"You are More Influential than You Realize" - TDS Photo Podcast

This is The Digital Story Podcast #692, June 18, 2019. Today's theme is "You are More Influential than You Realize." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Engaged photographers, such as ourselves, take certain things for granted. We're current on the latest gear offerings, we understand the value of preparing for and capturing important moments in our lives, and we know that technology can instantly evaporate a lifetime of images just as easily as it enabled us to capture them in the first place. But not everyone understands these things as we do, and my thoughts on sharing our knowledge is the topic of today's podcast.

You are More Influential than You Realize

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Over the last four days, I've logged more than a thousand highway miles, attended two undergraduate graduation ceremonies, attended four celebration meals, two parties, and a music concert at Santa Barbara Bowl.

During all of those events, I had conversations with freshly minted college graduates, proud fathers, excited moms, and a variety of extended family members, friends, and strangers. Inevitably at some point in the conversation what I did for a living would surface, and the exchanges that followed fascinated me. And my primary takeaway was that we all could be doing more to help the casual photographers that we come in contact with. Here are five ways that I've observed.

  • Canon or Nikon? - An early question for me was, "Do you shoot Canon or Nikon?" When I responded that I typically shoot mirrorless cameras, the response was, "Oh, I've never heard of that brand." There are thousands upon thousands of people who don't know what mirrorless cameras are, and who could benefit from using them.
  • Encouragement - As I watched hundreds of people capturing moments with their iPhones, I was moved by how delighted they were when then got the shot they wanted. With my own friends and family, I decided that I should jump in, offer encouragement for their efforts. I would see, right on the spot them applying some of the techniques we discussed on their next round of captures.
  • Protection - I've started working the question: "Do you have cloud backup for your images?" into these conversations. In some instances, I could show them right on the spot how easy it was to enable this on their phones, and how important it was to do so.
  • Follow Up - I carry business cards for all sorts of reasons, but over the last few days, I've used them for people who might need help choosing their next camera or some other aspect of photography that they were wondering about.
  • We're All in this Together - Photography is one of the most satisfying hobbies in the world. Technology has certainly made aspects of it much easier. But I've discovered there is so much that many people don't understand, and that you and I can help them, which in turn nurtures our entire community.

HyperCube Automatically Backs up Your Smartphone Pics While Charging

You can read the entire article here. Here are some of my favorite excerpts:

Running out of storage space on our smartphones and tablets is a common problem. Now, there's now a tiny device designed to address that, and it does so while you charge your device. Called the HyperCube, it's the latest offering HYPER by Sanho Corporation dropped on Kickstarter following their highly successful, crowdfunded USB-C hubs.

The HyperCube has a micro SD slot, a male USB connector, and two female USB ports. It connects between the USB charger and your iPhone or Android smartphone or tablet. A free app allows you to automatically backup all the photos, media, and contacts onto a micro SD slot or USB drive as your device charges. You can disconnect anytime, as the backup resumes once you reconnect. No more scrambling to delete photos and videos from your phone and card storage when you run out of space!

Do You Have a Film Camera that Needs a Good Home?

Over the last year, I've received donations from TDS members who have film cameras that need a good home. What I do is inspect the items, repair and clean as I can, then list them in TheFilmCameraShop where I can find a good home for them. If you're interested in donating, please use the Contact Form on TheNimblePhotographer site. And thanks for you consideration!

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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