Many of us in photography and technology maintain web sites in addition to our work on social networks. Running our own blog, for example, provides us with complete control over the presentation of the content, including any ads or promotions that we might choose to share.

We probably won't attract the likes of Ford Motor Company for our personal sites. But that doesn't mean that we can't form strategic partnerships with like-minded companies. Often the easiest way to accomplish this is through an affiliate program.

How do these work? First, find a company that you like. My most recent partnership was formed with Rocky Nook Publishing that has an excellent Affiliate Program. I'll use them as an example for this article.

You sign up, providing basic information about yourself and your site. In most cases, you're setting up an affiliate account with the company. An agreement is finalized, and you're ready for business. Now you have access to the assets they provide to their partners, usually through an affiliate area that you can log in to.

Since not every website qualifies, getting this far is a stamp of approval. You can leverage this acknowledgement by placing a promotional tile on your site. Site visitors recognize that you're serious about your publishing and those with whom you choose to associate.

All affiliate content, whether it's a tile or a link, contains your account ID. This gives you credit for any resulting transactions with your business partner. In the case of Rocky Nook, you earn 10 percent commission on purchases made through affiliate links.

This creates a passive revenue stream, which means that you didn't have to do a specific task to earn money. Instead, you've created an environment that generates revenue through everyday use. Passive revenue streams are the holy grail of independent publishers.

We are often judged by the company we keep. Be choosy about who you partner with online. In my opinion, the co-branding is at least as important as the revenue. When you look at The Digital Story home page, you'll see tiles for c't Digital Photography, Rocky Nook, Red River Paper, SizzlPix, lynda.com, B&H Photo, and Amazon. These are all companies that I like and respect. And I'm thrilled to be associated with them.

If you want to learn more about Rocky Nook's affiliate program, which I think is a good starting point, then take a look at their Affiliate FAQ page.

Carefully choosing affiliates for your online publishing can be a positive experience for both parties involved.

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One of the techniques we worked on at a recent TDS Photography Workshop was shooting in to the sun. I had an other opportunity yesterday while on assignment at Treasure Island in San Francisco.

Looking In to the Sun - SF. Photo by Derrick Story.

Using the LCD on my Olympus OM-D E-M1 with a Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 zoom set to 12mm, I used the sun and its reflection on the water as a key part of the composition.

The ISO was 200, at f/11, and 1/640th of a second. This image was sampled down from a in-camera Jpeg in Superfine mode.

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

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Have you been waiting to get your Walking Man Shoulder Bag? Or maybe step up to the stylish Nimble Messenger Bag that holds a 15" laptop? Or how about one of my favorites: the Walking Man Cap?

If that's the case, you may want to take advantage of The First Annual Nimble Store Sale. Terrific price reductions on many of your favorite items. Sale prices are good from now until November 24th. These will be the best prices of the season.

Check it out for yourself at The Nimble Photographer Store.

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This week on The Digital Story Photography Podcast: Special Edition: Amazing Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Snapshot - Elissa writes, "I'd say I'm a very intermediate photographer at best, so I was disappointed when Apple announced they were going to stop developing Aperture a while ago.  Since then, I've learned a lot about Lightroom (thanks to Lynda.com!) because iPhoto didn't have enough editing tools, and it didn't make sense to invest any time learning Aperture.   But I also hate the cumbersome workflow that comes with Lightroom, and miss the simplicity of the Aperture/iPhoto combo. Can you shed some light on this?"

Story #1 - Amazing Holiday Gift Guide for Photographers. Here's a hand-selected list for photographers ranging from $5.95 to $249. And I even wrangled a few special deals for our listeners.

• Nimble Stylus Pen Gift Set ($5.95) - The popular dual-function Nimble Stylus Pen in a handsome leather case - It's the perfect holiday gift for that special tablet-toting someone in your life. One device, two functions. Soft stylus tip works great on iPads, iPhones, and Phablets of all sizes. Keep the glass surface clean, yet tap and drag just like with your finger. Handy for restaurant reading. When it's time to sign the check, just click the top button and a black-ink pen tip emerges from the stylus.
 
