I have three basic kits that I keep packed and ready to go on a moment's notice. Personally, I like complete sets. What do I mean by that? I think each bag should have its own memory cards. batteries, filters, and other accessories.

Far too many times I've suffered from the "it's in the other bag syndrome." This was especially true for polarizing filters, which are a bit pricey. But once you buy 'em, you have 'em forever. Over the years I've managed to build out three complete kits.

On the new My Gear page that we've added to The Digital Story, I've listed the contents of these three complete camera kits: DSLR, Everyday Mirrorless, and Spectator Mirrorless. They are designed for specific types of situations.

The DSLR kit is still my "go-to" bag for commercial assignments, portraits, and situations where I need the absolutely best lowlight performance. I'm using Canon bodies and lenses for this work.

But I don't need to lug this gear around with me all the time, every day. So when I walk out the door in the morning, I'm carrying a smaller Lowepro messenger bag with an Olympus OM-D E-M1, a couple lenses, MeFOTO tripod with Joby head, and an iPad mini. It's amazing how much work I can accomplish with this light and nimble camera kit. And I'm using it more and more, with great results, for event photography too.

And finally, when I go to sporting events and concerts as a spectator without a media pass, I have to adhere to the very strict bag restrictions. So I have a special kit using the Walking Man Shoulder Bag with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 and my iPad mini for these situations. I've never been turned away at security carrying this bag, and I've captured many memorable images using this gear.

You can see the contents for all three kids on the new My Gear page. And I will keep it updated as my equipment evolves.

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You can edit portraits on an iPad with Photoshop-like power and the ease tapping and pinching with Facetune by Lightricks ($2.99).

With the tip of your finger, you can whiten teeth, smooth skin, remove blemishes, adjust tones, add filters, and even frame your subject. The final version can be saved to your Camera Roll or shared online using any of the popular social network sites.

After just a few minutes of editing, I felt comfortable with the app. One technique that I think is important, is to magnify your view when using the retouching tools. This provides more precise application of the effect. There is an erasure tool if you overstep.

I also advise checking your work as you go with the before/after view. This helped me realize when I had become a bit heavy-handed with my edits.

Facetune is an incredible value. And if you shoot and share portraits, this is certainly an app you want on your iPad.

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Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography. And now Instagram features 15-second movies too.

This week on The Digital Story photography podcast: Leica's Solid Aluminum T Mirrorless Camera; Top 5 Shooting Tips for Compelling Photos; TDS Site Refresh; and the latest SizzlPix Pick of the Month Winners - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: The top story this week is the Leica T mirrorless camera. "It features a 16MP APS-C sensor. Two lenses - an 18-56mm F3.5-5.6 and a 35mm equivalent 23mm F2 prime have been announced alongside the camera. The camera is milled from a solid billet of aluminum and features a touch screen that the company says uses a user-friendly operating concept. The camera body (available in black or silver) is priced at $1,850. The 18-56mm zoom costs $1,750, while the 23mm F2 prime will set you back $1950. The optical viewfinder has an MSRP of $595." (Source DP Review)

In other news, Fuji will Release a 16mm f/1.4 by the End of 2014. "The mysterious "High Speed Wide Angle Lens" on Fuji's lens roadmap is apparently going to be a 16mm f/1.4 -- no ifs, ands or buts about it." (Source: PetaPixel).

And finally, Panasonic GH4 Review on the Luminous Landscape. Michael Reichmann writes, "Am I getting one? In fact we're getting two, and likely a third as well, replacing our GH3 cameras which we use for all of our video productions. I also expect one of the GH4's to become my daily shooter for both stills and video, as well as serving as Chris' workhorses for video production. No, I'm not kissing goodby to my Olympus E-M1, but let's just say that for some purposes I'll be getting a lot cuddlier with the GH4."

Story #2 - Top 5 Shooting Tips. I've just finished a series of speaking engagements, and I thought I'd share the top 5 tips from those talks.

• Use flash exposure compensation in tandem with regular exposure combination
• Keep horizon lines very low, or very high
• Shoot your night scenes at twilight
• Introduce motion into your shots - moving lights, panning, and slow shutter speeds
• Use darks and lights to add punch to your compositions

Story #3 - From the Screening Room - Colorizing Black-and-White Photographs using Photoshop with John Derry. John shows you how to take old B&W photos and apply his techniques for colorization. In a sense it's what Ted Turner did to many of our B&W classic movies.

You can watch John in action by visiting the TDS Screening Room at lynda.com/thedigitalstory. While you're there, you can start your 7 day free trial to watch other design, photography, and computing titles, plus every other topic in the library.

Story #4 - The TDS Site Design Refresh - We've integrated The Nimble Photographer, Photo Help Desk, Instagram, Flickr, and Facebook into a refreshed look for The Digital Story. Plus I've added a new My Gear page to the top nav bar. Here are some insights to how the new site works.

Virtual Camera Club News

New SizzlPix Winners! Congratulations to Mike Boening (Dec 2013 High ISO #93), Kyle Howard (Jan 2014 White # 94), and David Blanchard (Feb 2014 Smartphone #95). You are the latest class of SizzlPix Pick of the Month photographers.

