I've talked a lot about daring to push your ISO setting up the dial. This month, TDS shooters proved that great imagery is possible in any light. Check out the High ISO gallery from members of our virtual camera club. And which one will be the SizzlPix Pick of the Month?

The Jan. 2011 assignment is "Ground Level." Start working on your contribution now. Details can be found on the Member Participation page. You can now submit photo assignment pictures up to 800 pixels in the widest direction.

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 next month's assignment should be: "Photo Assignment: Jan. 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 Mark Garbowski. (Click on it to see enlarged version; it gets even better.) You can read more about how Mark captured this shot, plus see all of the other great images on the November 2010 Gallery page.

Good luck with your January assignment, and congratulations to all of the fine contributors for November. I love this gallery!

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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.

Technorati Tags: digital photography, The Digital Story, Photo Assignment

I've been playing with Camtastic on my iPhone 3GS. It's a fun camera app that provides scene modes, film choices, sequence shooting, and a variety of self-timer options. Once you take a picture, it sends the image to the "lab" for processing (shown below). When the image is finishing processing (it doesn't take long), you can send the picture to your photo library on the iPhone, to Facebook, or via email.

Two different film processes just completed in the virtual darkroom.

This is a real workflow difference with Camtastic; it doesn't send images directly to your iPhone photo library, but holds them in the "darkroom" until you decide to move them along (or not). At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about this. But now I kind of like making the final decision.

The film options are interesting, and unlike what we're used to in the digital world, you have to wait a few seconds for the image to develop in the darkroom before you see the effect. In way, it brings back that bit of anticipation from the chemical days.

I didn't find the scene modes quite as useful, and left the camera in auto mode most of the time. But I did like the self-timer options (2, 5, 10, 15, & 30 seconds) and the sequence shooting choices (1, 2, 4, 6, & 8). The built-in electronic level is also quite handy for lining up your shot.

Camtastic is available in the iTunes App Store for $1.99. I'm keeping it on my iPhone.

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When I published my original version of the Photographer's Survival Kit, I received lots of mail with terrific variations on that original theme. And in this case, Stefan Rusche sent me a movie detailing his version of the kit that he carries with him. He gave me permission to share his work with you. So, without further ado, from Hamburg Germany, here's Stefan.

"Photographer's Survival Kit" by TDS member and photographer, Stefan Rusche.

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The new Lowepro ILC Classic 100($49) and the Lowepro ILC Classic 50($39) are two rugged, stylish camera bags for your Olympus PEN, Sony NEX, and other interchangeable lens cameras (ILC).

Both bags are designed to protect your gear, yet are so light and compact that you can take them anywhere. You can see a quick tour in this short video featuring both bags in use with Olympus PEN cameras.

Another online tool to help you find the perfect bag is the Lowepro ILC Fit Chart that matches the right bag for your particular camera set up.

Video recorded with a Canon EOS 60Dwith a Canon 17-40mm f/4 zoom and an external lapel mic. I used iMovie '11(which is part of iLife '11) for titles, final production, and uploading to YouTube.

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Spend two days learning and practicing Aperture 3 in a comfortable classroom setting that includes WiFi, lots of work space, and even a kitchen. Meals are served to you while you practice what you've just learned. And the best part, class size is limited to 8, yet tuition is very affordable.

If this sounds good to you, then you might want to read on about the TDS Aperture 3 Workshop on Jan. 15 & 16, 2011 in Santa Rosa, CA.

Workshop Schedule

SATURDAY, Jan. 15
- 8:30 am - 10:00 am - A tour of the Aperture 3 interface and preferences. The choices we make here affect our entire workflow. Plus stratgies for organizing your library.
- 10:15 am - 10:45 am - Photo shoot at Schulz Museum. We're going to capture as many images as possible to work with in the next session.
- 10:45 am - 12:00 pm - Importing from camera memory card, hard drives, and existing iPhoto libraries. This is one of the most important steps in the Aperture workflow.
- 12:00 am - 12:45 pm - Lunch catered at TDS Headquarters.
- 12:45 pm - 1:30 pm - Rating images with stars and colors.
- 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm - Compare mode and Stacks
- 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm - Tethered shooting (hands on session)
- 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm - Break
- 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm - Smart Albums
- 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - Image Adjustment Part I
- 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm - Open Q&A
- 5:30 pm - Dinner on your own (I usually coordinate a group dinner for those who want to participate.)

