This is The Digital Story Podcast #698, July 30, 2019. Today's theme is "Ding-Dong - It's the Ring Video Doorbell." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

I have a Ring Video Doorbell mounted by the front door of my studio. 24 hours a day it watches and listens for activity within its 180 degree field of view. It's like a mini-Truman Show for my neighborhood. And it's far and away the most unique form of photography that I currently use. More about my first week with the Ring Video Doorbell in today's TDS podcast.

Ding-Dong - It's the Ring Video Doorbell

I bought the Ring Video Doorbell with HD Video on sale at Amazon. I had no idea if I was going to like it or find it useful in any way.

If you're not familiar with this device, it works like this. You mount it near your front door where is uses a 180 degree video camera and audio to monitor activity. It can detect motion and stream live video day and night.

Ring connects to your router, and you connect to it via the Ring app that is available for computers, smartphones, and tablets. Once everything is connected, you can view the world outside your front door at anytime through its live feed, or be notified of activity via its motion sensors. It works quite well.

For me, the photographer, it's an inexpensive, but powerful remote camera that not only monitor the wilds outside my front door, but records it and saves the movies for viewing at a later time.

This is like something out of a crime show. And I find it fascinating. You can purchase your own Ring Video Doorbell for as little as $99 on Amazon.com.

New Nimble Interview: Chuck Leavell, Keyboardist for the Rolling Stones

An interview with musician Chuck Leavell, whose journey began with Allman Brothers Band, and who is currently touring with the Rolling Stones on their No Filter tour. In this conversation, Chuck talks about the Stones, Eric Clapton's unplugged album, his work as a writer, and his definition of success. Here's an excerpt from the show.

The entire conversation is terrific. I think you will enjoy what Chuck has to say. To ensure that you don't miss any of the podcasts, I recommend that you subscribe to The Nimble Photographer Podcast on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you tune in.

Stranger Things Fan Goes Viral for Not Knowing what a Darkroom Is

You can read the entire article here. Here are some of my favorite passages:

A young fan of the popular Netflix show Stranger Things earned a bit of Internet fame (or is it infamy?) this weekend when they asked a question about that strange "red room" in the show where Jonathan goes "to 'refine' his photos or something." In other words: a darkroom.

Of course, it didn't take long before someone saw the post and shared it on Twitter alongside the caption "*crumbles further into dust*" to highlight just how old this question made them feel: And thus, a meme was born. The screenshot quickly showed up on Imgur, Reddit's /r/memes subreddit, and then got picked up by international news outlets. Meanwhile, responses to the Tweet above--which has been liked over 61K times and retweeted over 13K times--began pouring in:

Several of the commenters were also quite harsh, calling the original fan "dumb as rocks" and stereotyping all young people as stupid. But we prefer to look on the positive side of this story. As Twitter user Chris Wood wrote, "Hey, give the kid credit for being willing to ask."

Not that this stopped us from feeling like dinosaurs or relics of a bygone age, but look on the bright side: a whole lot of kids who would not have had the courage to ask this question now know the answer. Here's hoping a few of them pick up a roll of film and give the darkroom a try.

Update on My Kickstarter Projects

Speaking of film processing: I received my daylight Lab Box and will soon start testing it. I have a bottle of single bath chemistry ordered from Jeremiah's Photo Corner, and soon I will process my first roll of B&W film.

I also received this notice today from the Kamlan Optics folks:

Finally, The shipping for is coming ! We are about to ship from Aug. Here are some updates before that.
1. Manufacturing is quite fluent.We will post some pictures later.
2. We plan to close the option of shipping address change on July 31st. Please make according change before that date if your shipping address is different from what you have entered.
3. As the survey can only be sent once, we can't send survey for a 2nd time. For those we still can't find the survey, please enter the shipping information here.
4. We plan to complete the refund process for return backers in 7 days from now on.
5. No custom fee will be charged for EU customers this time,

So they seem to be on track as well.

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!

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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.

Back in 2000, when I was the editor of Web Review for O'Reilly Media, I worked on an interesting project with the Adobe PR team. For the 10th anniversary of Photoshop, we wanted to publish a brief history of the app to celebrate the milestone.

I coordinated with Glenn Knoll to get the facts right, and Jeff Schewe contributed portraits of the Knoll brothers. I published the article on both Web Review and StoryPhoto.com (both sites now defunct).

