The new Lowepro ILC Classic 100
Both bags are designed to protect your gear, yet are so light and compact that you can take them anywhere. You can see a quick tour in this short video featuring both bags in use with Olympus PEN cameras.
Another online tool to help you find the perfect bag is the Lowepro ILC Fit Chart that matches the right bag for your particular camera set up.
Video recorded with a Canon EOS 60D
Spend two days learning and practicing Aperture 3 in a comfortable classroom setting that includes WiFi, lots of work space, and even a kitchen. Meals are served to you while you practice what you've just learned. And the best part, class size is limited to 8, yet tuition is very affordable.
If this sounds good to you, then you might want to read on about the TDS Aperture 3 Workshop on Jan. 15 & 16, 2011 in Santa Rosa, CA.
Workshop Schedule
SATURDAY, Jan. 15
- 8:30 am - 10:00 am - A tour of the Aperture 3 interface and preferences. The choices we make here affect our entire workflow. Plus stratgies for organizing your library.
- 10:15 am - 10:45 am - Photo shoot at Schulz Museum. We're going to capture as many images as possible to work with in the next session.
- 10:45 am - 12:00 pm - Importing from camera memory card, hard drives, and existing iPhoto libraries. This is one of the most important steps in the Aperture workflow.
- 12:00 am - 12:45 pm - Lunch catered at TDS Headquarters.
- 12:45 pm - 1:30 pm - Rating images with stars and colors.
- 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm - Compare mode and Stacks
- 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm - Tethered shooting (hands on session)
- 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm - Break
- 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm - Smart Albums
- 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - Image Adjustment Part I
- 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm - Open Q&A
- 5:30 pm - Dinner on your own (I usually coordinate a group dinner for those who want to participate.)
SUNDAY, Jan. 16
- 8:30 am - 10:00 am - Image Adjustment Part II
- 10:00 am - 10:30 am - Photo Shoot (shoot video too if you camera can)
- 10:30 am - 12:00 am - Hands-On Lab where you upload your shoot, organize the images, and image edit your picks.
- 12:00 - 1:00 - Lunch catered at TDS Headquarters.
- 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Working with Metadata
- 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Creating professional slideshows and movies
- 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Printing
- 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Hands-On Lab
- 5:30 pm A warm farewell to all!
The $495 workshop fee includes lunch both days.
We still have room for a few more. If you're interested, send email to me with the Subject Line: "Aperture Workshop" and I'll get you a registration form.
"I am a rather shy photographer, and I have difficulty taking photos of people," writes Jimmy Brown. "But I am pleased with this candid photo of my wife. I titled it "Lady in Red."
"We were parked in a small cemetery up in Canada. I was throwing sticks for the dog when a light rain began to fall. I noticed the car window starting to fog up and saw my opportunity to capture an unorthodox portrait. I hope you enjoy this photo."
"Lady in Red" by Jimmy Brown. Click on image for larger version.
This is our 206th Grab Shot! Wow. If you want to review the collection that began back in 2006, go to our Grab Shots page.
If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.
And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.
The Digital Story Podcast App is the best way to stream or download weekly TDS podcast episodes. No more syncing your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or even your Android phone just to get a podcast. And the best part is, The Digital Story Podcast App is your way to help support this show. Download it today!
I think Smart Albums are still one of the coolest features in iPhoto. And after you watch this movie from my iPhoto '11 Essential Training, I think you might become a fan too.
There's more than four hours of training presented in a series of short movies that you can watch as many times as you want until you feel comfortable with each particular technique. It's truly learning at your own pace. Even if you've never used Lynda.com before, there are free movies that you can view right now: Working in Full Screen Mode, and Hiding Photos.
I receive lots of mail about how much people like learning software via my titles on Lynda.com. If you're ready to dig into iPhoto, or want to give a loved one the gift of knowledge, then take a look at iPhoto '11 Essential Training.
Holiday photos are often the best and the worst entries in our image library. The best because we have pictures of those who mean the most to us. And nothing really tops that. But they can also be our least imaginative shots because we overlook many of the details that contribute to the visual landscape of the holidays.
Alongside the group shots and the present opening, consider taking a moment to enjoy and photograph some of the smaller details that can be memorable images too.
And while I'm on the subject, I want to wish you a safe and happy holiday season. It's ironic that the holidays are often the most stressful times of the year. I think one thing that photography does for me, is that it helps me stop for just a minute, look around, and see more clearly what's in front of me. That's a blessing in itself.
