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Capture One Pro 10 -- a professional, robust image editor and organizer -- allows you to handle all of your post processing in the same application that manages your images.

In this course, learn techniques for improving your images using Capture One Pro 10. Join Derrick as he demonstrates how to create uniformity in skin tones for professional portraits, use the Curve tool to adjust a specific tone, convert a selected color into a mask, and sharpen specific areas of an image. He also explains how to speed up your workflow by creating styles and presets, and using variants for different looks. When you wrap up this course, you'll have the knowledge you need to get the most out of the retouching features.

Topics Include:

  • Using brushing tools in the Local Adjustments tab
  • Adjusting a specific hue with the Color Editor
  • Minimizing an offending color in the Color Editor
  • Fine tuning hues with Color Balance
  • Exploring Color Balance presets
  • Addressing a specific tone with the Curve tool
  • Exposure adjustment tricks
  • Making color corrections to specific areas
  • Speeding up your workflow

Take a look at this intro video that provides you with an overview of the course.

If you've wanted to improve your image editing chops with this professional level photo app, then take a look at Capture One Pro 10: Retouching. I think you'll be happy you did.

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #584, May 16, 2017. Today's theme is "The Stupid Things I Do" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photography isn't about getting some of the settings right; it's about nailing all of them. If there are 10 things you need for a great shot, and you accomplish only 9, then guess what? You're probably going to be disappointed. I was thinking about this after my latest blunder, and realized that there are a handful of mishaps that have plagued me repeatedly. And that's the theme for today's show.

The Stupid Things I Do

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After I had just missed a cool shot because of one of my classic dumb moves, I asked my son, "Do you ever do stuff like this?" You see, I have this misguided belief that millennials never make tech mistakes. Instead, he replied, "I do that all the time."

This got me thinking. Maybe I'm not the only ten-thumbed photographer on the planet. So I thought I'd share my top five bonehead moves, then have you submit your favorites on our TDS Facebook page.

  • Stuck in Self-Timer Mode - I love using the self-timer for group shots and long exposures on the tripod. But I hate it when I forget to turn the drive mode back to normal single shot.
  • Over-swipe to Video - It's hard to see the iPhone screen in bright contrasty light. And in those situations, sometimes don't realize that I've swiped from photo mode to video.
  • High ISO Landscapes - Sure, if you want to have your landscapes look like something that NASA has sent back from Mars, leave your ISO at 6400. But if you don't like that lovely grainy, denatured look, you might want to ratchet it down a few notches.
  • Rangefinder Lens Cap Left On - Maybe I though use through-the-lens cameras only?
  • Backup Dead Battery - I always carry a backup battery. Whether it's charged or not is a different matter.

The Practical Benefits of High-Speed Sync (HSS)

Generally speaking, our cameras top out at 1/250th (or slower) for flash synchronization. This is fine for indoor and low light work. But if you need to freeze action at a higher shutter speed, or if you want a wide aperture in bright light outdoors, you'll probably need a faster shutter speed, such as 1/1000th or more.

By using HSS, you can raise the shutter speed and still get a proper flash exposure. Instead of firing the flash at the start of the shot, HSS pulses the flash throughout the whole exposure, trying to simulate the effects of a continuous light. Many camera systems can do this, including Canon and Nikon. But your range is limited because of the weaker output, and the flash unit can really heat up using this technique.

That said, you can also create some amazing portraits and action shots because you're able to combine flash and high shutter speed.

One of the very practical features of the Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U handheld light meter is that it can measure flash output from one or more units when using HSS technique. This enables you to balance the flash output with the ambient light to create the exact look that you're after. This is particularly important for shoots when you don't have time for a lot of experimentation. You need to set your camera and flashes right the first time, and hope you capture the shot you're after.

"The L-858D-U is the first meter of its kind that can measure the stroboscopic pulses fired from strobes when they are used for Hi-Speed Sync. Finally, photographers now have an accurate way of measuring their lights when they want to overpower the sun or achieve a very shallow depth of field through using HSS."

If you want to learn more about the Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U handheld light meter, visit the link in these show notes.

