There are quite a few big features in Photos for macOS Sierra, but one of my favorite small adjustments is the return of Places, now debuting as an application album alongside People, Favorite Memories, Last Import, and such.

Since the iPhone handles geotagging for us automatically, photographers who use their smartphone regularly have a thumbnail tapestry of their journeys awaiting them, with each location plotted out on a map. Click on any of those thumbnails, and pictures from that location pop on to your screen.

It's so simple, really. If you want to see all of your vacation shots from Hawaii over the years, you could build a Smart Album with various conditions covering the appropriate metadata, or your could quickly go to Places and click on the thumbnail over Hawaii on the map. Instantly all of your shots from that location appear on the screen.

Want to fine tune your search to a specific location in Hawaii? Simply zoom in by using the "+" icon in the lower right corner of the map, or by pinching outward on a trackpad, to reveal various spots on the island that you visited. Now click on any of those thumbnails to see that smaller group of pictures.

This system does not require descriptions, titles, keywords, and any other user-added metadata. Just let the iPhone (or in my case the Olympus TG-4 also) capture the location information, then use the Places album to find the shots you want.

If you know where a picture was captured, you can find it in seconds in Photos for macOS. (Or you could do it the old-fashioned way...)

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

VIDEO TRAINING

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

And for an overview of all of the great features in Photos, my Photos for OS X Essential Training will get you up and running quickly. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

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Dropbox is terrific for photographers. But it can also fill up hard drives if you have complete syncing turned on for all of your machines. Enabling Selective Sync puts you in control of how many files Dropbox copies locally, and how many remain solely in the Cloud.

In this free 5-minute movie from my lynda.com title, Dropbox for Photographers 2016, I show you how to take control of Dropbox local storage on your computer. You'll probably want to have different settings for a travel laptop compared to your home desktop machine. And you can do that just by checking a few boxes... that is if you know where those boxes are.

And remember, regardless of what you do with any particular computer, you can always change your mind because all of your files remain safe and sound in the Cloud.

More Dropbox 2016 Tips and Tricks

Dropbox users who enjoy photography will get a lot out of my latest lynda title, Dropbox for Photographers 2016. Or if you just want to learn more about some of the cool things that Dropbox can do, then watch the free movies and see what you think.

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

Opening Monologue

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

Firmware Fantastic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drobo Dairies

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

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

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

In the News

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

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

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

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

Follow Us on Apple News for iOS Devices

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

• theAnalogstory.
• The Nimble Photographer
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Updates and Such

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members.

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

See you next week!

More Ways to Participate

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

Podcast Sponsors

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

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

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The DxO ONE camera has evolved quickly since its release. With the latest Version 2.0 Firmware Update, WiFi capability was unlocked, allowing photographers to detach the camera from the iPhone and continue to take pictures.

The firmware update can be applied by connecting the camera to your iPhone, launching the DxO ONE app, and going to the message center where you'll have the opportunity to upgrade. Once the upgrade has been applied, go to the settings menu in picture taking mode. You can do that by tapping on the icon in the upper right corner, then swiping down in the menu to "Wireless remote control," as shown in the above illustration.

The section provides you with two options. The first, Connect through a Wi-Fi network, allows you to tap into an existing network. Once you select that, the iPhone will pass the network credentials to the DxO camera. This takes just a few seconds. Soon, a message appears, "You can now detach your DxO ONE and take pictures." Now have some fun.

DxO also announced a new tripod adapter that looks very nice. Or, you can use a third party solution, such as the MeFOTO SideKick360 shown in the image below.

The DxO ONE in WiFi mode stabilized with a MeFOTO SideKick..

Once you've finished, just connect the camera again. The WiFi connection will be terminated, and you're back in connected shooting mode. It's easy, and it works great.

The second option, Direct Option, is currently grayed out. The message states that there's an incompatibility with the latest iOS Update. Hopefully, this will be ironed out soon so we can shoot wirelessly without an existing network.

WiFi connectivity is just one of the many new features in the Version 2.0 update. But it's just so darn sexy, I had to start there.

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After the news that Yahoo was hacked on a grand scale, it's definitely time to change your Flickr/Yahoo password.

Start by clicking on your avatar/logo in the upper right corner of the Flickr interface. Choose "Settings" from the popup menu. In the next screen, click on the Personal Information tab, then click on "Edit your Yahoo! password."

