This is The Digital Story Podcast #911, Sept. 5, 2023. Today's theme is "The Nik Collection Transformation is Complete. And It's Wonderful." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

On August 30th, DxO released Nik Collection 6.3 completing the overhaul of the entire suite of creative plugins. Every line of code has been rewritten. The software runs great on Mac and Windows machines. And for many of us, it's like falling in love all over again. I'll explain why on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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The Nik Collection Transformation is Complete. And It's Wonderful

Nikon D610, Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G, DxO PhotoLab 6, Analog Efex from Nik Collection 6.3. Photo by Derrick Story.

When DxO acquired Nik Collection from Google, it was languishing. Those 8 magical plugins for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic had not been update in years. What was once the darling of the creative photography community seemed destined for the old folks home.

To revive the software suite, DxO knew there was much work to be done. I'm not sure they realized exactly how much work, but the effort became Herculean. Now, years later, version 6.3 achieves that goal. And for many of us, it marks a long overdue homecoming.

The Highlights

Because version 6.3 is incremental, it's easy to overlook its importance. DxO finished upgrading HDR Efex and Nik Sharpener Pro. So now all 8 plugins have the refreshed interface, new features, and updated code.

But a number of other important changes are part of version 6.3. And let's compare just a few of them to Nik Collection 5.

• Full Compliance with Apple Silicon - Use Nik Collection 6 on Apple Silicon machines without the need for Rosetta<./li>

• Don't lose your old version of Nik Collection - If you have a favorite old version, you can now have both the old and the new on the same machine.
• Automatic integration with Affinity Photo during installation - Nik Collection 6 detects the presence of Affinity Photo during installation.
• Convert layer to Photoshop Smart Object - Create a Smart Object for Photoshop directly with a single click from any plugin (except Nik Perspective).
• Support of high-definition displays and multiple displays - Use HiDPI monitors and work without disruption when using multiple screens.
• Local Adjustments Improvements - Make even more precise local adjustments with the option to diffuse your Control Points. Rename local adjustments and save them as part of presets. Control Points and Control Lines gain greater precision with the option to invert their impact. And a lot more.
• Fully refreshed by DxO from the ground up - With the arrival of v6.3, every line of code has been rewritten by DxO, giving you unity, performance, and stability.

How I Now Use Nik Collection

I have an image library that is organized by file folders that I can tap using DxO PhotoLab 6, OnOne Photo RAW 2023, Luminar Neo, or Lightroom Classic.

If I know that I want to use a Nik plugin, such as Silver Efex or Analog Efex (two of my favorites!), I begin in DxO PhotoLab. There I can apply SmartLighting, ClearView Plus, and DeepPrime Denoising.

Then, from PhotoLab 6, I send the image to the desired Nik plugin. DxO creates a Tiff to serve as the handoff. I then do my plugin work, then apply the changes that send the Tiff back to PhotoLab. I now have the original edited RAW plus the enhanced Tiff in the same library.

PhotoLab has lots of export options. The one I typically use is Export directly to macOS Photos. I send a full-resolution Jpeg to Photos, which then adds the image to my iCloud library and makes it available on all my devices.

Final Thoughts

If all of this wasn't already good enough, DxO has committed to monthly updates to their extensive library of lens and camera modules. And they are expanding their support to third-pary lens manufacturers like Viltrox.

You can buy or upgrade to Nik Collection 6.3 for $79 or $149. And there is a free trial available. I upgraded from version 5 for $79, and it has been worth every penny.

ICYMI: New Firmware updates from Fujifilm, Nikon, Panasonic, Ricoh plus ACR update adds Sony A6700 Raw support

You can read the entire article on DPReview.com

So, in case you missed it, there have been several recent firmware updates for several popular camera models in the past couple of months as well as updates for Adobe Camera Raw, which added support for some new cameras and lenses. Most recently, there have been firmware updates for the Nikon Z9 and Nikon Z8 mirrorless cameras, helpful bug-fixing updates for the Fujifilm X-S20, Fujifilm X100V and the Ricoh GR III / GR IIIx, and a pair of updates for the Panasonic S5 II and S5 IIx cameras, among others.

I cover the highlights in the podcast.

Moving 1.5 Million Photos from an Old Drobo to a New QNAP NAS

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com

Back in February of this year, I began making a huge transition from the Drobo NAS system (now out of business) to the newer and far superior QNAP system. Back then I had just installed the two new NAS systems but had not moved any data.

I had many people (most of whom were using Drobo) ask how the QNAP transition was going. I told them that it was too early to tell and that I had a lot of work to do before I could give them a fair and honest answer.

Here I am about 6 months later and I have been using the system non-stop, but there was a lot to do between then and now. Some had to do with the data transition and some was just the back-to-back photo tours. Let me tell you what I have found, both the good and the bad.

When Drobo started showing signs of their pending demise, I was in a panic. I had ALL my data on their boxes and both the company and the units were failing. I literally lost sleep worrying about this problem. I pride myself on having every digital image I have ever taken (the keepers) and having them in two locations. I even tell my clients about this setup so that they know I will have their images safe for years to come.

I can tell you now that the panic is gone and I am really happy with the new QNAP solution. I have not only replicated what I was doing with the Drobo units, but I have surpassed the functionality and usability by far! It is not an inexpensive solution, but it is something that is vital to my business. As professional photographers, our data is everything, and keeping those images safe is critical. I am now sleeping better at night.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #910, August 29, 2023. Today's theme is "When It's Bright, Pack Light." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

One of the great things about summer is that there's lots of light. And this is particularly beneficial to Micro Four Thirds photographers who have plenty of compact, super-sharp optics available. That means we can cover just about any outside event with gear that fits in a handbag. I share one such example on this week's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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When It's Bright, Pack Light

When I learned that one of my boys was running in the Santa Rosa Marathon, I circled August 27th on the calendar. I've always wanted to cover this event, and now I had the ultimate incentive.

If you've ever chased a marathon, it's both fun and challenging. First, you have to have some method to know when your runners are in the course. Then you have to calculate how to get ahead of them, and in position, to capture the action as they run by. This is one of those assignments where being nimble pays big dividends.

As I was planning for the shoot, some items were a given. No question that I was going to use the OM System OM-1 camera. And per a discussion in an earlier podcast, I was going to shoot in C-AF+TR.

My bag would be the Lowepro Streamline 150. And the only real accessories I needed would be an extra battery and a polarizing filter.

So, all that's left is the question of which two lenses? I figured the Olympus 14-42mm EZ ($299) could handle the after race celebrations in the town square. But for the action optic, my choice might surprise you.