Workshop News: I've sent out invites to the Reserve List for the Fall Color with Safari West Workshop, October 24-26, 2014. You can learn about them both, plus request a reservation form by visiting the TDS Workshops Page and using the "Send Me Info" box.

Photo Assignment for April 2014 is "Flower Power".

If you haven't done so already, please post a review for The Digital Story 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.

Listen to the Podcast

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (37 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! - High resolution output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com. SizzlPix! now is qualified for PayPal "Bill Me Later," No payments, No interest for up to 6 months, which means, have your SizzlPix! now, and pay nothing until August!

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One technique that I learned from Ansel Adams was the way he managed darks and lights. Sometimes he would build the picture around a very dramatic shadow or highlight, and other times he would layer those tones like pastry chef layers a cake.

Ever since those days of studying his work, I keep an eye peeled for strong dark or light areas to build my compositions around. I feel like they help me avoid the flat "postcard look" that happens when the tones are too even.

First, I wanted to use that horizontal line of dark trees to anchor the composition. Then take advantage of the darks and lights created by the clouds in the sky. Photo by Derrick Story.

Once you find an element to build your composition around, the camera will probably accentuate it more than your eyes are seeing. Plus keep in mind that you can further play with it in post production to really bring out the darks and lights.

This is easier with morning and afternoon light, because it's directional. Midday scenics are going to be flat, pretty much no matter what you do, unless you're in a situation where the high position of the sun is creating shadows from trees. And even then it's a difficult task to make that look flattering.

Keep this technique in mind the next time you're out shooting landscape. Look for those layers of darks and lights to build your composition around.

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Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography. And now Instagram features 15-second movies too.

Job 1 as a spectator at a sporting event is to enjoy the game and support your team. But if it's an important event, such as an NBA playoff game, you may want to come away with some momentos too. As photographers, those souvenirs most likely will be pictures from the game.

Chances are, that unless you're packing a fast telephoto lens and have a media pass, you're probably not going to get a close-up of your favorite superstar. On the other hand, even with a compact camera, you can document the event in a way that will have value for you in the years to come.

By combining fill-flash with nighttime scene mode, you can capture both the crowd and the ambience of the arena. Photos by Derrick Story.

I think the crowd is a big part of the story at these events. And I do have access to them since I'm sitting right in the middle of it all. So why not go with that and use the arena as a backdrop for fan shots?

My advice in these situations, is to go to "nighttime mode" in your camera's scene settings, then turn on the fill-flash. All of these images, for example, were captured with a Canon PowerShot S110 in "Handheld NightScene" mode. I typically set the exposure compensation to -2/3 to get a good balance of bright areas in the arena with the flash itself.

Same settings as above, except this time the fill flash is turned off.

As you can see in the shot above, the feeling is totally different when the fill-flash turned off. You may like it better, or not. But I think the non-fill-flash image doesn't have the vibrancy of the shot above it, where the flash is turned on.

Regardless of which approach you take, it's good to understand how both techniques work, so you can choose the one that's right for you and the situation.

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Leica's announcement of their new mirrorless camera, Leica T (Typ 701) ($1,850), presents both attractive and challenging features for the nimble photographer. I thought that I would provide a quick overview of both.

On the plus side, the design and production of the camera looks top-drawer. To take a chunk of high-quality aluminum and sculpt a camera from it is very impressive - not to mention the hour of hand-polishing that ensues.

I haven't held the camera myself, but even looking at it in pictures and knowing what I know about solid aluminum design, it's not much of a leap of faith to understand that this camera is special.

I also like that they chose to go with a very modern design, instead of the retro look that's currently popular. My regular readers know that I absolutely love the retro look featured in the OM-D and the Fujifilm X20. But those cameras already exist. Leica is creating a whole new design aesthetic in the mirrorless space.

I have some inside information about the internal workings of the camera as well. Image quality will be outstanding. And the Wi-Fi interaction with the iOS app should be solid. I think Leica has done an excellent job here, creating not only a modern classic in terms of looks, but also in terms of mobile functionality.

In terms of red flags, there are a few. First, the choice not to include image stabilization in either the body or the lenses, I think this is a bad decision. I read that Leica felt optical stabilization would compromise the quality of the lenses. I'm not qualified to know either way. But I do know, that for me, image stabilization is important, And I would miss it on this camera.

I think the price is a bit steep, not so much for the body, but for the 18-55mm kit lens - $1,750. If it were $500 or $600, then we could get started with the T-System for less than $2500, and I think that would attract more well-healed nimble photographers.

And finally, I do like buttons - and there aren't any on the back of the camera. So it remains to be seen how this plays out in real-time use.

Those concerns aside, I welcome the Leica T-System to the mirrorless camera space. I know more lenses will follow, and I think we will see interesting variations on this initial body. I'm going to enjoy watching this story play out.

If I can get my hands on one, I'll definitely follow up with a field report.

