This is The Digital Story Podcast #630, April 10, 2018. Today's theme is "I Probably Could Have Done that Better." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Allen Saunders wrote in 1957, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." John Lennon later used the quote in his song, "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)". And any photographer who has ever hit the road knows exactly how this feels. In this week's podcast, I share how even the best laid plans can go awry when life intervenes. I hope you enjoy the show.

I Probably Could Have Done that Better

The first story involves the Leica D-LUX Type 109 that I traveled with over the last two weeks. It all started during happy hour at Fleetwood's on Front Street in Lahaina.

The next story happened during another happy hour at the Kaanapali Beach Club. We spotted two whales playing off the coastline.

The third story happened while exploring a waterfall and pool on the road to Hana. I wanted a long exposure for the water, but had forgotten my tripod.

Blackmagic Unveils a $1,295 Compact Camera That Shoots 4K RAW

DP Review reports that: Blackmagic has just announced its Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, a Micro Four Thirds compact camera that puts 4K RAW recording in your pocket for $1,295.

The camera is a long-awaited successor to the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera of 2013, which offered 1080p RAW in a tiny camera body.

Inside the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is a 4/3 HDR sensor with 4096�2160 resolution and 13 stops of dynamic range. It has a dual native ISO of up to 25600.

"The full size of the 4/3 sensor is designed to perfectly match MFT lenses so the crop factor is greatly reduced, giving customers a wider field of view," Blackmagic says.

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd Edition

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd Ed is now available on Amazon. If you purchase the book, send me proof, and I'll send you a link to my movie, "How to Organize Like a Pro in Photos." This offer is good until April 15, 2018. Use the Contact Form on The Nimble Photographer site. Also, feel free to post a review on Amazon once you've read the book. They're helpful to potential buyers.

Digital Asset Management with Luminar - Nimble Classroom

Even though I have the class scheduled for April 21, I'm going to have to move it back until Skylum releases the gold copy of the DAM. If you've already signed up for the class, I will contact you directly about this. If you want to grab one of the few remaining seats, I would go ahead and do that as well. We will run the class as soon as the software is ready.

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!

Dates Announced for the Burney Falls and Lassen Volcanic National Park Workshop

We have our cabin reservations secured for Sept. 27-29, 2018 for the Burney Falls and Lassen Volcanic National Park Workshop. Here's more about it.

I'm hoping to send out reservation forms later this week.

Aerial Photography Workshop Update

Public registration is now open for the Sonoma Country Hot Air Balloon and Drone Photography Workshop, June 8-10, 2018. We're combining two very fun aerial activities into one workshop. Be sure to get on the Reserve List for this one!

Come Join me at the Skylum Photography Public Group

I'm now moderating the Skylum Photography Public Group, and I would love to have interested members from our audience join me there.

Updates and Such

You can become a member of our Inner Circle by clicking on this link or by clicking on the Patreon tile that's on every page of The Digital Story.

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.

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.

I'm back! No more crowded airports, funky rental cars, or rotten WiFi connectivity. But what I do have is a library full of fresh imagery, 3 rolls of exposed film, and movie footage for our Patreon Inner Circle Members. Plus, I recorded and produced a podcast, published articles, and kept up with my moderation duties for the Skylum Photography Group. And I did all of that using only the contents in this bag.

So, now that I'm back, what's the verdict?

Well, all four cameras performed great. The Leica D-LUX produced fantastic images in a variety of lighting conditions. I relied on it heavily in Honolulu where I did a lot of street photography. I also took it hiking a couple times, and other than the limited reach of the 24-70mm lens, I thought it performed admirably.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II was perfect for those situations when I needed interchangeable lenses or that lovely tilting LCD screen. It was super compact with its 45mm f/1.8 lens that I often shot with using the 2X digital tele-converter. I also used the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 prime quite often. Pictures look great!

I forget how much I really like the Olympus TG-4 until I'm on a trip like this where water is everywhere. Whether I was in the ocean or hiking through a sudden rain storm, the TG-4 was there and ready to shoot. Plus, its geotagging feature really helped me stay on top of all the locations I worked.

