This is The Digital Story Podcast #910, August 29, 2023. Today's theme is "When It's Bright, Pack Light." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

One of the great things about summer is that there's lots of light. And this is particularly beneficial to Micro Four Thirds photographers who have plenty of compact, super-sharp optics available. That means we can cover just about any outside event with gear that fits in a handbag. I share one such example on this week's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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When It's Bright, Pack Light

When I learned that one of my boys was running in the Santa Rosa Marathon, I circled August 27th on the calendar. I've always wanted to cover this event, and now I had the ultimate incentive.

If you've ever chased a marathon, it's both fun and challenging. First, you have to have some method to know when your runners are in the course. Then you have to calculate how to get ahead of them, and in position, to capture the action as they run by. This is one of those assignments where being nimble pays big dividends.

As I was planning for the shoot, some items were a given. No question that I was going to use the OM System OM-1 camera. And per a discussion in an earlier podcast, I was going to shoot in C-AF+TR.

My bag would be the Lowepro Streamline 150. And the only real accessories I needed would be an extra battery and a polarizing filter.

So, all that's left is the question of which two lenses? I figured the Olympus 14-42mm EZ ($299) could handle the after race celebrations in the town square. But for the action optic, my choice might surprise you.

You'd think that I'd reach for the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO zoom ($1,299). But I didn't need to go that big. And there's no way that optic would fit in the compact bag that I wanted to carry. Plus, there was going to be plenty of light. I didn't need f/2.8 to get the job done.

So instead, I selected an optic that I first purchased for my Cuba assignment. [Side story about packing for Cuba here.] What was that optic? The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 35-100mm f/4-5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. lens that measures 2.19" x 1.97" / 55.5 x 50 mm and weighs in at 4.76oz / 135g. And it sells for $399.

You're probably thinking that a lens that affordable and compact can't be worthy of event photography. Think again. Check out these specs.

• Aperture Range: f/4 to f/22
• Stepping AF Motor, Internal Focus
• Rounded 7-Blade Diaphragm
• 70-200mm (35mm Equivalent)
• One Aspherical Element, Two ED Elements
• MEGA Optical Image Stabilization
• Includes compact, reversible lens hood

And it is compatible with practically every MFT camera body, including the OM-1.

When I returned from Cuba, which was my first important shoot with this lens, I was amazed at the color, clarity, and sharpness of the images that I captured with it. Talk about punching way above one's weight. The numerous 5 Star reviews on the B&H site mirror my own experiences.

And for the Santa Rosa Marathon, this optic delivered again. Shooting in C-AF+TR mode, it locked in on my subjects quickly, tracked them accurately, and silently nailed each shot.

I've posted the Marathon gallery on DerrickStoryPhotography.com. And if you want to see the Cuba gallery, it's there as well.

Some lenses just blow your mind. Others allow you to move about the world freely. The Panasonic 35-100mm does both. All you need is a little summer light.

PS: Max completed the race with a beautiful 3:38 time. He finished in the top 1/3 of the field. That was just icing on the cake for me.

It's official: monkeys can't hold copyright over images, and neither can AI

You can read the entire article on DigitalCameraWorld.com

In a move that will reverberate throughout the creative industries, it has been ruled by a federal judge that AI-generated artwork is not copyrightable under United States law.

In short, no image can be copyrighted unless it has been authored in part by a human being. "Human authorship is an essential part of a valid copyright claim," said US District Judge Beryl Howell, rejecting a claim made by computer scientist Stephen Thaler over a piece of AI artwork titled A Recent Entrance to Paradise.

You are probably familiar with the case of British wildlife photographer David J Slater in 2014, who was denied copyright for selfies taken by macaques using his camera. The court ruled that a non-human creator cannot hold copyright under US law; instead, it becomes part of the public domain.

"Plaintiff can point to no case in which a court has recognized copyright in a work originating with a non-human," read the court order in the Thaler case, alluding to cases such as that brought by Slater in the past. In short, an image created by an ape is not copyrightable - and nor is an image created by AI.

