Generally speaking, I prefer the electronic viewfinders for composing shots. But there are times when the LCDs allow me to capture an image I would otherwise miss.

"Kitty on Upside Down Pot" by Derrick Story.

Parades and events when I need to hold the camera high over my head are the most common situations for LCD framing. But I encountered another scenario the other day where this technique came in handy.

There's a black kitten that loves to play in porch area at my studio. The other day he exhausted himself batting around a seed pod, and jumped up on this turned over pot for a break. I want to photograph him without scaring him off.

So I stood behind the wall inside the studio, next to my screen door, and extended the camera out behind the screen to take the picture. The kitten was fascinated by the appearance of my red TG-4 and a hand, but nothing more. I sure it was oddly entertaining for him.

I was able to see the LCD screen well enough to frame the shot and take the picture. The mesh screen door provided a bit of diffusion, and the light was pretty good. I would have never captured this shot if I had to stand there with a camera to my face looking through a viewfinder. That cat would have been long gone...

The Nimbleosity Report

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This is The Digital Story Podcast #545, August 16, 2016. Today's theme is "Conservation Photography." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Most of us probably think that we're ethical photographers. But what does that really mean? Is it a common sense thing, or are there real guidelines to help us act responsibility when photographing landscapes, wildlife, and indigenous cultures? I explore this topic today with Alexandra Garcia, executive director of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Conservation Photography

I met Alexandra Garcia at the MindShift Gear Headquarters in Santa Rosa, CA. She was working with them on a project, and agreed to take time out with me to talk about conservation photography.

And you get to listen in thanks to MindShift Gear, who is sponsoring this portion of the podcast, as part of their goal to help outdoor photographers engage with nature and to support the conservation of our environment.

We cover a lot of ground in this 30 minute interview. And I think you'll learn much and enjoy the conversation along the way.

This interview with Alexandra Garcia is sponsored by MindShift Gear, supplier of innovative outdoor backpacks for adventure photographers.

In the News

The Top 10 DSLRs and Lenses Canon is Loaning Out at the Rio Olympics via PetaPixel.

Here's how the Canon loans went the first week of the Olympics...

• EOS 1D X Mark II | Loaned 285 Times
• EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X | Loaned 231 Times
• EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM | Loaned 211 Times
• EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM | Loaned 131 Times
• EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM | Loaned 130 Times
• EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM | Loaned 126 Times
• EOS 1D X | Loaned 123 Times
• EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM | Loaned 105 Times
• EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM | Loaned 84 Times
• EOS 1D X Mark II VIP and EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM | Both Loaned 77 Times

Hedge Free License

Not sure if Hedge will improve your workflow speed drastically? Go to hedgeformac.com/tds, download the app, and you'll receive a free 10-day pass to give it a thorough test run. If you like, there's a link to a 20 percent discount there for you too.

Keep these three things in mind...

• Hedge is the fastest app for importing and backing up media on macOS.
• Import multiple sources to multiple destinations, at the same time.
• Every file copied by Hedge is cross-verified with the original.

There's a free version and a premium version. Use this URL, hedgeformac.com/tds and save 20 percent off the price of the pro version that provides the full Hedge experience with Fast Lane copies, unlimited simultaneous transfers, plus NAS and RAID support.

Updates and Such

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

I'm currently working on an article that will show you the easiest way to print fine art greeting cards with Capture One Pro and Red River Fine Art Card Stock. I think C1 users are going to dig this. And I'll let you know as soon as it's live.

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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!

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I've been having a blast this summer shooting with my Olympus TG-4, in part because it records the location data for every picture I take. Many of these images end up in my Capture One Pro catalog... geotags in all.

But what happens from there? To see what's going on, click on the Metadata tab (i) in the toolbar on the upper left side. You'll have to scroll down a bit, but there is an EXIF-GPS brick that lists latitude, longitude, and altitude. So you can indeed confirm that your image has location data.

There's also a "Show on map" label in the GPS box. If you click on it, you're transported to Google Maps where you can see your location, share it with others, or send it to a mobile device. You'll need an Internet connection for this to work.