You'd think that I'd reach for the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO zoom ($1,299). But I didn't need to go that big. And there's no way that optic would fit in the compact bag that I wanted to carry. Plus, there was going to be plenty of light. I didn't need f/2.8 to get the job done.

So instead, I selected an optic that I first purchased for my Cuba assignment. [Side story about packing for Cuba here.] What was that optic? The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 35-100mm f/4-5.6 ASPH. MEGA O.I.S. lens that measures 2.19" x 1.97" / 55.5 x 50 mm and weighs in at 4.76oz / 135g. And it sells for $399.

You're probably thinking that a lens that affordable and compact can't be worthy of event photography. Think again. Check out these specs.

• Aperture Range: f/4 to f/22
• Stepping AF Motor, Internal Focus
• Rounded 7-Blade Diaphragm
• 70-200mm (35mm Equivalent)
• One Aspherical Element, Two ED Elements
• MEGA Optical Image Stabilization
• Includes compact, reversible lens hood

And it is compatible with practically every MFT camera body, including the OM-1.

When I returned from Cuba, which was my first important shoot with this lens, I was amazed at the color, clarity, and sharpness of the images that I captured with it. Talk about punching way above one's weight. The numerous 5 Star reviews on the B&H site mirror my own experiences.

And for the Santa Rosa Marathon, this optic delivered again. Shooting in C-AF+TR mode, it locked in on my subjects quickly, tracked them accurately, and silently nailed each shot.

I've posted the Marathon gallery on DerrickStoryPhotography.com. And if you want to see the Cuba gallery, it's there as well.

Some lenses just blow your mind. Others allow you to move about the world freely. The Panasonic 35-100mm does both. All you need is a little summer light.

PS: Max completed the race with a beautiful 3:38 time. He finished in the top 1/3 of the field. That was just icing on the cake for me.

It's official: monkeys can't hold copyright over images, and neither can AI

You can read the entire article on DigitalCameraWorld.com

In a move that will reverberate throughout the creative industries, it has been ruled by a federal judge that AI-generated artwork is not copyrightable under United States law.

In short, no image can be copyrighted unless it has been authored in part by a human being. "Human authorship is an essential part of a valid copyright claim," said US District Judge Beryl Howell, rejecting a claim made by computer scientist Stephen Thaler over a piece of AI artwork titled A Recent Entrance to Paradise.

You are probably familiar with the case of British wildlife photographer David J Slater in 2014, who was denied copyright for selfies taken by macaques using his camera. The court ruled that a non-human creator cannot hold copyright under US law; instead, it becomes part of the public domain.

"Plaintiff can point to no case in which a court has recognized copyright in a work originating with a non-human," read the court order in the Thaler case, alluding to cases such as that brought by Slater in the past. In short, an image created by an ape is not copyrightable - and nor is an image created by AI.

"Human authorship is a bedrock requirement," continued the order (via The Hollywood Reporter). "The act of human creation - and how to best encourage human individuals to engage in that creation, and thereby promote science and the useful arts - was thus central to American copyright from its very inception."

The outcome is a significant and potentially landscape-changing one - most visibly in terms of the current strike action in Hollywood. A key point of contention between the film studios and the WGA / SAG-AFTRA (the Writers' Guild of America, and the Screen Actors' Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) is the desire to replace all or part of the work done by writers and performers with AI.

With it being definitively ruled that such work cannot be copyrighted, the studio system will lose interest in this point (as it would mean that movies and TV shows created with AI would not be fully protected).

As surmised by The Hollywood Reporter: "While cameras generated a mechanical reproduction of a scene, she explained that they do so only after a human develops a 'mental conception' of the photo, which is a product of decisions like where the subject stands, arrangements and lighting, among other choices."

The GR III Is So Popular, Ricoh Can't Keep It in Stock

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com

According to Asobinet, the GR III has become so sought after in China and Japan that estimated delivery dates are months out. In Japan, some stores are so uncertain of when more might arrive that they unable to provide an estimated shipping date.

It's not clear what is driving up the demand for the GR III specifically, but it might be the overall increase in demand for cameras around the world, led mainly by a surge in China.

Earlier this year, Ricoh apparently told fans in China that its manufacturing facilities were unable to keep up with the market demand which caused inventory shortages both there and around the world.

One theory for the sudden boost in popularity for the four-year-old camera is that it might have been considered a viable alternative to the popular Fujifilm X100V, which has been extremely difficult to find ever since it exploded in popularity late last year. Even nearly a year later, the compact Fujifilm point-and-shoot remains on backorder from multiple dealers around the world.

Considering the Ricoh GR III is similar to the X100V in that it is a fixed wide-angle lens, compact camera equipped with an APS-C sensor, those who were struggling to find an X100V may have turned to Ricoh for a substitute. That, in turn, has pushed Ricoh to the brink of its manufacturing.

The GR III was also already popular among photography enthusiasts since it combines high image quality and performance in a small package.

I just checked B&H Photo for any of the Ricoh GR IIIs - Diary Edition, Street Edition, etc., and all flavors are out of stock.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #909, August 22, 2023. Today's theme is "Photomator Coming of Age." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

In May 2023, the Mac version of Pixelmator Photo was rebranded as Photomator and released to the public. Combined with the previously released iPhone and iPad versions, Photomator seamlessly integrated the AI-powered editing process on all devices. What? You're not familiar with Photomator? You're not alone. And we're going to change that today on this week's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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Photomator Coming of Age

Photomator is for macOS and iOS devices only, and it makes the most of native macOS technologies, such as Apple Silicon, Swift UI, Core ML, Core Image, and Metal. It runs extremely fast on Apple Silcon Macs, which is a bit deceptive as it performs complex AI-based operations. We'll get to those in a minute.

"All your edits are seamlessly syncing with the Photos library and, with support for iCloud, across all your devices, so you can start editing on one device and pick up on another. And what's best, if you buy Photomator for Mac, you'll also get unlimited access to the iPhone and iPad version with the same license."

Now if the name is sounding familiar, and you're feeling a bit confused, you're not alone. The Pixelmator Team has another full-featured app, Pixelmator Pro, that's been around for a while longer. The way I look at Pixelmator Pro, is that it's more like Photoshop with its graphics tools and layered editing environment, and Photomator is more like Luminar with its AI-powered tools. Speaking of those, let's look at what's available with version 3.1

Photomator AI-Powered Tools

• Auto Enhance - Automatically enhance photos like a pro photographer.
• Super Resolution - Magically increase the resolution of photos with no unwanted blurring.
• Smart Deband - Quickly remove color banding artifacts from photos and increase color depth.
• Denoise - Effortlessly remove camera noise and image compression artifacts.
• Repair - Remove small imperfections or even entire objects from photos.
• ML Crop - Automatically improve the composition of photos
• Select Subject - Quickly and easily select subjects of photos.
• Select Sky - Instantly select the sky in any photo with ease.
• Select Background - Automatically select the background in any photo.

