This is The Digital Story Podcast #854, August 2, 2022. Today's theme is "One Half 'Somewhat Satisfied' with Their Backup System." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

One thing has led to another, and our ongoing conversation about Peakto has led to a bigger discussion about backup strategy in general. So I presented a poll to our Inner Circle Members, and I'm going to share those results, and some tips, on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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One Half "Somewhat Satisfied" with Their Backup System

In a recent poll of our Inner Circle Members, 54% of the respondents said, "My backup system is a work in progress, but I am more satisfied than not with it." And to add to that, another 28% noted that, "I have a great backup system and am perfectly satisfied with the safety of my data." That means that a whopping 82% of those respondents believe they data is in good shape. I think that's great.

So I thought you might be interested in some of their comments as you're thinking about your own data protection. Let's see what they have to say.

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"I have a Drobo 5N, Drobo 5N2 and a Qnap. all have 16 TB with "hot" spare and data redundancy. I keep all 3 in sync. With the news I'm hearing on Drobo I'm glad I put the Qnap into the mix." Richard.

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"I have a system where I use very large 3.5" drives in the 16TB range plugged into a "toaster" interface that serves as central backup to all my smaller 2.5" drives. I have duplicated that setup at work so that I have a backup in case of fire. I rely on carbon copy to make the backups. One critical part is to ensure the health of the drives and that the files are copied without errors. I lost a few files due to bit rot. That's always heartbreaking. I am still looking into potentially having a sinology system instead of my toaster ... not completely convinced yet." Arnaud.

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Windows guy here. I have an external RAID drive connected to my desktop that has my photos as well as my Lightroom Classic backups folder. I sync my external drive to a Synology 4-disc unit as well as to my Backblaze account. I have another external drive that syncs photos from my wife's desktop via the network. That way, all of our images are on drives local to my desktop and I only need the one Backblaze account. Backblaze doesn't backup network drives.

A word about Backblaze. A couple of years ago, for reasons I cannot explain other than really dumb user error, my wife lost about six months worth of photos from several years earlier. I just happened to be looking for something else when I noticed that the folders were missing (we both use dates to organize our images). I was able to locate the missing files on the BB web interface, but it was too much to easily recover via the web. Fortunately, they have the option where they'll send you an external hard drive with the files you need. You simply need to copy the files over and ship back the drive. No extra cost.

Well worth the $70 per year. Henry

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"My MacBook Pro's internal SSD is 1TB. I have a 2TB Thunderbolt 3 SSD always plugged in that holds my Lightroom catalogs, any Final Cut Projects, and (what I call) "On the Road Imports."

When plugged in at home, I have (2) Drobos. One in Thunderbolt2 the newer one is TB3. As a side note the TB2 Drobo failed a year or 2 ago, but the problem was the power supply block. I found a suitable replacement on Amazon." Larry.

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Also windows. Currently running multiple external drives and multiple internal drives. I have all my images from many years on an internal drive and my images from the current year on an internal SSD. These are backed up onto two external drives using Backvp 2. This scans any folders I select and everything is backed up on the external drives.

I know I'm missing the 3 in 1-2-3.

I also keep running out of room on my internal 1TB SSD.

As I keep learning and increasing my library, I have changed how I store my photos over the years. I never really tagged them, because I didn't have "that many" to worry about. Now as I shoot more and am putting more thought into my photography, I'm doing a better job of tagging and storing my photos.

I'm looking to get a Synology in the near future so I can stop all this nonsense of having to keep moving libraries from one drive to another. Jeff.

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I use Apple Photos. An iMac has a full copy of all files. I use Carbon Copy Cloner to copy the Photos library to a specific folder on a local Synology device. I also have a second Synology at a friend's home in another state. The Synology's are set to sync those specific folders automatically. A little pricy to begin with, but I'm not paying monthly charges to an online company. Steve H.

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I use a DROBO 5D with 5 8TB drives set up as a RAID 1, everything including iOS Time Machine backed up with Backblaze, Dropbox for 2TB of important files and iCloud backup for Photos. Since DROBO uses a proprietary software system, I am concerned about future support with newer versions of Mac iOS. I've looked at OSW DAS RAID, Synology NAS RAID and Sandisk G-Drives. None of them seem to have the same flexibility of DROBO. SSD drives seem to be the future but for large amounts of storage, prices are still too high for managing large amounts of storage.

It will be nice to know the path forward with software upgrades and support.

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To put a bow on some of these thoughts. A lot of people are using Drobo, myself included, and seem to be having relatively good experiences with them. But in general, Drobo users are nervous about the future.

There were numerous references to Snylogy. These are network-enabled multi-drive systems. A very popular unit is the Synology DiskStation DS920+ 4-Bay NAS Enclosure for $549 (drives not included).

• 4 x 3.5/2.5" Bays | 2 x M.2 2280 Slots
• 2.0 GHz Intel Celeron J4125 Quad-Core 4GB DDR4 RAM
• 2 x Gigabit Ethernet Ports
• 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A | 1 x eSATA
• RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, Hybrid, Basic, JBOD
• Sequential Reads up to 225.99 MB/s
• Sequential Writes up to 225.9 MB/s
• AES-NI Hardware Encryption Engine
• Synology DiskStation Manager OS

Another popular system is the QNAP TR-004-44W-US 12TB 4-Bay USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C RAID 5 Array (4 x 4TB) for $649 (drives included).

• 4 x 4TB 3.5" SATA III Hard Drives
• 4 x 3.5" / 2.5" Drive Bays
• USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C Host Interface
• Supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, JBOD & Single
• Pre-Configured for RAID 5
• Hardware Controller
• 120mm Smart Fan
• Windows, Mac, and Linux Compatible

And then of course there is some Cloud backup involved, such as Backblaze.

Roll this all up, and that's where many of our Inner Circle Members are right now. I hope you found this useful.

Update on Peakto

I had some correspondence with the Peakto folks that I want to share, especially in regard to the Capture One previews.

Capture One uses an 'obscure' format to store the High Resolution thumbnails. As a result we cannot decode it and we are limited to the small resolution images (we understand how it is built but without C1 engineers involvement we cannot exploit it). Changing the Preview settings in C1 will have no effect. We are trying to convince C1 to help us decode those formats (via a plugin so they can keep their recipe secret) and we now have good contacts with them. Until now, all our demands were rejected. But I am hopeful that we can find a solution.

I'd like, also, to give you a short update on we are currently working on:

• Dramatic improvements on performance when ingesting, especially when dealing with files and folders.
• A free to download trial version (weighting only 120Mb).
• Smart re-ingest (super fast, to ensure perfect sync).
• Smart albums and complex queries.
• Annotation within Peakto.
• A map tool.