And finally, the Contax 159MM with Zeiss 28-70mm zoom was a real joy to shoot with during the second week. By then, I was already in an island frame of mind, and the film camera was the perfect fit for capturing the flavor of Lahaina and Hana.

For your reference, here's the packing list for my gear bag on the trip:

• Lowepro Fastpack BP 150 AW II
• Apple 13" MacBook Pro
• G-Technology 500GB G-DRIVE slim USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C External SSD
• Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II mirrorless camera with 14-42mm EZ zoom
• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 lens
• Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH. lens
• Olympus Fisheye Body Cap 9mm f/8 lens
• Olympus Tough TG-5 digital camera
• Leica D-LUX (Typ 109) digital camera
• Contax 159mm 35mm SLR with Zeiss 45mm f/2.8 Tessar lens
• Zeiss 28-70mm Vario-Sonnar f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens (for the Contax 159mm)
• Kodak Gold 200 35mm negative film (3 rolls)
• Lowepro Dashpoint 30 camera pouch
• iPhone X with AT&T LTE - also serves as my Internet connection when hotel connectivity fails me.
• Apple iPad mini - With Verizon 4G LTE to give me access to a different cellular network than my iPhone.
• Zoom H1n Digital Handy Recorder
• The typical accessories such as batteries, memory cards, backup flash drives, etc.

At one point, we saw whales off the coast and considered jumping on a boat for a closer look. Briefly, I lamented not bringing a longer lens for that expedition. But as it turned out, the water was too choppy for shooting from a vessel, and we passed on the trip. So no harm done. But, I may want to revisit my long lens decision in the future.

So, the bottom line is: I pulled it off. I had my bag with me on planes, trains, and automobiles, in restaurants, and in nature. And I loved it. What a fun (and successful) shooting adventure.

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

One of my favorite Olympus features is one that you may have overlooked many times. For years we were instructed to stay away from digital magnification. And I still think that multiplying by 4X or 6X is a bad idea.

But Olympus created a sweet 2X Digital Tele-converter that is downright amazing. You can find it in Camera Menu 1. It can also be assigned to a function button, which I highly recommend.

"On the Road to Hana" - Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II, Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens with 2X Digital Tele-converter. Photo by Derrick Story.

When using this setting, I capture in RAW+Jpeg. The Jpeg version of the shot has the 2X magnification, and the RAW is untouched. So, if by chance I didn't like the 2X magnification, then I still have the RAW to fall back on. Of course, I'm usually really happy with the 2X version. But, to show you how this works, here's how the RAW rendition of the shot looks.

1X version of the waterfalls shot.

You might think that the file sizes would be different for these two images. Maybe you lose some resolution with the Digital Tele-converter? Well, that's not the case. Both files are 4608x3456. So, not only do you get the magnification, you retain full 16 megapixel resolution as well.

This capability allows me to travel with lighter lenses, such as the 45mm f/1.8, knowing that I can double it to 90mm, which is effectively 180mm. The quality of the images is very good. And this feature is included on every Olympus mirrorless camera that I own.

New Photos for macOS High Sierra Training!

Is it time for you to learn the ins and outs of the latest version of Photos? Take a look at Photos for macOS High Sierra Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning, or on lynda.com. Maximize your iPhone photography and complement the work you do with your mirrorless cameras as well. You'll love your cameras even more...

Also be sure to check out my new book, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd Edition. It's completely up to date!

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

I love the file organization and RAW processing in Capture One Pro 11. But once I have the basic image the way I want, I then like to move my favorites over to Luminar 2018 for the finishing touches. Here's an example from Maui.

"Playing in the Falls, Maui" - Olympus OM-D E-M10 II with a Panasonic 20mm f/1.7. 1 second exposure with a polarizer filter. Image by Derrick Story.

There are a variety of ways to do this, but I go the old fashion route by processing the RAW in Capture One, applying my basic edits, exporting a full resolution Tiff, then opening that file in the standalone version of Luminar 2018. I then save the working file as a Luminar document. When I'm finished with the enhancement, I also send an exported Luminar version back to Capture One Pro.