Leica T-System has a high Nimbleosity Rating. What does that mean? You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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Not long ago, Theresa handed me a sheet of paper with a landscape photo printed on it. "I'd like to have this printed for my office. It's one of my favorite shots by you."

Normally, that wouldn't be a problem. But I captured this particular photo in Dec. 2002 with a Canon PowerShot G2 that had a maximum resolution of 3.8 megapixels. It's been a long time since I shot at that resolution.

"Sebastopol Lagoon" captured in Dec. 2002 with a Canon PowerShot G2. Photo by Derrick Story.

The first task was to find the photo. It was buried deep in the caverns of my original Drobo. I loaded the shot into Aperture and studied it. All in all, the picture was in pretty good shape. I made a few minor adjustments and fired up the Epson R2000.

I opted for Red Rivier Paper's UltraPro Gloss 2.0 to capture as much detail as I could in the enlargement. I made two prints: one an 8"x10" and the other 11"x14". We matted them up and put them in slightly oversized frames to give them more wall presence.

Theresa was thrilled. The larger of the two prints is hanging at home, and the other is now in her office. I have to admit, they look pretty good.

The point here is this: just because an image was recorded with older technology at a lesser resolution, that doesn't mean it's worthless. It took someone else's eyes to remind me of that. And I'm glad she did.

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Canon Hong Kong is teasing a new product launch for April 24 on its Facebook page.

The translation goes something like this: "Beauty does not exist on the object, while in between the object and object of no deep shadow and light and shade."

What could this all mean? It could be a new fast lens, but this is a lot of hoopla for glass. I'm guessing some sort of special camera.

We'll see soon enough.

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This week on The Digital Story photography podcast: Sony RX 200 in the Works?; an Ultra-Nimble 4x5 Camera; Loom and Doom; and Flickr 3.0 for iOS is Solid - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: The top story this week is the Wanderlust Travel 4X5 film camera. "Fully loaded, the Travelwide is lighter than a DSLR. In fact, at 275 grams (9.7 ounces), it's the lightest 4×5 ever made. But thanks to its high-impact unibody construction, it's also one of the toughest." Travelwide accepts most 90mm lenses, and a Pinwide pinhole is included--so you can start taking photos right away. $149 shipping this summer.

In other news, Eye-Fi puts your camera in the cloud with Android, iOS apps. "Eye-Fi says that your US$49 annual subscription cost -- just a touch over US$4 per month -- provides you with unlimited storage, and notes that images are transferred at full resolution. As has always been the case, Eye-Fi Mobi cards don't transfer raw files, and only allow videos for certain formats." (Source: Imaging-Resource.com).

And finally, New Sony RX200 Patent Shows an Exciting 28-100mm Equivalent f/1.8-2.8 Lens. The current RX100/RX100 Mark II sport the same focal length, but that lens stops down all the way to f/4.9 by the time you get to 100mm. This new lens would mean a much better low-light experience even when you're a bit further away from your subject. (Source: PetaPixel)

Story #2 - Flickr 3.0 for iOS Is a Solid Single to Right. Not only do we get new The New Mobile Flickr is competes with any of the big boys, including Instagram and Facebook. I provide you with an overview in today's second segment.

Story #3 - From the Screening Room - Designing an Infographic with Nigel French. This week we learn how those cool infographics are designed by master designer, Nigel French.

You can watch Nigel in action by visiting the TDS Screening Room at lynda.com/thedigitalstory. While you're there, you can start your 7 day free trial to watch other design, photography, and computing titles, plus every other topic in the library.

Story #4 - The Nimbleosity Report - Loom and Doom. My kiss of death proves fatal again for start-up mobile backup apps. First, Everpix, and now Loom. The silver lining is that Loom was acquired by Dropbox and incorporated into Carousel. I provide some insights about this transition.

Virtual Camera Club News

Workshop News: I've sent out invites to the Reserve List for the Fall Color with Safari West Workshop, October 24-26, 2014. You can learn about them both, plus request a reservation form by visiting the TDS Workshops Page and using the "Send Me Info" box.

Photo Assignment for April 2014 is "Flower Power".

If you haven't done so already, please post a review for The Digital Story 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.

Listen to the Podcast

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (33 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! - High resolution output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com. SizzlPix! now is qualified for PayPal "Bill Me Later," No payments, No interest for up to 6 months, which means, have your SizzlPix! now, and pay nothing until August!

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Even in the digital age, you can create B&W portraiture with a classic film grain and tonality. Thanks to inspiration by photographer Gary Tyson, I've added a new workflow for these types of images using Aperture 3 and Silver Efex Pro 2.

In the article, One Way to Convert Color Images to Black & White in Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro 2, Gary shows how to use Lightroom and Silver Efex to produce gritty B&W photos. The big take-away was flattening the contrast of the color photo in Lightroom before sending it to Silver Efex for processing.

To my thinking, this would be easy enough for Aperture users too. So I created this workflow.

"Renee Reclining" originally captured in color and converted to B&W. All photos by Derrick Story.