Federal Jury Awards $900K to Plant Retailer in Photo Theft Lawsuit

Petapixel reports: "An Oregon-based plant retailer was just awarded almost one million dollars in actual damages by a federal jury in one of the biggest photography copyright wins of the year so far. Despite the strange circumstances of this case, it's being called, "a huge win for artists, photographer, and creators."

According to PDN, the case revolves around the unauthorized use of 24 copyrighted images captured by Under a Foot Plant Co. president Frances White for use in marketing a product they came up with called Stepables--basically, plans that can be walked on.

White and co. were able to show, in court, that competing company Maryland-based Exterior Design used 24 of White's images in marketing materials ranging from Web pages, to posters, to brochures for their own Treadwell Plants, infringing on White's copyright a total of 133 times from 2011 until the suit was filed in 2014.

Despite several cease and desist requests sent between 2011 and 2014, Exterior Design continued using the photographs, leaving White no choice but to sue for unauthorized use of the photos, unfair competition, and unjust enrichment. Exterior Design denied all claims, but a federal Jury in Maryland ultimately sided with Under a Foot, awarding the company either $900,000 in actual damages or $300,000 in statutory damages. It's fair to say the plaintiff will probably pick the former.

"These photographs were the result of countless hours of time, attention, planning and preparation," White said in a statement. "This was a huge win for artists, photographers, and creators."

Updates and Such

Big thanks to all of our Patreon members! I was able to pay for the podcast server and the backup system from last month's pledges. Your contributions are making a positive impact.

Registration invitations have gone out to Reserve List members for the Autumn in Wine Country Photography Workshop. If you are on the Reserve List, but didn't get your invite, please contact me. You can learn more about the workshops by visiting the TDS Workshops Page.

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

Sekonic Light Meters - Learn more about the amazing Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U handheld light meter by listening to next week's show and visiting the Sekonic web site.

Red River Paper - Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

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.

Sometimes it's the little things that make our Mondays just a bit easier. Like automatically straightening a horizon with just a single click (or tap). Let's start with Photos for macOS

crooked-horizon.jpg Nice grab shot with the iPhone. Unfortunately, the horizon is a bit askew. Photo by Derrick Story.

Open the image in Photos for macOS, and hit the Return key to enter editing mode. Click on the Crop icon, then click on the Auto button. The horizon will automatically level out.

auto-horizon.jpg Click on the Auto button in the Crop tool, and the horizon levels out.

It's even easier if you're using Photos on an iPhone. Just open the crop tool and Photos will automatically fix that horizon without you even asking it to. And in either case, if you don't like what you seen, just tap on Reset. Also, regardless of where your make the correction, the edited image will be saved to all of your devices via iCloud.

Bonus Tip: Polarize the Sky

I also added a little bit of oomph to the sky. I used just three sliders to achieve this. Here's how.

In editing mode for Photos for macOS, click on the Adjust button. In the Light panel, move Brilliance to the right. Then, in the Color panel, move the Saturation and Contrast sliders to the right, as shown below. These sliders are also available on your iPhone in Photos.

dramatic-sky.jpg Make that sky even prettier.

What a difference just a few seconds of editing makes. You can see the Before and After by pressing the M key on your Mac, or by long-pressing the image with your finger on the iPhone. Now, your picture is ready for sharing.

Book or Videos: Photos for macOS

Explore the world of modern photography with my The Apple Photos Book for Photographers that features insightful text and beautiful illustrations.

And if you'd like to cozy up to a video at the same time, watch my latest lynda title, Photos for macOS Essential Training.

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

You can share a Capture One Pro catalog with coworkers on a network, but someone has to be in charge of locking and unlocking it.

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"What?" you ask. Yes, catalogs can only be shared if they are locked first. Once locked, others can view all of the images and download the ones they need.

But when it's time for maintenance, the ringmaster must unlock the catalog to work on it. And during that time, others do not have access to it. Here's a video that explains the entire procedure.

For the most part, this is good news. Knowing that you can let an entire workgroup browse and download images from a master catalog is a handy feature of Capture One Pro. Just make sure someone is in charge of the entire operation.

Take Control of Your Capture One Library

My lynda.com title, Advanced Capture One Pro: Library Management, shows you how to organize like a pro, covering techniques for referenced and managed catalogs, plus integrating sessions, backing up masters, and configuring your Capture One environment specifically to your needs.