• Focus Digital Grey Card Set & Lanyard ($6.50 )- Here's a terrific stocking stuffer. This set of white, gray, and black laminated cards with lanyard are perfect for white balance settings and exposure readings. They hardly take up any space in the camera bag.



• Nimble Fingerless Gloves ($12.99) Soft, 100 percent acrylic gloves with exposed fingertips enabling you to adjust devices and keep your hands warm. Rubberized dots on the palm side assist with gripping tripods and light stands. High-wrist design ensures that gloves stay within jacket sleeves, even during activity.The Walking Man logo is embroidered on top of each wrist with silver thread providing a classic look. Designed for men's hands, all sizes.
• 2-for-1 Subscription of c't Digital Photography Magazine with eBook Chapter One from "The Essence of Photography" by Bruce Barnbaum - Engineered in Germany, this quarterly photographic publication provides deep dives into gear reviews, techniques, and artists. There's no publication like it in North America, and for a limited time, you can give a subscription and garner one for yourself. The best deal of the year!



• Nanuk 903 Case ($30) - It's like a mini-Pelican case that you can carry inside backpacks and duffels. The Nanuk is waterproof and impact resistant with 100 percent stainless steel hardware and automatic pressure release valve. The cases come in a variety of sizes and colors. I'm using the 903 to protect my Olympus OM-D E-M10 with pancake zoom lens on camera and the 12-50mm zoom by its side.
• Olympus 9mm f/8.0 Fisheye Body Cap Lens ($99) - Mounts on both Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras, this petite lens takes very big pictures. It features a constant f/8 aperture and a 35mm equivalent focal length of 18mm. I carry one with me everywhere.



• Lexar Professional Workflow 256GB SSD USB 3.0 Storage Drive ($129) - Leveraging USB 3.0 speeds, the drive provides read transfer speeds up to 450MB/s and write speeds up to 245MB/s. I copied a 37GB Aperture library to the Lexar and the process only took 2 minutes, 46 seconds. Once the library was copied to the drive, I ran Aperture from it, and the performance was terrific. Small size (2.9" x 2.4" x 0.9") and very light. Kit includes USB 3.0 cord. Integrates with Workflow HR1 and HR2 USB and Thunderbolt 2 hubs. PC and Mac compatible.
• 35 Percent Off Rocky Nook eBooks - Choose from an extensive library of great photography books and download and give instantly. The perfect "last minute" gift idea. Use discount code: Thanks2014 at checkout.



• Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM lens ($149) - Providing a 38mm-equivalent focal length, this lens takes on a slightly wider-than-normal perspective to benefit its use in a broad variety of shooting situations. A stepping motor AF system pairs well with cameras featuring the Movie Servo AF mode, where it will deliver fast, smooth, and nearly silent focusing performance that can instantly be manually overridden at any time. It's not often we can photographers a lens as a gift, this is a terrific one at an amazing price.



• WD 1TB My Passport Wireless hard drive ($179) - Incredible device that includes an SD card reader, 1 TB of storage, and a built-in WiFi access point. Works with iPad, iPhone, and Android mobile devices, as well as Mac and Windows computers. Allows for photo backup on the road, even without a computer. Plus it wirelessly serves and can receive content using its built-in WiFi - one cool hard drive.



• The Lowepro ProTactic 350 AW ($199) camera/laptop backpack. The real standout feature of this backpack is its versatility. Lowepro has designed access to your gear from the top, back, and both sides. Everything stays organized and easy to get to. Great for mirrorless and DSLRs. Accommodates a 13" laptop. One of the best backpacks I've ever tested. (You can read my full review of the ProTactic 350AW here.)



• Canon PowerShot S110 compact camera ($249) - The PowerShot S110 is an advanced compact digital camera with a 12MP resolution 1/1.7" CMOS sensor, redesigned high speed autofocus, built-in WiFi, and 3" touchscreen display. It also shoots Full HD video and RAW files in several aspect ratios. Its 5x optical zoom lens has the 35mm equivalent of a 24-120mm focal length, while the built-in Control Ring allows for easy access to functions and settings. It's a wonderful camera.