Peakto Pricing

Peakto is available three ways:

• $9.99 Monthly with Zero Risk 7 day free trial.
• $99 Yearly per seat with 15 day free trial.
• $189 One time per seat with 30 day Money back guarantee.

5 Learnable Skills That Every Professional Photographer Must Have

You can read the entire article on FStoppers.com.

As photographers, we often are bogged down in what gear to buy, what lens to choose, what has better specs, and so on. To everyone's satisfaction or disappointment, these things will only make a marginal difference in most cases. As a photographer, you need to have more skills than gear. I am here to tell you the five most important ones.

Skills you need to have as a photographer might seem like the old list of being able to expose, compose, and remove people from a landscape photo in Photoshop. While there is no denying that these are all valid things you need to do as a photographer, they are very basic, and in order to really gain a competitive advantage and set yourself apart, you need to have more transferrable skills that are not industry-specific. This list is of skills you need to hone repeatedly in order to master photography.

• Learning and Unlearning Fast - One of the beautiful things about having an art career is that there are new things coming out every day. Being able to keep an open mind and unlearn old ways of doing things will certainly help you be a much better photographer.
• Productivity - In an industry where keeping with trends is a method of staying afloat, productivity is key. You need, really need, to hit deadlines on time. No one will wait for you to make it perfect. Done is better than perfect in this case.
• Marketing - There is no way you can be a successful business owner if you can't market your product to customers.
• Business and Accounting - Keeping it to business talk, you need to possess the ability to run a business. This starts from the knowledge of how to register it, how to issue invoices, how to file taxes, and do other paperwork.
• Style - Style is something that can be counted as a skill for me, as it involves a long process of learning, developing, and ultimately being formed and perfected to automation.

Tell a Friend

I was thinking the other day about how people love to tell me about their favorite podcasts, which I appreciate!

Then, I started thinking, we should be telling our friends about The Digital Story podcast. It's available on every service that's commonly used: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and on and on.

If each or our regular listeners told just one friend about this podcast and encouraged them to listen, those should be substantial numbers.

So let's try it! Tell a friend about the TDS Photography Podcast.

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #853, July 26, 2022. Today's theme is "The Best Software for B&W Photography." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

As we prepare for our upcoming B&W Photography Workshop, I've been having a lot of fun revisiting some of my favorite software. And the one thing that really jumps out at me is: there is black and white, and then there is BLACK & WHITE! So the first story of this week's show is dedicated to apps that help you create masterful monochromes that dazzle. 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

The Best Software for B&W Photography

I think B&W imagery lives somewhere in our DNA. There's just something about it that draws our attention.

We have many options for monochromes in the digital age. We can use the built-in effects in our cameras. These can be particularly sweet if you shoot Fuji or if you have an Olympus PEN-F.

In any software app, we can totally desaturate an image to create a monochrome. Most apps have a dedicated B&W adjustment panel that does an admirable job. Lightroom, Capture One, and Photos for macOS are all capable of producing excellent monochromes.

But one of the aspects of this type of photography is its ability to withstand "pushing the creative envelope." This tradition goes all the way back to the film days when we would alter the processing recipes to stretch Tri-X from its native ISO 400, to 800 and beyond.

And that's when we step beyond Lightroom presets and Capture One Styles into the uncharted waters of specialized plugins. Let's take a closer look at a few of these.

Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 3 Mac/Windows

I like using Silver Efex Pro 3 DxO PhotoLab 5 that comes bundled with the entire Nik software package. I can point PhotoLab to a folder of images, take care of my basic edits first, then launch the Silver Efex plugin from within PhotoLab.

This plugin also works well with Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. So if Lightroom is your everyday asset manager, you're in great shape with Silver Efex.

Silver Efex is such a fun app to work within. On the left side of the interface you have a column that features 64 magical presets. In all honesty, these are so good that you could pick your favorite for an image, click on it, and be done.

If you want to keep playing, however, on the right side you can tap a cornucopia of adjustment tools that are designed for B&W photography. I particularly like the Film Types panel that has some of my favorite emulsions from the analog days.

You can also use their Control Points technology for selective adjustments, and then use DxO Clear View for a finishing touch. It's really sweet.

If you come up with a magic formula that you like, you can save it as your own custom preset.

The entire Nik Collection, including DxO PhotoLab 5 is $149. There are usually discount codes online that can bring it down to $129.

ON1 Effects 2022 - Mac/Windows

I originally fell in love with ON1 Effects for my infrared photography. But it has a lot of muscle for straight B&W work as well.

Again, I tend to start with the B&W presets on the left side of the interface, the fine tune with the Black & White adjustment panel on the right side. In addition to the usual tonal sliders, I really like the Film Grain panel where I can choose from all the popular analog emulsions, then apply Amount and Size.

I also like the Opacity slider for each panel that allows me to add just a hint of color to my B&W conversions, almost like toning.

There are lots of other great effects to choose from that complement your B&W work, such as Vignette, Vintage, Lens Blur, Photo Filter, LUTs, Dynamic Contrast and more.

Unlike Silver Efex, you can buy ON1 Effects 2022 by itself for $69. It's wonderful for a variety of uses, and it works as a plugin with Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Capture One Pro, and Photos for macOS.

Final Thoughts

Both of these apps will help you elevate your B&W work to the Wow Level. And they are fun to experiment with as well.

Become a Medium Member and Support Independent Writers

The articles that I publish on Medium.com are an important part of our overall ecosystem. That work introduces new members to our community and what we're doing here.

If you enjoy the vast array of great writing on Medium, including the photography articles, consider becoming a member to support me and the other writers there.

Please use this link to do so.

Update on Peakto

There was an update this week that brought us up to version 1.0.2 that smoothed the normal rough edges.

I now have all of my Aperture libraries loaded, spanning images from 2000 to 2014. The performance is particularly good with Aperture catalogs.

I also have Capture One catalogs from 2015 to present in Peakto. The previews from C1P don't look quite as good as those from Aperture, so I am going to check my preview settings on the catalogs themselves to see if I can improve that situation.

Currently Peakto is digesting 897,730 items using 42.26 GBs. Performance remains strong.

Peakto is available three ways:

• $9.99 Monthly with Zero Risk 7 day free trial.
• $99 Yearly per seat with 15 day free trial.
• $189 One time per seat with 30 day Money back guarantee.

Kodak to Use Film Manufacturing Machines to Make EV Batteries

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.com.