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

Sunday, May 14th is Mother's Day. And I'm guessing that if you're lucky enough to still have Mom in your life, that you want to do something nice for her... maybe create a fine art card to give her?

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I use Photos for macOS to create all of my fine art cards. And because I'm a good son, I just mailed this year's version to Mom. Here's how I did it.

  • Open Photos for macOS and choose a picture for the cover of your card.
  • Click on the + icon in the top toolbar and choose "Card."
  • Design your card, starting with one of the Mother's Day templates in the application.
  • Order your card and have it sent directly to her, or print it out yourself.
  • If you're printing it yourself, use the Print command in Photos for macOS, and output one side at a time. (Then turn it over and print the other side.)

I printed mine on Red River Paper 60lb. Polar Matte 7x10 card stock (Item #1958) using my Epson R2000 inkjet printer. The card folds nicely to 5" x 7", with a lovely design inside and out.

I have more detailed printing instructions in my Apple Photos Book for Photographers. It's worth doing. They look great. And if you've never tried your hand at creating your own fine art cards, I can't think of a better time to start.

(Happy Mother's Day, Mom!)

Book or Videos: Photos for macOS

Explore the world of modern photography with my The Apple Photos Book for Photographers that features insightful text and beautiful illustrations.

And if you'd like to cozy up to a video at the same time, watch my latest lynda title, Photos for macOS Essential Training

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #583, May 9, 2017. Today's theme is "What Separates You from the Other Guy" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

There are millions of smartphone cameras out there clicking billions of photos every year. Styles range from snaps of a sweetheart to attempts at fine art. Now, more than ever before, everyone is a photographer. Which is great, that is, unless photography is your craft. And if it is, how do you distinguish your work from those who don't know the difference between an f-stop and a bus stop. Thoughts about this, and more, on today TDS podcast.

What Separates You from the Other Guy

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My friend Oliver is staying at the studio during his visit here from Germany. When he first arrived, I was showing him around the place, and he noticed the film cameras I had out for testing.

"You're shooting film," he asked.

"Yes I am," I answered. "For both fun and business."

I then told him about TheFilmCameraShop on Etsy that I run. After I laid out the whole gameplan to him, he asked,

"Why wouldn't people just buy something dirt cheap on eBay rather than paying a bit more from you?"

"It's all about quality and consistency," I replied. "When you buy on eBay, you really don't know what you're going to receive. Believe me, I know firsthand. But when you make a purchase from TheFilmCameraShop, you know that you're going to get a clean, properly functioning camera that is packed nicely and arrives on time. And judging by the popularity of the store, those qualities are important to a lot of people."

This is the same approach that I apply to working with clients, and to making pictures. And if you're interested in distinguishing your work from others, you might want to think about these five suggestions.

  • Practice using the best light possible - I still can't believe what a big difference a few steps make. I'm also looking for the best angle of light, and by looking at my series of photos, it makes a big difference. And remember, if a different angle makes a minor improvement to your eyes, it will be even more so for the camera.
  • Compose with great care - Pay attention to distracting background elements, look at all four corners of the frame, and think about the highlight and shadow areas.
  • Post production is important - Whether it's taking advantage of the filters and adjustments in Instagram or the advanced controls in Lightroom and Luminar, post production matters.
  • Presentation elevates - I've taken my Instagram shots, printed and framed them, then marveled how absolutely different they look.
  • Take pride in your work - Pride won't serve you well in relationships, but it's very useful when it comes to producing beautiful images.

Me and My Sekonic Lightmeter

I've been getting to know a Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U handheld light meter. I'll start digging into the particulars of this device in next week's show. But before I do that, I thought we should cover why someone would want to use a handheld meter in the first place.

  • Not limited to reflected light readings. The meters in our cameras are quite good. But they only can measure reflected light, which can be influenced by color, and often needs to be compensated for.
  • Incident light readings measure directly from the source. In this case, you point the meter directly at the light source and measure. So colors, highlights, and dark areas don't influence the measurement.
  • Can measure flash output. Again, our cameras have TTL flash metering, and again it can be easily fooled. Whereas a separate handheld meter can read the light from the flash itself.
  • Handheld meters can help you balance ambient light and flash output in ways that you never dreamed before. And once you find the magic formula for your work, you can repeat it time and time again because you working with actual light measurements.