Story #2 - Book of the Month: Photography as Meditation - Tap the source of your creativity. Use discount code: PMED at RockyNook.com

Virtual Camera Club News

Photo Assignment for November 2014 is "Layers".

Pano Cards from Red River

Inkjet Pano Cards are guaranteed to turn heads and get friends, family, and clients to take notice of your work. Pano Cards are perfect for your your landscapes and wide angle shots. Try something new and make a tall crop for your work printing on the card vertically. Unfolded, the pre-scored sheets are 8" x 9". When folded, the Pano Card is 9" x 4". The Pano Card uses a standard #10 business envelope. Learn more at Pano Card FAQ page.

A Note from SizzlPix

They've ramped up their capacity, so we can go for volume for the holidays.

Special for TDS listeners, a 20% discount on all SizzlPix ordered, now through end of November! Using the comment space on the newly streamlined SizzlPix order page, write "TDS 20 percent discount."

SizzlPix! 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 May 2015! "Hang your SizzlPix before Christmas, and pay nothing until Mothers Day!"

And Finally...

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.

Download the Show

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (36 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 May!

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I have a new favorite travel bag. The Lowepro ProTactic 350 AW ($199) holds my 13" MacBook Air, iPad mini, Olympus OM-D, FujiFilm X20, lenses, hard drives, and accessories, yet fits neatly under the seat in front of me while flying, or easily in the overhead compartment.

The real standout feature of this backpack is its versatility. Lowepro has designed access to your gear from the top, back, and both sides. Everything stays organized and easy to get to.

I've been testing the ProTactic 350 AW, and have published a detailed review with lots of photos on c't Digital Photography Magazine. If you're interested in an all-in-one carrying solution, then this backpack is worth a look.

The ProTactic 350 AW has a solid Nimbleosity Rating. What does that mean? You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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If you haven't updated your Google Nik Collection of plugins for a while, you might be greeted with an unhappy surprise after migration to Mac OS X Yosemite.

In my case, I was asked to reregister. And when I did, the software wouldn't accept my code. What caused this is incompatibility between the new operating system and an older version of the Nik suite.

Everything is working fine again now that I have the latest version of Silver Efex Pro 2.

I contacted tech support and asked them to call me. Within a few minutes I learned that the most current version (2.2.x) of the Nik Collection seems to work well with Lightroom, Aperture, and Photoshop running on Yosemite. Google is working on an updated version of the suite that will ensure full compatibility. We should see that before too long.

If you haven't checked your Nik apps since upgrading to Yosemite, you might want to do so now. That way, you can get everything straightened out before you're in a time crunch.

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Frederick Van Johnson and I got together in the Panasonic booth during PhotoPlus Expo and drilled deep into the world of Nimble Photography. This is a terrific conversation that covers the foundation of "traveling light with plenty of might."

Thanks to Frederick, Tom Curley, and the entire Panasonic team for producing this informative, entertaining, video.

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

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My main computer is a 15" mid-2012 MacBook Pro with Retina Display. It's a heck of a machine that's serving me well.

But I also have a late-2010 MacBook Air that I prefer for traveling. It's more nimble when working on the road. My debate with this machine was whether or not to bring it inline with my main computer and iOS 8 devices.

At first, I decided against this move. My feeling was that Mac OS X Yosemite and Adobe Creative Cloud apps would tax the machine beyond its capabilities. Given a choice, I was opting for perceived performance over compatibility with my computing ecosystem.

After a week in New York with the MB Air running Mavericks and my older software, I changed my mind. Yosemite had spoiled me on the 15" machine. Using Mavericks now seemed like a huge step backwards. I didn't like using the Air anymore. And that is not where I wanted to be. So, I decided to roll the dice.

Aperture 3.6 running on Yosemite on a late-2010 MacBook Air.

I installed Mac OS X Yosemite, Adobe Creative Cloud, and updated Aperture, iPhoto, and the suite of iWork apps... then held my breath.

After initial testing, everything is running great. In fact, I like the new environment better. The first thing I noticed is that the screen rendering on the Air is more inline with my other computers. In other words, the pictures look better. This is particularly helpful for image editing.