Kodak has announced that it is repurposing some of the expensive, high-tech machines used to manufacture its photography film for use on batteries for electric vehicles (EV). The company has invested in Wildcat Discovery Technologies, which makes EV batteries.

Engineers at Kodak have discovered that the "supercell" batteries Wildcat manufactures, require a similar coating and engineering services, like their 35mm film. So, with minimal retooling, these $70 million machines have a new life, producing materials needed to create batteries.

According to a video tour of the Kodak facility by Destin of Smarter Everyday on YouTube, Kodak's current process of film manufacturing , known as ESTAR, requires using polymers to create the film itself. These polymers have replaced the old school acetate base in 35mm film (except for motion picture film) and requires special chemical coatings, which Kodak says is very similar to what is required in Wildcat's Supercell EV batteries.

"[These machines are] probably a $70 million or $80 million machines, and we were selling them extremely cheap, [for less than] $2 million," Jim Continenza, CEO of Kodak, tells the Rome Sentinel. "And it's like, 'No, we've got to put this back to work. This is an incredible piece of equipment.'"

Continenza goes on to say that it was at that moment that he realized, accidentally, that George Eastman made a battery company, he just didn't know it. "It's identical to making film and coating on batteries."

n order to keep the company growing, Continenza and his team have been looking for ways to capitalize on the manufacturing capability of its Advanced Materials & Chemicals business at Eastman Business Park (formerly known as Kodak Park). Since then, Kodak has expanded into making components for pharmaceuticals, health care operations, and chemicals for various lab operations.

With this new vision for Kodak, the company has gone from laying off personnel to cope with a shrinking film industry, to working overtime to fill nearly 100 vacancies. That is a remarkable turnaround.

Tell a Friend

I was thinking the other day about how people love to tell me about their favorite podcasts, which I appreciate!

Then, I started thinking, we should be telling our friends about The Digital Story podcast. It's available on every service that's commonly used: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and on and on.

If each or our regular listeners told just one friend about this podcast and encouraged them to listen, those should be substantial numbers.

So let's try it! Tell a friend about the TDS Photography Podcast.

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #852, July 19, 2022. Today's theme is "Finally! Your Entire Digital Catalog in One Place with Peakto." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Photography cataloging software has evolved a lot over the years. And as we move from software to software we often have to leave our older images behind. No more! Thanks to a breakthrough app called Peakto (for Mac), you can browse pictures from Aperture to Capture One, all in one interface, plus leverage the power of AI to search and sort. It's nothing short of amazing, and you'll learn all about it on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

---

Apple Podcasts -- Spotify Podcasts -- Stitcher

Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In

Finally! Your Entire Digital Catalog in One Place with Peakto

I've been testing Peakto 1.0 and currently have it cataloging my Aperture and Capture One catalogs side by side, plus watching a few folders. And I have to say that I'm amazed. Let's start with its basic specs.

Peakto requires macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later and runs well on Apple M1 chips.
Peakto is compatible with:

• Aperture catalogs from version 3.6
• Lightroom Classic catalogs from version 5
• Luminar catalogs from version 4.2
• Luminar AI catalogs from version 1.0
• Capture One catalogs from version 20
• Apple Photos catalogs from version 6 (Big Sur)
• iView Media Pro catalogs from version 3

A working copy of the supported apps (Apple Aperture, Lightroom, CaptureOne, iView Media Pro...) is not required when using Peakto, as Peakto opens those libraries natively.

Peakto gathers tons of existing data from your catalogs, such as EXIF, IPTC, keywords, ratings, geotags, and faces. The faces recognition is particularly impressive. All the faces data from my Aperture libraries were recognized in Peakto.

Working with Peakto

Peakto can pull from a variety of hard drives and keeps track of where everything is. If you edit a photo in one of your apps on one of your drives, Peakto will recognize the change and update the image in its browser.

If you unplug a drive that Peakto is following, you can still browse the images, even when the drive is detached. I've tested Peakto with external SSD, external HDD, and Drobos. Worked equally well with all.

If you have an older version of a catalog, let's say Capture One, Peakto will notify you to update it (by simply opening it in a current version of the app) before it can be cataloged. I'm going through that process now with some of my older stuff.

If you find an image that you want to do more with, Peakto will let you open it for editing in the native app, or it will point you to the location of the originating library in the Finder.

Impressive Use of AI and Organization

Obviously, we don't want to flat browse thousands of images to find what we're looking for. Peakto helps us with this process in two basic ways.

First, it shows us our original catalog organization. You can reveal a second column that shows you the organization from the original catalog, even if it's Lightroom, Aperture, or Capture One. It's amazing.

Next, you have your keywords, star ratings, labels, and faces info that you can use as search criteria as well.

And finally, Peakto uses AI that gathers images in intelligent ways such as by color or visual subject. This part is fun too.

Impact on Computer and Performance

Peakto stores everything in the Application Support folder. Currently it's occupying 10.14 GB for 226,329 items. I'm projecting that I will easily reach 500,000 items soon, guessing that I'll need 20 GBs of storage to manage that. A good deal indeed!

It does take time to register catalogs. This is a multi-phase process that can operate in the background once it gets to a certain stage.

I set up five catalogs last night and went to bed. Everything was completed this morning, probably a good way to go in the beginning.

Clever Trick for Exporting Pictures Out of Peakto

Even if you don't have the host app available, you can export high quality Jpegs out of Peakto. Here's how I did it for images in an Aperture catalog.

• Create an album or reuse an existing album. Note that you can create an album from the current selection easily.
• Put all images to export in the album.
• Choose "Export Album" from the Contextual menu.
• You will be presented with the Export dialog. It is a fairly sophisticated export dialog because we need to handle the presence/absence of large resolution 'previews' for all the images selected.
  Peakto will carefully analyze what is available. Take Aperture for example: Aperture usually stores 1:1 image previews for all images. Exporting from Peakto will give you the ability to export those high resolution images.
  Lightroom has several options when it comes to preview sizes and quality, and we will analyse what is available and export it.

Peakto Pricing

Peakto is available three ways:

• $9.99 Monthly with Zero Risk 7 day free trial.
• $99 Yearly per seat with 15 day free trial.
• $189 One time per seat with 30 day Money back guarantee.

Final Thoughts

I am wildly impressed with Peakto, and it is going to change my archiving and retrieval forever, and for the best.

Become a Medium Member and Support Independent Writers

The articles that I publish on Medium.com are an important part of our overall ecosystem. That work introduces new members to our community and what we're doing here.

If you enjoy the vast array of great writing on Medium, including the photography articles, consider becoming a member to support me and the other writers there.

Please use this link to do so.