I do, however, have a PDF of the original article, which has good info, cool original graphics, and portraits by Jeff Schewe. You can download the PDF for free. (It's in the Nimble Store, so you have to go through a quick checkout, but there's no cost.)

Here's an excerpt:

In early 1988, Thomas decided to give himself six more months to finish a beta version of ImagePro and let John shop it around Silicon Valley. Interestingly enough, many of the Silicon Valley companies that John approached were cool to the idea of their image manipulation program.

SuperMac turned it down because they didn't understand how ImagePro could complement their already popular product, PixelPaint. But one company, BarneyScan, did show some interest. They offered to bundle (on a short term basis) what was now called "Photoshop" with their slide scanner. A total of about 200 copies of Photoshop were shipped with their scanners, according to Jeff Schewe in his article, "Photoshop: a Decade of Image-Editing Excellence."

BTW: Here's a fun footnote for Web historians. The article was designed in GoLive CyberStudio. That's the app I cut my teeth on when I first started publishing online. The site that I designed with it, StoryPhoto.com, was a key factor in my getting the editor job at O'Reilly Media in 1999.

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

As soon as I read about the new Photos extension in Pixelmator Pro 1.4, I had to try it for myself. Until this point, most of my finishing work has been accomplished with the Luminar Editing Extension, which I really like. But there are a few gaps in that workflow that I wanted to plug, and Pixelmator is the perfect solution.

The price is right as well. Since I already own Pixelmator, I could "complete the bundle" in the Mac App Store for only $20. That added Pixelmator Pro to my applications. But even if you buy it as a standalone app, it's still a reasonable $40.

Enabling the Editing Extension

I then enabled the Pixelmator Pro Editing Extension (System Preferences > Extensions > Photos Editing > Pixelmator Pro), and fired up Photos for macOS for a test drive. There are a couple things that I really liked.

Favorite Features

The first is, all of the Pixelmator Pro tools are available in the editing extension, including layers. I now have the convenience of Photos cloud backup and sharing with the power of Pixelmator. An image that I fine tune in Pixelmator is available on my iPhone, iPad, and other Macs just minutes later. This is also a wonderful safety net for your images and work on them.

The second surprise, and this is a great one, is the Preserve Edits feature. When I click Save Changes in the editing extension, I'm given the option to Preserve Edits. This means that I can come back to this image at another time and pick up right where I left off, or change one of my previous adjustments.

I tested this feature, and it works great. This elevates the Photos/Pixelmator Pro workflow above all other extensions that I'm currently using. It's as easy to use as it is powerful. If you don't want to go that route, then you can flatten the image right there on the spot. Even then, you can always return to original if you wish.

One last feature that I want to point out, in the Adjust Colors tab, is ML Enhance. This is a powerful auto adjustment powered by machine learning. And it is good. Click the ML Enhance button, let Pixelmator process the image, then fine tune with the sliders below. Wonderful.

The Bottom Line

Pixelmator Pro 1.4 is a boon to Photos users and any photographer who uses a Mac. It has an abundance of features, integrates seamlessly into the iCloud workflow, and is affordable. I love it.

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

Skylum is putting the finishing touches on its next major release of Luminar 4, and one of the highlights will be AI Sky Replacement.

AI Sky Replacement works by automatically detecting not only the sky, but also objects in a photograph's scene. This helps make sure the photo ends up being as realistic as possible once you insert a new sky. It removes things like halos, artifacts and edges of transitions, problems that often were present in existing sky replacement techniques. With the AI Sky Replacement you will also be able to adjust the sky to fit the rest of an image -- things like depth of field, tone, exposure and color -- making it great for not only landscapes, but also portraits.

When working on an image, the AI Sky Replacement technology automatically creates a mask for the sky, taking a step that would oftentimes take minutes or even hours, and boiling it down to mere seconds with just the click of a mouse. But that's not all it does -- AI Sky Replacement also correctly detects the horizon line and the orientation of the sky to replace so that it looks as realistic as possible.

Furthermore, with the scene relight technology, you'll see the rest of your photo change in terms of light and color when you select your sky of choice. This makes sure that an image and sky match so they appear they were taken during the same conditions. Because of the toning that AI Sky Replacement does to an image, it looks as natural and smooth as possible.

Luminar 4 is scheduled to be released this Fall. But you can preorder now at a substantial discount, plus get it a week early. This should be a powerful release of an already impressive creative tool.

