

I own many Canon cameras that I like and am truly tempted by the G5X. But I can tell you that the EOS M10 will not be embraced by the social media generation.

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This week on The Digital Story Photography Podcast: Mac OS X El Capitan for Photographers, TDS 2016 Photography Workshop Lineup, Revisiting the DxO ONE with the iPhone 6S - all of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Weekly Update - DP Review reports: Adobe issues Lightroom 6.2 apology and update: Adobe has issued an apology over the 'significant crashing bug' introduced in Lightroom 6.2. The latest version of the software was released last Monday, and brought with it a redesigned import experience. That new experience, unfortunately, also introduced instability into Lightroom and removed some import functions; users reported issues with the software crashing and running poorly.

Adobe's Tom Hogarty issued the apology on Friday, revealing that Adobe was aware of the issues but due to 'the scope of the bug' being unclear, the company decided to ship the software regardless while continuing to 'search for a reproducible case.' Adobe issued a new update on Friday, version 6.2.1, that corrects the problem. It appears what Adobe called, "very low usage features" indeed were not.

In other news, "Light announces the L16, a 52-megapixel 'DSLR-killer' that fits in your pocket" Imaging-Resource reports: "The L16 packs in sixteen 13-megapixel camera modules at three different focal lengths - 35mm (5), 70mm (5) and 150mm (6) - for a total of 52-megapixels. Each of these modules captures an individual image, which is then stitched together via software to yield a photo that Light claims is equal to the quality of a DSLR with a large lens attached."

Light has officially opened up pre-orders for the L16, which will set you back $200 for an immediate deposit and a remaining $1,100 (and applicable taxes) when it ships in 'late summer 2016'. Snagging one after November 6th will bump the price up by $400.

Story #1 - "Mac OS X El Capitan for Photographers"

In general, the update to Mac OS X 10.11 has been a smooth one. Aperture still works well, Photos for OS X receives some nifty new tools, and overall speed seems better. I cover the good and the not so good in today's top feature story.

sf-night-scene.jpg

Story #2 - The 2016 TDS Photo Workshop Season

I've added two new workshops this year: Pt. Reyes National Seashore in August and Reinvent the Wedding in February. Plus, in 2016 we're going to the Eastern Sierra for Fall Color and exploring Bodie. In April, we'll return to San Francisco for the very popular Street Shooting workshop. I cover all of these in today's second feature. You can reserve your spot now on the TDS Workshops page.

Story #3 - Looking at Presets and Customizing in Zenfolio

To help you get started, Zenfolio provides designer presets. They are site design and layout settings that have already been adjusted and optimized to make your various Zenfolio pages have a well coordinated presentation. A preset can be applied to your entire site or individual pages. They are comprehensive, affecting your site settings, theme, layouts, and page options.

As you spend more time with your site, you may want to customize particular areas. There are many ways to do this, today I want to mention that you can import and export the custom themes created through the Zenfolio Theme Designer. So you can share your custom themes with other Zenfolio users and also use themes created by other Zenfolio users. You can also purchase themes from third party sites like Zenjoyable.

The bottom line is this: with Zenfolio, you can combine the design expertise of others with your own personal tastes to create a look that suits your photography perfectly. Find out more at zenfolio.com.

Story #4 - Revisiting the DxO ONE with the iPhone 6S

When I first started shooting with the DxO ONE, I was using my iPhone 5S. Now that I've upgraded to the 6S, I want to update my notes on this interesting high resolution camera.

I'm currently using the Apple leather case with the 6S, and happily, I can connect the DXO ONE to the phone with the case still on. This is a major usability improvement.

Also, the ONE seems to lock-in better with the 6S than with the older model. To me, it felt very secure in use.

And finally, the larger screen and beefed up processing power of the 6S further enhanced operation. There's a real advantage to having direct connection instead of using WiFi for camera communication. Overall, I like the DxO ONE even better with the new iPhone.

Story #5 - From the Screening Room

The DIY Photographer with Joseph Linaschke. In the world of photography, even the simplest accessories can cost a few days' salary. The answer? Don't buy it. Build it! That's the idea behind The Do-It-Yourself Photographer. Every other week, photographer and educator Joseph Linaschke shows how you can fashion ordinary items--from plastic cups to clamps to parchment paper--into accessories that will improve lighting, stabilize your camera, and much more.

You can watch Joseph in action by visiting lynda.com. And you can sign up for your 7-day free trial by visiting the TDS Screening Room.

