The Epson Stylus Photo R2000 is a sophisticated photo printer that accommodates sheets up to 13" x 19", accepts roll paper, and even has a DVD print adapter. The 8-cartridge unit uses Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss 2 pigment ink and includes a Gloss Optimizer that produces a lovely finishing touch on luster and gloss papers. WiFi connectivity is included, and it's very easy to add this printer to your local network. And the best part is, that you can get the R2000 for $399. In this podcast, I take you on a hands-on tour of the Epson.

Our friends at Red River Paper have also published an excellent review of the R2000 that I recommend reading if you're interested in this unit.

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (24 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

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

TDS Nov. Aperture Workshop

I'm considering adding an Aperture Workshop on Nov. 12th and 13th. If you want your name on the reserve list, or just more information, drop me a line.

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.

This short video shows how two DSLRs are wired up to be controlled with a single remote. I'm not sure where the author got the stereo mini jack adapters, but it's intriguing nonetheless.

Controlling 2 Canon Cameras with one shutter release from PRD3000 on Vimeo.

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

One of the joys of taking photos with an iPhone is the ability to tap the touchscreen to choose the focus, then take the photo. We're starting to see this technology migrate to more sophisticated cameras, with the latest incarnation on the Olympus E-P3.

The 614,000 dot, 3" LCD on the Olympus E-P3 is beautiful, and it's a touchscreen to boot.

The E-P3 is a sophisticated micro four thirds interchangeable lens camera. I've enjoyed testing it with the new 12mm f/2.0 prime lens. The first day I was touring with it hanging off my neck, it began taking pictures by itself as it bounced against my chest. I thought, "What the heck?" That was my introduction to touchscreen photography on the E-P3. My next lesson was learning how to turn this control on and off via the icon on the left side of the LCD.

Touchscreen for Shooting

There are three basic controls for the touchscreen: off (which I didn't use at first), shoot, and focus control.

In shoot mode, the camera will focus on the area of the LCD that you touch, then immediately fire. This makes it easy to have the E-P3 focus precisely where you want. In rapid sequence you can select 3 or 4 different areas to focus on, then choose you favorite later.

I also like focus control mode. In this case, you tap the screen area to move the focus box, then fire the camera with the shutter button. You can zoom the area where the focus box is selected by pressing the magnify button. I found this mode extremely useful when using the silky manual focus ring on the 12mm f/2 lens.

I placed the focus indicator on the area I wanted in focus, pressed the magnify button to enlarge, manually focused, pressed the magnify button again to back out, recomposed, then shoot. This all happens in seconds, and it yields very good results.

Touchscreen for Playback

iPhone users will feel very comfortable using the E-P3's touchscreen to view images. Simply swipe to move from frame to frame. If you want to zoom in on a shot, tap the screen once to display the zoom bar, then adjust to taste. Double tap to return to full view.

You can view all of the images on the memory card by tapping the thumbnail icon in the lower right corner. Tap on the frame you want to view as an enlarged version. There's even a calendar that shows an attractive monthly view with a thumbnail on the days you have captured photos. It's not a bad calendar either.

Truly Useful Functionality

At first, you may wonder if a serious interchangeable lens camera really needs a 3" touchscreen LCD. I like using it in playback mode. It has that iPhone comfortableness to it. But for manual focusing with the new Olympus prime lenses, the touch focus control with zoom is fantastic. I get to enjoy the tactile experience to manually turning the well-damped focusing ring on the 12mm prime, yet have the confidence that my sharpness will be spot on.

Bottom line: I very much like this touchscreen.

More About the Olympus E-P3

Olympus PEN E-P3 with 12mm f/2.0 Prime Lens

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

"So, what do you think of Google+?" That's been the question over the last couple weeks that we've been asking each other. Unless you absolutely love social network sites, it probably feels like another thing to do in a day already packed to the gills.

In my online world, I have the blog to run, tweets to post, Facebook to update, Flickr to populate, and now circles to grow in Google+. The thing about it is, that I think that this new opportunity will be worth the time we invest in it. Google+ is well thought out, beautiful, and I'm anticipating that it will be a thriving photo community.

This article by Thomas Hawk, Top 10 Tips on Google+ for Photographers will help you get oriented. It's quite good, and I appreciated Google+ more after reading it.