Plus Photomator supports all of the traditional adjustment sliders that you would expect. However, many of them have innovative twists, such as Selective Clarity, which allows you to apply texture and clarity to Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights. Selective Color uses Machine Learning to finetune its selections. There's a Channel Mixer for infrared photographers. And and excellent complement of LUTs as well.

And then there are the presets. Photomator comes with a collection of gorgeous, handcrafted photography presets for your photos. With 9 unique preset groups, you can easily emulate analog film, apply vintage and cinematic looks, enhance urban or landscape photography, and more.

When you edit an image in Photomator, the changes are saved to iCloud and propagated to all devices associated with that account. The edits are totally non-destructive, so you can use Revert to Original or Before/After in Photos for images edited in Photomator.

Photomator 3.1 is available now in the Mac App Store and the iOS App Store. There is a free trial to check it out. I purchased a lifetime license for $69 that unlocks the app on all of my devices, macOS or iOS. They also offer monthly and yearly licensing at affordable prices.

The Latest Stories on Live View will Entertain and Educate

This week's Live View features:

• Great Photographers of the 20th Century by Michael Alford
• On the Accidental Discovery of Your Work Being "Derivative" by John Pemberton
• Fair Photography Isn't Fair by Cynthia Whelan
• My Thanks to an Unknown Photographer by Derrick Story

You can read all of these stories, and much, much more, by visiting Live View.

Canon reiterates RF-mount is open to third parties, but don't get your hopes up just yet

You can read the entire article on DPReview.com

Journalists in China recently had an opportunity to interview a group of Japanese Canon executives, and posed questions about the current state of third-party lenses for RF-mount mirrorless cameras. First spotted by Canon Rumors on the Weibo account Camera Beta, Canon executives stated that the company is open to the idea of third-party RF-mount lenses and is, in fact, in talks with several lens manufacturers. While this sounds promising, Canon is much more reserved and deliberate when it comes to allowing other optical manufacturers to use their RF lens mount standard. And unusually, has taken legal action to prevent lensmakers entering the RF system without permission.

This more or less aligns with what we heard from Canon when we posed a similar question to company executives back at CP+ earlier this year.

According to the new Camera Beta interview, Canon is open to requests for licensing the RF-mount to third parties. However, it doesn't just issue a blanket license for the outside manufacturer to make any and all lenses. Canon, instead, treats each third-party lens request on a case-by-case basis.

Exactly how Canon decides which third-party lenses get an official license for the RF mount was not made clear. And as Canon Rumors points out, just what exactly does a license for the RF-mount allow third-party manufacturers to do? Beyond just making lenses fit with the physical RF-mount on R-series cameras, will third parties get access to proprietary Canon autofocus specs or firmware? Will third parties be limited to manual focus lenses? We simply don't know.

With Canon's statement in mind, one can speculate that Canon is concerned about third-party offerings competing directly with their own. From a business perspective, it's a valid strategy. That said, we've always believed that more lens choices benefit the consumer, and increase the attractiveness of any given system overall.

Although it's unclear whether or not we will soon begin to see an increase in third-party lenses for Canon's mirrorless cameras, it's clear that the demand is there.

Sunflower Farm Asks for No More Nude Photo Shoots on Their Land

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com

A sunflower farm in the U.K. has urged people to stop the nude photo shoots that have been increasing in their fields.

Stoke Fruit Farm Shop on Hayling Island, off England's south coast, made the unusual plea on social media after three nude shoots took place in just one day.

"We just want to remind people that we are a family attraction. We attract everyone from newborns all the way up to 100 years old," the owners say in a Facebook post.

"We want people to come here, enjoy picking flowers and having fun with the family, taking photos, and enjoying things. I understand there's a few people out there who want to take risque photos and photos for their Instagram profile et cetera.

"All I ask is that they're considerate of the other people around them. So just think about who else is around you when you're taking the photos in the sunflower field and think how that could affect them."

The sunflower farm has erected signs around the colorful fields that read "No public nudity."

"Reminder to all, we are a family area and please keep your clothes on in the sunflowers. We are having an increase of reports of naked photography taking place and this must not happen during our public sessions please!"

One person on their Facebook page commented: "Yes, we stumbled on a 'session' -- I'm not a prude but I don't expect to see almost naked bodies while searching for the best blooms."

Another person reported that their son saw a woman wearing "just a thong." Adding, "[He] got a right eyeful last night, should have seen his face!"

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

Summer can be challenging for outdoor photographers. In addition to being hot outside, the light is contrasty and difficult to tame, except on the edges of the day - not exactly the perfect conditions to get your artistic mojo in gear.

Kendall Jackson Winery in Santa Rosa, CA captured in infrared black & white. Photos by Derrick Story.

One solution that I've discovered is infrared photography. Instead of working with the visible light spectrum, I concentrate on slices of the IR spectrum. For example, the two images in this article were captured at 720nm.

The beauty of IR photography is that it thrives at times when normally we have to pack away our cameras and head for air-conditioned refuge. If you shoot with a mirrorless camera, especially one that's been modified for IR, the scene you view in the electronic viewfinder will look very different than what you witness with just your eyes.

The sky darkens, clouds jump forward, and the foilage becomes bright and detailed. Many photographers start with B&W infrared and over time begin to experiment with color work. If you shoot in RAW, the file can be interpreted in many different ways.

Color version of the same location, also captured with a 720nm filter.

To start experimenting with IR, all you need is a 720nm filter and a camera with some infrared sensitivity. You can test that by switching to live view and pointing a TV remote at the lens. When you push a button on the remote, a white dot should appear on the LCD. That means the camera can "see" IR.

The 720nm filter is very dense. So you'll want to increase the ISO to 1600 or 3200 and use the electronic viewfinder of your mirrorless camera for composing. You'll also want to change your White Balance setting to Custom and take a reading off green foilage like grass. This makes a huge difference in the quality of the file.

Starting with your existing camera and a 720nm filter will give you a taste of this new world. But there's lots more to explore. And photographers who take a liking to IR usually end up buying a modified camera because the entire process becomes easier.

If you want to learn more about infrared photography and peruse some cool gear for it, I recommend visiting the Kolari website. They have everything you'll need to beat the summer heat... at least photographically speaking.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #908, August 15, 2023. Today's theme is "What to Do with All of Those Old Family Photos?." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Old family photos are indeed important. Even if you don't think so right now, there will surely come a time when your opinion changes. And sometimes we're handed a stack of snapshots well before we have the time to deal with them. When that happens, what do you do? I have a practical suggestion that I think you will find useful. Find out more on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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What to Do with All of Those Old Family Photos?