Uh-oh: Cash-strapped storage company Drobo files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

You can read the entire article on PopPhotography.com.

The data storage company, Drobo is facing an uncertain future. Late last month, the brand and its parent company, StorCentric, both simultaneously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in California's Northern Bankruptcy Court (San Jose).

It's sad news for one of the earliest names in both direct- and network-attached storage, but it's not necessarily the end quite yet, as one or both companies could emerge rejuvenated. Should that happen, hopefully, the brand's products will have been reworked to reflect the needs and realities of the current storage market.

In the final weeks of 2018, the new company released its first--and to date, only--new Drobo product, the Drobo 8D. Initially, things seemed to be on the right path, with early reviews proving quite positive. But then in the second half of 2018, the stock suddenly disappeared from shelves right as StorCentric seemed ready to spread its wings. Over the next six months, availability fluctuated before the 8D suddenly disappeared altogether in March 2020.

The newest storage device wasn't alone in vanishing from the company's product listings, as the 5D, 5Dt, and B1200i models were also discontinued around the same time the 8D went AWOL. Five other Drobo models remain listed on the company's website, but all were geriatric, having launched anywhere from five to seven years earlier. By early 2020, only two of these five were still available at retail. (As of today, not a single one remains available to purchase.) Yet Drobo remained silent as to the reasons for its supply issues.

The process both Drobo and StorCentric have entered is for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This indicates an intention to reorganize the companies while under the control of a trustee, with the goal being to resolve debts and return the company to solvency, possibly under the control of the debtors should insufficient funds be available to cover their debts.

At the same time, though, there's no guarantee that Chapter 11 proceedings will reach a successful conclusion.

Tell a Friend

I was thinking the other day about how people love to tell me about their favorite podcasts, which I appreciate!

Then, I started thinking, we should be telling our friends about The Digital Story podcast. It's available on every service that's commonly used: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and on and on.

If each or our regular listeners told just one friend about this podcast and encouraged them to listen, those should be substantial numbers.

So let's try it! Tell a friend about the TDS Photography Podcast.

How to Go from Garden to Greeting Card in 3 Easy Steps

You can read the entire article on TheDigitalStory.com.

Whether you have a window box over the kitchen sink, clay pots on the patio, or a raised bed in the backyard, the flowers you cultivate can live far beyond their vase-life expectancy with the help of your camera and inkjet printer.

Fine art greeting cards are one of the most satisfying print projects, and they are very easy to create. All you have to do is photograph a few of your favorite blossoms, then follow these simple steps.

1 - Prepare the Image

The finish size for our greeting card will be 5" tall and 7" wide. So you'll want to crop your image to 5"x7" so it looks exactly as you want on the front of the card. This is especially important if you're going to print a "full bleed" edge-to-edge picture.

Also, if you're printing on a matte surface paper, I would add a little extra sharpening to compensate for dot spread.

2 - Choose Your Paper

I recommend Red River Paper pre-scored 7x10 60lb. paper for this project. It has a lovely weight, folds easily along the score, and is available in a variety of surfaces.

For this project, I used Item #1058, 60lb. Red River Paper Canvas. Images look terrific on this matte surface, and the card feels absolutely lovely in the hands. There are many other stocks that work wonderfully as well, so have a few on hand. And don't forget to add a box of 5.25"x7.25" envelopes to your order.

3 - Print the Card

You can use any app that supports inkjet printing. I'm currently using Photos for macOS because it's easy and provides good results.

Prefold your card so that it's 5"x7" in dimension and insert it into the printer intake tray. Fold the card as flat as possible to ensure that it feeds smoothly. I print just one card at a time to prevent paper jams. (I know you're thinking that this won't work, but it does on both of my inkjet printers.)

In the print dialog box, set up your job. If you want to float the image on the front of the card, use the settings in the illustration below. (I think this is a handsome pro touch!)

Now all you have to do is enable Print, and within a few minutes your finished card will emerge from the printer. Finish it off by writing a note on the inside and put it in the envelope. You're ready to go!

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #851, July 12, 2022. Today's theme is "5 Great Vintage Lenses for Your Digital Camera." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Creative photography is often about character. How can we create looks that are unique and convey the intended emotion. One of my favorite starting points for this is to adapt a vintage lens to my Olympus PEN-F. Everything changes, from process to outcome. And the images are truly different. In today's podcast, I share 5 of my favorite vintage optics for digital photography. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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5 Great Vintage Lenses for Your Digital Camera

If you're interested in this technique, there are a few things you will need. First, a mirrorless camera that you like to experiment with, not so much your workhorse. You want to be able to leave the optic on the camera to grab when inspiration strikes.

You'll need an adapter. These are reasonably priced and are specific to the lens mount and camera. I have a small collection of these so I can adapt a variety of optics to my PEN-F and Fuji X100S. And finally, you'll need the lens itself, preferably a prime that is f/2.8 or faster.

As a bonus, I do like to have a film body to go with the lens. Every now and then it's fun to load up a roll of 35mm and experiment further.

OK, so all of that being said, here are five vintage optics that I've really enjoyed using.

Minolta MD Rokkor-x 45mm f/2.0

This is a relatively easy to find optic that is very compact, fast, and produces great images. It's a terrific portrait optic on Micro Four Thirds cameras because the equivalent focal length is 90mms.

I do like the compact primes for this work because even with the adapter, they still look good on the camera and are easy to handle and shoot with.

Backyard flowers captured with the Zeiss 45mm f/2.8 on a PEN-F. Photo by Derrick Story.

Carl Zeiss Tessar T* 45mm f/2.8

This is my favorite vintage optic on the PEN-F. It costs a bit more than the Minolta 45mm, but it is even more compact, and truly looks like it was designed for the camera.

The Tessar is sharp, contrasty, and produces great color or B&W images. I particularly like it with the Mono setting on the PEN-F for contrasty, artistic B&W work.

This lens is an absolute beauty.

SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/1.4

Surprisingly compact for such a fast optic with a beautiful front objective lens. The Pentax is a bit heftier than the Minolta or Zeiss 45s, but you get crazy-fast wide aperture with impressive falloff and creamy backgrounds.

The Pentax 50mm is also relatively easy to find, and also is available and f/1.7 and f/2.0 versions. You won't be disappointed with either color or B&W output.

Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8

I first fell in love with the Series E 100mm for film work, but then was enchanted all over again when adapted to the Fujifilm X100s medium format camera.

With a crop factor of 0.79, the Nikon becomes a cool 79mm portrait lens on the GFX. And just as a point of interest, the Fujifilm does have a 35mm setting on the camera for this application.