To flatten the photo in Aperture, I moved the Contrast and Mid Contrast sliders to the left. (How far is a matter of personal taste. Take a look at the photo below for an example.) I then sent the image to Sliver Efex Pro 2 and applied the 011 Push Process (+1.5) or the 012 Push Process (+3) to the photo, depending on which one looked best. I then used the Film Simulation mode Ilford HP5 Plus 400. At this point I could return the picture to Aperture for finishing touches.

I created an Effect Preset for the flat contrast so it would be easy to apply in the future.

To close the loop, I output the image on fiber stock, such as Polar Matte 60lb.. Having the print for framing or just enjoying on the coffee table has certainly caught the eye of fellow photographers.

More Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn more about portrait retouching in Aperture, take a look at Portrait Retouching with Aperture. You may want to check out my other Aperture titles, including Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012), Using iPhoto and Aperture Together, and the latest, Enhancing Product Photography with Aperture. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.

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This time Yahoo got it right. Flickr 3.0 for iOS is an app of beauty.

In Instagram styled fashion, we now have full screen images in a single stream for browsing. Tap twice on a picture in stream view to mark as a Favorite.

Tap once to switch to a lightbox view. You can enlarge the image in Lightbox view by tapping twice. Tap the "X" to return to the stream. Easy to use and works great.

Two areas that Flickr has been traditionally strong is: editing and displaying metadata. You can edit your pictures by going to camera mode and tapping in the thumbnail icon in the lower left. Choose the image by tapping on it, then tap on Next in the upper right corner. You'll have a complete set of adjustments and filters to choose from.

I really like having the levels adjustment complete with an RGB histogram. Tap and drag markers for highlights, mid tones, and shadows to fine tune the exposure.

To see the metadata for a photo in your stream, tap once on it to switch to Lightbox mode, then tap on the "i" for the metadata display artfully overlaid on the image. This is possibly the best metadata view I've seen on my iPhone.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this version of the app. Hats off to the team at Yahoo for sticking with this project.

Flickr Essential Training 2013 - I explore the entire Flickr universe, mobile and computer, in my lynda.com title, Flickr Essential Training. Stop by and take a look.

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After the unraveling of Everpix, many of us turned to Loom for backing up and sharing our mobile photos. We learned yesterday that the thread-bare startup will now be woven into Carousel by Dropbox.

The good news is that free space you had accumulated on Loom will be transferred and honored by Dropbox. I've already tested this, and my 10 GBs of Loom storage have been added to my Carousel account.

The bad news is that Carousel is young and doesn't have many of the features that Loom had so carefully designed. The biggest drawback for me is no iPad integration. My iPhone is my only connection to Carousel.

The two companies have designed an easy migration path. Basically, you click a button and give Loom permission to connect to your Dropbox account. If you don't have one already, you can set it up. The other option is to download a zipped archive of your Loom library. I opted to migrate and will report on how that went in next week's TDS podcast.

Either way, you have until May 16, 2014 to decide what to do. After that, Loom will be no more.

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It's that time of year when we look at our cluttered closets and think that it might be time to get our house in order. Well, the same could be said for our photo libraries.

With prime picture taking season right around the corner, wouldn't it be nice to have your Aperture library as tidy as your sock drawer? (This might be a bad comparison for some folks...)

My first post for the lynda.com blog is 5 tips for organizing your photos in Aperture. I cover the following topics to help keep your Aperture library spic and span.

• Think in terms of projects
• Use folders to reduce clutter
• Build virtual collections with Albums
• Be consistent with naming conventions
• Use star ratings to identify your best work

And there's more to come. In the next post for lynda.com, I discuss how to set up your laptop for vacation travel photo management. Summer road warriors will definitely want to read that one.

Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn more about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.

The Digital Story on Facebook -- discussion, outstanding images from the TDS community, and inside information. Join our celebration of great photography!

I've just published two new gear fit kits over at The Nimble Photographer.

The first kit is called "Spectator Sports" and includes:

• Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds digital camera (I use the optional grip for this camera to make it more comfortable in my hands)
• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ lens (I have the auto lens cap for this optic)
• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8 lens (This optic is just short of 3" long, but gives me an effective 150mm of reach)
• Apple 32GB iPad mini with Retina Display (Verizon, Space Gray)
• Walking Man shoulder bag

The second kit is called "Everyday Office" and contains these items:

• Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds digital camera
• Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Asph. lens for Micro 4/3
• Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens (also a terrific portrait lens)
• Fujifilm X20 digital camera
• Eye-Fi 32GB SDHC Mobi Wireless Class 10 memory card (For the X20 that doesn't have built-in WiFi)
• Olympus FL-300R wireless flash
• MeFOTO DayTrip tripod kit
• Apple 32GB iPad mini with Retina Display (Verizon, Space Gray)
• Lowepro Urban Reporter 150 camera messenger bag (I've modified the insert to go 2/3rds width to allow room for the tripod)

You can see all of the Nimble Fit Kits at TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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The Warriors had a lot on the line for their last regular season home game. They wanted to reach 50 wins and lock up the 6th seed in the Western Conference playoffs. This seemed like a perfect game to test the Olympus OM-D E-M10 with the Olympus 75mm f1.8 lens. This combination is well within arena standards for spectator camera gear.