I attended a family gathering this past week, and my cousin handed me a large envelope of pictures... I tell the story on the podcast.

The Quick Scan Method for Old Photos

• Group the photos in sets of six with the same year of origination.
• Place them face down on your flatbed scanner.
• Before closing the lid, take a picture of their backs with your smartphone.
• Scan the set of six with the flatbed.
• Name the files (photo scan and smartphone picture) so they can be kept together.
• Create an album in your photo management software and add the two files you just created.
• File the original pictures in the same groups as you scanned them.
• Store the originals in a safe place.

Someday, when you are ready to deal with these pictures, you will have digital contact sheets of them. That way you can quickly find the shots you want and make a solo scan of the original.

And if you never have time to return to this project, at least you have digitized the images and saved them from further deterioration.

TTArtisan Brings Its 50mm f/1.4 Tilt Lens to Micro Four Thirds

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.com

After announcing its 50mm f/1.4 Tilt Lens for Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Leica L, Nikon Z, and Sony E mounts last year, TTArtisan has released its compact tilt lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras.

Given the diverse mount compatibility of the manual-focus lens, it is no surprise that it was designed to work for a wide range of sensor sizes. While the 50mm f/1.4 lens delivers an equivalent focal length of 75mm on APS-C cameras such as Fujifilm X Series models, it will provide an equivalent 100mm focal length on Micro Four Thirds cameras.

The lens incorporates seven elements organized across six groups, including a high refractive index element. TTArtisan promises "outstanding image quality" with minimized aberrations and reduced distortion.

The manual lens can focus as close as 50 centimeters (about 18.7 inches). Thanks to the two times crop factor, the lens will offer better magnification on Micro Four Thirds cameras. The lens sports a 12-bladed aperture diaphragm and accepts 62mm front filters.

Alongside the focus and aperture rings, the lens also includes tilt controls that offer eight degrees of tilt and can be rotated 90 degrees. Photographers can achieve what TTArtisan calls a "Lilliput" look by rotating the lens. Named after the tiny people in Gullliver's Travels, this look makes objects appear much smaller in the frame and gives images a miniature toy appearance.

Although the tilt function enables "Lilliput" images with dramatic out-of-focus areas, the tilt function can also be used to achieve a greater depth of field, allowing more elements in the frame to be sharp. PetaPixel's guide to using tilt-shift lenses for product photography closely examines how tilt lenses offer photographers much more control over perspective, distortion, and depth of field.

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 Tilt Lens has been built with photography and videography applications in mind. For video users, the lens' focus and aperture rings are made to fit most focus followers, like purpose-built cinema lenses.

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 Tilt Lens is available from Pergear for $199 in all its mount options.

Olympus' new owner is about to buy Toshiba for $14 billion. Who's next?

You can read the entire article on DigitalCameraWorld.com

In a fascinating move, the investment firm that bought Olympus' camera business is about to buy electronics giant Toshiba as well.

Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) purchased the Olympus Imaging Division in January 2021, and continues to operate it under the name OM Digital Solutions. The firm has now announced a $14 billion (approximately �11 billion) offer to purchase Toshiba - which, among its many operations, continues to make industrial cameras and imaging technology (and, until 2019, was a distributor for Canon).

Toshiba hasn't made consumer cameras for some time; it ceased producing point-and-shoot cameras some 20 years ago, with Sony buying its image sensor business in 2015. However, it has fingers in many technology pies - including semiconductors, quantum storage, business displays, televisions, printing, digital solutions, railway solutions, energy and hybrid technology... as well as a very rich research & development ecosystem (including a highly respected research lab in Cambridge).

Intriguingly, Toshiba is a company that has been plagued by public scandal following very high-profile accounting fraud (which saw the prosecution of five senior executives, among them a pair of former company presidents). This is a similar situation to the tarnished reputation of Olympus, again following a public case of accountancy fraud, which led to it being purchased by JIP.

Well, the main thing is that the best Olympus / OM System cameras probably won't benefit from Toshiba technology. This is not, after all, a merger; JIP is a firm that specializes in rescuing embattled or failing companies (among them carving out Sony's Vaio computer business), but it does not have a history of cross-pollinating them.

That said, given that Toshiba does have specialist imaging divisions, it's possible that these might be somehow merged with OM Digital - perhaps at the R&D phase, if nowhere else. It may also, conceivably, open up Toshiba's patent library if anything is relevant to the OM business.

Any cooperation between the two companies would be a boon for OM Digital; to have its consumer camera business shored up by the industrial camera business is sure to be a welcome development.

Photos: Deadly Wildfires Sweep Across Maui

You can read the entire article on The Atlantic, Aug. 10, 2023.

Yesterday, wildfires that were fanned by winds driven by a distant hurricane tore across the Hawaiian island of Maui, forcing thousands to flee, destroying hundreds of structures, and killing at least 36 people, according to an Associated Press report. The historic town of Lahaina was hit especially hard as the fast-moving fires burned through buildings toward the waterfront, forcing a number of people to jump into the water to escape. Gathered below, early images from the disaster in Lahaina.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #907, August 8, 2023. Today's theme is "5 Photography Books that I Recommend." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photography books have room in our lives just like inkjet prints. Studying a photographer's work by flipping through the pages shows a depth that we just don't get from a tablet display or even a laptop screen. And I have five recommendations that prove this point beautifully. Learn more on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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5 Photography Books that I Recommend

I'm sitting on the couch with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. My camera is in the messenger bag next to me, and I feel like I haven't shot anything interesting lately. I take a sip of coffee, then reach for one of my photo books from a small stack perched on the ottoman.

I flip through the pages, forward, backwards, and forward again. I land on a 1979 portrait of Blondie with her band and just let the book stay open there. I take another sip and start to notice things. Blondie's red jumpsuit against the all-black dress of her band. But wait, one of the band members off to the right has just a hint of that red on his jacket. How cool is that?

I take another sip of coffee. Her hair seems to be blowing. But not anyone else's. It looks great. How did that happen?

Her pose is outstanding. She looks so fit and beautiful and confident. Even if I didn't know a note of her music, I would be impressed with this woman.

My coffee mug is now empty. I don't remember the last sip. I don't need to see any more pages right now. I need to go take some pictures. I close the book, sling the messenger bag over my shoulder, and head out to the car.

The Books

This selection of 5 varies from inspiration to perspiration. We need both in photography. Let's start with inspiration.