If you didn't know the name of the place where you took the shot, you can copy it from Google Maps, return to the Metadata tab in Capture One Pro, and add the info to the IPTC location fields. It's not quite as seamless as Photos for OS X or Lightroom, but it does work well.

So as the Summer continues, I'm going to keep shooting with my TG-4 and uploading those files to my Capture One Pro catalog.

More Capture One Pro Tips and Techniques

Improve your skills by watching Capture One Pro Essential Training now available on lynda.com. More than 5 hours of tips, tricks, and techniques. Plus many free movies using advanced techniques.

I've also created a dedicated Capture One Pro Training page on The Digital Story. You can follow all of the tips and techniques that I publish in one convenient spot.

Thinking About Making the Transition from Aperture or Lightroom? - Download my free eBook titled, Rocky Nook's Guide to Moving to Capture One Pro. I show you the steps to create a test library, then build the foundation for a smooth transition to Capture One Pro.

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I don't know about you, but I sometimes capture horizons with my smartphone that aren't perfectly straight. (I'm sure it has nothing to do with my one-handed, cavalier shooting lifestyle.) Then there are other times when rotating an image to the left or right actually makes a more interesting composition.

If the destination for this image is Flickr, I can crop, rotate, flip, and straighten right there in the mobile app. This comes in especially handy if you're just ready to upload, notice that the image isn't quite right, and want to fix it without having to exit out of Flickr to another app. Here's a video on how this works.

This is just one of the many conveniences built into the Flickr Mobile app that works wonderfully on Android and iOS devices.

More Flickr Tips and Techniques

If you want to master Flickr on your mobile device, check out Flickr Mobile: Photo Sharing Anywhere. Desktop users might be interested in Sharing Photos with Flickr. Of course the platforms work well together too, and I discuss how you can integrate all of your devices to create a seamless photography workflow.

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Mac Photographers managing a large catalog of images may prefer Capture One Pro to Apple's homegrown Photos app. But that doesn't mean they have to give up iCloud connectivity to do so. Here's how to connect your Capture One catalog to your iPhone and other iCloud-enabled devices.

On Your Mac

The first thing you want to do is set up an Capture One Export folder in your iCloud Drive. I'm assuming that you have both iCloud and iCloud Drive enabled. If not, you'll need to do this first.

iCloud Drive will be available in the Favorites sidebar on the left side of any Finder window. Click on it once to open it, then create a new folder inside and label it Capture One Export. This will be the destination for the images that you want to export from Capture One Pro to your iOS device.

Create a New Process Recipe in Capture One Pro

Now go to the Output tool tab in Capture One Pro, and create a new process receipt. I would call it iCloud Export. Choose the parameters you want for the images that will be exported to your iCloud account. Here's how I set mine up.

Now all you have to do is select one of more images, then run the iCloud Export process. The images will be placed in the Capture One Export folder, then shortly automatically uploaded to your iCloud account.

Seeing Your Images on the iPhone

Now open the iCloud Drive app on your iPhone or iPad. You should see the Capture One Export Folder inside. Tap on it, and the pictures you exported from Capture One will be inside. From this point, you can save them to your Camera Roll (Save Image) or open them in another application. They're also available for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

The good news is, that you don't have to give up pro level image management to enjoy iCloud connectivity. Set up your export folder today, and get those images onto your iOS devices.

More Capture One Pro Tips and Techniques

Improve your skills by watching Capture One Pro Essential Training now available on lynda.com. More than 5 hours of tips, tricks, and techniques. Plus many free movies using advanced techniques.

I've also created a dedicated Capture One Pro Training page on The Digital Story. You can follow all of the tips and techniques that I publish in one convenient spot.

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #544, August 9, 2016. Today's theme is "Optical Threesome." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Since I embraced the philosophy of nimbleosity, I've pared down my lens combinations to groups of three. And unless I'm on a paying gig, that's all I carry. In today's show I share the contents of my five favorite camera kits, featuring a trio of lenses for each. For me, they're the perfect balance of effective photography and traveling light.