The configuration for the camera was simple: ISO 1600, Aperture Priority, f/1.8, Jpeg Fine, +1/3 exposure compensation with a resulting shutter speed of 1/1250. This allowed me to shoot in high speed burst mode and capture full sequences.

Draymond Green dunks as part of his 20 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots in Golden State's 130-120 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night. Photo by Derrick Story. Click on photo for a closer look.

When you have your settings right, I think it's fine to shoot Jpegs. The camera performs better and I don't worry about filling up my hard disk with 800 ginormous Raw files from a single shoot. Plus, they look terrific.

I do like having the $59 Grip for EM-10 when the 75mm is mounted on the camera. It provides better leverage, especially overt the course of an evening of shooting.

As for the images themselves, the Olympus 75mm doesn't disappoint. I shoot with it wide open, prefocus when I can, and let it fly. What a beautiful lens for arena sports.

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

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This week on The Digital Story photography podcast: Lightroom's Monster Update; Fujifilm X-T1 Review; and Carousel by Dropbox - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: The top story this week is the Fujifilm X-T1 Review. "The X-T1 is probably Fujifilm's best camera to date, offering a compelling combination of intuitive handling, excellent image quality, and one of best electronic viewfinders we've seen. It also features one of the most impressive autofocus systems on any camera at this price level, both in terms of accuracy with fast lenses and tracking moving subjects. Over all it's a hugely engaging and capable camera, and one that's fundamentally a joy to use." Gold Award and 84 percent. (Source: DP Review)

In other news, Sigma announces price for 50mm f/1.4 Art lens. It's official: Sigma owns the 50mm space. We were hoping for less than $1,700 for this lens. Sigma announces $949. (Source: Imaging-Resource.com).

And finally, Canon's 7D Mark II Reportedly Delayed Due to Dual-Pixel Sensor Manufacturing Issues. The rumor mill is now predicting a late summer or early fall release for the update to the Sept. 2009 DSLR. (Source: PetaPixel)

Story #2 - Latest Lightroom Update is a Whopper! Not only do we get new Raw support, color profiles, and lens correction for a bundle of new optics in Lightroom 5.4, we also can use Lightroom on an iPad. I discuss my impressions in this segment of the show.

Story #3 - From the Screening Room - Shooting a Photo Essay: Telling a Family Story with Paul Taggart. This week we focus our attention on storytelling. Paul is a photojournalist by trade. And for this course he focuses his energy on his family, documenting his brother's activities over the course of a week.

You can watch Paul in action by visiting the TDS Screening Room at lynda.com/thedigitalstory. While you're there, you can start your 7 day free trial to watch other photography computing titles, plus every other topic in the library.

Story #4 - The Nimbleosity Report - Carousel by Dropbox for iPhone and iPhoto Backup. Dropbox users finally have an easy-to-use interface to manage their stored photos. I cover the pros and cons in the fourth segment of the show.

Virtual Camera Club News

Workshop News: I've sent out invites to the Reserve List for the Fall Color with Safari West Workshop, October 24-26, 2014. You can learn about them both, plus request a reservation form by visiting the TDS Workshops Page and using the "Send Me Info" box.

Photo Assignment for April 2014 is "Flower Power".

If you haven't done so already, please post a review for The Digital Story 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.

Listen to the Podcast

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (34 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.

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File this one under "Why Didn't I Think of That."

A new Kickstarter called HACKxTACK aims to prevent misplaced lens caps by combining a "clip anywhere" home base with a handsomely machined metal strip that you adhere to the front of the cap. The result is secure storage while you get the shot.

Thinking ahead, this could be a terrific gift for the shutterbug in your life that you could easily stash away now. Regardless, you can learn more about HACKxTACK on their Kickstarter page.

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You can't always shoot in perfect light. But if you have a camera that captures infrared, any time of day is good.

I carry my Fujifilm X20 set in RAW+JPEG, with the B&W Film Simulation mode enabled. When I attach the Hoya R72 filter (to assist with IR capture), the JPEG is B&W infrared and the RAW is color infrared.

Aside from creating a look that is very different than typical photography, you can shoot any time of day.

Just something to keep in your back pocket.

The announcement of Carousel by Dropbox presents a new and interesting option for viewing your complete photo history stored on a Mac, iOS, and Android devices. If you're already a Dropbox user, this new capability is particularly intriguing.

What Carousel does is create a more practical interface for viewing and sharing Dropbox-stored images. It creates a chronological stream of thumbnails that you can browse by swiping up and down on the iPhone screen, or by swiping left and right on the timeline scale at the bottom of the interface. This sounds simple, but it actually works very well.

Photos are presented as collections with location and date as their title. Up to eleven thumbnails from the collection are initially displayed. If there are more pictures in that collection, a number is shown that you can tap on to reveal the remaining photos.