• Annie Leibovitz Photographs - ANNIE LEIBOVITZ is one of the most celebrated and admired photographers of our time. She began her work photographing for Rolling Stone magazine and quickly established a reputation as a chronicler of popular culture, eventually becoming a contributing photographer at Vanity Fair and Vogue. Her first book, Annie Leibovitz: Photographs, was published in 1983. In 1999 she published the bestselling Women, with a Preface by Susan Sontag, for which the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington exhibited a selection of portraits in conjunction with the hardcover publication. 74 pages, hardback or soft cover.
• Streetwise - Mary Ellen Mark - In 1988, Mary Ellen Mark published a poignant document of a fiercely independent group of homeless and troubled youth living in Seattle as pimps, prostitutes, panhandlers and small-time drug dealers. Critically acclaimed, "Streetwise" introduced us to individuals who were not easily forgotten, including "Tiny" (Erin Blackwell)--a 13-year-old prostitute with dreams of a horse farm, diamonds and furs, and a baby of her own. In 2014, Mark received the George Eastman House Lifetime Achievement in Photography Award. There's also a follow up edition, Streetwise Revisited.
• Richard Avedon - the Kennedys - Richard Avedon's photographs of John and Jacqueline Kennedy and their two children combine politics. the style. public. interest and photographic history to provide a compelling glimpse of two icons of American life. This title critically examines the work of one of the finest photographers of the 20th century. 128 pages.
• The Essence of Photography - 2nd Edition - There is a lot more to photography than simply picking up a camera, pointing it toward something, and tripping the shutter. Achieving a great photograph requires thought and preparation, an understanding of the photographic process, and a firm grasp of how light and composition affect a photo. There must be personal involvement and personal expression. There must be experimentation, with the recognition that only a small percentage of experiments end successfully. 368 pages.
• Complete Digital Photography - 9th Edition - Ben Long - In this book is everything you'll need to know in order to create great digital photos, from how a camera works to all the details of shooting, image editing, output, and workflow. The step-by-step tutorials included here offer great tips and techniques on improving your processes from start to finish. You'll learn about exposure theory, composition, lighting, masking, image adjustment, and much more. 416 pages.

Happy reading!

The Olympus Tough TG-6 Camera Has Been Discontinued

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.com

The Olympus, now OM System, Tough TG-6 is no longer being actively produced and is no longer avaiable from OM System in Japan. The popular waterproof point-and-shoot is still available in the United States and it is unlikely that this will be the end for the product line.

The TG-6 is one of the most rugged cameras currently available. The $500 camera is waterproof down to 15 meters (50 feet), shockproof to falls of up to 2.1 meters (seven feet) high, can survive crushing pressure of up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of force, and can withstand temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius. It is also dust-proof rated as IPX6. The front lens is sealed with double-pane glass to prevent fogging and condensation as well, making it one of the most robust camera bodies on the market.

Even though the camera might be on its way out, it is highly unlikely that OM System lets this system go the way of the dodo. Not only is it considered one of the best choices for underwater photography, OM System is still creating new products that actively build on the system.

Earlier this year, the company announced a new housing for the TG-6 that is designed for the medical space and can be autoclaved, meaning it can be fully sanitized after use. That casing was even mainly focused on use in Japan, so it would be even more unusual for the company to discontinue the line there now.

With all that in mind, expect to continue to find the TG-6 available to purchase around the world until stock on store shelves is depleted. Additionally, it would not be too far outside the realm of possibility to expect OM System to announce a new TG-7 camera sometime soon that uses the same body design and button layout of the TG-6.

Are we getting a Fujifilm GFX 100 II? Rumors suggest it's coming this year

You can read the entire article on DigitalCameraWorld.com

Is a Fujifilm GFX 100 II on the way? After a quiet year for GFX, rumors suggest that we could be seeing a successor to Fujifilm's original 100MP camera later this year.

It's fair to say that Fujifilm's GFX lineup of medium format cameras has opened new possibilities for photographers to get into larger format photography without the exorbitant prices of other brands, and has left a lot of photographers fervently awaiting what might be coming next.

The last GFX release was the Fujifilm GFX 50S II in September 2021 and, with no new GFX cameras coming last year, we are overdue a new camera to keep the system fresh and up-to-date. Fujifilm has made huge strides in the APS-C realm with the excellent Fujifilm X-H2S and Fujifilm X-T5, seeing big leaps in image quality, autofocus, image stabilization, and speed, and we can't wait to see how these can filter into the GFX system.

The latest rumors point to a new replacement for the Fujifilm GFX 100. Following its release in June 2019, the Fujifilm GFX 100S was launched in February 2021 and managed to squeeze the excellent 102MP medium format sensor into a body roughly the size of one of the best full-frame cameras.

Since the GFX 100S' release, Fujifilm has jumped forward with its processor tech, with the new X-Processor 5 found in its latest APS-C cameras being able to handle better autofocus, including deep-learning subject recognition and tracking, as well as higher video rates, and faster shooting speeds.

So it is almost inconceivable that Fujifilm wouldn't be keen to upgrade the GFX range with this processor, as well as a host of other improvements.

Threads to get web version and advanced search in coming weeks

You can read the entire article on 9to5mac.com

It's been a month since the official launch of Threads, Meta's new microblogging social network. Since then, the platform has been getting numerous updates with new features like built-in translation and a chronological feed that only shows content from accounts you follow. And soon, Threads will get a web version and advanced search.

The news comes from Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who confirmed that both a web version and advanced search are coming to Threads "in the next few weeks." Currently, the only way to access Threads is through its mobile app, so one of the most requested features by its users is a web version that works on desktop platforms.

Last week, Instagram head Adam Mosseri had already confirmed that the team behind Threads has been working on a web version of the platform. For a brief moment, Threads user profiles on the web were showing Reply buttons. While clicking on the buttons did nothing, it was a major hint that the web version would be coming soon.

Threads also lacks an advanced search feature. The only thing users can search for now is other accounts, with no way to search for specific posts or words. This should also be addressed soon.

You can find me on Threads as @derrickstory

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #906, August 1, 2023. Today's theme is "The Autofocus Mental Block." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

How many times have you had the absolutely incorrect autofocus mode for the subject at hand? Chances are very good more than once. We're such funny creatures, we photographers. We'll double-check our exposure mode, make sure white balance is adjusted, we'll even tap into exposure compensation. But that AF button on the back of the camera... it might as well read "only push in an emergency." Why is that? I have a theory that should improve the situation. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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The Autofocus Mental Block

The promise of technology sometimes falls short. We're told that these improvements will save us time, and they may, but it feels like solving one problem often creates 5 new ones.

I'm not saying that autofocus falls into that category. But I will say that life was certainly more simple before it. With manual focus you turn a ring on the lens until the picture looks sharp in the viewfinder. That's it. One sentence.

In contrast, I'm going to spend the next 15 minutes talking about the various different autofocus settings your camera most likely supports and how to use them. See what I'm saying?

