While packing for my Eastern Sierra trip, I put the Olympus PEN E-PM1in my camera bag along with a couple DSLR bodies. Why? Because I wanted something small and quick to document the moments of my adventure. The PEN Mini is perfect for that.

For example, while driving north in Highway 395 yesterday morning, I noticed this crazy sky. I pulled the Vanagon off to the side of the road, grabbed the Mini, and captured this shot. The camera is extremely responsive. (Here's an earlier post that covers some of my favorite specs.) And to be honest, it is truly enjoyable to work with. I left the 17mm f.2.8 pancake lens on the body making the entire package pocketable.

I've shot with PENs since their introduction. And I have to say that this little guy is my favorite to date. In my opinion, it embodies the true spirit of the original PEN: petite, capable, and ready to go on a moment's notice.

Find great deals at the TDS Photography Store on Amazon.

No, it's not HDR. I used a Cokin A 121 Neutral Grad filter on a Pentax K-5 with stock 18-55mm zoom. The Cokin filter helped me balance the sky and foreground. More on this technique once I return from the Eastern Sierra and am not working on an iPad in the woods :)

I recorded this on my way out the door to the Sierra to shoot fall color. On this short road trip I'll be testing a Pentax K-5 and an Olympus PEN Mini, and a few other goodies that you'll see in upcoming articles. I talk about these preparations in this show, plus the events of the past week, and still more stuff. So much to talk about. I hope you join me.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (31 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Side Lighting is the Oct. 2011 Photo Assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Oct. 31, 2011.

TDS Nov. Aperture Workshop

I've organized an Aperture Workshop on Nov. 12th and 13th. Signups are in progress now. If you want a registration form, or just more information, drop me a line. BTW: We include a professional model shoot as part of this workshop. Just saying...

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 -- The $7.99 Sample Kit is back! And with free shipping.

Make Your Photos Sizzle with Color! -- SizzlPix is like High Definition TV for your photography.

Need a New Photo Bag? Check out the Lowepro Specialty Store on The Digital Story and use discount code LP20 to saven 20% at check out.

I'm a big fan of what Nik Silver Efex Pro 2can do for my B&W photography, so when I heard that they've just released Color Efex Pro 4 for color work, I wanted to give it a try.

Project in process with 4 filters active. Click on image for larger version. Photo by Derrick Story, shot in Kauai.

Essentially, this software provides a set of 55 customizable photo filters that you can combine in just about any imaginable way. When you build a set of filters that results in a look you want to repeat, save them as a recipie to apply to other shots.

As with Silver Efex Pro 2, there are plenty of sliders to tailor the intensity of highlights, shadows, contrast, color, etc. And, as you'd expect, control points are available to fine tune a specific area.

I combined four filters on this shot from Kauai to create a look I had always had in my mind for this image, but hadn't been able to achieve. My workflow went like this.

• Make basic image adjustments in Aperture 3 to the master Raw file.
• Choose Color Efex Pro 4 from the Photos > Edit with Plug-in menu.
• Click on the Landscape filter grouping in the left column.
• Choose a filter that looks appropriate and preview its options by clicking on the variations icon to the right of the filter name (see illustration).
• Pick a variation I want, then tweak to taste.
• Click the Add Filter icon in the right column to add another effect to the image (if you don't use Add Filter, then the next effect you choose replaces the previous one).
• Repeat process until I've added the right amount of filters and adjusted them for the look I want.
• Click on Save Recipe in the right column to save my settings. Give the recipe a name.
• Click the Save button in the lower right corner to process the image and send the Tiff file back to Aperture,

Here's the original tree image in Aperture before working on it in Color Efex Pro. The shot is fine, but it doesn't have the Jurassic Park mood that I wanted.

Just like with any Edit plug-in in Aperture, you're adding another image to your library. I like to stack them together to keep things organized. Color Efex Pro 4 works with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop also. So, regardless of your preferecne for image editing software, you can use these filters.