Each application has its own strengths. And when you take the best from each, image editing becomes really powerful, and quite fun.

Rock Luminar with my new Essential Training

You learn all the ins and outs of Luminar 2018 via my Essential Training on lynda.com and on LinkedIn Learning. It's fun, and I promise, you will learn a lot.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #629, April 3, 2018. Today's theme is "Leica in Paradise." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Exploring an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is definitely a place where I want to travel light. It's warm. It's humid. And flip-flops and board shorts are the apparel of the day. Feels like a good challenge for the Micro Four Thirds Leica D-LUX. And in this show, I'm going to tell you how it fared.

Leica in Paradise

I've become quite fond of the Micro Four Thirds sensor used in my interchangeable lens Olympus cameras. And I've been curious about its implementation in the Leica D-LUX Type 109 that pairs it with a DC Vario-Summilux f/1.7-2.8 zoom lens.

It's interesting that a camera released at the beginning of 2015 is still shipping as is, and has not been discounted. And in fact, Leica has just announced the D-LUX (Typ 109) Digital Camera Explorer Kit for $1,195 that includes a 49"-long red COOPH Leica Rope Strap and an auto lens cap. It also comes packaged in a beautiful box that comes in a sleeve depicting one of the four seasons. (Keep in mind that you can get

This might be a good time to mention that the twin brother Panasonic LUMIX LX100 with the same lens is currently on sale for $597.

Basic specs include:

• 12.8MP 4/3" MOS Sensor
• 3.1x Zoom, f/1.7-2.8 Leica Lens 24-75mm (35mm Equivalent)
• 2,764k-Dot Electronic Viewfinder
• 3.0" 920k-Dot LCD Monitor
• UHD 4K Video at 30p, Full HD at 60p
• Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC
• ISO 25600 and Up to 40 fps Shooting
• Optical Image Stabilization
• CF D Flash Included

The overall package is quite compact. And most other options that provide such a bright zoom are more bulky. So I thought to myself, "Could this be the right camera for a family vacation when dad is a serious photographer?" To answer that question, I packed the Leica for a spring break in Honolulu. As it turns out, it was a good call. I explain in the first segment of today's show.

In addition to the image above, you can view an album of images captured with the Leica here.

Apple Pencil lag test: New iPad vs. iPad Pro

Macworld reports that: Put simply, I barely notice any difference between the two while using most Pencil-compatible apps. If anything, the Apple Pencil feels as though it delivers slightly smoother performance in the Notes Plus app on the new 9.7-inch iPad compared to the older Pro. (I also put a brand-new nib on my older Apple Pencil for a more even comparison.)

In apps such as Notability, Apple's Notes, and Procreate, though, the writing experience feels remarkably similar. I'd even go so far as to say that there's no difference at all, but I'll wait until I've conducted more "scientific" tests for the full review before making that kind of judgment.

As a person who frequently writes on his iPad Pro as though it were a legal pad, I see little difference in casual practice. And for those of you who've always wanted to buy an iPad Pro just for the Apple Pencil but were scared away by the price, that should be very, very good news indeed.

The new iPad starts at $329 (32GB/WiFi Only) and the Apple Pencil is $99. For a 128GB model with cellular + WiFi, the iPad price climbs to $559.

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd Edition

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers, 2nd Ed is now available on Amazon. If you purchase the book, send me proof, and I'll send you a link to my movie, "How to Organize Like a Pro in Photos." This offer is good until April 15, 2018. Use the Contact Form on The Nimble Photographer site. Also, feel free to post a review on Amazon once you've read the book. They're helpful to potential buyers.

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!

Dates Announced for the Burney Falls and Lassen Volcanic National Park Workshop

We have our cabin reservations secured for Sept. 27-29, 2018 for the Burney Falls and Lassen Volcanic National Park Workshop. Here's more about it.

Aerial Photography Workshop Update

Public registration is now open for the Sonoma Country Hot Air Balloon and Drone Photography Workshop, June 8-10, 2018. We're combining two very fun aerial activities into one workshop. Be sure to get on the Reserve List for this one!