Basic Autofocus Modes

Let's start with a review of the basic AF modes offered on most modern mirrorless cameras.

• Single AF (S-AF) - The default setting for many photographers. Press the shutter button halfway, focus is locked, press further to make the exposure. Designed for static subjects, but we all know this gets pressed into service more than that.
• Continuous AF (C-AF) - The camera starts focusing when the shutter button is pressed, and keeps focusing until the picture is recorded. When you're trying to follow a subject with C-AF, you may or may not get a sharp picture of it. You may get the background, another person, or a light post.
• Continuous AF + Tracking (C-AF+TR) - This mode was designed to correct the shortcomings of regular C-AF. The thinking is that if you start by focusing on a subject, the camera will continue to track it regardless of how poorly you follow it.
• Automatic AF (AF-A) - Camera switches between AF-S and AF-C depending on if your subject is stationary or if it starts moving.
• Subject Detection AF - The camera can identify certain subjects - cars, motorcycles, planes, helicopters, trains, birds, dogs, and cats - and will automatically focus on them.
• Face Detection AF - The camera will identify human faces and focus on one or many automatically. And it can often even focus on the eyes, or just the right or left eye.
• Manual Focus - The photographer determines the focus by turning the lens ring.

One of the challenges of all these settings is finding them in your camera. On my OM-1, for example, the standard AF modes are on AF-Screen 1. Starry Sky AF is there also. Face and Eye Detection are on Screen 2, as is Subject Detection.

Once you figure all of that out, then you need to choose a Target Mode. On the OM-1, you press and hold the multi-selector on the back of the camera and use the front dial to cycle through all of the Target Mode configurations.

You can choose ALL (1,053 targets), Single, Small, Cross, Middle, or Large depending on your style, the subject, and how much you trust your camera.

A Practical Approach to Surviving Autofocus

First of all, it's imperative that you learn the quick settings for AF functions without having to rumble around in the Menu. If you have to search the Menu in the field, you probably won't do it.

On my OM-1, I press the AF button on the top/left of the camera and use the back dial to scroll through the focus modes. For the Target Mode, press and hold the multi-selector on the back of the camera and use the front dial to cycle. Other settings, such as Subject Detection, work great as My Menu items.

Next, while at home, practice switching between AF and Target modes so that it becomes second nature. If you know you're going to be shooting a certain type of subject before you head out the door, then you can set your camera accordingly. You can also use Custom Modes that combine a variety of settings.

With a little pre-practice, you can master all of the AF settings on your camera and never get caught with your guard down again.

Canon Warns Discarding Its Printers May Pose a Wi-Fi Security Risk

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.com

The number of printers this vulnerability affects is massive and encompasses 196 total models. It includes the home and business E, G, GM, GX, iB, iP, MB, MG, MX, TR, TS, and XK inkjet series as well as the Pro series photo printers (which includes everything from the Pro-10 through the Pro-1000 printers). It also affects some large format printers including Canon's Pro line (Pro-520 through Pro-6100S) as well as the TM, TX, GP, and TC series printers. The full list of all affected printers can be found on Canon's website.

When one of these printers comes into the hands of a third party (such as in the case of repair, loaning it out, or when throwing it away), Wi-Fi connection information is still stored on the device even if it has been initialized through the normal process.

Bleeping Computer notes that those who are aware of the vulnerability could pull the information off the printers which would give them access to the a home Wi-Fi network. The exact information that is stored on the device varies per printer, but it will usually include network SSID, the password, network type, assigned IP address, MAC address, and network profile.

Basically, the printers typically retain all the information a malicious third party would need in order to gain access to a private network. From there, they could access shared resources, steal data, or launch any number of attacks on a user's privacy.

Make sure you reset all settings before handing the printer off to another party.

What's In The Night Sky for August 2023 Including the Perseid Meteor Shower

You can read the entire article on Fstoppers.com

August is upon us and it is going to be an action-packed month for astrophotographers. So what have you got to look forward to? The peak of the brilliant Perseid meteor shower, two supermoons and there is still plenty of Milky Way core action to be had as the nights begin to get darker for those in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere.

August also means that, as the nights begin to get longer and the midnight sun comes to an end, for those in the higher northern latitudes this will create more opportunities to photograph the Northern Lights. Be sure to click the link later on for my best tips on how to capture the Aurora Borealis. We are fast approaching Solar Maximum, so I highly recommend chasing the Northern Lights over the next few years.

With the two supermoons being at the beginning and end of the month, the new moon will fall during the middle of the month, just in time for the peak of the Perseid meteor shower around the 12th to 14th of August. The Perseid meteor shower is one of the best meteor displays of the year with many meteors per hour. On a clear night, it is an amazing spectacle for you and your family or friends to enjoy, and even better if you can combine it with some amazing photography.

It's official: new cameras are not getting any better

You can read the entire article on DigitalCameraWorld.com

What do you think is the best full-frame camera currently available, when judged purely on its stills image quality? The Canon EOS R3, a Nikon Z9? Wrong. According to DxOMark, it's a tie between the Nikon D850, and Sony a7R III - two aging cameras launched back in 2017!

Since then several newer cameras have achieved equal overall DxOMark scores; cameras like the Nikon Z7 II, Leica M11, and the Sony a7R V. But in the case of the a7R V, you've got a camera that is five years newer than the Mark III, with an entirely different sensor, but still delivers pretty much the same overall image quality.

This plateau in sensor performance is something I've also observed when lab testing new cameras for Digital Camera World. There's inevitably some difference between rival cameras in a particular segment of the market, but on the whole, a new camera will rarely - if ever - noticeably out-perform its predecessor when judged upon image quality attributes like dynamic range or noise levels. The only area where a new sensor can significantly boost image quality is resolving power, as inevitably a 60MP camera can capture more fine detail than one equipped with a 45MP sensor.

But should we be all that surprised at this lack of recent sensor improvement in interchangeable lens cameras? If we consider the 'peak' of sensor performance to be around 2017, this coincides almost perfectly with the explosion of phone photography, the relentless push towards the 200MP camera phone sensors we have today, and the stunning image quality the latest smartphones can produce. And that's not stunning "for a phone", but stunning, period. However much we may love 'proper' cameras, it's phones that capture the vast, vast majority of images now, so it makes sense that this is where you'll now find the big advances in image sensor development.