Nikon Series E 35mm f/2.5

This is such a handy lens that works well on a variety of digital cameras. If you mount on a Nikon full frame DSLR, it's a versatile 35mm lens, put it on a MFT body, and it becomes a lovely 70mm portrait optic, and on the GFX medium format camera, it goes wide at 28mm.

The Series E lenses are affordable, but not always easy to come by, so you need to keep your eyes open for when one pops up on the used market.

And then if you want to go for the grand slam, score a Nikon film body too and head out for a little analog street photography.

Final Thoughts

All of these lenses give you a different look from their modern counterparts. But there are other factors involved that contribute to the unique outcome. Manual focus slows you down and often makes for more interesting compositions, and motivation to experiment with other settings on the camera such as Art Filters and monochrome further pushes the creative envelope.

Olympus PEN-F with adapter and Zeiss 45mm f/2.8 vintage lens.

If you're photography is feeling a bit in the rut, a vintage lens might just get you rolling again in the creative fast lane.

Become a Medium Member and Support Independent Writers

The articles that I publish on Medium.com are an important part of our overall ecosystem. That work introduces new members to our community and what we're doing here.

If you enjoy the vast array of great writing on Medium, including the photography articles, consider becoming a member to support me and the other writers there.

Please use this link to do so.

2021 Was Leica's Best Financial Year Ever

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com.

Leica has announced that 2021/22 was its best financial year in its more than 100-year history. It increased revenue by 16% to 450 million euros.

The financial year was between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022 which resulted in the best business result in the company's history of more than 100 years.

Leica CEO Matthias Harsch says that in addition to these numbers, sales of cameras and sports optics were also up and allowed the company to accelerate international growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on supply chains and retail stores.

"We are convinced that our products 'made in Germany' fulfill the strongly growing consumer demand for high-quality sustainable brands and that our new product categories will generate increasing enthusiasm for the world of Leica photography in younger target groups," Harsch says.

The company says that a significant factor in its growth was the expansion of its global sales and retail network as well as the online business sector.

"With the realignment of US business activities and the founding of regional organizations in the Middle East and Scandinavia, the company further consolidated its activities in strategically important premium markets," Leica reports.ctions in camera design.'

Tell a Friend

I was thinking the other day about how people love to tell me about their favorite podcasts, which I appreciate!

Then, I started thinking, we should be telling our friends about The Digital Story podcast. It's available on every service that's commonly used: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and on and on.

If each or our regular listeners told just one friend about this podcast and encouraged them to listen, those should be substantial numbers.

So let's try it! Tell a friend about the TDS Photography Podcast.

How to Create a Photography Website and Print Store

You can read the entire article on thewanderinglens.com.

Good article that covers the basic considerations for creating a photography website.

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #850, July 5, 2022. Today's theme is "The Photography Endgame." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

When you sit back and analyze the world of photography today, it's not unusual to wonder where you fit in. There was a time when making a pretty picture separated us from the snapshooters. But technology has dethroned that king. So why do we keep buying cameras, attending classes, reading articles, and yes, laboring over our images? I will share my theory in today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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The Photography Endgame

I've been thinking about this for a while, but a few insights came to light during our recent Infrared Photography Workshop. We had a group of seasoned photographers spending time learning new techniques that at times were frustrating and that also involved purchasing new equipment.

The kicker was, ironically, that very few people outside of the group would appreciate the images that we produced. We shared stories of entering IR shots in camera club competitions, showing our work to loved ones, and posting these images on social - all with predictable outcomes: hardly anyone preferred them to our postcard shots of a sunset with an iPhone.

And yet, we kept working. Not because we had to, but because we really wanted to. Each of us wanted to find our own voice in this Stranger Things upside down world of photography. And we loved it.

After our wonderful final presentations, I was fascinated by the entire experience. And it dawned on me that this was an analogy for all of enthusiast photography today.

As I continued thinking about this, I came up with 5 reasons why many of us keep investing time, money, and energy into the pursuit of creative photography, and what our possible endgame is.

Making a Pretty Picture No Longer Matters

I know that I've mentioned in passing that I'm cleaning out and redesigning my studio. A big part of that process is recycling, repurposing, and sometimes throwing away things that I've held on to.

I'm amazed at how many pretty pictures I've taken over the past 5 decades. And for the most part, they bore the hell out of me. What I used to spend hours on I can now accomplish in seconds with my iPhone - and so can everyone else.

Pretty pictures tied to good memories are valuable. But beyond that, they are not a meaningful part of serious artistic photography.

We Now Judged Against a Global Community

When I was a photographer for a local newspaper in my 20s, my world was family, friends, school, and town. In those days, Chino had a population of 10,000. A fraction of those people owned interchangeable lens cameras. I was a big fish in a small pond.

Today, when I post a picture on Instagram, it has the ability to reach practically every corner of the world, and I am compared to millions of photographers.

None of us are going to be the big fish in the vast churning worldwide ocean.

Why We Buy Interchangeable Lens Cameras and Rangefinders

Because pretty pictures no longer matter, and smartphones take pretty pictures. We need tools that allow us to make unusual images that look different than sunsets over the ocean.

In the hands of a creative, a $2,000 kit can bend to our wills of creating something different, imperfect, and yes, at times unattractive. But we made it, not the technology.

As a bonus, we get to use tools that feel good, appeal to our sense of mechanical appreciation, and have an iconic look.

Photography Is Our Creative Voice

The bulk of our life is spent sleeping, eating, doing chores, going to work, and interacting with friends and family.

For most folks, none of that is particularly creative. But for us, photography is our expression. And the possibilities are unlimited.

We can be expressing our creative voice with these tools through every phase of our life to the very end when a nurse tilts our wheelchair on its back to allow us to take pictures of a beautiful cloudy sky.

There are few pursuits in life that offer the creative flexibility or longevity that photography does.

In the End, the Final Picture Doesn't Matter

Yes, every now and then it's nice to turn the laptop to a friend sitting next to us and ask, "So what do you think of this shot?" But their response has absolutely nothing to do with our motivation to continue.

We make pictures because we love the journey. The destination does not matter.

There is no photography endgame. These is pursuit, evolution, pleasure, wonder, surprise, and a love of hardware and software.

Very few things in life deliver the thrill of a decisive moment caught through our lens and nurtured with software on our laptop screen.

Let's face it: much of life is disappointing. But photography is the silver thread that runs through it, that magical path that travels from our heart and mind to the outside world.

No one is going to care about our pictures as much as we do. And that's just fine.

Film Friday: A tribute to the Olympus OM-1 on its 50th anniversary

You can read the entire article on DPReview.com.