"Human authorship is a bedrock requirement," continued the order (via The Hollywood Reporter). "The act of human creation - and how to best encourage human individuals to engage in that creation, and thereby promote science and the useful arts - was thus central to American copyright from its very inception."

The outcome is a significant and potentially landscape-changing one - most visibly in terms of the current strike action in Hollywood. A key point of contention between the film studios and the WGA / SAG-AFTRA (the Writers' Guild of America, and the Screen Actors' Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) is the desire to replace all or part of the work done by writers and performers with AI.

With it being definitively ruled that such work cannot be copyrighted, the studio system will lose interest in this point (as it would mean that movies and TV shows created with AI would not be fully protected).

As surmised by The Hollywood Reporter: "While cameras generated a mechanical reproduction of a scene, she explained that they do so only after a human develops a 'mental conception' of the photo, which is a product of decisions like where the subject stands, arrangements and lighting, among other choices."

The GR III Is So Popular, Ricoh Can't Keep It in Stock

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com

According to Asobinet, the GR III has become so sought after in China and Japan that estimated delivery dates are months out. In Japan, some stores are so uncertain of when more might arrive that they unable to provide an estimated shipping date.

It's not clear what is driving up the demand for the GR III specifically, but it might be the overall increase in demand for cameras around the world, led mainly by a surge in China.

Earlier this year, Ricoh apparently told fans in China that its manufacturing facilities were unable to keep up with the market demand which caused inventory shortages both there and around the world.

One theory for the sudden boost in popularity for the four-year-old camera is that it might have been considered a viable alternative to the popular Fujifilm X100V, which has been extremely difficult to find ever since it exploded in popularity late last year. Even nearly a year later, the compact Fujifilm point-and-shoot remains on backorder from multiple dealers around the world.

Considering the Ricoh GR III is similar to the X100V in that it is a fixed wide-angle lens, compact camera equipped with an APS-C sensor, those who were struggling to find an X100V may have turned to Ricoh for a substitute. That, in turn, has pushed Ricoh to the brink of its manufacturing.

The GR III was also already popular among photography enthusiasts since it combines high image quality and performance in a small package.

I just checked B&H Photo for any of the Ricoh GR IIIs - Diary Edition, Street Edition, etc., and all flavors are out of stock.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #909, August 22, 2023. Today's theme is "Photomator Coming of Age." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

In May 2023, the Mac version of Pixelmator Photo was rebranded as Photomator and released to the public. Combined with the previously released iPhone and iPad versions, Photomator seamlessly integrated the AI-powered editing process on all devices. What? You're not familiar with Photomator? You're not alone. And we're going to change that today on this week's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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Photomator Coming of Age

Photomator is for macOS and iOS devices only, and it makes the most of native macOS technologies, such as Apple Silicon, Swift UI, Core ML, Core Image, and Metal. It runs extremely fast on Apple Silcon Macs, which is a bit deceptive as it performs complex AI-based operations. We'll get to those in a minute.

"All your edits are seamlessly syncing with the Photos library and, with support for iCloud, across all your devices, so you can start editing on one device and pick up on another. And what's best, if you buy Photomator for Mac, you'll also get unlimited access to the iPhone and iPad version with the same license."

Now if the name is sounding familiar, and you're feeling a bit confused, you're not alone. The Pixelmator Team has another full-featured app, Pixelmator Pro, that's been around for a while longer. The way I look at Pixelmator Pro, is that it's more like Photoshop with its graphics tools and layered editing environment, and Photomator is more like Luminar with its AI-powered tools. Speaking of those, let's look at what's available with version 3.1

Photomator AI-Powered Tools

• Auto Enhance - Automatically enhance photos like a pro photographer.
• Super Resolution - Magically increase the resolution of photos with no unwanted blurring.
• Smart Deband - Quickly remove color banding artifacts from photos and increase color depth.
• Denoise - Effortlessly remove camera noise and image compression artifacts.
• Repair - Remove small imperfections or even entire objects from photos.
• ML Crop - Automatically improve the composition of photos
• Select Subject - Quickly and easily select subjects of photos.
• Select Sky - Instantly select the sky in any photo with ease.
• Select Background - Automatically select the background in any photo.