So while that new interchangeable lens camera you've been lusting after is unlikely to give you appreciably better image quality than a slightly older model, look on the bright side: you could instead pick up a used camera like a D850 and potentially get equally good images, for a fraction of the price.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #905, July 25, 2023. Today's theme is "Why Take-and-Bake When You Can Eat Right Now?." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

RAW files remind me of take-and-bake pizza. You have all the ingredients, but you don't get to eat a slice until you take it home, fire up the oven, and wait 40 minutes. Not exactly instant gratification. Jpegs, on the other hand, are piping hot and ready to go. No waiting. No baking. Seems like no contest. So why do so many of us torture ourselves with take-and-bake? I'll explain how to have your pizza and eat it too on this week's TDS Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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Why Take-and-Bake When You Can Eat Right Now?

Think about your favorite pizza restaurant. Why do you prefer their pies over the other guys. Everyone uses the same basic ingredients, right? Yet, there just something a little better about the takeout from your preferred restaurant.

It's the recipe, right? A little more basil, a better mozzarella, a sweeter tomato sauce all add up to an experience that's better than the others.

Camera manufacturers feel the same way about their Jpeg recipes. They have evolved over decades and are closely guarded secrets. A Canon Jpeg looks different than one from a Nikon camera, and Fujifilm files have a different vibe than those from a Sony.

All of this care put into these Jpegs only to be overlooked because we insist on take-and-bake RAW files. Yes, we would rather spend an additional 40 minutes on a photo that may or may not look as good as what the camera can make for us.

Now I know the situations when RAW files are beneficial. We all do. Extreme lighting conditions and weird lighting are at the top of the list. But a lovely Summer morning by the lake isn't one of them, and yet we still shoot RAW.

I have five reasons why you may want to embrace the moment and just shoot Jpegs. You might find that you're just as happy with the pictures, and even more pleased that you could enjoy all those wonderful flavors immediately.

• Automatic Optical Correction - Who knows better than the camera manufacturer how to correct any optical imperfections in its lenses? And they build that correction right into the Jpeg file.
• Film Simulations - These aren't hackish filters like we see in some editing apps. Film simulations built into cameras are often based on serious color science. They allow you to match the mood of your capture with the essence of your subject.
• Sharpness and Clarity - Many mirrorless cameras provide us with the ability to tweak the sharpness and clarity of our images. Crank it up for urban architecture, tone it down for portraits.
• Highlight and Shadow Tones - Did you think that the only way you can compensate for highlights and shadows is in post production? You might want to revisit your camera's menu.
• Custom Settings - Most cameras have at least four custom settings. That means you can quickly address your most common lighting scenarios and subjects with just the twist of a dial.

I also recommend in setting the camera to SuperFine, or whatever the highest quality Jpeg setting is available. This provides you with even more data to work with if you ever need to.

Now all you have to do is get out there and enjoy photography. And when you get home, put your feet up, enjoy a slice of leftover pizza, and revel in the fact that you don't have to start working on those RAW files.

The Best Lenses Available for Under $400

You can read the entire article on LensRentals.com

Finding affordable lenses in the photography marketplace has become more and more of a challenge over the last few years. Where a $2,000 price tag was once considered expensive, has now become normalized. There are plenty of lists online recommending expensive lenses, heck, we posted our list of the most expensive lenses just a few weeks ago. But what about those of us who are on a limited budget? Who are just getting started in photography or videography, and don't yet have the means to build a 5-figure kit of lenses at our disposal? Well, we're going to try to get you covered here as well.

Before we drop into the list of recommended lenses, it's important to note some things about the state of the photography and videography market. If you're looking to save on costs and are just getting started, your best bet might be to look at DSLR systems, as opposed to mirrorless platforms. Canon and Nikon both have decades of incredible lenses and cameras that are now being unloaded in the used market for bottom dollar prices and a Canon 5D Mark III, despite being ten years old, is still a rock-solid camera. While it doesn't have the features that the most modern mirrorless camera has and is bulky in comparison, it's a great place to start if you're looking to build out a professional kit without a lot of money.

I discuss the specific lenses in the podcast.

Want to Write About Your Photography Experiences?

Our photography publication, Live View has a couple of spots open for aspiring photography writers. Our mission statement is: "If we were to sum up Live View in one word, it would be passion. Our writers are here because they want to share articles about topics that inspire them. This is the space to explore their discoveries." So if you want to write to a large audience and share images too, please contact me at: dstory@gmail.com.

Kodak Specially Manufactured Black and White 70mm Film for Oppenheimer

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com

As "Barbenheimer" sets records at the box office this weekend, Kodak has revealed it manufactured a special black and white film stock for use in Oppenheimer.

The Eastman Double-X Black and White film in 65mm was specifically created for use with the IMAX and Panavision System 65mm film cameras.

Oppenheimer tells the story of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb. The movie follows a non-linear narrative and director Christoper Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema use black and white to distinguish between two time periods.

"It was a gutsy choice. One of my very first phone calls was to Kodak, enquiring if they had any 65mm large-format black and white films tock," van Hoytema tells the Kodak website.

"But they had never made that before, and early on it was uncertain as to whether they would or could achieve it in time for this production. But they stepped up to the plate and supplied a freshly manufactured prototype Double-X 5222 65mm film stock, delivered in cans with handwritten labels on the outside."

But even though Kodak made the working prototype, the film stock had never been run through an IMAX camera before and it required a reconfiguration of the laboratory film processor.

"It became quite a complex engineering process -- encompassing things like the thickness of the backing for the film emulsion, and making new gates and pressure plates in the cameras so as to avoid scratches," says van Hoytema.

The final film reel for Oppenheimer weighs 600 pounds and is 11 miles long. The movie is in cinemas now.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #904, July 18, 2023. Today's theme is "Creativity Also Grows in the Garden." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Summer travel is fun. But if we limit our photography to a week or two of vacation, we're not going to add much to the image library. Fortunately, one of the best and infinitely entertaining photo destinations is often right under our nose: the backyard garden. And on today's TDS Photography Podcast, I'll explain how you can reap a bountiful harvest without ever getting your hands dirty. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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Apple Podcasts -- Spotify Podcasts -- Stitcher

Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In

Creativity Also Grows in the Garden

I think it's safe to say that we spend most of our time looking at gardens from a distance. And why not? It's quite beautiful to gaze out the back window and see all of those beautiful colors and textures.

But if the back patio is as close as you get, you're missing out on some great photo opportunities. Here are five things that you could probably explore right now and create beautiful imagery doing so.