At first you may thing that handheld light meters would be used primarily for commercial work. And it's true, they are used there. But when you really want to get creative and balance various light sources for a truly creative effect, they are indispensable.

We'll dig deeper into this subject next week. If you want to learn more about the Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U handheld light meter, visit the link in these show notes.

Olympus announces significant firmware updates for OM-D and PEN cameras

Imaging-Resource.com reports: "Olympus has announced significant firmware updates that enhance the performance and capability of the OM-D E-M1 Mark II, the OM-D E-M5 Mark II, the PEN-F and select Zuiko Pro and Premium lenses. These updates are available immediately, and for the OM-D series cameras includes true compatibility with the Profoto Air Remote TTL-O, a new "Save Settings and Mysets" which preserves camera settings on a computer (currently on the E-M1 Mark II, but now available for the E-M5 II and PEN-F), and a midtone adjustment function which has been added to Highlight & Shadow control.

With the update, the PEN-F will offer touch-to-select Art Filters while viewing the effect in real time, and you can set the slowest shutter speed allowed before the camera raises the sensitivity in ISO Auto. For the E-M1 Mark II specifically, High Res Shot and Focus Stacking Modes are now compatible with non-Olympus flashes, and AF HOME settings are saved when the camera is turned off. The E-M5 Mark II is upgraded to Version 3.0, while the PEN-F makes its way to Version 2.0.

Updates and Such

Big thanks to all of our Patreon members! I was able to pay for the podcast server and the backup system from last month's pledges. Your contributions are making a positive impact.

Registration invitations have gone out to Reserve List members for the Autumn in Wine Country Photography Workshop. If you are on the Reserve List, but didn't get your invite, please contact me. You can learn more about the workshops by visiting the TDS Workshops Page.

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

Sekonic Light Meters - Learn more about the amazing Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D-U handheld light meter by listening to next week's show and visiting the Sekonic web site.

Red River Paper - Keep up with the world of inkjet printing, and win free paper, by liking Red River Paper on Facebook.

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.

Some shots we can take our time improving in post, and others we have to turn around quickly. For those portraits that need to be posted right away, I have a speedy Luminar workflow that only takes 1-2 minutes.

final-portrait-TDS.jpg "Leah at Railroad Square" - Pentax KP, Pentax 70mm f/2.4 HD lens, speed edit in Luminar. Photo by Derrick Story.

Take a look at my article, Speed edit portraits with Luminar where I outline the steps for this workflow. You can use this technique with the standalone version of the app, the Photos for macOS editing extension, or as an external editor for Lightroom. If you don't need to save your changes and history, feel free to use the editing extension for a one-off. To return to the app for more work later, I would go the standalone route, and follow the instructions in the article.

After you use this approach a few times, you may want to save your favorite filters as a custom Workspace instead of starting with the standard Portrait Workspace. I've been very impressed at how much better my shots look after just a couple minutes in Luminar. Try it for your portraits and see what you think.

Luminar as Your Digital Darkroom

You can learn more about using Luminar as an editing extension in my lynda.com training, Photos for macOS: Advanced Editing Extensions.

And if you'd prefer to cozy up with a book, check out The Apple Photos Book for Photographers that features chapters on basic editing, advanced post processing, and editing extensions.

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

Of all the cool new stuff in Capture One Pro 10.1, Temporary Reset is the feature that I've been waiting for.

before-reset-c1.jpg "Strength in Numbers" Oracle Arena, Olympus OM-D E-M10 with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 at ISO 1600. Photo by Derrick Story. Showing image edits in Capture One Pro 10.1.

master-reset-c1.jpg Holding down the Alt/Option key while clicking on the Reset Adjustments icon.

Essentially, we now have a Before/After function. To enable it, hold down the Alt/Option key while clicking on the Reset Adjustments icon in the top toolbar. You will see the original image. Let go of the keys and you're returned to the edited version. Cropping is not temporarily reset, but everything else is.

Sometimes it's the small things that make post production easier. I'm glad to finally have this function in Capture One Pro.

More Capture One Pro Tips and Techniques

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

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

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

Want to Comment on this Post?