All the best to you and yours
-Derrick
In a recent podcast, I described my photographer's emergency kit. Everything fits in a 3.25" x 3.25" filter box. Now, you can watch the movie where I open up the box and show all of the contents.
So, what goes in your photographer's emergency kit?
I've been testing the new Olympus E-5 Digital SLR
The new Dramatic Tone art filter on the Olympus E-5 converts even a mundane image into something more interesting. Click on photo for larger version.
The capture process is straight forward. You pick one of the art filters from the menu, and the E-5 adds the effect in-camera. You don't have to do any manipulation yourself. I shoot in Raw so I get the original unadulterated image, and I get the Jpeg art filter version.
If you're shooting Raw, you also get the non-art filter version so you have access to both images.
There are interesting applications for art filters. I think they can help you explore the possibilities of a composition while you're still in the field. If you see something you like, you can further fine tune based on the "art filter preview" you've created. Art filters may also help photographers who don't enjoy post production manipulation add some spice to their catalog. And with the advent of the iPad, you can shoot something artistic and upload it easily right on the spot.
So, my question to you, would you use art filters on your DSLR? You may have them now and not even realize it. We're seeing them more than ever. Is that based on user feedback or are manufacturers trying to distinguish their hardware from others? Let me know what you think.
How many megapixels do you expect for a top of the line DSLR? 12? 14? 18? 21? And what are the other factors that are important to you tied with sensor performance? We check-in with this ongoing topic today.
Listen to the Podcast
You can also download the podcast here (27 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.
Monthly Photo Assignment
Indoor Lighting is the December 2010 Photo Assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Dec. 31, 2010. Entries must be recorded with indoor lighting only.
TDS Summer 2011 Photography Workshop
We're making plans now for the Summer 2011 TDS Photography Workshop. If you want your name on the reserve list, just drop me a line.
More Ways to Participate
Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!
Podcast Sponsors
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Blurb believes passionately in the joy of books - reading them, making them, sharing them, and selling them. Learn more by visiting Blurb on The Digital Story.If you've just bought a Mac or upgraded iLife, and are ready to master the new features in iPhoto '11, then I think you'll enjoy iPhoto '11 Essential Training on Lynda.com. Here's a short introduction.
There's more than four hours of training presented in a series of short movies that you can watch as many times as you want until you feel comfortable with each particular technique. It's truly learning at your own pace. Even if you've never used Lynda.com before, there are three free movies that you can view right now: Working in Full Screen Mode, Hiding Photos, and Creating Smart Albums.
I receive lots of mail about how much people like learning software via my titles on Lynda.com. If you're ready to dig into iPhoto, or want to give a loved one the gift of knowledge, then take a look at iPhoto '11 Essential Training.
The current release of PhotoBox by Boinx Software (V 1.1) brings a truly useful image review tool to photographers working in the field. Unlike the earlier version that had to copy lower resolution images to the app, you can now access the full resolution files, even if they're Raws. I recently tested it for an event shoot at a professional basketball game with an Olympus PEN E-PL1
Image displayed at 1:1 on PhotoBox. It looked great on my camera's LCD, but I could tell in PhotoBox that it wasn't quite as sharp as I would like. Click on image for original view.
The application includes some other helpful tools, such as luminance and RGB histograms, highlight and shadow clipping overlays, pixel dimensions, and file size. You can set your own tolerance levels for the highlight and shadow clipping in the preferences (gear icon in upper right corner of the app).
Once back home, you can enjoy even a closer look at your work by connecting the iPad to a VGA-compatible display and using PhotoBox as the driver -- a nice touch if you need it.
Boinx has overcome many of the limitations of the earlier iPad iOS to create a useful tool for discriminating photographers working in the field. This latest version (1.1) is definitely worth a look. You can buy PhotoBox for $4.99 in the App Store.
Oh, and one final note. You might see lower customer ratings for PhotoBox in the App Store than you would expect for the version I've described here. The previous version (1.0) wasn't as smooth or useful as what I've recently tested. Just something to keep in mind.
The Apple Photos Book for Photographers 2nd Edition by Derrick Story |
The Digital Photography Companion by Derrick Story |
Digital Photography Hacks by Derrick Story |
iPad for Digital Photographers by Derrick Story |