Optical Threesome

When I walk out the door prepared for a shoot, I typically have my iPhone, a camera body and three lenses. Now I've thought long and hard about the optics that I pack in my bag. And I've tested many combinations over the years. So I thought you might be interested in the upshot of this research.

• Everyday Kit: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II - 14-42mm EZ zoom, 17mm f/1.8, and 45mm f/1.8
• Portrait Assignment Kit: Canon 5D Mark II - 24-105mm f/4 L zoom, 70-200 f/2.8 L zoom, 85mm f/1.8 prime.
• Super Nimble Travel Kit: Panasonic GM5 - Lumix 12-32mm zoom, Lumix 35-100mm zoom, and Lumix 20mm f/1.7 prime.
• SLR Film Kit: Pentax ZX-5 - 35-80mm Pentax-F zoom, 70-200mm Pentax-F zoom, and 50mm f/1.7 Pentax-F prime.
• Rangefinder Film Kit: Contax G1 - Zeiss 28mm f/2.8 and Zeiss 45mm f/2.0 prime lenses./li>

So here's my bottom line: Each of these kits provide me with the tools that I need for the job at hand. Yet, they allow me to move as lightly as possible through the world while I work.

In the News

Robbed Olympics Photographer Spots Thief Posing as Him in Venue via PetaPixel.

News Corp photographer Brett Costello was robbed of $40,000 in camera gear at a cafe in Rio a few days ago. Then yesterday, while covering an event at the Olympics yesterday, Costello spotted the thief pretending to be him..

While at the cafe on Thursday, Costello was approached by a woman who began speaking to him in Portuguese. As he was distracted, her accomplice grabbed his rolling case filled with high-end camera gear and took off in a getaway car.

Fast forward a few days. Yahoo Sports reports that while Costello was entering Sambodromo stadium yesterday for the men's archery competition, he noticed another man entering behind him wearing an official photo vest. But not just any vest: Costello's stolen photo vest.

Now Live! Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

10 Reasons Why Wildlife Photographers Are Crazy

I enjoyed the article on F-Stoppers titled, 10 Reasons Why Wildlife Photographers Are Crazy. Thought I'd share the 10 reasons with you now, then let you jump over to the article as you have time.

• It's been done.
• Photo opportunities are rare.
• No control over subject.
• Wildlife can be dangerous.
• The alone time.
• The preparation.
• Difficult to make a living.
• Cost of equipment.
• Cost of travel.
• Cost of health.

And yet, people still do it...

Updates and Such

Welcome New Photographers to the TDS Inner Circle

I sent all of our Patreon supporters a note this last week. If you didn't see it, be sure to log into your Patreon account. And yes, the season finale of The Nimble Photographer Podcast airs this coming Friday. You can join the TDS Inner Circle by visiting our page at Patreon.com.

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.

MacPaw Creators of CleanMyMac 3 and other great software for Apple computers. Visit www.macpaw.com today.

Hedge for Mac - The fast solution for moving photos and videos from memory cards to drives, or drives to drives for that matter. Learn more at Hedge for Mac.

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.

Despite being a diehard Capture One user, I prefer quick portrait retouches in Photos for macOS. Why? (That's crazy, right?) Well, actually it's not, and I'll explain why here.

As you're probably suspecting right now, the key to this workflow is the editing extension functionality in Photos. In this case, I rely primarily on BeFunky and Pixelmator Retouch. Both have a variety of brushes, including soften, that makes it easy to apply basic improvements to a portrait. Here's a movie where I show you how I use a soften brush to minimize sunburn lines.

Other helpful tools include tooth whitening, eye brighting, skin tone, and of course, cloning. These are the common adjustments that I need for my people shots. And I have them right here in Photos.

Then, once I finish an image, it automatically propagates to all of my other computers and devices via iCloud. So the updated image appears on my iPhone, for example, and is ready to share with the world. This is a terrific workflow, especially for your personal work.

Master Photos for macOS

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

VIDEO TRAINING

Want to see how easy it is to apply local edits to your images using Editing Extensions? Take a look at my new lynda training, Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

And for an overview of all of the great features in Photos, my Photos for OS X Essential Training will get you up and running quickly. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Get it for $15 using checkout code APPLE15!