You'll see some information about account security there, and will have some options such as "securing your account" and creating a Yahoo! key. I leave it up to you if you want to go that route. I chose the "I'll change my password instead" option and updated my account with a fresh, never been used before, password.

Once that has been confirmed, you're in good shape. Yahoo! will throw a couple additional screens at you. Read them, but you've already accomplished what needed to be done. I then test my work by logging out of Flickr, then logging back in with the new password. If everything works, that's it.

More Flickr Tips and Techniques

Sharing Photos with Flickr is a deep dive into this venerable online photography platform, focusing on how to best use its tools with a Mac or Windows computer. I show you how to configure Flickr to automatically backup your images, organize them, and share your favorites with friends, family, and the entire online universe. This training will show you how to best take advantage of Flickr's 1TB of free online storage and its comprehensive set of imaging tools.

And if you prefer using an iOS or Android device for your Flickr experience, you definitely must take a look at Flickr Mobile: Photo Sharing Anywhere. It's fun and informative.

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While many mobile photographers await their upgrade to iPhone 7, there's a lot you can do right now with the 6S, including a nifty RAW workflow thanks to iOS 10 and Lightroom Mobile. It's easy, and the quality is outstanding.

Lightroom Mobile on an iPhone 6S running iOS 10. Original image captured as a DNG file using the Lightroom camera app. No editing quite yet...

Start by making sure you have the latest versions of iOS and Lightroom Mobile loaded. Then open LR on the iPhone and tap on the camera icon in the lower right corner. At the top of the interface look for DNG. If you see Jpeg instead, tap on it and choose DNG from the popup option. Take a photograph. You've just captured a RAW file with the iPhone.

At this point, you can edit it with the excellent tools in LR Mobile. I spent a couple minutes with this file adjusting the highlights, shadows, and color temperature. I then added some clarity and a vignette. The image looked pretty good on my mobile display.

Since it automatically syncs with Lightroom on my Mac, via the Creative Cloud account, I launched Lightroom and examined the shot on the 13" MacBook. It was still a RAW file, and all of my adjustments from the iPhone appeared on the sliders in the Develop module. I made a couple more minor changes, and that was it.

The image was automatically synced to Lightroom on my Mac, with all changes included.

Since I like to use Photos for macOS also, I saved an edited version of the picture via Lightroom Mobile to the Camera Roll on my phone. Now I have the finished shot in the Apple ecosystem as well.

The entire process was intuitive, and the finished image, even when magnified on the MacBook's retina display, was sharp, detailed, and had excellent tonality and color.

The final version of the iPhone RAW file. Photos by Derrick Story.

You might not want to capture every iPhone shot as a DNG, but it's great to have this option for situations where you want to milk every ounce of quality out of the device. I can't wait to see how this looks with an iPhone 7 Plus...

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Aside from Eizo monitor support and calibration, there aren't a lot of new features in Capture One Pro 9.3. But there are bug fixes, improved metadata handling, and new camera support. You can see the entire list of newly supported optics and bodies here.

I tested C1 9.3 on macOS Sierra, and I'm happy to report that everything ran smoothly. Performance was snappy, and there were no hiccups that I could detect. So I recommend that you update both the macOS and Capture One Pro at your earliest convenience.

More Capture One Pro Tips and Techniques

Improve your skills by watching Capture One Pro Essential Training now available on lynda.com. More than 5 hours of tips, tricks, and techniques. Plus many free movies using advanced techniques.

I've also created a dedicated Capture One Pro Training page on The Digital Story. You can follow all of the tips and techniques that I publish in one convenient spot.

Thinking About Making the Transition from Aperture or Lightroom? - Download my free eBook titled, Rocky Nook's Guide to Moving to Capture One Pro. I show you the steps to create a test library, then build the foundation for a smooth transition to Capture One Pro.

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

Opening Monologue

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

Mirrorless Photokina

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow Us on Apple News for iOS Devices

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

• theAnalogstory.
• The Nimble Photographer
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Comments About My Post on the Canon EOS M5 Mirrorless Camera

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

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

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

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

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

Nimble Photographer Workshop, Portland, Nov. 5

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

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

Updates and Such

The Drobo Diaries will return next week.

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members.

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

See you next week!

