Shooting in Costa Rica was a true adventure. The rain was pouring, so my uniform was Tevas, swimming trunks, and a mesh shirt. The Canon 5D performed great in the inclement weather. I had brought the SD700 IS in its waterproof housing, but it wasn't the right camera for people shots. The 5D was the king of the day.

In this podcast, I return home to catch up, share a few anecdotes, and get us all back on the right photography track. (I do make an error however and say that the photo assignment for Nov. is "water." That's wrong! The assignment is Light and Dark. Sorry about that. Still getting back in the groove.

Costa Rican Cyclist -- by Derrick Story, captured with a Canon 5D, 24-105 mm L zoom, ISO 640, Cloudy WB, 1/250 @ f-6.7.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Light and Dark is this month's photo assignment. It's time to work with shadows and pools of light. See how you can manage a composition that features interesting highlights and shadows. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Nov. 30.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Catching Up." You can download the podcast here (31 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: Caribbean, Costa Rica, digital photography, podcast, Technology, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

When out in the field, the goals are to capture great images, enjoy nature, and do no harm to yourself and others. In this Best of Podcasts #2, I share ten of my favorite tips for shooting outdoors.

This is an appropriate "Best of" for this week, because I'm in Aruba today with camera in hand. I'll be reporting on what happens while I'm in the field (and in the water) working.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Light and Dark is this month's photo assignment. It's time to work with shadows and pools of light. See how you can manage a composition that features interesting highlights and shadows. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Nov. 30.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "10 Tips for Great Field Photography." You can download the podcast here (26 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

This week, I reach down into the photo goodie bag and pull out a few treats for the Halloween season. Sweets include: adding metadata to your images so people know who took the photo and its copyright status, my camera gear kit for an upcoming trip to the Caribbean, an update on Mac OS X Leopard for photographers, and a few publishing notes for November.

File description fields in Photoshop that enable you to add metadata to your images.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Close Up is this month's photo assignment. Time to find that close up button on your compact or break out the macro lens for your DSLR. October is get close month, real close. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Oct. 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Trick or Treat." You can download the podcast here (29 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

Watson's work lined the gallery walls in the HP booth at PhotoPlus Expo 07, and he was the feature presentation on Friday night, "Albert Watson: Meet the Master." HP contacted me before the show asking if I'd like to interview Albert during my stay in New York. I immediately accepted and met with him Thursday afternoon in a conference room at Javits.

We began our conversation by discussing the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the only wedding he's ever covered. At first Albert was hesitant to talk about the event. But I wanted to know how a high profile fashion and art photographer prepares for a royal wedding, and this is where our conversation begins.

A few of Albert Watson's prints hanging in the HP booth at PhotoPlus Expo.

I recorded the podcast in stereo to give you a better feel for the room. Plus, I didn't want to push a microphone in Albert's face; rather, I wanted him to feel free to gesture and use his body to illustrate his points. I decided to leave the podcast in stereo (instead of sampling down to mono) to retain this ambience. The result is a bigger file, but one that I think puts you right there at the table with Albert Watson and myself. I jokingly call this the Special Headphone Edition of The Digital Story

Albert Watson annotations from a print in progress.

Special thanks to HP, who arranged the interview and were gracious hosts for both Albert and myself.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Close Up is this month's photo assignment. Time to find that close up button on your compact or break out the macro lens for your DSLR. October is get close month, real close. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Oct. 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Albert Watson, Photography Legend." You can download the podcast here (28 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 walks a tightrope that balances cutting edge imaging technology with ease of use. It is designed for hobbyist photographers who want to manage, edit, and output pictures from their digital cameras. Elements 6 is the Windows version of the application. Photoshop Elements for the Mac will be out early next year.

My quest to learn more about this intriguing application led me to the doorstep of Mark Dahm, Adobe Senior Product Manager for Photoshop Elements. As you can imagine, Mark is passionate about this software, and he did a great job of highlighting its features and explaining many of Adobe's decisions around this product. I think both Mac and Windows users will enjoy what Mark has to say.

Photo of Mark Dahm by Derrick Story, taken on the 11th Floor of the West Tower in Adobe Headquarters in San Jose, CA. Captured with a Canon G9 in Wide View Jpeg mode using Face Detection for focus and flash exposure, processed in ACR 4.0.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Close Up is this month's photo assignment. Time to find that close up button on your compact or break out the macro lens for your DSLR. October is get close month, real close. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Oct. 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Mark Dahm on Photoshop Elements 6." You can download the podcast here (33 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

iPhoto 08 is the best version of Apple's photo management and processing application. It is included on every new Mac sold, and can be purchased separately as part of the iLife 08 suite.