When you first log in to Carousel with your Dropbox account information, the app integrates all the photos it can find in your existing Dropbox account with those currently in the iPhone's Camera Roll. Additionally, if you're using Dropbox to automatically archive your iPhoto library, those images become part of your Carousel as well.

In a short period of time, the bulk of your photo history is available on the iPhone with very little effort on your behalf. Moving forward, the Carousel is automatically updating itself via these sources.

From that point, you can easily view your collection, or share via email, Twitter, and Facebook, or open in an app for editing. Images that you want to retain, but don't want visible in the scrolling Carousel, can be hidden from the stream and viewed only through an option in the Settings menu.

Using Carousel will require ample storage on your Dropbox account, but frees up space on your mobile device. If you have available space on Dropbox, this is a solution worth considering. Of course, you can always purchase more if necessary.

Currently, Carousel is not compatible with the iPad, and is an iPhone and Android app only. I'll keep you posted as this service evolves.

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

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We take a lot of pictures with our smartphones. But product photography? Yes you can, and I'll prove it.

This quest started when I learned about Foldio through a Kickstarter initiative. I ponied up $45 (Kickstarter early adopter price) and received a foldable, portable studio, two LED light strips, and four sweep backdrops. I can fold up the studio, lights, two batteries and one backdrop and fit it in an 11" x 11" carry bag. And with this little studio, I can take some pretty good shots.

The Foldio studio in action. One LED light strip on top, and another at the base.

Foldio will fit in any messenger bag that can accommodate a laptop. I can set it up in minutes thanks to the magnets that click everything into place. I have one LED light strip adhered to the inside top of the studio, and the other is free floating so I can position it as needed.

For the images captured with my iPhone, I use Camera+ ($1.99) because it has an effective exposure compensation slider that makes it easy to compensate for the bright white background. Without exposure compensation, your phone will underexpose both the subject and white backdrop. (My kit also included a black, gray, and green backdrop. Exposure will change with each of them.)

Because the LED lights are color balanced, you can use auto white balance on your phone or camera, and the rendering should be pretty accurate.

I photographed two different products with the Foldio. One item was shot with the iPhone 5S and Camera+. The other item was photographed with a Pentax K-5 and 50mm f/1.8 lens. Can you tell which is which below?

Product shot #1 captured in the Foldio using the two LED light strips.

Product shot #2 captured in the Foldio using the two LED light strips.

If you really want to know right now, you can download one of the images and look at the EXIF data. Otherwise, I'll post the answer tomorrow on the TDS Facebook page.

The point is, you can create some lovely product shots with very simple tools. The folks at Foldio will open their store soon. You can get on their mailing list and be notified once they're selling kits. It's a nifty setup that's fun, easy to use, and produces good results.

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

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Lightroom 5.4 is required to sync with Mobile Lightroom on the iPad. But there's a lot more to this release than that.

For starters, the update adds Raw support for 18 new cameras, including the Olympus OM-D E-M10, Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II, Fujifilm X-T1, Nikon D4S, and the Samsung NX30... just a name a few. For those of us shooting with the E-M10, Lightroom 5.4 is the first mainstream photo management app to support this camera.

Olympus E-M10 Raw files decoded in Lightroom 5.4.

But there's more. Fujifilm shooters will appreciate the new Camera Matching Color Profiles (PROVIA/STANDARD, Velvia/VIVID, ASTIA/SOFT, MONOCHROME, etc.) for basically all of their current releases. Being able to apply these profiles in post is a nice convenience.

There's also a bucket full of new lens profiles, such as the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM, GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition, Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 ZF.2, and even the Apple 5c. Again, just to name a few.

Add in the bug fixes, and this is a major release of Lightroom from Adobe. Practically something for everyone.

Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography. And now Instagram features 15-second movies too.

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This week on The Digital Story photography podcast: ISO Wars; Microsoft Makes the iPad; Lowepro Pro Roller x200 Winner; Eye-Fi Mobi goes desktop with Receiver; and Upcoming speaking engagements - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: The top story this week is the Sony announces Alpha 7S full-frame mirrorless. The alpha 7 has extreme ISO performance, up to 409,600. Sony limited resolution to 12 MPs on the full frame sensor in favor of low light performance. Interesting how the ISO war seems to be replacing the Resolution war. The camera is also a video beast, with 8-bit 4:2:2 4k video over HDMI at up to 30p, without the need for line skipping or pixel binning. (Source: DP Review)

In other news, Sigma's 50m f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens seems to be the real deal, topping Canon and Nikon in its first serious review (Source: PetaPixel).

And finally, SLRGear posted a helpful review of the Pentax 70mm f/2.4 Limited DA HD, a compact, relatively fast portrait lens that performed well in the lab.

Story #2 - The Lowepro Pro Roller x200 Giveaway winner is Mark Castleman of Westminster, CO. We've already shipped the microfiber clothes to the other 25 winners. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Story #3 - From the Screening Room - Office for iPad First Look with Jess Stratton. This week we focus our attention on mobile computing. Now that Microsoft has brought Office to iOS, how does it work? This overview will bring you up to speed.