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #697, July 23, 2019. Today's theme is "Protect Yourself from Smash and Grab." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photography gear can pack a lot of value into a compact, easy to carry bag. And for that reason, it's become a popular target for thieves looking to grab a big payday at your expense. Given that these rip-offs can happen in just the blink of an eye, what can you do to put the odds in your favor? I'll cover a few strategies in today's TDS Photography Podcast.

Protect Yourself from Smash and Grab

Here's a real life story that just happened:

"Hey Derrick. I'm going to buy the Ricoh GR III after all, but for a really crappy reason. On my way back from Bodega Bay I stopped in SF for gas. There was a bar & grille across the way, so I parked and had dinner. In that time, someone smashed a window and reached into the SUV's trunk and grabbed two bags. Not even a "bad" neighborhood, judging by appearances. Near Moscone Center."

"So...gone are my camera gear, memory cards, and laptop. As the great philosopher Mark Knopfler said, Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the big. C'est la vie! So the good news is that everything was insured (scheduled personal property on my homeowners policy). Hence, a new GR III. And an Olympus too, of course. Hey, I'm going to remember a good week with you and everybody, and forget the ugly event at the end."

A while later, John sent me this email.

Around 20 years ago a photographer I know was walking on the shore near Otter Cliffs in Acadia Nat'l Park. "It was level ground," he told me. He stepped on a rock and because of the sand on the sole of his hiking boot, he slipped. His expensive Nikon zoom lens and body crashed on the rock. Destroyed. Two days later, he had a check from his homeowners insurance company for the full amount.

He told me, "Get insurance."

I did.

Just last year, I met a photographer who was on a workshop on the coast of Massachusetts. She and her friends went to a seafood restaurant for dinner. When they walked back to their car, they found a smashed window and probably $10k of gear gone. The parking lot attended said he didn't see anything. Sadly, the photographer I spoke to didn't have the gear insured. That is tragic!

Here's what I'd recommend to any of your listeners: call the insurance agency where you bought renters or homeowners insurance. I'm talking about the local agent (not the insurance company). Call the agency and say, I have some camera gear I want to insure. Can you give me a quote, please?

They'll ask for the value of your gear (add it up), and give you a quote.

I have $3,000 worth of gear, and the coverage costs me $68 per year. Now there's a nice surprise: for some reason, items covered on scheduled personal property do NOT have a deductible. Amazing, right? That's how my friend got full replacement value for his smashed Nikon body + lens.

Hey, insurance is a boring subject, yes, but let's face it, bad luck happens!

Here's what I did:

For my personal gear, I have $15,000 insured via a rider to my homeowner's insurance with USAA. I set it up via my account on their website. It took me about 30 minutes. The cost is $194 per year, or $16.16 per month. And just like John said, there's no deductible.

Best Ways to Protect Your Gear

• Insure It - Because despite our best precautions, bad things do happen. You can insure your gear for a reasonable amount. And at the end of the day, this is your best safety net.
• Keep It Out of Sight - SUVs in particular provide lots of visibility into the vehicle. Keep not only your valuables out of sight, but everything else as well. Don't provide even the slightest visual temptation to break into your car.
• Keep It with You - Nimble photographers definitely have an advantage in this area. But if you do go into a restaurant or convenience store for even a short while, take your bag with you.
• Prepare for Risky Situations - When we were photographing the French Quarter at dusk, we hired an off-duty officer to accompany us. And even then, we kept our gear to a minimum and out of sight as much as possible.
• Lock It Up at Home - Once you've returned home, secure your equipment in a locking cabinet or safe. This level of protection doesn't ensure its safety, but it will slow down intruders. And sometimes that's enough to deter them.

It's sobering to contemplate that we have to even consider such measures when exposing our cameras to the world. But the truth is, we may lose it all if we don't. Take the proper measures so you can continue to enjoy you artistic pursuits with all of the gear that you've worked so hard to acquire.

Major CASE Act Copyright Legislation Passed by Senate Judiciary Committee

You can read the entire article here. Here are some of my favorite passages:

The CASE Act, a major piece of legislation that would introduce a small claims court for copyright infringement cases, has officially been passed by Senate Judiciary Committee, clearing the way for a full vote on the Senate floor.

This is a major step forward for the copyright legislation, which was introduced by a bi-partisan group of senators from Louisiana, North Carolina, Illinois and Hawaii. As of now, defending your copyrights means taking your case to federal court--a complicated and expensive proposition. If passed, the CASE Act would remedy this by establishing a small claims tribunal within the U.S. Copyright Office, making it much easier and cheaper to defend your copyrights in court.