SUNDAY, Jan. 16
- 8:30 am - 10:00 am - Image Adjustment Part II
- 10:00 am - 10:30 am - Photo Shoot (shoot video too if you camera can)
- 10:30 am - 12:00 am - Hands-On Lab where you upload your shoot, organize the images, and image edit your picks.
- 12:00 - 1:00 - Lunch catered at TDS Headquarters.
- 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Working with Metadata
- 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Creating professional slideshows and movies
- 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Printing
- 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Hands-On Lab
- 5:30 pm A warm farewell to all!

The $495 workshop fee includes lunch both days.

We still have room for a few more. If you're interested, send email to me with the Subject Line: "Aperture Workshop" and I'll get you a registration form.

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"We were parked in a small cemetery up in Canada. I was throwing sticks for the dog when a light rain began to fall. I noticed the car window starting to fog up and saw my opportunity to capture an unorthodox portrait. I hope you enjoy this photo."

"Lady in Red" by Jimmy Brown. Click on image for larger version.

This is our 206th Grab Shot! Wow. If you want to review the collection that began back in 2006, go to our Grab Shots page.

If you have a candid you'd like to share, take a look at our Submissions page, then send us your Grab Shot. We'll try to get it published for you on The Digital Story.

And you can view more images from our virtual camera club in the Member Photo Gallery.

The Digital Story Podcast App is the best way to stream or download weekly TDS podcast episodes. No more syncing your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or even your Android phone just to get a podcast. And the best part is, The Digital Story Podcast App is your way to help support this show. Download it today!

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I think Smart Albums are still one of the coolest features in iPhoto. And after you watch this movie from my iPhoto '11 Essential Training, I think you might become a fan too.

There's more than four hours of training presented in a series of short movies that you can watch as many times as you want until you feel comfortable with each particular technique. It's truly learning at your own pace. Even if you've never used Lynda.com before, there are free movies that you can view right now: Working in Full Screen Mode, and Hiding Photos.

I receive lots of mail about how much people like learning software via my titles on Lynda.com. If you're ready to dig into iPhoto, or want to give a loved one the gift of knowledge, then take a look at iPhoto '11 Essential Training.

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Holiday photos are often the best and the worst entries in our image library. The best because we have pictures of those who mean the most to us. And nothing really tops that. But they can also be our least imaginative shots because we overlook many of the details that contribute to the visual landscape of the holidays.

Alongside the group shots and the present opening, consider taking a moment to enjoy and photograph some of the smaller details that can be memorable images too.

And while I'm on the subject, I want to wish you a safe and happy holiday season. It's ironic that the holidays are often the most stressful times of the year. I think one thing that photography does for me, is that it helps me stop for just a minute, look around, and see more clearly what's in front of me. That's a blessing in itself.

All the best to you and yours
-Derrick

In a recent podcast, I described my photographer's emergency kit. Everything fits in a 3.25" x 3.25" filter box. Now, you can watch the movie where I open up the box and show all of the contents.

So, what goes in your photographer's emergency kit?

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I've been testing the new Olympus E-5 Digital SLRthat has pro-level construction, but lots of creative features that you often don't see on this type of camera. One of those features is a complete set of art filters (pop art, soft focus, grainy film, pin hole, diorama, cross process, dramatic tone, and more).

The new Dramatic Tone art filter on the Olympus E-5 converts even a mundane image into something more interesting. Click on photo for larger version.

The capture process is straight forward. You pick one of the art filters from the menu, and the E-5 adds the effect in-camera. You don't have to do any manipulation yourself. I shoot in Raw so I get the original unadulterated image, and I get the Jpeg art filter version.

If you're shooting Raw, you also get the non-art filter version so you have access to both images.

There are interesting applications for art filters. I think they can help you explore the possibilities of a composition while you're still in the field. If you see something you like, you can further fine tune based on the "art filter preview" you've created. Art filters may also help photographers who don't enjoy post production manipulation add some spice to their catalog. And with the advent of the iPad, you can shoot something artistic and upload it easily right on the spot.

So, my question to you, would you use art filters on your DSLR? You may have them now and not even realize it. We're seeing them more than ever. Is that based on user feedback or are manufacturers trying to distinguish their hardware from others? Let me know what you think.

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