Next, performance seems on par with what I was used to with this computer. My "go to" photo apps: Aperture, Lightroom, and Photoshop, all seemed fine. Certainly they were not running as fast as they do on the MacBook Pro, but I didn't expect that. What I wanted was compatibility without paying a huge performance price.

At the end of the day, that's what I got. By upgrading the 2010 MacBook Air, I extended the life of this computer. In other words, revitalize. And maybe it will hold me until Apple releases the Retina Display model (which is what I really want!).

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This week on The Digital Story Photography Podcast: In-Camera RAW Processing, Notes from New York, Photography as Meditation - All of this and more on today's show with Derrick Story.

Snapshot - Left my hotel for dinner in NY with the X20 in my jacket pocket and just enough light in the sky. A few minutes later I experienced one of those moments I just love.

Weekly Update - Olympus gives us a peek at the 300mm f/4 that's coming in 2015 (PhotoPlus Expo 2014).

In other news, Epson SureColor P600 looks like a great enthusiast/pro printer. This 13" printer yields incredible blacks and vibrant colors. Shipping starts in early 2015. Estimated price is $799. (PhotoPlus Expo 2014)

And finally, How to Use Keystone Compensation with the Olympus OM-D E-M1. (Source: The Digital Story).

Story #1 - In-Camera RAW Processing: A Powerful, Yet Often Overlooked Feature. Here's a look why I think you should consider a second look at this capability.

Story #2 - PhotoPlus Expo Recap - Great week in New York. My highlight was visiting with so many members of our virtual camera club community. Here's more about it.

Story #3 - Book of the Month: Photography as Meditation - Tap the source of your creativity. Use discount code: PMED at RockyNook.com

Virtual Camera Club News

Photo Assignment for November 2014 is "Layers".

Pano Cards from Red River

Inkjet Pano Cards are guaranteed to turn heads and get friends, family, and clients to take notice of your work. Pano Cards are perfect for your your landscapes and wide angle shots. Try something new and make a tall crop for your work printing on the card vertically. Unfolded, the pre-scored sheets are 8" x 9". When folded, the Pano Card is 9" x 4". The Pano Card uses a standard #10 business envelope. Learn more at Pano Card FAQ page.

A Note from SizzlPix

They've ramped up their capacity, so we can go for volume for the holidays.

Special for TDS listeners, a 20% discount on all SizzlPix ordered, now through end of November! For orders placed by October 31, there should still be time for free mini-samples prior to production.

Using the comment space on the newly streamlined SizzlPix order page, write "TDS 20 percent discount," and if a free mini-proof is wanted prior to production, "free proof first," and your mailing address.

And Finally...

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.

Download the Show

In addition to subscribing in iTunes, you can also download the podcast file here (30 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 January!

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

I felt like it was an escape scene from a James Bond movie.

My assignment was to reach JFK Airport in time to catch my flight to California. But I had to navigate the New York Marathon that was underway and a Dalai Lama protest. My position was the New Yorker Hotel at 34th St. and 8th Ave. In the lobby, I waited on the ready with my two bags: one contained my camera and iPad, the other my clothes.

"Derrick, Derrick!" my name was called. I was whisked to a black 2014 Toyota Camry by a man in chauffeur clothing. He reached for my bags to put them in the trunk. "Not that one," I said pointing to the Lowepro Urban Reporter 150. "It goes in the car with me."

The driver took a shortcut through a parking garage, and when we emerged, we were in the middle of the protest. "So, that's where the noise is coming from," I thought. Agitated participants were on both sides of the street. To my right, supporters of the Dalai Lama. Across the street were those claiming intolerance toward the Shugden Buddhists.

I pulled my Olympus OM-D E-M1 from the camera bag with one hand while powering down the window with the other. I managed to catch three frames before the driver saw an opening and punched the gas. They were in our rearview mirror in seconds.

The moral of the story for me is this: Always have your camera ready. Never let them lock it in the trunk. And, you seldom know what's around the next corner. (And yes, I had returned my settings from the previous "night shoot" back to my default set. So the camera was ready to fire.)

I wrote about the incessant chanting on the Nimble Photographer, titled, The Pounding of the Drum. This was composed in the morning before I knew what was going on, or where, precisely, it was located.

You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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