The unappealable court would be staffed by three full-time "Copyright Claims Officers" appointed by the Librarian of Congress, who would be allowed to assign damages of up to $15,000 per infringed work, and up to $30,000 total.

Passing out of committee is a big step for the CASE Act, but the fight to establish a small claims court in the US Copyright Office is far from over. The bill will now go to the Senate floor for a full vote, while the House version continues to move through the House of Representatives.

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!

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! I will announce the winner of the Smartphone Photo Challenge this week. Stay tuned.

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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.

During our recent TDS Photography Workshop, we shot in some challenging environments, including a redwood grove. I love these assignments, and often use both my interchangeable lens camera and the iPhone X. Sometimes my smartphone does quiet well, especially in good light. But other times I'm glad that I have a dedicated camera as well.

Redwood Stump with Moss. Pentax KP with Pentax DA 18-50mm zoom. Photo by Derrick Story.

On this day, I was shooting with a Pentax KP DSLR and a super compact Pentax 18-50mm zoom that I like for walk around. When I spotted this moss covered Redwood stump, I shot it with both my iPhone and the Pentax KP.

Redwood Stump with Moss. iPhone X. Photo by Derrick Story.

I processed both images in Photos for macOS. And each turned out reasonably well. But I do like the Pentax KP version better.

In our photography workshop that just concluded, we intermixed iPhone shots with interchangeable lens camera shots for our final presentation. Most of the time, we weren't thinking about which camera was used, just the pictures themselves.

But in this case, I do find the side-by-side comparison interesting. And I was happy that I had the Pentax with me on this lovely morning in a redwood grove. After looking at the pictures, what do you think?

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #696, July 16, 2019. Today's theme is "5 Ways to Go Beyond the Postcard Shot." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Over the last couple weeks, I've been scouting locations for our Sonoma Coast Exploration Workshop. And I can't tell you how beautiful the landscape is here. In such environments, it's easy to just take pretty pictures. But our workshop crew is going to push beyond that. And in today's show, I'll share 5 of my favorite ways to do that.

5 Ways to Go Beyond the Postcard Shot

It's interesting. When I'm scouting locations, I have to move quickly and work efficiently. I typically use my Fujifilm XF10 for scouting because it fits in my pocket and renders beautiful big shots.

"Quiet Cove" - Fujifilm XF10, ISO 200, 1/500th at f/5.6. Photo by Derrick Story.

By the time the workshop begins, I have quite a collection of pretty pictures. They're great to have. But one of their unexpected purposes is to help me think about different ways to render those scenes. So they're helpful for not only location, but for technique.

I then share those techniques with the workshop crew before they go out to shoot. Yes, I want them to capture the postcard shots, but I don't want them to stop there. This is the opportunity to keep pushing creatively.

After examining my latest catalog of scouting images, here are 5 of the techniques I'm going to recommend.

5 Creative Techniques

• Long Exposure Water - This one is a natural for the Sonoma Coast. Active tide combines with rocky coastline make for wonderful long exposure images. Tripod, ND filter, and cable release. Here's the bonus tip, however, use the mobile app Spectre to preview the image before setting up. You can handhold a Spectre shot on an iPhone, and if you like it, then set up and record the high resolution version with your camera.
• Black & White - Mirrorless cameras, in particular, are including some dynamite B&W modes that are perfect for costal landscape. True, you can convert in post. But I find it far more stimulating to shoot in RAW+Jpeg using one of these dynamic filters.
• High Dynamic Range - We have ample lab time during the workshop, so working true HDR is a great option. Don't use the HDR that your camera processes, bracket exposures and really work in on the computer. Knowing that you'll be able to handle extreme contrast allows you to really get creative in the field.
• Multi Exposure - Many mirrorless cameras, DSLRs, and even 35mm film bodies have this capability. I think it makes more sense for digital because you can experiment with abandon. The results can be unique and quite compelling.
• Art Filters - Seems like we never have time to fully explore the various art filters on our cameras. But there can be film emulation, dramatic tone, faded colors, sepia, and lots and lots more. If you shoot RAW+Jpeg, you can experiment all you want and still have the RAW file as a safety net.

Postcard images do have their place in our photo libraries. And some viewers prefer them to more artistic endeavors. But the opportunity to really hit it out of the park comes when we push the creative envelope. That's what we'll be doing next week. Hope I've inspired you to do the same.