Plus Photomator supports all of the traditional adjustment sliders that you would expect. However, many of them have innovative twists, such as Selective Clarity, which allows you to apply texture and clarity to Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights. Selective Color uses Machine Learning to finetune its selections. There's a Channel Mixer for infrared photographers. And and excellent complement of LUTs as well.

And then there are the presets. Photomator comes with a collection of gorgeous, handcrafted photography presets for your photos. With 9 unique preset groups, you can easily emulate analog film, apply vintage and cinematic looks, enhance urban or landscape photography, and more.

When you edit an image in Photomator, the changes are saved to iCloud and propagated to all devices associated with that account. The edits are totally non-destructive, so you can use Revert to Original or Before/After in Photos for images edited in Photomator.

Photomator 3.1 is available now in the Mac App Store and the iOS App Store. There is a free trial to check it out. I purchased a lifetime license for $69 that unlocks the app on all of my devices, macOS or iOS. They also offer monthly and yearly licensing at affordable prices.

The Latest Stories on Live View will Entertain and Educate

This week's Live View features:

• Great Photographers of the 20th Century by Michael Alford
• On the Accidental Discovery of Your Work Being "Derivative" by John Pemberton
• Fair Photography Isn't Fair by Cynthia Whelan
• My Thanks to an Unknown Photographer by Derrick Story

You can read all of these stories, and much, much more, by visiting Live View.

Canon reiterates RF-mount is open to third parties, but don't get your hopes up just yet

You can read the entire article on DPReview.com

Journalists in China recently had an opportunity to interview a group of Japanese Canon executives, and posed questions about the current state of third-party lenses for RF-mount mirrorless cameras. First spotted by Canon Rumors on the Weibo account Camera Beta, Canon executives stated that the company is open to the idea of third-party RF-mount lenses and is, in fact, in talks with several lens manufacturers. While this sounds promising, Canon is much more reserved and deliberate when it comes to allowing other optical manufacturers to use their RF lens mount standard. And unusually, has taken legal action to prevent lensmakers entering the RF system without permission.

This more or less aligns with what we heard from Canon when we posed a similar question to company executives back at CP+ earlier this year.

According to the new Camera Beta interview, Canon is open to requests for licensing the RF-mount to third parties. However, it doesn't just issue a blanket license for the outside manufacturer to make any and all lenses. Canon, instead, treats each third-party lens request on a case-by-case basis.

Exactly how Canon decides which third-party lenses get an official license for the RF mount was not made clear. And as Canon Rumors points out, just what exactly does a license for the RF-mount allow third-party manufacturers to do? Beyond just making lenses fit with the physical RF-mount on R-series cameras, will third parties get access to proprietary Canon autofocus specs or firmware? Will third parties be limited to manual focus lenses? We simply don't know.

With Canon's statement in mind, one can speculate that Canon is concerned about third-party offerings competing directly with their own. From a business perspective, it's a valid strategy. That said, we've always believed that more lens choices benefit the consumer, and increase the attractiveness of any given system overall.

Although it's unclear whether or not we will soon begin to see an increase in third-party lenses for Canon's mirrorless cameras, it's clear that the demand is there.

Sunflower Farm Asks for No More Nude Photo Shoots on Their Land

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com

A sunflower farm in the U.K. has urged people to stop the nude photo shoots that have been increasing in their fields.

Stoke Fruit Farm Shop on Hayling Island, off England's south coast, made the unusual plea on social media after three nude shoots took place in just one day.

"We just want to remind people that we are a family attraction. We attract everyone from newborns all the way up to 100 years old," the owners say in a Facebook post.