• Flowers and Blossoms - I love eating fresh squash from the garden. But I like those bodacious blossoms just as much. Squash holds nothing back: giant green leaves, booming flowers, and ultimately the vegetable itself. And that's just one item of many in the garden.
• Insects and Bugs - Time to get out the close-up lens for these little critters - Bees, spiders, wasps, and various other busy inhabitants in your garden make great macro subjects. And if you happen to photograph a butterfly or two, all the better.
• Birdbath in the Morning - A birdbath and accompanying feeder is a great way to attract our feathered friends to the outdoor studio. Most of the bathing at my place happens in the morning before the water gets too warm. The post-bath preening is also a great photo opp.
• Webs and Things - Spider webs are fascinating in the right light, and they are both challenging and fun to photograph. Pay extra attention to their surroundings so that you can get an overall interesting shot.
• Timelapse, Infrared, and Other Special Techniques - Notice a flower on the verge of opening up? Try your hand at timelapse. Have some interesting hardscape and plant combinations? Consider experimenting with infrared photography. Have frequent visitors that would be good movie subjects? Try slow motion video.

The garden is an amazing wonderland for photography experiments. Plus it's easy to use larger accessories such as tripods and flashes because, well, you're at home.

Maximize your creative photography all summer, not just on vacation, by spending some time in the garden. You might be surprised and delighted by what you discover.

See a Rock Cairn? Push It Over, Yosemite National Park Says

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.com

Landscape photographers or visitors to national parks might feel bad about knocking over rock cairns since it likely took someone a bit of time and effort to get them into place. But in a post on Facebook this week, Yosemite National Park officials are encouraging visitors to knock over rock cairns as part of the "Leave No Trace" ethics of visiting national parks.

"Why did Wilderness Restoration Rangers dismantle this rock cairn? According to Leave No Trace ethics when we recreate in wilderness spaces, our goal is to leave no signs of our impact on the land and respect other creatures living in it," Yosemite explains.

"Unfortunately, this dramatically oversized cairn is a mark of human impact and is distracting in a wilderness setting. Building rock cairns also disturbs small insects, reptiles, and microorganisms that call the underside home!" the national park continues.

"When used appropriately, rock cairns are great for navigation, safety, and delineating a new or hard-to-follow trail. In general, rock cairns should only be constructed by rangers and trail workers. Please dismantle and refrain from building rock cairns when you visit Yosemite."

So, photographers, have no qualms about toppling rock cairns that are interrupting a landscape scene. They don't belong and are not only visually disruptive, but ecologically damaging.

Best Mac for photo editing

You can read the entire article on Macworld.com

One reason why Macs are a great choice for today's photographers is their excellent color accuracy and display quality. For example, there is a 4.5K display on the 24-inch iMac. There was a 5K display on the 27-inch iMac, but Apple discontinued that model in March 2022 and it's not yet clear if there will ever be another iMac with a larger screen.

The great quality displays aren't only reserved for the iMac though. If you want a Mac you can carry around with you - so that you can edit photographs when you are out in the field - then you will want to consider a MacBook Pro.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro that was introduced in 2021 and updated in 2023 offers an excellent 3,024 by 1,964 screen (that's 5.9 million pixels). The 16-inch MacBook Pro offers even more pixels - 7.7 million. In fact, Apple claimed that the screen on the 2021 MacBook Pro was the world's best notebook display when it launched.

It is a Liquid Retina XDR display with an extreme dynamic range of, according to Apple: 1,000 nits brightness and 1,600 nits of peak brightness. There is also a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, which should make it possible to see detail in shadows, deeper blacks and more vivid colors.

But the big deal about the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro screens is that these were the first, and so far only, Macs with ProMotion. ProMotion first arrived on the iPad Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro and it offers an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz (which means it can refresh images 120 times a second). However, it can also vary this refresh rate depending on what's required - saving battery life.

As for the best machines themselves, I cover those in the podcast.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #903, July 11, 2023. Today's theme is "Capture One Pro Power Tips with Alex on RAW." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

We may think we know the ins and outs of Capture One Pro, that is, until comparing notes with someone who's a true expert. This week I interview Alex on RAW who taught me a bunch of stuff I didn't know, and I have the feeling you'll be impressed as well. Informative for both existing C1P users, and for those curious about its hidden magic. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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Apple Podcasts -- Spotify Podcasts -- Stitcher

Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In

Capture One Pro Power Tips with Alex on RAW

Last Friday, Alex and I connected online to discuss all things magic with Capture One Pro.

Alex is a portrait and event photographer based in Tallinn, Estonia. As a professional photographer, he has been using Capture One for 16 years, since Capture One version 3. He's also a Phase One Certified Professional and a Capture One trainer. Eight years ago, he started his blog about Capture One -- AlexOnRAW, which now has more than 30 000 followers and newsletter subscribers.

You can visit his website, AlexOnRAW to discover all the helpful information that's available. Also for convenience, here are some direct links to topics we discussed during the interview.

TDS listeners can benefit from the 80 percent summer sale that will be available till July 15. Also, the TDS discount code THEDIGITALSTORY gives 10 percent OFF all my products. And for products on sale, it will provide an additional 10 percent OFF on top of the existing discount.

• Save 80 percent on the Complete Bundle of Capture One Tools and Styles.
• Download four sample chapters from the Capture One Hidden Features eBook.
• Download 20 sample Film Styles for Capture One.
• Download 5 sample Ready Looks for Capture One.

Note: In accordance with Google Safe Browsing, Google Safe Search and Symantec, alexonraw.com is a safe domain.

Satechi Mac mini Stand and Hub Review

The Apple Mac mini M2 Pro ($1,149) is a wonderful machine that muscles through my photography work without even working up a sweat. My only real complaint with it is the backside location of the ports. Fortunately, the Satechi Stand and Hub for the Mac mini ($99) solves that problem... and more.

The accessory works with the Mac mini M1 and M2, and the Apple Studio 2022. It matches the Apple hardware perfectly and expands its usability.

• USB-C Host Connection
• 3 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A Ports
• 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C Port
• SD / microSD Card Readers
• Internal M.2 SATA Drive Enclosure

It plugs into one USB-C port in the back of the Mac mini, and provides loads of connectivity on the front where it's easy to access.

But the real kicker is the M.2 SATA drive enclosure underneath. I added a Western Digital 2TB WD Blue 3D NAND Internal PC SSD ($125) that augments the 512GB internal drive on the Mac mini. Note: the hub only supports SATA M.2 drives. I've tested the WD Blue, and it works great.

This works like a charm. I keep the system software and applications on the Mac mini internal drive, and the master images, catalogs, and movies on the WD Blue. Performance is blazing fast. And the entire set up (Satechi hub plus 2TB SSD = $225) costs one third of the price compared to upgrading the Mac mini to a 2TB internal drive ($1,899).

The Satechi hub is port-powered, so it doesn't need any external power. Its design allows for ventilation. And it looks great. In fact, it feels a bit like having a Mac Studio at a bargain price.

If you're working with a Mac mini M1 or M2, and want to improve its flexibility affordably, you can't miss with the Satechi Stand and Hub for the Mac mini. I like it almost as much as the mini itself.

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

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

See you next week!

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