Virtual Camera Club News

A Word from SizzlPix

The 5k Ultra High Definition SizzlPix is the upgrade now in general release on all orders, so you can display your best photography in sizes from 18-inches to 6-feet with resolution and realism one expects only from the small screens on handheld phones and pads. SizzlPix clients say, contrary to expectation, resolution seems to increase as their photos grow larger!

SizzlPix invites photographers to order a print from the assembly-line plants, and a 5k Ultra High Definition SizzlPix from the same image. Compare them side by side. They've never ONCE had a client declare they liked the mass-produced print better. If yours is the first, you may return your SizzlPix for a full refund!

Note from Red River Paper - "Choosing the Right Paper for Portraits and Weddings Images" - The de facto standard for wedding and portrait prints over the past four decades has been luster paper. Photo labs refer to this lightly textured media as the "photo e-surface." The terms satin, luster, and sometimes pearl can be used interchangeably. It strikes a good balance between the glossy and matte surfaces, offering the benefits of excellent color reproduction, a non-distracting surface, and fingerprint protection.

Thanks to everyone who recently reviewed the TDS Podcast in iTunes!

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

Download the Show

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

More Ways to Participate

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

Podcast Sponsors

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

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

SizzlPix! - New 5k Ultra High Definition SizzlPix output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com.

Zenfolio If you want your site to look as good as your photos, visit www.zenfolio.com today.

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Version 5.4.7 of EyeFi Mobi is also compatible with more than 50 WiFi enabled cameras. This means that you can integrate image transfer from older models (without WiFi using the Mobi card) and newer models (with built-in WiFi) using just one app.

eyefi-camera-import.jpg

In my testing, the system works, but there are a few details you should be aware of. The options are not the same for WiFi cameras as they are for the latest Eyefi Mobi Pro card. The most notable changes are that with camera WiFi, you don't have the selective transfer option, and if you shoot RAW+Jpeg, both files are sent to your mobile device.

For my workflow, this is a big problem. I want to decide which images are transferred to my mobile device, as I can with the EyeFi Mobi Pro. Plus, I need to shoot RAW+Jpeg, but I only want the selected Jpegs to be delivered wirelessly.

So the bottom line is, yes there are over 50 cameras that can send images to the EyeFi Mobi app, but you don't really have any control over that process. Once you connect the two devices, pictures just start streaming to your smartphone or tablet.

There might be some situations where this isn't a problem, and you could take advantage of all your cameras transferring all their images to one location. But for me, I still need the selective transfer of Jpegs only, for the app to be useful with my WiFi cameras.

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Lightroom 2.0 for the iPhone and iPad include the newish Dehaze feature that made a big splash on the desktop versions a while back. Adding Dehaze to an already set of excellent editing tools pushes Lightroom up near the top of mobile editing apps.

Dehaze Added to Mobile Lightroom Dehaze has been added to the list of editing options.

I tested Lightroom 2.0 on my new iPhone 6S. I hadn't used this app often on an iPhone previously, opting for the iPad instead, but the additional real estate of the 6S made it a reasonable experience.

A key aspect is being able to take a quality image with the 6S, edit it in Lightroom mobile, then push it up to Instagram or other social sites in a fast, seamless workflow.

Palace of Fine Arts - San Francisco CA I captured this image at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco with the iPhone 6S, refined in Lightroom 2.0 using the Dehaze tool (as shown here), then pushed up to Instagram via the Open In command. Photos by Derrick Story.

Even if you don't have a Creative Cloud account, you can tap your Camera Roll with Lightroom 2.0. There's a robust set of tools there, now including Dehaze.

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El Capitan After One Week

Now that I've had a chance to spend a bit more time with Mac OS X 10.11, I thought I'd share my experience with it installed on a 2012 15" MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

el-capitan-mac.jpg

In general, performance is very good. Windows open quickly, apps launch cleanly, and things feel healthy. One area that seems to move a bit slower than before is switching from one user to another. Not quite sure what's going on under the hood, but it's not a deal breaker.

Photo Apps

Photos for OS X is the snappy performer that you'd expect from an app recently written from the ground up. The new Photo Extensions are cool. And I like the addition of geotagging.

Aperture 3.6 seems to have a stay of execution on El Capitan. The only real bug I've found so far is that onscreen proofing no longer works. Other than that, all seems good. I even sent a print via WiFi to the Epson R2000 from Aperture. Beautiful!

Lightroom CC 2015.2 generally runs OK for me, but there seems to be a few lingering issues in the community. If you're noticing a performance hitch, turn off "Show 'Add Photos' Screen" via the General tab in Preferences. Some feedback from our TDS photography clan has been harsher, with reports of having to roll back to the previous version of the app. I've read online experts recommending holding off on the LR CC upgrade for the time being. You might want to research this if Lightroom is a mission critical app for you.