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

Image applications tend to develop their own personality over time, and Exposure X2 by Alien Skin has evolved into a sleek, creative image processing program that should be appealing to photographers who want a catalog-free workflow with a powerful toolset.

000-exposure-x.jpg Exposure X combines an attractive interface with great editing controls.

Exposure X2 V2.6 has plenty of new, robust features such as layers, spot healing, lens corrections, and a nifty history panel, but what caught my eye was the way that I could quickly copy a card full of images to my G-Drive Slim, pick out a few pictures that I liked, edit them, then export out to social. All in just a matter of minutes.

File Management

Instead of using a database model to manage your pictures, Exposure X2 lets you place them anywhere (in my case on a slim G-Drive that I carry with my laptop), then organizes the folders to your liking. The application places an "Alien Skin" folder inside each directory of images. This folder contains all of your added metadata and adjustments. The upshot of this approach is that I can plug my G-Drive into another laptop, and pick up right where I left off with my photos. It's fast and flexible.

001-image-directory.jpg The clever Alien Skin folder inside each directory of master images. It contains all of your metadata and corrections.

Later, if I wish, I can point Lightroom, Capture One Pro, Photos for macOS, or Luminar to that same directory, and work on the files with those applications as well. In other words, I don't have to make a lot of organizational decisions when I first import with Exposure X. I can edit quickly knowing that my files are stored in a logical structure on the drive, and available to other applications if needed.

002-import-dialog.jpg I like the import dialog box. But I wish that it had a few more options for file renaming.

There are pros and cons to Exposure X2's import dialog. On the plus side, its fast and straightforward. I pick the destination, subfolder style, and IPTC metadata that I want added, then let it fly. But, I can't pick and choose individual images to import, and the "file renaming" feature doesn't have an option to preserve the original file name plus additional data. So it's either original file name or custom data.

Rating and Editing

Once the images have been copied to the drive, there are many options for rating and editing. Flags, star ratings, and color labels are available to help you identify your favorite shots. You can activate a filter toolbar at the bottom of the interface to sort your images. And there are tons of film and effects presets and really terrific editing tools.

003-presets-and-tools.jpg Plenty of powerful tools here, including one of my favorites, lens corrections.

I like the news lens correction feature, and love that X2 includes the Olympus 14-42mm EX zoom among its many Olympus profiles. The layers control is easy to use and is a terrific addition to the app, as is spot healing. It's really fun to edit with this app.

Exporting

Once it's time to export, you have access to a nice dialog that provides you with options for destination, file naming, metadata, and image resizing. The output looks very good. You can also use a quick export function that optimizes the files for your favorite social sites.

004-export.jpg The export dialog is easy to use and the output looks great.

The Bottom Line

On my Mac laptops, file import from memory cards was faster with Exposure X2 than with Lightroom or Capture One Pro. Largely this was due to the fact that it doesn't build previews as part of the import process. I could pick out a few favorites, edit them, then move them along online. The entire process took just a few minutes.

The editing tools and presets are quite good, certainly capable enough to handle everyday work. Combine that power with an attractive interface, snappy performance, and a truly flexible workflow, and Exposure X2 could be the answer for photographers desiring a catalog-free workflow that features power and simplicity.

Currently, all Alien Skin products are on sale for 30 percent off (through May 10, 2017). So you can purchase Exposure X for $104.30. They also have a trial download if you want to test drive the app.

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

This is The Digital Story Podcast #582, May 2, 2017. Today's theme is "5 Unique Trail Tips for Day Hikers" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Spring is in the air, and the allure of the great outdoors calls to our spirit of adventure. What a pleasant thought after a long winter: bubbling mountain springs, picnics beneath a shady tree, and expansive vistas to ponder and photograph. But Mother Nature isn't just flowery meadows and puffy clouds. So a little preparation goes a long ways toward a safe and satisfying adventure. And that's the first story in today's TDS Podcast.

5 Unique Trail Tips for Day Hikers

P4220340-Castle-Rock-1024.jpeg

I've been strapping on my day pack since I was in grammar school. I completed my first 50 mile hike when I was 11 years old. By the time I was 17, I had earned the rank of Eagle Scout and was spending my summers as a counselor and guide for camp in the Sierras.