Come Join me at the Skylum Photography Public Group

I'm now moderating the Skylum Photography Public Group, and I would love to have interested members from our audience join me there.

Updates and Such

You can become a member of our Inner Circle by clicking on this link or by clicking on the Patreon tile that's on every page of The Digital Story.

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.

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.

When we work on an image and save it as a Luminar document, we have the option to revisit it later and "go back in time" thanks to the History popup.

I find this particularly handy when I've over processed an image, or when I decide later that I want a different look for the shot. In both of those cases, I can peruse the History popup, find the place that I want to return to, then start a new direction. Take a look at this short video to see how this works.

Tap the power of the History popup from Luminar Essential Training by Derrick Story

This feature is one of the benefits of using Luminar as a standalone app instead of as a editing extension or plugin. I tend to take advantage of History for documents that I want to spend more time on and get just right.

Rock Luminar with my new Essential Training

You learn all the ins and outs of Luminar 2018 via my Essential Training on lynda.com and on LinkedIn Learning. It's fun, and I promise, you will learn a lot.

I've been on the road for a week now. And having moved from one island to another with lots of exploration along the way, how does the iPhone fit in with the rest of the gear I've packed?.

Beach Bike - iPhone X back dual camera 6mm f/2.4 - Photo by Derrick Story

As it turns out, the iPhone plays quite nicely with the other kids, but not in the ways that you might think. First, it has been a wonderful reference camera. In other words, if I'm shooting a scene with the Leica Type 109, then I also record it with the iPhone to capture the location data so that the Leica images are organized correctly in the Photos library.

Cairns on the Manoa Falls Trail. (Gaelic for heap of stones.) Leica D-LUX. Photo by Derrick Story.

For example, I know that I captured the image of the cairn on the Manoa Falls Trail because I have an iPhone image with a similar timestamp and the location data. Speaking of timestamps, it's imperative that all the cameras are in sync for this system to work. So in essence, the iPhone becomes my journal for all the photographs I capture, regardless of which camera I use for the final image.

I've also been transferring shots from all the cameras to the iPhone via WiFi for social sharing. The images you've seen over the last week on Instagram were recorded with other cameras. I've been shooting RAW+Jpeg, and I love the flexibility of being able to share any photo, from any camera, online virtually from anywhere. And the iPhone is the hub that makes it all work.

I'll also use it to document my film project, which starts this week. So anything that I shoot with the 35mm Contax, gets recorded with the iPhone, and organized in a journal with notes about the subject. I've been using Day One as my journal app for nearly two years now, and I love it.

I do take the occasional final picture with the iPhone itself. It's inconspicuous and handy. But with all the great gear that I get to use for work, my smartphone is more of a facilitator than it is the star of the show.

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

Even though I'm a street photographer at heart, I sometimes want to go off-road and capture the world in less-camera-friendly environments. Honolulu is a perfect example of interesting subjects on sandy terrain.

That's when the Olympus Tough cameras can be your best choice. The Olympus TG-5 ($349) is a compact, go anywhere camera that's perfect for sand photography. I carry it in my board shorts when on the beach or in the water. It makes no difference to this capture device. Plus it includes built-in GPS, so the location data for my adventures are captured as well.

If you're planning some off-road activities this coming summer, and you don't want to worry about sand, dirt, dust, temperature, or water, then consider a Tough. Shoot in RAW+Jpeg, turn on GPS, and don't let yourself be limited by the environment.

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #628, March 27, 2018. Today's theme is "The 50-50 Rule." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Digital photography has had a tremendous impact on our workflow. Now, not only are we creatives behind the camera, we must also be technicians in front of the computer. But how much of each? In this week's podcast, I explore the division of labor during the process of creating artistic images. And I explain what I call the 50-50 Rule.

The 50-50 Rule

When I used to shoot weddings with my 35mm film cameras, we would work like dogs all day and into the evening. But once we were finished shooting, I would put all the film in a giant envelope, drop it off at my lab, and go have a 1am breakfast before falling into bed.