New Nimble Podcast - Photographer Shelby Knick

In the podcast titled From Outside the Fence to In, Shelby talks about her first interview to apprentice with a pro photographer for motor sports. I thought you might enjoy this anecdote.

The entire conversation is terrific. I think you will enjoy what Shelby has to say. To ensure that you don't miss any of the podcasts, I recommend that you subscribe to The Nimble Photographer Podcast on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Google Play, or where every you tune in.

f/1.4 vs f/1.8: Can You Actually Tell the Difference?

You can read the entire article here. Here are some of my favorite passages:

Given how much more it costs to buy an f/1.4 prime compared to an f/1.8, beginners in particular often ask if the upgrade is worth it. Build quality and optical quality being equal, is the difference in light gathering capability and depth of field noticeable? Can you really tell?

Photographer and YouTuber Pierre Lambert decided to do a blind "taste test" so to speak and find out if his viewers could actually tell the difference between photos shot at multiple locations at both f/1.4 and f/1.8, with a few shots taken at f/2.8, f/4 and f/5.6 thrown in just for fun.

From wide shots to street photos to tighter compositions with plenty of bokeh to analyze, he captured a total of 7 locations. Here's just one of those comparisons. Can you tell which is which?

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!

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

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've seen photographers wait endlessly for a scene to clear of all people so they could finally press the shutter button. And in some locations, I do the same thing.

But there are times when a well-placed person adds scale to better convey the grandness of the location. The viewer can truly admire how big and wonderful the place is.

In my landscapes, the viewer might not even notice the person at first, especially if they're scrolling through pictures on Instagram. But for those who spend a few seconds more, it's a lovely little Easter egg that they can find tucked away among the rocks and bushes.

I'm especially delighted when I spot a hiker in a bright yellow or red shirt. The added dash of color looks good in the overall scene. And of course, who doesn't like a red jacket out among snow covered trees?

My point is, yes, sometimes tourists do muck up our compositions. But for those times that they can add a little something to the image, place them carefully, and notice how they help you better tell the story.

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

I originally bought the "vintage" Nikon D700 because I wanted a full frame sensor that would match my 35mm film Nikons. This allowed me to switch lenses back and forth, capturing in both formats. It's a great camera for that.

But I'm having fun with it beyond its role as a digital backup to my film work. I do have a couple AF lenses for it, but what I really enjoy is using the Series E and Ai optics on it. The manual focusing is silky smooth, and the earlier Nikon lenses all have a unique look that I really like.

My latest subject was this branch from a butterfly bush that had fallen down the side of the patio fence. It looked particularly vibrant that morning. I photographed it first with the Nikon FG and the Series E 100mm lens. But I wanted a RAW file as well, so I moved the 100mm on to the D700 and shot a few more frames.

I won't know how the Fujicolor version will turn out until I finish that roll. But I very much like the image from the D700 and 100m lens.

You might be amused that I still shoot with a camera of this era. But all of these devices are like paint brushes to me, each with their own characteristics. And they're still a lot of fun, despite their advanced years.

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #695, July 9, 2019. Today's theme is "My Kickstarter Batting Average." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

There are a variety of projects to back on Kickstarter, but many of them seem particularly alluring to photographers. Exotic lenses, innovative cameras, and a cornucopia of creative accessories keep our fingers poised over the "Back this Project" button. But how many of these actually live up to their promise? Today, I'll share my personal batting average from over the last 5 years. I hope you enjoy the show.

My Kickstarter Batting Average

The latest project that I just couldn't resist was the Kamlan 50mm F1.1 MK2 Prime Lens for Mirrorless Cameras. Promoted as the new "Bokeh Beast," the project garnered 1,229 backers pledging $267,603 to bring this lens to life.

I've paid $199 for a MFT version that I'm hoping will be delivered by year's end, even though the Kamlan folks are hoping to start shipping in August. Which touches on the first thing that I've learned about Kickstarter projects: they rarely ship on time.

Most endeavors do a reasonably good job of keeping us informed along the way. As a result, I've learned much about the challenges of producing large quantities of complicated machined products. It's tough, and it always seems harder than the creators initially calculate.

That being said, I've received most of what I signed up for over the last five years. And I thought that you might be interested in my particular track record as you contemplate your own potential pledges.