In honor of the 50-year anniversary of the Olympus OM-1, Kosmo Foto founder Stephen Dowling has written up a comprehensive tribute to the camera that redefined what an SLR camera could be by keeping the design simple and compact without sacrificing too much functionality.

As we've covered before, the Olympus OM-1 wasn't the original plan. Olympus designer Yoshihisa Maitani had originally conceptualized and eventually developed a prototype for a camera that we now know was called the Olympus OM-X. This camera was similar in style to Hasselblad cameras, but used 35mm film instead of the 120 rolls its medium format counterpart used.

Unfortunately, that design proved too complicated to produce at scale, so it stopped at the prototype stage. Eventually, Maitani settled on making the OM-1, a camera he had envisioned as an incredibly compact 35mm camera from the get-go. So small, in fact, that he used the Nikon F as the measuring stick and told his engineers that he wanted the OM-1 to be 20-percent smaller in all dimensions and weigh just half of what the Nikon F did.

Although not easy, the Olympus team eventually pulled through with Maitani at the helm, delivering a camera that measured only marginally larger than his original concept. To achieve this, Maitani and his team used new technologies and materials to make the most of every component. While the camera was originally named the M-1, Leica took issue with that due to its own M1 camera, so it was eventually named the OM-1 to minimize confusion.

Eventually, the camera was revealed at the Photokina photographic fair in Cologne, West Germany, in May 1972. The first units started arriving at stores just under a year later in February 1973 and started what Dowling refers to as an 'arms race' amongst the other major camera manufacturers, paving the way for the likes of the Canon A-1 and others.

Dowling concludes the article saying the OM-1 is 'a testament to Maitani's skill at finding new directions in camera design.'

Tell a Friend

I was thinking the other day about how people love to tell me about their favorite podcasts, which I appreciate!

Then, I started thinking, we should be telling our friends about The Digital Story podcast. It's available on every service that's commonly used: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and on and on.

If each or our regular listeners told just one friend about this podcast and encouraged them to listen, those should be substantial numbers.

So let's try it! Tell a friend about the TDS Photography Podcast.

How Much Does Image Quality Really Matter?

You can read the entire article on FStoppers.com.

Modern cameras and lenses offer remarkably good image quality -- levels that were only dreamed of even just a decade ago. And with those increased capabilities have come increased standards and expectations. But at this point, how much image quality do we really need? This interesting video poses the question and examines a scenario where getting the shot might take precedence.

Coming to you from Jiggie Alejandrino, this thought-provoking video examines the question of how much image quality we really need.

I'm reminded of one of my first headshot sessions. At that time, I would automatically remove any image where I didn't absolutely nail the focus. The client was not especially satisfied with what that left and asked me where many of the photos in which he knew he was smiling had gone to. I explained my reasoning, but he asked to see them anyway, and he was immediately far more pleased. He ended up selecting one where I had barely missed focus; a little extra sharpening got it plenty close enough. It was then that I realized there is a way a photographer sees images and a way a client sees them, and it is important that we understand both, because technical perfection is far from everything.

Check out the video above for the full rundown from Alejandrino.

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #849, June 28, 2022. Today's theme is "And Yet, Things Still Go Wrong." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

As I see it, a major difference between the analog age and modern digital times, is there are more ways to screw up today than ever. Whether it's a flagship mirrorless camera, state of the art Apple watch, or an all electric SUV, their amazing powers at times seem to hang in a delicate balance. On today's TDS Podcast, I share a few recent examples. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

---

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And Yet, Things Still Go Wrong

No RAWs in Slot #1

I'm still not sure how this happened, but I came away from an important shoot with only Jpegs.

Snap Out of Focus

I pulled the camera out of my bag to grab a quick shot of a decisive moment only to have 5 frames of fuzz.

Power Misalignment

On the same day, I misaligned my Apple Watch on its recharging stand and my iPhone on its wireless pad.

All Systems Not Go

I get into my EV and it promptly tells me that the system isn't working properly and that I should contact the dealer. I turn off the car, count to 10, and power up again. Everything is fine. Sound familiar?

The Internet is Broken!

So often when I'm in public spaces, my iPhone tells me that it can't connect to the Internet, even though I have 4 bars on my cellular. But instead of using that, it decides to connect to some bogus WiFi network that is a bridge to nowhere.

So, while all of this is going on, back at the house my Timex quartz is ticking away, my Pentax LX still has a half a roll of film and is patiently waiting for me to finish it off, and the Audi A3 has 8 gallons of premium petro ready to blast off.

I'm beginning to think that to survive in today's world, enjoy the convenience of digital when it's working, but it doesn't hurt to have an analog backup -- just in case.

Free, Open-Source Photo Manager DigiKam Gets a Big Update

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.com.

DigiKam, the free open-source multi-platform digital photo management application, has released version 7.7 for Windows, macOS, and Linux that adds new features, support for more cameras, and fixes a bunch of bugs.

The update to the free professional photo management software comes just a few months after the last major feature release that brought support for the AOM AV1 image file format as well as adding and updating the read/write support for the JPEG-XL image format in all supported bundles.

The 7.7 update brings support for the Olympus OM-1 mirrorless micro four-third system allowing the new camera and lens combinations to be recognized by the application, bringing the number of supported RAW cameras up to more than 1180.

Version 7.7 also includes 84 crash, bug, and maintenance fixes to improve the overall experience and performance, including better support of the HEIF images from the various iPhone cameras, updated operating system support (Windows/Mac/Linux), and adds features like Pinterest exporting, Picasa 3 migration, and the ability to export PSD files to Google Photos.

Apple explains how it's making your iPhone a full-fledged webcam for your Mac

You can read the entire article on The Verge.

Apple software engineer Karen Xing spent some time explaining how the new Continuity Camera feature for macOS Ventura will actually work at WWDC 2022 -- and it sounds seriously impressive. It could make your iPhone a full-fledged camera for Mac, one that does most everything you'd expect and more.

macOS will detect your iPhone as a camera and microphone, period, so every camera app should work. While Apple only showed off FaceTime and mentioned Zoom, Teams, and Webex during the big WWDC 2022 keynote, developers shouldn't need to do anything to their apps for them to work.

You get Portrait Mode, "Studio Light," and Center Stage options regardless of the app, too. They're in a Control Center dropdown menu, alongside your iPhone's battery.

FaceTime isn't the only app that'll "magically" switch to your iPhone when you plop it down. Xing demoed that with Zoom, and Apple's offering up an automatic camera selection API that other apps can use, too. macOS Ventura will automatically switch to your iPhone if it's mounted on a stand and either plugged in via USB or detected as "nearby" using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

There's an API for Apple's nifty Desk View mode, too. Apple figured out a way to bend and crop images from the iPhone's super-ultrawide lens to let you show off things on the surface of your desk without moving your phone. That's available for app devs, too, and Xing showed it off as a way to present in Zoom.