It's worth making time for.

Find Me on Google+

One of the challenges in the studio when using off camera flash is getting the right balance between light on the background and your subject. I use the "Group" control on my Canon flash system to get the look I want.

For this shot, I used four Canon flashes: two on the backdrop and two for the subject. I set the backdrop flashes to "Group B" and the subject flashes to "Group A". I then used the flash control menu on the Canon 60D to play with the ratios between the two groups. When I want a bright background, the ratio can be as extreme as 8:1. Usually I'm set around 4:1 or 2:1.

By simply changing the settings in the menu on the 60D, I can adjust my lighting scheme without ever moving from the shooting position. If you haven't experimented using Groups this way, give it a try.

More Off Camera Flash Tutorials

If you want to learn more about getting pro results from simple flash units, be sure to check out my Off Camera Flash title on Lynda.com. I show you all sorts of helpful lighting techniques that are especially good for portraits.

Off Camera Flash - Basic Techniques for Pro Results

Light Modifiers for Off Camera Flash

Off Camera Flash - The Single Light Portrait

"More Off Camera Flash" - Digital Photography Podcast 233

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We were heating up Jiffy Pop popcorn (as much fun to make as it is to eat) over a camp fire the other night, and I grabbed my Canon 60D, composed a shot, and captured the moment. It was already dark in camp, and our only real illumination were the coals and occasional flame from the fire.

I love the shot, as much for sentimental reasons, because it captures the feeling of friends and family sitting around a fire, talking about random subjects, and of course eating popcorn. I didn't even have to think about how I was going to make the photograph because I knew my camera can record excellent images up to ISO 3200, and decent ones beyond that.

So I was free to just pick up the 60D, compose, shoot, then put it down and grab a handful of hot popcorn. I never fell out of the moment. High ISO capability makes this easy.

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

When you go on a hike to take pictures, you might be thinking photography, but you're also an outdoorsman, whether you want to be or not. You still need to deal with sun exposure, dehydration, and cuts and bruises. And what about being as comfortable as possible while you work?

In this episode, I cover the "10 Essentials" that you should have in your daypack, along with your camera gear. Not only will you be prepared for mishaps, you will have a more enjoyable experience.

The 10 Essentials

• Water (1 liter or more)
• Food (I like Builder's Bars and nuts)
• First Aid Kit (include large gauze pads)
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Matches/Bic Lighter
• Knife
• Map/Compass
• 1/4 roll of TP
• (Solar Blanket)
• Extra Layer (usually wind breaker with hood)
• Lip Balm
• Flashlight (LED's are compact and bright)
• Bandana
• Whistle

Listen to the Podcast

You can also download the podcast here (30 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

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

TDS Nov. Aperture Workshop

I'm considering adding an Aperture Workshop on Nov. 12th and 13th. If you want your name on the reserve list, or just more information, drop me a line.

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.

High ISO performance, sophisticated noise reduction, fast lenses... who needs a tripod for outdoor photography? Well, we all do -- at least some of the time. This waterfall shot at Sugar Loaf State Park required a 4-second exposure at ISO 100. Plus, I had to work from a slightly precarious spot. The only way to steady the camera in that particular location was with a tripod.

I'm the first to admit that this isn't my favorite photo accessory. But when I suspect there might be an opportunity for a dramatic depth-of-field composition, or a long exposure water shot, I'll buckle up a set of sticks.

Having a rig that won't break your back makes this decision a bit easier. For this shot, I used a Giottos VGR9255 that weighs only 3 lbs and a Photo Sport 200 AW that's very comfortable, even with a tripod attached.

For the shot itself, I used a Canon 60D with a EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom. I added a polarizer to allow me more flexibility when stopping down the shutter (because of its 2-stop density), and relied on the self-timer to trip the shutter (so I wouldn't jar the camera). I work in Aperture Priority mode for these types of shots, but Shutter Priority is great too. What you really need to do is get out of Program mode.The shot was processed in Aperture 3.

There were only a handful of other photos recorded with a tripod on this trip. But, I wouldn't have been able to create the images I wanted in those instances otherwise.

Top Photo: Sugar Loaf Waterfall by Derrick Story. Bottom Photo: Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW by Pat Scheetz. Click on images for larger versions. More images are published on the TDS Flickr site.