Audio Recording

Audio had been a far more challenging issue for me. None of my M-Audio USB interfaces are working with El Capitan. The MobilePre device just records static, and the FastTrack doesn't capture anything.

I finally found a device in my stash that would work: the MXL-TEMPO-KR Condenser Microphone with built-it USB audio interface records well with Mac OS X 10.11. This is a bit ironic for me. With all of my expensive audio recording gear, the device that saved me is a $69 condenser all-in-one device. And for some reason, it sounds better with El Capitan than it ever did before. Go figure. (I really like the snappy red and black design, however.)

Other Apps and Final Word

Everything else that I use daily: Pages, Audio Hijack Pro, Fission, Perfect Browse 9, Transmit, Moon Invoice, iA Writer... and more, all seem good

So my bottom line, after one week, is that El Capitan is a positive upgrade that appears to improve performance. The only current gotchas for me have been some audio interfaces and possible Lightroom hiccups. If either of these are important to you, you might want to wait a bit longer.

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A PodSpectacular Event

I've covered a lot of ground over the course of 500 podcasts. In this week's 10th Anniversary Show, I play segments from a selection of those previous episodes and tell the stories behind them. It's a 1-hour PodSpectacular Event!

podcast-spectuclar-web.jpg Here are the original icons we were going to use for the launch of The Digital Story.

The show debuted in October of 2005. Podcasts had just been included in iTunes, and I felt like it was the time to join the party. Over the years I've learned much about broadcasting, technology, and photography. And I've shared that knowledge weekly on The Digital Story.

I hope you enjoy this 1-Hour Special Broadcast. If you've been with me for a long time, you'll recognize many of the bits and musical spots. If you're new to the show, I can't think of a better way to welcome you aboard.


Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography. And now Instagram features movies too.

Episode 500 begins with a stroll down memory lane, with the first steps at Podcast 1, then wandering through events over the last decade. This special 1-hour presentation is a retrospective that you don't want to miss. So sit back and join me as we celebrate 10 years The Digital Story.

"After 499 shows, Derrick Story finally gets it right..." A Photographer in Northern California.

"The best Digital Story ever! Santa Rosa Shooter.

Show 001 - Photo Flash Techniques - Oct. 4, 2015

Compact cameras generally use "Auto Flash" as their default mode. And for most flash photography, auto gets the job done. But if you want to improve your photos, to the point where they rival professional images, spend a few minutes exploring the other flash modes on your camera.

derrick-2006-ready-to-record.jpg Derrick Story in 2006, ready to record a remote interview for the TDS podcast.

Show 069 - What's in My Bag - Feb. 13, 2007

There's no greater satisfaction than having packed the perfect camera kit for the assignment at hand. In this podcast, I discuss what was in my camera bag as I ventured out to shoot an indoor basketball game. After covering all the items in the picture above, I then solicit readers for what's in their camera bags.

Show 100 -Top Ten $100 Photo Accessories - Sept. 25, 2007

Tony writes: I can't believe it's 100 Digital Story podcasts already! Congratulations! I've been there since the beginning - I think I first heard about your podcast on the Inside Mac Radio podcast. If I remember correctly, Scott interviewed you to debut your podcast.

Anyway, it is by far my favorite podcast. Your topics are interesting, relevant, and inspiring and your delivery truly encourages the sense of community that you like. And don't worry about the production quality of those first few podcasts (I do remember those); the slickest production means nothing if you don't have good content, and good content stands on its own without any gloss. Keep up the great work!

Show 138 - Visit to the Olympic Media Center - Aug. 4, 2008

The Olympic Media Center has over 200 workstations set to help journalists share Olympic moments with the world. In this podcast, I'll provide some insights about this "city within the city," which will also be my home for the next 10 days.

Show 181 - Meet the Olympus E-P1 - June 16, 2009

State of the art technology melded with Olympus Pen tradition, the E-P1 digital camera is a new breed of DSLR featuring HD video, Raw format, micro 4/3rds, in a stylish stainless steel compact body. In this podcast, I walk you through the feature set of this latest innovation by Olympus.

Show 199 - Tom Hogarty on Lightroom 3 beta - Oct. 26, 2009

Tom Hogarty, Lightroom senior product manager, talks about Lightroom beta 3 that was announced on the eve of PhotoPlus Expo in New York.