5 Years of Kickstarter Projects

• Total Projects Pledged: 15 - One of my early projects in 2013 was the "Hasselnuts: Hasselblad Camera + iPhone DigitalBack Kit!" I had a Hasselblad 500C at the time that I wasn't using very much, and I was intrigued by this iPhone digital back adapter for it. I pledged $219 for it, received it after many delays, and it worked - for my iPhone 4S. Unfortunately Apple kept changing the iPhone dimensions, rendering my cool Hassey back woefully outdated. You see, they didn't really plan to accommodate different phone dimensions. I ended up selling the 500C. I still have the Hasselnuts.
• Total Projects Delivered to Date - 9 - Back in 2013, I was pretty excited about The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner. One again, I was hooked on the idea of using my iPhone as a digitizer to add images directly to my iCloud account. For my $55, I did receive the film scanner. And I still have, though I don't use it much because of its poor image quality. If I would have really thought this one through, I probably could have predicted its performance. And I haven't revisited it with my iPhone X. Maybe I should.
• Projects Promised that I'm Still Waiting for - 4 - Of the bunch, the one that I'm most excited about is LAB-BOX - The first multi-format daylight-loading film tank. Originally, this project was slated for delivery in Sept. 2017. They have finally begun shipping, and I may have mine by Sept. 2019. This device would allow me to process film in complete daylight. No darkroom required. If it works as promised, it will save me a ton of money in processing costs. I'll keep you posted.
• Projects that did not Reach their Funding Goal - 2 - One that I was really pulling for was the KOBRA Flash Modifier System. But they only raised $37,296 of their $125,000 goal. So the project wasn't funded. They rebooted and tried again, and it looks like they met their goal the second time. But I lost interest and have no idea how it all turned out.
• Potential Batting Average of .867 - If my outstanding projects deliver, I'm looking pretty good. And even if none of the outstanding projects never make it to my mailbox, I'm still batting a cool .600.

So, by now you're probably wondering what my favorite Kickstarter project has been. Of the ones delivered, I use the Lume Cube flash and video light the most. It's super handy. And I can take it underwater for snorkeling as well.

I still have high hopes for Lab-Box and the Kamlan 50mm F1.1 lens. We shall see.

New Nimble Podcast - Photographer Shelby Knick

In the podcast titled From Outside the Fence to In, Shelby talks about her first interview to apprentice with a pro photographer for motor sports. I thought you might enjoy this anecdote.

The entire conversation is terrific. I think you will enjoy what Shelby has to say. To ensure that you don't miss any of the podcasts, I recommend that you subscribe to The Nimble Photographer Podcast on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Google Play, or whereever you tune in.

This Famed LA Ice Cream Truck Has Started Charging 'Influencers' Double

You can read the entire article here. Here are some of my favorite passages:

The CVT Soft Serve truck is an LA institution with a 15-year history, but its reputation comes with a downside. Owner Joe Nicchi is increasingly bombarded with requests for free ice cream in exchange for "exposure" on Instagram.

The owner reached his limit last week, when he tells VICE that an unnamed influencer asked him to work an event for 300 people... for exposure. That's when he announced a new policy through (ironically) the truck's Instagram account: anybody who asks for a $4 ice cream cone for free will pay $8.

"We truly don't care if you're an Influencer, or how many followers you have," reads the caption. "We will never give you a free ice cream in exchange for a post on your social media page." #InfluencersAreGross

Dynapak MKI Presets And Profiles Aim to Enhance M4/3 RAW Files

You can read the entire article here. Here are some of my favorite passages:

The Dynapak MKI profiles and presets pack has been designed to help Micro Four Thirds users get big, bold colors, and better dynamic range from the small sensors. The color profiles that come with the bundle have been created to work with Adobe's Camera Raw software and Adobe's Lightroom. The profiles help the software get closer to the light-data that has been captured by the camera's sensor, which in turn should allow for more dynamic range, and much deeper, more vibrant colors than you could get without the profiles in place.

The bundle also comes with 11 creative presets, a Dynapak MKI training video that will help get the most out of the profiles, and free updates forever. The Dynapak MKI Profiles and Presets bundle will work with Camera Raw, Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC and Lightroom CC mobile so you can edit while you're on the road. The Bundle is available now for $60. Head on over to Dynapak MKI Product Page for more information.

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!

Updates and Such

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

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.

Portfoliobox - Your PortfolioBox site is the best way to show off your best images.

The Nimbleosity Report

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