More Ways to Participate

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

Podcast Sponsors

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

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

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You can truly leave the tripod at home for this one. The just-announced Olympus 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO incorporates in-lens image stabilization that works in concert with Olympus in-body 5-Axis IS on compatible OM-D and PEN cameras to create 5-Axis Sync IS, ultra powerful image stabilization with 6.5 shutter speed steps of compensation. That is some serious stuff.

In addition to its broad focal range (24mm-200mm, 35mm equivalent), the zoom has excellent close-up performance with a minimum working distance of 1.5 cm and a maximum shooting magnification of 0.6x (35mm equivalent) at the 12mm wide-angle setting.

This is a go-anywhere optic with weatherproof construction, providing dustproof, splash proof, and freeze proof (down to 14°F/-10°C) performance with hermetic sealing in 12 locations. The 12-100mm is constructed with a high-quality metal exterior and equipped with the Manual Focus Clutch mechanism, which makes switching to manual focus possible by pulling the focusing ring toward you. The lens barrel features an Image Stabilization activation switch and the L-Fn button to pause autofocus or assign other custom settings.

The Olympus 12-100mm f4.0 IS PRO will be available beginning in November 2016 for an estimated street price of $1299.99 USD and $1599.99 CAD. You can pre-order it now here. For a complete list of specifications, visit the Olympus website (Please send mine now...).

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Canon announced its first mirrorless body that I've found interesting, the EOS M5. Despite its lack of 4K video, which I don't consider a deal breaker, the specs are terrific.

• 24.2 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor, with ISO 100-25600.
• High-speed continuous shooting at up to 7.0 fps (up to 9.0 fps with AF Lock) and new DIGIC 7 Image Processor with improved AF tracking performance.
• Digital IS with 5-axis image stabilization when shooting movies plus increased image stabilization with both lens optical IS and in-camera digital IS when shooting with an IS lens.
• Built-in high-resolution EVF (approx. 2,360,000 dots) with new Touch and Drag AF lets you manually move the AF frame displayed for more precise focusing in different shooting situations.
• Intuitive touch screen 3.2 tilt-type (85 degrees up/180 degrees down) LCD monitor (approx. 1,620,000 dots) enables flexible positioning and clear viewing.

The problem is, I couldn't switch now, even if I wanted to. The same thing that kept me a Canon shooter for so long - my lens catalog - now prevents me from moving to them for my mirrorless work.

I have a substantial investment in Olympus and Panasonic optics that I truly like. Those zooms and primes are compact, sharp, and capture great images. And at this point in the game, it just doesn't make sense to hand those over for a limited selection of Canon M lenses.

Using an adapter for my existing EF optics isn't a consideration either. After shooting with an Olympus 45mm f/1.8 prime that's razor sharp and weighs only a few ounces, it seems like stepping back in time to mount a Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF via an adapter to a mirrorless body.

Plus, Olympus will probably announce their own updates around Photokina, yet moving the mirrorless ball forward and distancing themselves further from Canon and Nikon.

I'm glad that Canon created the M5. They needed to show the world they could get serious about mirrorless. And I hope the world enjoys shooting with it.

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Thanks to Finder integration, you can set up an Export Preset in Lightroom that sends images directly to a selected location inside your Dropbox. Once they arrive, those pictures are available on all of your connected devices and computers. Here's a short movie on how to set this up.

I've created landing folders in my Dropbox for Lightroom, Capture One Pro, and Photos for macOS. When I'm working in Lightroom, I send the image to the established folder, and it's easy to find when I need it.

This process couldn't be easier. And you don't need any special plugins. Just make sure that Dropbox is loaded on your Mac or Windows computer, then follow the steps in the above video.

More Dropbox 2016 Tips and Tricks

Dropbox users who enjoy photography will get a lot out of my latest lynda title, Dropbox for Photographers 2016. Or if you just want to learn more about some of the cool things that Dropbox can do, then watch the free movies and see what you think.

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

Opening Monologue

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

iPhone 7 and the Age of Smartphones

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the News

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

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

Nimble Photographer Workshop, Portland, Nov. 5

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

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

Drobo Diaries

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

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

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

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

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

Updates and Such

B&H and Amazon tiles on www.thedigitalstory. If you click on them first, you're helping to support this podcast. And speaking of supporting this show, and big thanks to our Patreon Inner Circle members.

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

See you next week!