"We want people to come here, enjoy picking flowers and having fun with the family, taking photos, and enjoying things. I understand there's a few people out there who want to take risque photos and photos for their Instagram profile et cetera.

"All I ask is that they're considerate of the other people around them. So just think about who else is around you when you're taking the photos in the sunflower field and think how that could affect them."

The sunflower farm has erected signs around the colorful fields that read "No public nudity."

"Reminder to all, we are a family area and please keep your clothes on in the sunflowers. We are having an increase of reports of naked photography taking place and this must not happen during our public sessions please!"

One person on their Facebook page commented: "Yes, we stumbled on a 'session' -- I'm not a prude but I don't expect to see almost naked bodies while searching for the best blooms."

Another person reported that their son saw a woman wearing "just a thong." Adding, "[He] got a right eyeful last night, should have seen his face!"

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

Summer can be challenging for outdoor photographers. In addition to being hot outside, the light is contrasty and difficult to tame, except on the edges of the day - not exactly the perfect conditions to get your artistic mojo in gear.

Kendall Jackson Winery in Santa Rosa, CA captured in infrared black & white. Photos by Derrick Story.

One solution that I've discovered is infrared photography. Instead of working with the visible light spectrum, I concentrate on slices of the IR spectrum. For example, the two images in this article were captured at 720nm.

The beauty of IR photography is that it thrives at times when normally we have to pack away our cameras and head for air-conditioned refuge. If you shoot with a mirrorless camera, especially one that's been modified for IR, the scene you view in the electronic viewfinder will look very different than what you witness with just your eyes.

The sky darkens, clouds jump forward, and the foilage becomes bright and detailed. Many photographers start with B&W infrared and over time begin to experiment with color work. If you shoot in RAW, the file can be interpreted in many different ways.

Color version of the same location, also captured with a 720nm filter.

To start experimenting with IR, all you need is a 720nm filter and a camera with some infrared sensitivity. You can test that by switching to live view and pointing a TV remote at the lens. When you push a button on the remote, a white dot should appear on the LCD. That means the camera can "see" IR.

The 720nm filter is very dense. So you'll want to increase the ISO to 1600 or 3200 and use the electronic viewfinder of your mirrorless camera for composing. You'll also want to change your White Balance setting to Custom and take a reading off green foilage like grass. This makes a huge difference in the quality of the file.

Starting with your existing camera and a 720nm filter will give you a taste of this new world. But there's lots more to explore. And photographers who take a liking to IR usually end up buying a modified camera because the entire process becomes easier.

If you want to learn more about infrared photography and peruse some cool gear for it, I recommend visiting the Kolari website. They have everything you'll need to beat the summer heat... at least photographically speaking.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #908, August 15, 2023. Today's theme is "What to Do with All of Those Old Family Photos?." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Old family photos are indeed important. Even if you don't think so right now, there will surely come a time when your opinion changes. And sometimes we're handed a stack of snapshots well before we have the time to deal with them. When that happens, what do you do? I have a practical suggestion that I think you will find useful. Find out more on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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What to Do with All of Those Old Family Photos?

I attended a family gathering this past week, and my cousin handed me a large envelope of pictures... I tell the story on the podcast.

The Quick Scan Method for Old Photos

• Group the photos in sets of six with the same year of origination.
• Place them face down on your flatbed scanner.
• Before closing the lid, take a picture of their backs with your smartphone.
• Scan the set of six with the flatbed.
• Name the files (photo scan and smartphone picture) so they can be kept together.
• Create an album in your photo management software and add the two files you just created.
• File the original pictures in the same groups as you scanned them.
• Store the originals in a safe place.

Someday, when you are ready to deal with these pictures, you will have digital contact sheets of them. That way you can quickly find the shots you want and make a solo scan of the original.

And if you never have time to return to this project, at least you have digitized the images and saved them from further deterioration.