My personal view is that Mac photographers should become familiar with this imaging program, even if they're using other tools such as Aperture, Lightroom, and CS3. The combination of iPhoto's great user interface, powerful set of imaging tools, and wide variety of output options make this software an excellent addition to any photography workflow.

In this podcast, I show you some of my favorite features in iPhoto 08, plus share some handy tricks for working more efficiently in the application. I've just spent a week in the recording studio at Lynda.com working on an iPhoto title, so I'm reved up and ready to go.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Close Up is this month's photo assignment. Time to find that close up button on your compact or break out the macro lens for your DSLR. October is get close month, real close. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Oct. 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "iPhoto 08." You can download the podcast here (29 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

You can publish a book. Jennifer Sauer took an inspired idea and saw it through to her first photo-illustrated manuscript, The Way to Tea. It's an adventure guide to San Francisco tea culture, and it is beautiful.

In this interview, Jennifer explains how she conceived of the concept, pulled it together into pictures and words, and eventually signed a deal with Earth Aware Editions to publish and distribute the project. She provides excellent real world tips for succeeding in the current publishing environment, plus has many insights about the state of photography and her transition from film to digital.

The Way to Tea is a hard cover, 128 page book with 125 full color pictures. It shows you the most intriguing tea lounges and tearooms in the San Francisco Bay Area, introduces you to the world's top tea experts, explains how to judge quality teas, and explores tea cultures from around the world. The Way to Tea is available for $21.95 US.

Jennifer Sauer portrait by Derrick Story.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Close Up is this month's photo assignment. Time to find that close up button on your compact or break out the macro lens for your DSLR. October is get close month, real close. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Oct. 31.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Jennifer Sauer on How to Publish." You can download the podcast here (26 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

To celebrate our 100th podcast, I'm sharing my list of Top 10 Photo Accessories for $100 or Less. I present them "David Letterman" style, starting with #10 and working my way up the list to my favorite photo goodie for $100. Oh the suspense as I inch my way up the list. No clues in the show notes. No links. Nothing. You have to listen to this podcast to find out my 10 favorites.

I will mention one thing here that I cover in the podcast... that's my gratitude to you, the TDS member, for sharing your work, your enthusiasm, and your passion for great photography. You are the one who powered us to #100, and we're going to keep going forward. Also a special thanks to Scott Sheppard of Inside Digital Photo. Scott has taken every one of these 100 shows under his wing, and added his secret sauce to help me deliver the best product possible.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Duotone is this month's photo assignment. This will be a fun gallery that lets us explore new ways to tone B&W images. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Sept. 30.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Top Ten $100 Photo Accessories." You can download the podcast here (29 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

There are many "assignments for pay" that serious amateurs are qualified to do -- family portraits, local events, and special celebrations, just to name a few. There are a few keys to success however. First, you must be prepared equipment-wise to meet any challenge that is thrown your way during the shoot (this includes having backup equipment). Only take assignments that are within your skills as a photographer and can be accomplished with the equipment in your bag. Next, you need to communicate clearly with the client before the shoot so their expectations are in line with yours. Then put it in writing and both parties should have a signed copy. Finally, fulfill your responsibilities in the time frame you promised.

By following these basic steps, you're on your way to a rewarding second income. I cover these concepts and more in this week's podcast.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Duotone is also this month's photo assignment. This will be a fun gallery that lets us explore new ways to tone B&W images. Hopefully this podcast will help you prepare a great entry for the assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Sept. 30.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Side Jobs." You can download the podcast here (28 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.

Duotones and color monochromes are easier than ever to create. In this podcast, I discuss how to quickly create this look in Adobe Photoshop CS3, Apple Aperture, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and Apple iPhoto 7.

Lightroom users who want to learn more may want to check out Angela Drury: The Lightroom Recipe Queen for her tips on creating this look using tools in the Develop module.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Duotone is also this month's photo assignment. This will be a fun gallery that lets us explore new ways to tone B&W images. Hopefully this podcast will help you prepare a great entry for the assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Submissions page. Deadline for entry is Sept. 30.

Listen to the Podcast

Now that I've piqued your curiosity, it's time to listen to today's audio show titled, "Duotone." You can download the podcast here (24 minutes). You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

The Digital Story Podcasts are available for direct download from Apple iPhones. I've created a special mobile download page here. Just load the page in Safari, browse the podcast line-up, and click on the one you want to listen to.

Want to share photos and talk with other members in our virtual camera club? Check out our new Flickr Public Group. It's a blast!

Have you looked at the Park by the Numbers Camera Phone Project? If you have a camera phone, you've got to check this out.

Events! See the TDS Event Calendar for photography workshops, speaking engagements, and trade show appearances.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, podcast, The Digital Story

Add Magic to Your Slideshows -- FotoMagico presentations are so amazing that your audience will be asking how you did it.