Then we began the transition to digital. And before long, I found myself spending hours in front of the computer, long after the wedding had completed, finishing the job. I didn't get paid any more, and in fact, prices began to fall. And that's when I realized that digital photography was going to change my life as a creative.

I agonized over learning Photoshop. Fortunately, apps like Aperture and Lightroom burst on to the scene to save me. But to this day, I know that if a photo is going to be competitive with others online, it will require post production.

And when I started to think about it, I realized that photography is now a 50-50 proposition. Half the creative process is at capture, and the other half is post. Most of us are stronger at one side or the other. And one of our challenges as an artist is to identify the aspect that requires the most improvement, then take the steps to improve in that area.

Rumor: Canon full-frame mirrorless already 'being used by select pro photographers'

DP Review reports that "a full frame mirrorless camera is well into its development cycle," and is in fact being used by "select Canon pro photographers" in the field." Canon Rumors is "very confident we're going to see something announced before the end of Q1 in 2019," while other outlets have predicted something for Photokina in September.

Apple's Camera Shutter Sound Was Recorded From a Canon AE-1

F-Stoppers reports: "In a recent interview with CNBC, the Apple sound designer behind many of the iconic beeps and bloops on the Mac, Jim Reekes, shares the origin of their naming and compositions. As it turns out, it's a film camera from the 1970s that was personally owned by Reekes since high school behind the ubiquitous iPhone camera click and screenshot sound effect on Mac. It was recorded from a Canon AE-1 and then slowed down to create the custom sound we know today. Even to this day, Reekes still seems to not be used to his recording being played everywhere he goes."

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!

Dates Announced for the Burney Falls and Lassen Volcanic National Park Workshop

We have our cabin reservations secured for Sept. 27-29, 2018 for the Burney Falls and Lassen Volcanic National Park Workshop. Here's more about it.

Aerial Photography Workshop Update

Public registration is now open for the Sonoma Country Hot Air Balloon and Drone Photography Workshop, June 8-10, 2018. We're combining two very fun aerial activities into one workshop. Be sure to get on the Reserve List for this one!

Come Join me at the Skylum Photography Public Group

I'm now moderating the Skylum Photography Public Group, and I would love to have interested members from our audience join me there.

Updates and Such

You can become a member of our Inner Circle by clicking on this link or by clicking on the Patreon tile that's on every page of The Digital Story.

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.

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.

The checklist of things that I want to accomplish on the road over the next two weeks is substantial. Overall, I'm looking to create new content, both visually and with words. Plus there are certain day-to-day operations that I need to maintain. After all, I am a one-man shop.

But I refuse to schlep around a trunk full of gear. So I've been testing my current travel setup over the last week, and I've finally settled on a packing list. I thought you might want a peek inside the bag

Here's the packing list:

• Lowepro Fastpack BP 150 AW II
• Apple 13" MacBook Pro
• G-Technology 500GB G-DRIVE slim USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C External SSD
• Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II mirrorless camera with 14-42mm EZ zoom
• Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8 lens
• Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 II ASPH. lens
• Olympus Fisheye Body Cap 9mm f/8 lens
• Olympus Tough TG-5 digital camera
• Leica D-LUX (Typ 109) digital camera
• Contax 159mm 35mm SLR with Zeiss 45mm f/2.8 Tessar lens
• Zeiss 28-70mm Vario-Sonnar f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens (for the Contax 159mm)
• Kodak Gold 200 35mm negative film (3 rolls)
• Lowepro Dashpoint 30 camera pouch
• iPhone X with AT&T LTE - also serves as my Internet connection when hotel connectivity fails me.
• Apple iPad mini - With Verizon 4G LTE to give me access to a different cellular network than my iPhone.
• Zoom H1n Digital Handy Recorder
• The typical accessories such as batteries, memory cards, backup flash drives, etc.

Final weight after this week's adjustments is a bit over 13 pounds. This bag will fit under the seat in front of me on an airplane, in an overhead bin on a bus, and on the floor between my feet in a restaurant. I can have it with me where ever I go.

Now, for the content creation itself. I'll let you know when I land.

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