More Ways to Participate

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

Podcast Sponsors

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

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

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While in tropical locations, I like shooting with the Olympus TG-4 because it captures great images and it's waterproof. Plus it records RAW as well as high quality Jpegs. And I typically have it set for both.

Shooting wide during this parasailing adventure showed a real difference between the RAW and Jpeg files. Captured with an Olympus TG-4, Maui, UFO Parasailing company. Photo by Derrick Story.

The Jpegs are perfect for sending to my iPhone via WiFi, then uploading to Instagram, Photos for iOS, Facebook and more. RAWs are the ultimate safety net for special images that I want just right.

Scrubbing through the library in Capture One Pro last night, I noticed another difference between the two formats: lens corrections. The Jpegs and RAWs rendered differently for many of the shots. Tone, color, and yes, lens corrections were applied to the Jpegs. I hadn't realized that this was part of the secret sauce, but the difference was quite noticeable on many of the frames.

Yes, I can correct the RAWs to my specific tastes in Capture One or Lightroom. But for quick sharing, it's nice to know that yet another benefit of Jpegs, on some cameras, is lens corrections too.

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Now that we're in the post Carousel era, how does Dropbox stack up for photographers? To be honest, quite well actually. In some ways, the tools seem more integrated now that we don't have to jump back and forth between applications.

In my latest title for lynda.com, Dropbox for Photographers 2016, I show you how to tap the photo capabilities of this cloud-based service across all of your devices, regardless if you're using Mac, Windows, iOS, or Android.

You can enable automated backups, create password-enabled galleries, comment on photos as part of a review process, and more... all with built-in Dropbox tools, and with a service that you may already be using for your everyday work. Here's a video overview of some of these highlights.

Dropbox users who enjoy photography will get a lot out of this course. Or if you just want to learn more about some of the cool things that Dropbox can do, then watch the free movies and see what you think.

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

Opening Monologue

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

More Ways to Participate

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

Podcast Sponsors

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

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

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

The Nimbleosity Report

Do you want to keep up with the best content from The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer? Sign up for The Nimbleosity Report, and receive highlights twice-a-month in a single page newsletter. Be a part of our community!

Want to Comment on this Post?

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

If you're recording geodata with an iPhone and/or a camera such as the Olympus TG-4, then you have some handy viewing options built right in to macOS.

"Atop Mt. Tamalpais," The GPS tab in Get Info for the Preview app. Captured with an Olympus TG-4. Image by Derrick Story.

I catalog most of these images in Photos for macOS, which does show some basic geodata. But I really like the view in Preview using the More Info heads up display (Command-I). The GPS tab is more detailed than Photos, and you can click on the Show in Maps button for a terrific Satellite view with labels.

The Satellite view in Maps with labels showing.

Now one handy thing you can do in Photos is add a location pin to a picture, then export it and view in Preview and Maps. Do this in Photos by clicking on Assign a Location in the Info box and start typing where the image was captured. Photos will offer you locations. Choose the right one, and the tag will be assigned to the picture.

When you export the picture from Photos, be sure that the Location Information box is checked in the Export dialog. That will ensure the data travels with the image. Then you can view in Preview and Maps just like a picture that was geotagged with a camera.

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

VIDEO TRAINING

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

And for an overview of all of the great features in Photos, my Photos for OS X Essential Training will get you up and running quickly. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Get it for $15 using checkout code APPLE15!

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I love classic architecture, and it's a big part of my street shooting. Fortunately, one of the best cameras for urban environments, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II, includes Keystone Compensation. You may have heard of this feature, but I want you to see side-by-side images using it.

Downtown Oakland, CA by Derrick Story. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II with the 14-42mm EZ zoom.

I generally shoot RAW+Jpeg on the streets. I have a monotone recipe that I use for the Jpegs. So I get a B&W superfine Jpeg and the original RAW with every shot I take. Keystone compensation is applied only to the Jpeg. That's fine with me, because that's the file that I typically want to share quickly (usually in a coffee shop via my iPhone). If needed, I can correct the RAWs later in Capture One Pro or Lightroom.

The above pairing is a single shot captured in both formats. The RAW file on the left is without keystone compensation, and the Jpeg on the right has it applied. I captured the image with a standard Olympus 14-42mm Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ lens.

If you want to know more about the actual operation of keystone compensation, I wrote an article about it for the EM-1. It's very easy to use, and as you can see, the results are nearly magical.

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