A few of the other features I like in Color Efex Pro 4 include a zooming tool, compare mode, choice of background shade, and history browser. There are two editions of the software available from the Nik site: Standard (26 filters) $99.95 or Complete (55 filters) for $199.95. Works great on both Macs and Windows machines. If you own a previous version, you can upgrade to the Compelte Edition for $99.95. And if you purchase Color Efex Pro 3.0 or the Complete Collection on or after August 7, 2011 you are eligible for a free upgrade to Color Efex Pro 4.

Bottom line: I was able to learn the software quickly by watching a couple videos on Nik's On Demand Video Training page, then put these effects to work on my images. The visual nature of the interface makes it easy to create the look you want. It's not for every image, in part because I don't want to fill up my Aperture library with large Tiff files. But for that special shot you want to get just right, Color Efex Pro 4 can get you there quickly.

More Aperture Tips and Techniques

My next Aperture Workshop is Nov, 12-13, 2011 in Santa Rosa, CA. Write me if you're interested in attending.

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

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The new Olympus PEN E-PM1, known as the "Mini" is exactly that. It's smaller than what I used to call a compact camera, such as the Canon G11. Yet, the Mini sports a 3" LCD, shoots at 5 fps, has an AP2 accessory port, captures 1080p video with stereo sound, and records 12 MP Raw or Jpeg files. Plus, it accepts interchangeable lenses.

Olympus PEN Mini, 17mm f/2.8 lens, with Swiss Army Knife

The focusing on the current PENs is wickedly fast. And to be honest with you, I don't mind the streamlined look with a minimum of dials and buttons. In part this works for me because Olympus improved the menu system. It's actually easy to use.

I'm going to be putting the PEN Mini through its paces over the coming weeks. I'll certainly have more to report. But for starters, I wanted to show you just how darn petite this beauty is.

Street price for the Olympus PEN Mini with 14-42mm zoom is $499 US.

Find great deals at the TDS Photography Store on Amazon.

If it hadn't been for Steve Jobs, you probably wouldn't be reading these words right now. Yes, I've always been a writer. But I've had many stretches where I had to do other things to pay the bills. Oddly enough, they all involved the Mac.

In the late 80s, I was hired as a graphic artist using PageMaker on a 9" screen. Along the way, I learned every nuance of deploying Macs in the workplace. My next gig, happily, was a writing job. But as part of the deal, I had to maintain a network of Macs for a communications dept. I didn't get that position because of my prose. It was because I was the best Mac person among the applicants.

Years later, when I walked in to O'Reilly Media (called O'Reilly & Associates in those days), I had a PowerBook 1400 under my arm. It was the only Mac laptop in the building. Shortly thereafter, over half the computers there were Macs, including the one used by Tim O'Reilly. This momentum allowed me to launch Mac DevCenter. My words had never seen such a large audience.

Things continued to improve. I started writing for Macworld Magazine, was on the faculty for Macworld Expo, and wrote my first book chapters for David Pogue in "iPhoto: The Missing Manual." Not long after, I was recording my words for lynda.com. My first title? "Aperture Essential Training." Every time Apple invented something new, my career surged forward.

I was working on my Mac when I got the news. Steve Jobs had passed away. I wasn't ready for that.

A fellow writer, Glenn Fleishman wrote, "I've never been this sad about the passing of someone I didn't know." I felt the same way.

The thing is, I have no idea what my life would have been without Steve Jobs. His insanely great company helped a teenage poet from Southern California make a living doing what he loves. And I'm not the only one.

When I look at my fortunate career, I only have one regret: I never got to thank the man who helped me so much. It's true, I didn't know Steve Jobs. But he changed my world.

As I mentioned yesterday, Apple announced my next camera during their special event today. I had a good feeling that they were going to put some muscle into this upgrade. And in all honesty, they exceeded my expectations.

Let's start with the lens. The 4S has five optical elements with a maximum aperture of f/2.4. Glass is so important to picture quality, and I'm happy to see this type of attention paid to a "camera phone." Plus, having the wider aperture helps in low light situations.

They've also beefed up the infrared filter to help improve color. Then Apple added the A5 chip with an image signal processor that's fairly robust for a camera of this nature. The picture taking experience is also improved. You can now activate the camera directly from the Home button, and it is more responsive once you do, including less shutter lag. It might actually feel like a real camera. Use the volume button to trip the shutter if you wish.