Unfortunately, none of this works with those old iPhones you've got sitting in a drawer. Continuity Camera requires iOS 16 in addition to macOS 13, Xing revealed -- and unfortunately, the iPhone 6S, 7, and first-gen iPhone SE and earlier won't be getting the iOS 16 software update. That's a shame because it feels like it could be a great way to make use of an older phone that doesn't have resale value. Still, there are other ways to turn an old spare phone into a webcam.

DPI vs PPI

You can read the entire article on theWanderlingLens.com site.

There's a lot of good info in this article about printing. And one gem deals with DPI, which stands for Dots per Inch regarding ink droplets on paper, and PPI, which stands for Pixels per Inch and refers to resolution of digital images on screens.

When printing, the standard is 300 dpi.

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #848, June 21, 2022. Today's theme is "5 Tips for Photographers Who Shoot with iPhones." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

I think it's safe to say that photographers approach their iPhone cameras just a little bit different than everyone else. And they are more likely to tap the software's advanced features. In that spirit, I have a show just for you, nimble photographer, who realizes the value of photography with any device, even the one in your pocket. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

---

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5 Tips for Photographers Who Shoot with iPhones

A One-Handed Selfie Shot captured with the front camera of an iPhone 12 Pro Max using Portrait Mode with a depth of f/2.8. Photo of Derrick Story by Derrick Story.

In my latest Medium article titled, My Favorite iPhone Portrait Tricks, I tell the story of me showing up at a family gathering without any of my mirrorless cameras. So I felt a little sheepish when asked to make a couples portrait.

Fortunately, I've had plenty of practice with my iPhone 12 Pro Max. And thanks to that knowledge, I pulled it off.

That got me thinking that this might be a good time to share some of my favorite techniques with you. So let's get right to it.

• The Back Tap Camera Wake - A photographer's eye often detects decisive moments before others. To ensure that your camera reacts as quickly as you need, set up the Back Tap Camera Wake. Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. There are lots of options here. I use the Double Tap for the Camera, and the Triple Tap for the Flashlight.
• Angle Bracket Pointing Down - There's an angle bracket at the top of the camera interface, and it is usually point upward. Tap on it to angle it downward, and it will reveal an entire row of camera settings right above the shutter button, including proportions, flash controls, exposure compensation, self timer, and filters. If you're in Portrait mode, you can set the Depth f/stop here. In Time-Lapse, you can adjust the exposure there.
• One-Handed Selfie Shot - Use the Volume Down button on the side of the phone to take a one-handed selfie shot. Start by switching to the front camera, then grip the phone in one hand with your thumb on the volume down button. Direct your eyes to the glowing green dot (that's where the camera is), then squeeze your thumb to take the picture.
  You can use this technique in Portrait Mode, which is really cool, especially around f/2 for the Depth. Also, this is much easier with the case removed providing easier response from the volume button.
• Lens Correction - The Ultra Wide Lens gets even better when you enable Lens Correction in the Camera Settings. You also have many other useful option here sun as View Outside of the Frame and Preserve Settings.
• Long Exposure Trick - My all time favorite. Enable Live Photo, hold the camera steady right before, during, and after exposure. Then open the image in Photos, and choose Long Exposure fro the "Live" menu. You can also use this technique creatively by moving the camera before and during exposure.

I also recommend that you read my My Favorite iPhone Portrait Tricks on Medium.com. There's a really nice portrait workflow in that article that can serve you well in a pinch.

Tell a Friend

I was thinking the other day about how people love to tell me about their favorite podcasts, which I appreciate!

Then, I started thinking, we should be telling our friends about The Digital Story podcast. It's available on every service that's commonly used: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and on and on.

If each or our regular listeners told just one friend about this podcast and encouraged them to listen, those should be substantial numbers.

So let's try it! Tell a friend about the TDS Photography Podcast.

Senators Want US to Follow EU and Adopt a Common Charging Cable

You can read the entire article on ThPetaPixel.com.

A group of United States senators has written a letter to the U.S. Commerce Department advocating that the country should follow the European Union's decision to force all electronics manufacturers to adopt a common charging cable.

Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) authored the letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to argue for a standardized charging system. The three Senators say that the consumer electronics industry's largest players have hurt consumers by failing to establish a uniform charging accessory standard and forcing them to frequently change their charging accessories instead.

"This planned obsolescence is expensive and frustrating for consumers, and drives the proliferation of electronic waste," the senators write.

"The lack of interoperability standards for charging and other device accessories also results in e-waste and environmental damage. As specialized chargers become obsolete with the introduction of new products, or as consumers change the brand of phone or device that they use, their outdated chargers are usually just thrown away," the senators continue.

"When electronics are not disposed of properly, e-waste can spread toxins in water, pollute soil, and degrade the air we breathe. In 2019, humans generated a staggering 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste, and only 17 percent of this waste was recycled. Chargers that are discarded or never used create more than 11,000 tons of e-waste annually. This is a global issue, with a lasting impact on our environment and public health.7 The U.S. government must respond."

The three argue that the European Union (EU) has recognized this in the passing of legislation that requires manufacturers to adopt a common charger for electronic devices.

Tool Panel Redesign in Capture One Pro 15.3

You can read the entire article on TheDigitalStory.com.

One of my favorite aspects of the new 15.3 update to Capture One Pro 22 is the Tool Panel Design. I used this fresh look as motivation to clean up my entire Tools area.

Start by Removing Tool Tabs You Don' Need

First you want to clear up a little space at the top of the Tool Tab by removing any Tool Tabs that aren't part of your daily workflow. In my case, the Tether Tab is the first to go. I rarely use is, and I don't need it taking up valuable real estate.

Go to View > Customize Tools > Remove Tool Tab and select from the list the one you want to take off the top of the column. Keep in mind that this Tool Tab isn't deleted, just repositioned.

Also note that you can customize the tools within any tab. So if you want to remove the Refine Tab, but want Sharpening easily available, you could add that tool to another tab such as the new Quick Tab.

Customize Within the Tool Tabs

Once you get your basic categories set at the top of the Tools column, you will probably want to customize a few of the Tools within each tab. Open the Tab you want to modify, then go to View > Customize Tools > Add Tool to [selected] Tab. You can also remove tools as well to tailor each Tab exactly to your liking.

If you want to reorder the Tab icons at the top of the Tools column, hold down the Command key and drag the icon to its new location.