You can watch Jess in action by visiting the TDS Screening Room at lynda.com/thedigitalstory. While you're there, you can start your 7 day free trial to watch other mobile computing titles, plus every other topic in the library.

Story #4 - The Nimbleosity Report - The Eye-Fi Mobi Desktop Receiver Adds New Possibilities. If you have an Eye-Fi Mobi card, this beta software may breath new life in to it.

Story #5 - Upcoming Speaking Engagements: Will present for SMOG (So Cal) on April 12, DVMUG on April 16, and the Chico Mac Users Group on April 17.

Virtual Camera Club News

Workshop News: I've sent out invites to the Reserve List for the Fall Color with Safari West Workshop, October 24-26, 2014. You can learn about them both, plus request a reservation form by visiting the TDS Workshops Page and using the "Send Me Info" box.

Photo Assignment for April 2014 is "Flower Power".

If you haven't done so already, please post a review for The Digital Story 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.

Listen to the Podcast

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.

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SizzlPix! - High resolution output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com. SizzlPix! now is qualified for PayPal "Bill Me Later," No payments, No interest for up to 6 months, which means, have your SizzlPix! now, and pay nothing until August!

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Lightroom is now available for the iPad.

You can download the app from the iTunes Store for free, upgrade your existing desktop version of Lightroom to 5.4, then share Collections across devices... for 30 days. After that, you'll need a Creative Cloud account to maintain functionality.

Lightroom on the iPad.

On first impression, the tools and user interface for Lightroom Mobile seem useful and well thought out. There are a number of editing tools and filters. And when synced with desktop Lightroom, you have lots of flexibility when on the go. Pocketlint has published a good article about the specifics.

Synced file in Lightroom 5.4 for the Mac.

Since Creative Cloud for Photographers is still on sale for $9.99 a month, this mobile version of Lightroom might be just the thing to encourage current fence-sitters to make the jump.

I follow up after a bit more testing.

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The Eye-Fi Mobi is already one of my favorite WiFi-enabled memory cards. With the recent addition of Desktop Receiver, it's become even more interesting.

Versions of the beta software are available for both Mac and Windows platforms. When enabled, you computer goes into "listening mode," on the lookout for images available from the Mobi card. If you take a picture, the file is transferred to a folder.

In my tests with the Fujifilm X20 compact, which doesn't have built-in WiFi, the process worked smoothly. I shot Raw+Jpeg. The Jpegs were copied to my Mac and the Raws remained intact in the camera.

One thing to keep in mind about the beta software: if you also use the Mobi card to send images to your mobile device, be sure to exit the software on your computer first. My experience was that the iPad couldn't recognize the Mobi when Desktop Receiver was active.

You can download the beta software for free from the Eye-Fi Labs site. There's also a handy FAQ there that handles the most common questions.

For me, this capability will be handy for blogging. I can shoot a subject and have it appear immediately on my computer for posting. What about you? If you have an Eye-Fi Mobi, give this software a spin and see where it takes you.

Join me on my Instagram site as I explore the world of mobile photography. And now Instagram features 15-second movies too.

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I carry the Fujifilm X-20 compact in my camera bag, set to RAW+Jpeg with the Film Simulation mode on B&W with yellow filter. Why?

By doing so, I'm always set to shoot B&W. The monochrome images look great on the LCD when I frame the shot, and while reviewing the images too. I use the X-20 for this because Fujifilm really has film simulation down to a science.

As a safety net, I'm capturing Raw too. When I import the images into Aperture, I enable Raw+Jpeg Pairs (in the import dialog box), then select: "Both (Separate Originals)." By doing so, I get all of those wonderful monochrome Jpegs plus the master Raw files. I tend to separate them into their respective albums.

I typically use the B&Ws going forward. But if I need those Raw files, it's good to have 'em.

Aperture Tips and Techniques

To learn more about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.

The Digital Story on Facebook -- discussion, outstanding images from the TDS community, and inside information. Join our celebration of great photography!

Very few lenses give us everything we want. And the clever Olympus 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ zoom ($349) is no exception.

On the plus side you get a very compact, handsome power zoom that's quiet with auto-on and an accessory auto lens cap. The optic focuses quickly and accurately. It's the perfect choice for quick-draw candids. What you give up is some edge sharpness with a dash of color fringing on contrasty lines.

My definitive test for this zoom was photographing a landscape under ideal conditions, with favorable camera settings. The image below was recorded mid-morning after a storm. I used the "Low ISO" setting on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 and captured in both RAW and Jpeg Fine. (You can download the full size version on Flickr and study the image yourself.)

I used a mid-range focal length (21mm) on the 14-42mm zoom at f/5.6, 1/640th of a second. I processed the RAW file in Olympus Viewer 3 and the Jpeg in Aperture 3.5. (This version is from the RAW file.)

During RAW processing I removed the slight color fringing on the white fence (had to magnify to even see it) in Olympus Viewer. I also made a few tonal adjustments.