TTArtisan Brings Its 50mm f/1.4 Tilt Lens to Micro Four Thirds

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.com

After announcing its 50mm f/1.4 Tilt Lens for Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Leica L, Nikon Z, and Sony E mounts last year, TTArtisan has released its compact tilt lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Given the diverse mount compatibility of the manual-focus lens, it is no surprise that it was designed to work for a wide range of sensor sizes. While the 50mm f/1.4 lens delivers an equivalent focal length of 75mm on APS-C cameras such as Fujifilm X Series models, it will provide an equivalent 100mm focal length on Micro Four Thirds cameras.

The lens incorporates seven elements organized across six groups, including a high refractive index element. TTArtisan promises "outstanding image quality" with minimized aberrations and reduced distortion.

The manual lens can focus as close as 50 centimeters (about 18.7 inches). Thanks to the two times crop factor, the lens will offer better magnification on Micro Four Thirds cameras. The lens sports a 12-bladed aperture diaphragm and accepts 62mm front filters.

Alongside the focus and aperture rings, the lens also includes tilt controls that offer eight degrees of tilt and can be rotated 90 degrees. Photographers can achieve what TTArtisan calls a "Lilliput" look by rotating the lens. Named after the tiny people in Gullliver's Travels, this look makes objects appear much smaller in the frame and gives images a miniature toy appearance.

Although the tilt function enables "Lilliput" images with dramatic out-of-focus areas, the tilt function can also be used to achieve a greater depth of field, allowing more elements in the frame to be sharp. PetaPixel's guide to using tilt-shift lenses for product photography closely examines how tilt lenses offer photographers much more control over perspective, distortion, and depth of field.

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 Tilt Lens has been built with photography and videography applications in mind. For video users, the lens' focus and aperture rings are made to fit most focus followers, like purpose-built cinema lenses.

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 Tilt Lens is available from Pergear for $199 in all its mount options.

Olympus' new owner is about to buy Toshiba for $14 billion. Who's next?

You can read the entire article on DigitalCameraWorld.com

In a fascinating move, the investment firm that bought Olympus' camera business is about to buy electronics giant Toshiba as well.

Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) purchased the Olympus Imaging Division in January 2021, and continues to operate it under the name OM Digital Solutions. The firm has now announced a $14 billion (approximately �11 billion) offer to purchase Toshiba - which, among its many operations, continues to make industrial cameras and imaging technology (and, until 2019, was a distributor for Canon).

Toshiba hasn't made consumer cameras for some time; it ceased producing point-and-shoot cameras some 20 years ago, with Sony buying its image sensor business in 2015. However, it has fingers in many technology pies - including semiconductors, quantum storage, business displays, televisions, printing, digital solutions, railway solutions, energy and hybrid technology... as well as a very rich research & development ecosystem (including a highly respected research lab in Cambridge).

Intriguingly, Toshiba is a company that has been plagued by public scandal following very high-profile accounting fraud (which saw the prosecution of five senior executives, among them a pair of former company presidents). This is a similar situation to the tarnished reputation of Olympus, again following a public case of accountancy fraud, which led to it being purchased by JIP.

Well, the main thing is that the best Olympus / OM System cameras probably won't benefit from Toshiba technology. This is not, after all, a merger; JIP is a firm that specializes in rescuing embattled or failing companies (among them carving out Sony's Vaio computer business), but it does not have a history of cross-pollinating them.

That said, given that Toshiba does have specialist imaging divisions, it's possible that these might be somehow merged with OM Digital - perhaps at the R&D phase, if nowhere else. It may also, conceivably, open up Toshiba's patent library if anything is relevant to the OM business.

Any cooperation between the two companies would be a boon for OM Digital; to have its consumer camera business shored up by the industrial camera business is sure to be a welcome development.

Photos: Deadly Wildfires Sweep Across Maui

You can read the entire article on The Atlantic, Aug. 10, 2023.