These days, I hike with my boys and my camera. I'm not as fast up the mountain as I once was, but I still enjoy outdoor life. And a big part of that comes from being prepared and staying nimble.

In that spirit, here are five tips that I find myself sharing often with those who I spend time on the trail with.

  • Learn the good plants from the bad ones - In California, we have a lot of Poison Oak and Stinging Nettle. At the beginning of the hike I remind folks that "leaflets three, let it be" to avoid bring home a nasty souvenir from the day's activities. On the other hand, leaves from a Bay tree make a pleasant natural insect repellant, and Miner's Lettuce can serve as a refreshing afternoon snack.
  • A little food and a lot of water - Don't bother packing a lot of food for a day hike. The activity will usually keep your appetite at bay, that is until the hike is over and you're suddenly starving. But you need at least one liter of water, per person. So a couple snack bars or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a HydroFlask of H2O should get the job done. No drinking out of streams, ever.
  • Protective clothing works on many fronts - High tech fabrics these days are amazing. You can wear a long sleeved shirt that provides sun protection equal to SPF 50, keeps the bugs off your neck and arms, and provides an additional barrier from plants and rocks. Plus, much of this apparel helps keep you cool in the heat and warm in the shade. Definitely worth revisiting if you haven't shopped outdoor clothing for while.
  • Trail shoes over sneakers - Just like outdoor clothing as improved, so have hiking shoes. I look for soles that provide good traction on rocky surfaces, reasonable ankle support, and protection from blisters and hot spots. Plus, if you have to cross a stream and accidentally step off into the mud, you won't ruin your favorite Nikes.
  • Excess weight is your enemy - When hiking season approaches, I like to lose a few pounds. It's amazing how much easier it is getting up the hills. Plus, I keep my packing weight to a minimum. One camera, two snack bars, water, and the 10 essentials are all I like to carry.

Great Deal on a Panasonic Lumix GM5

Normally, I sell my used gear on Amazon Marketplace. But for some reason, they won't allow me to list my Panasonic gear there. So I'm offering up a great deal on my Lumix GM-5 with 12-32mm Panasonic Zoom in the Nimble Store. This model has the attractive red leather, which is quite handsome against the black satin finish of the camera. Everything is in beautiful shape, and includes all original accessories in the original box. If you're interested, you can purchase the camera in the Nimble Store for $399.

Final Schedule Set for Norther CA Coast Tour

We have one seat open for the The Northern CA Coast Tour - May 18-20, 2017. Check out this list photo spots:

  • Armstrong Woods
  • Goat Rock
  • Ft. Ross State Park
  • Still Water Cove Regional Park
  • Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve
  • Salt Point
  • Ocean Cove Lodge

If you're interested in registering, visit the Registration Page and sign up!

Photojournalists reveal their favorite publications to work with and what they pay

DP Review reports: "Columbia Journalism Review recently surveyed a group of photojournalists on their favorite publications to work with based on several criteria, including arguably the biggest one - pay. As a result, they've published an article revealing the day rates for some top publications as well as some insight into other factors, such as balancing a lower day rate with exposure to a wider audience."

"So by the numbers, how do top publications stack up for freelance photographers? CNN comes out on top with the best day rate at $650, though National Geographic is close behind with typical rates between $500-650. Harper's Magazine's rate was hard to pin down but reported rates varied from $500 up to $1000 per day."

"The New York Times' recently boosted rate of $450 per day makes it more competitive with the top-paying outlets, but CJR notes that the photographers they spoke with acknowledged the Times' wider reach and top-notch editorial staff go a ways to compensate for the lower pay. Coming in with the lowest day rate of the bunch is the Washington Post, offering $350."

Updates and Such

Big thanks to all of our Patreon members! I was able to pay for the podcast server and the backup system from last month's pledges. Your contributions are making a positive impact.

Registration invitations have gone out to Reserve List members for the Autumn in Wine Country Photography Workshop. If you are on the Reserve List, but didn't get your invite, please contact me. You can learn more about the workshops by visiting the TDS Workshops Page.

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

MeFOTO Air Tripods - MeFOTO Air Tripods are a nimble photographer's dream.

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