I then made a 13" x 19" print on Red River Paper UltraPro Gloss 2.0 with the Epson R2000. I like to make prints when evaluating lenses. To me, it feels like the "real world" test.

The image looked good through all phases of production on the computer. I had to magnify to see the flaws, notably the color fringing on the white fence. I did detect the sharpness falloff on the edges when viewing the image on my MacBook Pro Retina Display. But it was easier for me to draw my final conclusions by studying the 13" x 19" print.

The Bottom Line

The Olympus 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ zoom is the standard lens that I keep mounted on the Olympus OM-D E-M10. It reacts quickly when I power up the camera, so it's well-suited for grabbing a quick shot. The quiet power zoom is easy to use and helpful for video recording.

But when it's time for more serious landscape work or architecture, I recommend switching to one of the excellent primes by Olympus or Panasonic. Even at f/5.6 on the 14-42mm, the edges are not as sharp as the center. And the color fringing, which can be removed in post, still appears on hard edges in bright areas.

The Olympus 14-42mm EZ zoom is a marvel of engineering: compact, quiet, with lots of features. It will help you capture images that you may have otherwise missed with a more traditional optic. But when it's time for the best edge-to-edge sharpness, switch to a prime.

The 14-42mm has a high Nimbleosity Rating. What does that mean? You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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For the Feb. 2014 Photo Assignment, TDS shooters used the camera that's "always with you." See for yourself in our gallery, Smartphone. And which one will be the SizzlPix Photo Assignment Pick of the Month?

TDS photographer David Blanchard captured this image of "the big hand" in Santa Rosa while waiting to meet other members of the Fine Art Workshop for dinner. David used HDR Pro on his iPhone. See all of the great images from this month's assignment by visiting the Smartphone.

Participate in This Month's Assignment

The April 2014 assignment is "Flower Power." Details can be found on the Member Participation page. Deadline is April 30, 2014. No limit on image size submitted.

Please follow the instructions carefully for labeling the subject line of the email for your submission. It's easy to lose these in the pile of mail if not labeled correctly. For example, the subject line for this month's assignment should be: "Photo Assignment: April 2014." Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. And feel free to add any IPTC data you wish (These fields in particular: Caption, Credit, Copyright, Byline), I use that for the caption info.

Gallery posting is one month behind the deadline. So I'm posting Feb. 2014 at the end of March, the March. gallery will be posted at the end of April, and on and on.

Good luck with your April assignment, and congratulations to all of the fine contributors for February.

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iPad for Digital Photographers

If you love mobile photography like I do, then you'll enjoy iPad for Digital Photographers-- now available in print, Kindle, and iBooks versions.

This week on The Digital Story photography podcast: How Memory Cards Work; FrankenPod: the Joby Ballhead X on the MeFOTO DayTrip Tripod; and the 10000 dpi film scanner - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Story #1 - The Weekly Update: Canon Reveals Plans for a Full Frame Sensor Smartphone. You thought Sony did the impossible with a large sensor compact camera. Well Canon has revealed that they are jumping on the mobile device bandwagon in a big way with a full frame sensor smartphone. Source: April Fools!

In other news, Olympus brings PEN style and 5-axis IS to Stylus SH-1 travel zoom. It looks like a PEN, but it's really a $399 compact camera. (DP Review).

And finally, Reflecta's New 35mm Scanner Promises Unprecedented Resolution. German manufacturer Reflecta has a new 35mm film scanner with a nominal resolution of up to 10.000 dpi, which is higher than anything you'll find on other consumer film scanners. In addition, the ProScan 10T promises a very high dynamic range of 3.9 DMax, which should be sufficient even for scanning such dense slide films as Velvia 50. Est. cost $650 US. (The Phoblographer).

Story #2 - How Memory Cards Work - We use them everyday, but do you know how your card manages its files? I'll cover erasing and formatting in this second segment.

Story #3 - The Nimbleosity Report - The MeFOTO DayTrip Tripod ($119) with the Joby Ballhead X. This super compact tripod weighs only 1.8 pounds and folds to 9.4". Combined with Ballhead X and the SideKick360, you have a versatile tripod solution for both cameras and smartphones. Does it belong in your Nimble Photographer bag? I'll tell you what I think in the third story.

Virtual Camera Club News

Workshop News: The Sonoma Coast Photography Workshop is scheduled for August 22-24, 2014. And the dates are set for the Fall Color with Safari West Workshop, October 24-26, 2014. You can learn about them both, plus request a reservation form by visiting the TDS Workshops Page and using the "Send Me Info" box.

Photo Assignment for April 2014 is "Flower Power".

If you haven't done so already, please post a review for The Digital Story 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.

Listen to the Podcast

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

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

SizzlPix! - High resolution output for your photography. You've never seen your imagery look so good. SizzlPix.com. SizzlPix! now is qualified for PayPal "Bill Me Later," No payments, No interest for up to 6 months, which means, have your SizzlPix! now, and pay nothing until August!

Want to Comment on this Post?

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