Yesterday, wildfires that were fanned by winds driven by a distant hurricane tore across the Hawaiian island of Maui, forcing thousands to flee, destroying hundreds of structures, and killing at least 36 people, according to an Associated Press report. The historic town of Lahaina was hit especially hard as the fast-moving fires burned through buildings toward the waterfront, forcing a number of people to jump into the water to escape. Gathered below, early images from the disaster in Lahaina.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #907, August 8, 2023. Today's theme is "5 Photography Books that I Recommend." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photography books have room in our lives just like inkjet prints. Studying a photographer's work by flipping through the pages shows a depth that we just don't get from a tablet display or even a laptop screen. And I have five recommendations that prove this point beautifully. Learn more on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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5 Photography Books that I Recommend

I'm sitting on the couch with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. My camera is in the messenger bag next to me, and I feel like I haven't shot anything interesting lately. I take a sip of coffee, then reach for one of my photo books from a small stack perched on the ottoman.

I flip through the pages, forward, backwards, and forward again. I land on a 1979 portrait of Blondie with her band and just let the book stay open there. I take another sip and start to notice things. Blondie's red jumpsuit against the all-black dress of her band. But wait, one of the band members off to the right has just a hint of that red on his jacket. How cool is that?

I take another sip of coffee. Her hair seems to be blowing. But not anyone else's. It looks great. How did that happen?

Her pose is outstanding. She looks so fit and beautiful and confident. Even if I didn't know a note of her music, I would be impressed with this woman.

My coffee mug is now empty. I don't remember the last sip. I don't need to see any more pages right now. I need to go take some pictures. I close the book, sling the messenger bag over my shoulder, and head out to the car.

The Books

This selection of 5 varies from inspiration to perspiration. We need both in photography. Let's start with inspiration.

• Annie Leibovitz Photographs - ANNIE LEIBOVITZ is one of the most celebrated and admired photographers of our time. She began her work photographing for Rolling Stone magazine and quickly established a reputation as a chronicler of popular culture, eventually becoming a contributing photographer at Vanity Fair and Vogue. Her first book, Annie Leibovitz: Photographs, was published in 1983. In 1999 she published the bestselling Women, with a Preface by Susan Sontag, for which the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington exhibited a selection of portraits in conjunction with the hardcover publication. 74 pages, hardback or soft cover.
• Streetwise - Mary Ellen Mark - In 1988, Mary Ellen Mark published a poignant document of a fiercely independent group of homeless and troubled youth living in Seattle as pimps, prostitutes, panhandlers and small-time drug dealers. Critically acclaimed, "Streetwise" introduced us to individuals who were not easily forgotten, including "Tiny" (Erin Blackwell)--a 13-year-old prostitute with dreams of a horse farm, diamonds and furs, and a baby of her own. In 2014, Mark received the George Eastman House Lifetime Achievement in Photography Award. There's also a follow up edition, Streetwise Revisited.
• Richard Avedon - the Kennedys - Richard Avedon's photographs of John and Jacqueline Kennedy and their two children combine politics. the style. public. interest and photographic history to provide a compelling glimpse of two icons of American life. This title critically examines the work of one of the finest photographers of the 20th century. 128 pages.
• The Essence of Photography - 2nd Edition - There is a lot more to photography than simply picking up a camera, pointing it toward something, and tripping the shutter. Achieving a great photograph requires thought and preparation, an understanding of the photographic process, and a firm grasp of how light and composition affect a photo. There must be personal involvement and personal expression. There must be experimentation, with the recognition that only a small percentage of experiments end successfully. 368 pages.
• Complete Digital Photography - 9th Edition - Ben Long - In this book is everything you'll need to know in order to create great digital photos, from how a camera works to all the details of shooting, image editing, output, and workflow. The step-by-step tutorials included here offer great tips and techniques on improving your processes from start to finish. You'll learn about exposure theory, composition, lighting, masking, image adjustment, and much more. 416 pages.

Happy reading!