Show 363 - No Camera for You - Feb. 19, 2013

Derrick, Very funny stuff today, absolutely loved this podcast , not that I don't like them all, I do! As well as really hitting my funny bone, it happened to be very timely to boot, as I had just yesterday finally succumbed to the wicked call of the OMD! And of course this came after weeks and weeks of finding reasons why I shouldn't buy it. It's absolutely hopeless resisting! Take care, and keep up your excellent work. -Brad

Show 434 - End of Aperture - July 1, 2014

Apple Halts Development of iPhoto and Aperture, Migrates Users to New Photos App. Aperture users have three basic options: do nothing, switch to Lightroom, or migrate to Photos. I talk about these options in today's second segment.

Thank you for being with me all these years

I can't tell you how important your support has been for the last decade. I do this show for you, and your feedback and support has fueled its evolution. Thank you so much. Let's do another 500!

Download the Show

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (59 minutes). You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

Our Podcast Sponsors

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

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

SizzlPix! - New 5k Ultra High Definition SizzlPix output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com.

Zenfolio If you want your site to look as good as your photos, visit www.zenfolio.com today.

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

Many camera manufacturers still include PC terminals on their enthusiast and pro bodies. This gift is often overlooked by photographers, which is unfortunate, because they're truly useful.

em5mk2-front.jpg What is that connector on the upper right side of the camera? It's a female PC terminal that can be used to sync just about any flash.

I use the PC terminal for off-camera flash work when I don't need (or want) wireless. This is particularly handy at home or in the studio when I want to move the flash a few feet off the camera. Since I'm shooting in manual output mode anyway, all I need is clean synchronization between the flash and my mirrorless.

This allows me to use older flashes, or I can adapt any new flash with an inexpensive adapter. Sync speeds remain the same. I can get a clean exposure up to 1/320th of a second on my OM-D E-M5 Mark II.

flash-terminal.jpg A favorite combination for studio work - The E-M5 Mark II connected to the venerable Sunpak 383 via a sync cord that has a PC terminal on the camera end and a plug that goes directly in the Sunpak on the other. These cords are cheap and readily available.

Adorama carries a variety of these cords, such as the Adorama 15' Coiled Sync Cord, PC Male to PC Female for $10.95. How many photo accessories can you purchase for that amount? My CowboyStudio NPT-04 Wireless Triggers include a female PC connector on the receivers, so they can serve double duty (wireless and cord connected), and that set only costs $31.

And in fact, I think it's a good idea to carry a quality PC Male to PC Mail Coiled Sync Cord with you, just in case you have to connect your wireless receiver to the camera if you experience radio malfunction. And we know that never happens...

The bottom line is that whether you use PC cords as an easy home studio solution, or for emergency backups in the field, it's nice to have these options. See if your camera has a PC connector on it. And think about how you can put it to use.

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Previously, you could view location data in the Info box, but that was about it. Great for iPhone pictures that already had geotags. But what about the other shots captured with regular digital cameras?

look-up-location.jpg In Photos for OS X 1.1, you can look up location data for any image and apply it to previously non-geotagged pictures.

In the version of Photos that ships with El Capitan, this all changes, giving you much more control. Here's how it works.

First, open an image in the viewer and enable the Info box (CMD-I). At the bottom of the box, you'll see text that reads, Assign a Location. Start typing the place where the picture was captured. Photos will offer locations matching your entry (see top picture). Pick one that works.

location-found.jpg Location found for this image.

In the case of this blue jay image, the photograph wasn't actually recorded at the club house as initially indicated. I saw the bird alongside a fairway quite a distance from the offices. So I clicked and dragged the pin to the actual location of the capture. It's easier to do this precisely if you use the zooming tools in the lower right corner of the location box. Pinching outward and inward works too.

adjust-location-new.jpg I dragged the pin to the proper location for this image.

If I decided that I wanted to remove the location at a later date, I can choose Remove Location from under the Image menu (Image > Location > Remove Location). I can also revert to the original location here.

There doesn't appear to be any batch processing for geotagging. But you can copy the location text and paste it in a subsequent picture. it's not super elegant, but it does save a little time.

When you export images out of your Photos library, you may want to do so without the location data. You'll find that control under the General tab in Preferences.


Get Up and Running with Photos for OS X

Want to get up to speed with Apple's latest photo management application? Then take a look at my latest online video training, Up and Running with Photos for OS X. Soon, both you, and your pictures, will be comfortable in their new home.

And don't forget about the Photos for OS X Special Feature Section on The Digital Story. It's a roundup of tutorials, videos, and articles focused on helping you master Apple's latest photo management software. You can also find it under Photography in the top nav bar.

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