Want to Comment on this Post?

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

One of the most handy light modifiers that I have around the studio is the Rogue FlashBender 2 Reflector (XL Pro, Silver) . Originally, I was using it as a medium contrast main light for strobe work. But I've found a couple more uses that have become just as valuable.

This particular FlashBender is larger than most (12" wide) plus has a "super soft silver" surface. I originally fell in love with this coating when using the Rogue Super Soft Silver Reflector. It's literally not too soft, not too hot.

And because of the large surface area, I can move it close to the subject and create portraits with pop.

But what I've also discovered is that the XL Pro is a handy reflector without a flash. I've been using it for on-the-go outdoor portraits and window-lit product shots. Because this modifier folds flat and can stash practically anywhere, I find myself stuffing it in my bag and reaching for it often.

It's easy to hold with one hand (portrait reflector), and it stands on its own for product shots.

The Rogue XL Pro Reflector is available for $59. And it's one of the most versatile modifiers in my bag of tricks.

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.

Photos for macOS can do so much more than many photographers realize. And to show you just how powerful it can be, I've just published Photos for OS X: Extensions for Local Adjustments.

In this title, I take a deep dive into six editing extensions that provide local adjustments, letting you work on just part of the photo (in addition to easy to use presets and other goodies they include). The extensions I feature are: Color Filters, Filters for Photos, Tonality, Snapheal, and BeFunky. Plus, I fire up External Editors and roundtrip with Photoshop and Exposure X, all from within Photos for macOS, and all totally non-destructive.

If you're a Photos user, or if you want to see the real potential of this image management app for Mac users, then take a look at the free welcome movie that provides an overview of the course.

Master Photos for OS X

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

For hands-on tutorials, be sure to take a look at Photos for OS X Essential Training on lynda.com. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Get it for $15 using checkout code APPLE15!

Want to Comment on this Post?

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

As I talked about in this week's TDS podcast, the Olympus TG-4 is my favorite tough camera. It captures wonderful images in all conditions, including underwater, captures in RAW, and has built-in WiFi and GPS. The geotagging is what I want to cover today.

The GPS function in the TG-4 works quite well. It requires less than a minute to acknowledge a new location so it can add it to an image. My experience has been that if I pull it out of my pocket, turn it on, and start taking pictures, the first image might not be geotagged, but the subsequent pictures are.

An easy way to check the status of the GPS is to press the Info button a couple times to bring up the readouts. If you see the GPS coordinates in the upper right, as in the illustration above, then you're probably in good shape. If not, you can tell the TG-4 to update by pressing the OK button.

I upload the Jpegs via WiFi to my iPhone 6S or iPad mini (I can get the RAWs later if I need them.) I like using O.I. Share for this. Plus it lets me know if there are geotags for the images via a cute little satellite icon. Those files are automatically added to my iCloud library, which means they are now on all of my Apple devices, including Photos for macOS on the MacBook laptop.

From this point, I can build Smart Albums for the geotagged images, view them on a map by using Get Info for a single image, or by clicking on the general location name in the Moments view to see where an entire group of shots are plotted. Thanks to geotagging by the TG-4, I don't have to rely on my memory to recall where I took a particular shot. And when I'm traveling, this is a wonderful benefit.

Sidenote: a terrific iOS app for viewing and adjusting metadata for tagged images is Metapho in the App Store.

Master Photos for OS X

(It's More Powerful than You Think)

For hands-on tutorials, be sure to take a look at Photos for OS X Essential Training on lynda.com. I cover everything you need to know to get the most from this surprisingly powerful image management application.

The Apple Photos Book for Photographers

For photographers who are more than just casual snapshooters, or who are making the transition from Aperture or iPhoto, The Apple Photos Book for Photographers shines a light on the sophistication of this app and the ecosystem it taps into. Available as an eBook now, and coming to print later this year.

Get it for $15 using checkout code APPLE15!

Want to Comment on this Post?

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