The backside illuminated sensor now supports 8 megapixels of resolution. This gives you a bit more latitude for cropping, especially since you're working with a fixed lens that has a moderately wide 35mm focal length.

Other goodies include face detection, HDR, 1080p video (at 30 fps), and a nifty editing app for basic adjustments. And of course this all works with the 3rd party apps that have been delighting us to this point.

I'll write a full review of the iPhone 4S camera as soon as I get my hands on it. But based on the specs I see, I think it will be an excellent photographic tool.

Find great deals at the TDS Photography Store on Amazon.

Do you know the varying degrees of warming filters in your white balance presets? Have you tried WB bracketing? Have you figured out how to adjust the color in real time using your camera's LCD screen? These are a few of the tips that I share in this week's podcast. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (25 minutes). Or better yet, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can support this podcast by purchasing the TDS iPhone App for only $2.99 from the Apple App Store.

Monthly Photo Assignment

Side Lighting is the Oct. 2011 Photo Assignment. You can read more about how to submit on our Member Participation page. Deadline for entry is Oct. 31, 2011.

TDS Nov. Aperture Workshop

I've organized an Aperture Workshop on Nov. 12th and 13th. Signups are in progress now. If you want a registration form, or just more information, drop me a line. BTW: We include a professional model shoot as part of this workshop. Just saying...

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 -- The $7.99 Sample Kit is back! And with free shipping.

Make Your Photos Sizzle with Color! -- SizzlPix is like High Definition TV for your photography.

Need a New Photo Bag? Check out the Lowepro Specialty Store on The Digital Story and use discount code LP20 to saven 20% at check out.

For many, Apple's announcement of the 5th generation iPhone is the next step in mobile communications. For me, it's my next camera.

The history of iPhone photography is a condensed chapter in the big book of digital imaging. With the first iPhone, we had a 2-megapixel camera with very few controls... much like our early compacts a decade ago. But now, with the latest unveiling of Apple's smartest of smart phones, we'll have a camera that can stand on its own 3 feet with most dedicated compacts. (Well, granted that you've found a way to mount it on a tripod.)

My point is, that we'll have legitimate megapixels, robust image processing, and a variety of software to choose from. It's a real camera. Plus, it includes GPS, cellular connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, razor sharp screen -- and it even makes phone calls.

I'm sure I'll enjoy hearing about the wonders of iOS 5 and the increased horsepower under the hood of the new iPhone. But what I really want to do is go take pictures and see how they look in Aperture. Tuesday is new camera day.

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

For the Aug. '11 Photo Assignment, TDS shooters experimented with various surfaces exploring the theme Reflection. The imagery in this gallery is beautiful. And which one will be the SizzlPix Pick of the Month? (These will look great Sizzled!)

Recent SizzlPix winners include: Richard Lucic for June 2011, True Grit, and Matthew Rampton for July 2011, Smoke. Congratulations to both.

Participate in This Month's Assignment

The Oct. 2011 assignment is "Side Lighting." Start working on your contribution now. Details can be found on the Member Participation page. Deadline is Oct. 31, 2011.

Please follow the instructions carefully for labeling the subject line of the email for your submission. It's easy to lose these in the pile of mail if not labeled correctly. For example, the subject line for this month's assignment should be: "Photo Assignment: Oct. 2011." Also, if you can, please don't strip out the metadata. And feel free to add any IPTC data you wish (These fields in particular: Caption, Credit, Copyright, Byline), I use that for the caption info.

Photo by Ruth Cooper. (Click on it to see enlarged version.) You can read more about how Ruth captured this shot, plus see all of the other great images on the Aug. 2011 Gallery page.

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

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Now Available! The Digital Photography Companion. The official guide for The Digital Story Virtual Camera Club.

• 25 handy and informative tables for quick reference.
• Metadata listings for every photo in the book
• Dedicated chapter on making printing easy.
• Photo management software guide.
• Many, many inside tips gleaned from years of experience.
• Comprehensive (214 pages), yet fits easily in camera bag.

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