The Olympus Tough TG-6 Camera Has Been Discontinued

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.com

The Olympus, now OM System, Tough TG-6 is no longer being actively produced and is no longer avaiable from OM System in Japan. The popular waterproof point-and-shoot is still available in the United States and it is unlikely that this will be the end for the product line.

The TG-6 is one of the most rugged cameras currently available. The $500 camera is waterproof down to 15 meters (50 feet), shockproof to falls of up to 2.1 meters (seven feet) high, can survive crushing pressure of up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of force, and can withstand temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius. It is also dust-proof rated as IPX6. The front lens is sealed with double-pane glass to prevent fogging and condensation as well, making it one of the most robust camera bodies on the market.

Even though the camera might be on its way out, it is highly unlikely that OM System lets this system go the way of the dodo. Not only is it considered one of the best choices for underwater photography, OM System is still creating new products that actively build on the system.

Earlier this year, the company announced a new housing for the TG-6 that is designed for the medical space and can be autoclaved, meaning it can be fully sanitized after use. That casing was even mainly focused on use in Japan, so it would be even more unusual for the company to discontinue the line there now.

With all that in mind, expect to continue to find the TG-6 available to purchase around the world until stock on store shelves is depleted. Additionally, it would not be too far outside the realm of possibility to expect OM System to announce a new TG-7 camera sometime soon that uses the same body design and button layout of the TG-6.

Are we getting a Fujifilm GFX 100 II? Rumors suggest it's coming this year

You can read the entire article on DigitalCameraWorld.com

Is a Fujifilm GFX 100 II on the way? After a quiet year for GFX, rumors suggest that we could be seeing a successor to Fujifilm's original 100MP camera later this year.

It's fair to say that Fujifilm's GFX lineup of medium format cameras has opened new possibilities for photographers to get into larger format photography without the exorbitant prices of other brands, and has left a lot of photographers fervently awaiting what might be coming next.

The last GFX release was the Fujifilm GFX 50S II in September 2021 and, with no new GFX cameras coming last year, we are overdue a new camera to keep the system fresh and up-to-date. Fujifilm has made huge strides in the APS-C realm with the excellent Fujifilm X-H2S and Fujifilm X-T5, seeing big leaps in image quality, autofocus, image stabilization, and speed, and we can't wait to see how these can filter into the GFX system.

The latest rumors point to a new replacement for the Fujifilm GFX 100. Following its release in June 2019, the Fujifilm GFX 100S was launched in February 2021 and managed to squeeze the excellent 102MP medium format sensor into a body roughly the size of one of the best full-frame cameras.

Since the GFX 100S' release, Fujifilm has jumped forward with its processor tech, with the new X-Processor 5 found in its latest APS-C cameras being able to handle better autofocus, including deep-learning subject recognition and tracking, as well as higher video rates, and faster shooting speeds.

So it is almost inconceivable that Fujifilm wouldn't be keen to upgrade the GFX range with this processor, as well as a host of other improvements.

Threads to get web version and advanced search in coming weeks

You can read the entire article on 9to5mac.com

It's been a month since the official launch of Threads, Meta's new microblogging social network. Since then, the platform has been getting numerous updates with new features like built-in translation and a chronological feed that only shows content from accounts you follow. And soon, Threads will get a web version and advanced search.

The news comes from Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who confirmed that both a web version and advanced search are coming to Threads "in the next few weeks." Currently, the only way to access Threads is through its mobile app, so one of the most requested features by its users is a web version that works on desktop platforms.

Last week, Instagram head Adam Mosseri had already confirmed that the team behind Threads has been working on a web version of the platform. For a brief moment, Threads user profiles on the web were showing Reply buttons. While clicking on the buttons did nothing, it was a major hint that the web version would be coming soon.

Threads also lacks an advanced search feature. The only thing users can search for now is other accounts, with no way to search for specific posts or words. This should also be addressed soon.

You can find me on Threads as @derrickstory

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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