Save Your Workspace

It's a great feeling to get your Capture One Pro house in order. Now is the time to save your Workspace so you can return to it at any time. This is particularly handy if you have different workspaces for different workflows, or if you have multiple photographers using the same computer.

Click on the three vertical dots at the top of the Tool Tab column. Save the Workspace, and you're set. This is also where you can move the Tool Tabs column from one side of the interface to the other.

Top 10 E-M1X & E-M1 Mark III Menu Secrets

You can read the entire article on the GetOlympus site.

Here's one in particular that I liked, and it works with the OM-1 as well!

Low ISO Processing - On Custom Menu E1. Exp/ISO/BULB (E-M1 III and E-MX) you will find a feature called Low ISO Processing (on OM-1 it's Camera Menu 1, Low ISO Processing) with two options called Detail Priority and Drive Priority. A quick explanation is that when shooting at low ISO's, if we set this option to Detail Priority, the camera will prioritize image resolution and reducing noise, and in Drive Priority it will focus on frame rate (the number of images per second). So, for my camera bodies and/or custom modes that are set for landscape and macro photography, I choose Detail Priority since frame rate is generally not critical. For wildlife photography, I choose Drive Priority since frame rate is more critical and I am not always shooting at a low ISO.

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #847, June 14, 2022. Today's theme is "Cropped Sensors Aren't Going Anywhere, Nor Should They" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

"Mine is bigger than yours" seems to permeate every crevice of the male psyche. We compare the size of our trucks, houses, paychecks and practically anything else that can be measured, quantified, or weighed. We even do it with the girth of our lenses and size of our sensors. And yet, after multiple predictions of their demise, APS-C and MFTs are not only still here, but thriving. A closer look on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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Cropped Sensors Aren't Going Anywhere, Nor Should They

What do the Canon EOS R7, Fujifilm X-H2S, Canon EOS R10, Nikon Z fc, Sony a6400, OM System OM-1, and Panasonic GH6 all have in common? None of them have a full frame sensor.

The Canon R7, R10, and Fujifilm X-H2s are new releases that we're waiting for to land on store shelves, the a6400 is just now going back into production. Nikon Z fc is suddenly a golden child. And it isn't very easy to get your hands on the new OM-1, which seems to be always out of stock.

If the smaller cropped sensor camera is so inferior to their larger siblings, why is Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, OM System, and Panasonic investing so much in them?

The short answer is (get it?) that people like 'em. And here are five reasons why.

• They tend to be smaller and easier to carry around.
• Thanks to today's technology, the image quality is fantastic.
• You can get smaller, lighter lenses that still have amazing optical quality.
• They generally cost less.
• And yes, sometimes you want a little extra depth of field.

On pro photo assignments, I stand shoulder to shoulder with my full frame brothers and sisters. My shoulders are less tired. And I get hired just as often as they do. (And I'm spending far less on my gear.)

Believe me, cropped sensor cameras aren't going anywhere.

Tell a Friend

I was thinking the other day about how people love to tell me about their favorite podcasts, which I appreciate!

Then, I started thinking, we should be telling our friends about The Digital Story podcast. It's available on every service that's commonly used: Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify, and on and on.

If each or our regular listeners told just one friend about this podcast and encouraged them to listen, those should be substantial numbers.

So let's try it! Tell a friend about the TDS Photography Podcast.

TikTok is Convincing People to Scratch Their Camera Lenses with Rocks

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.com.

Some photographers on TikTok are trying an unconventional technique for unusual results: taking a rock to the front of their lenses, scratching the glass, and destroying them in the process.

Photographer Illumitati posted a video of her using a rock to mortally wound her Canon 50mm f/1.8 in response to a viral video made by Andres Videography where he appeared to do the same to his lens.

However, Andres didn't actually scratch his lens; eagle-eyed viewers will notice that he was actually scratching a lens filter placed on his Sony 85mm.

But in Illumitati's case, she actually takes a rock to the front element of her 50mm. Speaking to PetaPixel she explains what happened.

"I saw another person do it with a filter, and my intrusive thoughts told me to try it on the lens for real," she says.

"This came up on my 'for your page' and as a photographer, I'd never cringed harder in my life," Illumitati says in her TikTok video.

"But then I was so curious to see what a photo from that camera would look like I actually destroyed one of my lenses," she continues. "Then I set it down and got ready to take a couple of portraits and to my surprise, it actually gave it this glow. I don't recommend doing this to your lenses but hey, it's kind of cool."

When asked by PetaPixel, the portrait and fashion photographer seemed to have no regrets over the video.

"I really did scratch it, and the photos were actually not bad at all. The lens is really not great in the first place so I don't think I'd use it," she says.

Leica announces $20,000 M-A' Titan' set featuring titanium film camera and lens

You can read the entire article on DPReview.com.

Leica has announced a new limited-edition film camera and matching APO-Summicron-M 50 F2 ASPH lens. The Leica M-A 'Titan' set is Leica's sixth limited-edition camera with a titanium exterior. The first titanium exterior Leica was the Leica M6 TTL' Titanium,' released in 2001. The high-end, limited M-A 'Titan' camera and lens are milled from solid titanium, a material known for its durability. The titanium also gives the M-A 'Titan' set a distinct, striking look.

The Leica M-A is a purely mechanical camera, relying on no power or data connections. Leica writes that the M-A is 'the epitome of Leica's philosophy to concentrate on the essential: a return to photography in its purest form.' The Leica M-A doesn't even include a light meter, unlike the Leica MP. The special edition version includes the classic 'Ernst Leitz Wetzlar' script on the top plate.

The matching APO-Summicron-M 50mm F2 ASPH lens, whose external components are built using titanium for the 'Titan' set, is modeled after the first 50mm Summicron-M lens, introduced in 1956. To maintain the special aesthetic, the lens' included round lens hood is made of solid titanium.

The Leica M-A 'Titan' set doesn't come cheap. The set is limited to just 250 units worldwide and will set you back $19,995. The camera and lens are engraved with special-edition serial numbers, and the set comes in a special presentation box lined with black silk.

If the idea of a purely mechanical Leica film camera is up your alley, but the M-A' Titan' is too expensive, you can purchase the Leica M-A in black chrome or silver chrome for $5,965. The Leica M-A works with a wide of Leica M lenses, ranging from 16mm to 135mm.

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #846, June 7, 2022. Today's theme is "It's Official: Capture One for the iPad in June" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Capture One users and those thinking about migrating to the robust photo management app finally get the news they have been waiting for: the iPad version will be released this month! Our lead story will look at what's included and what isn't. Plus a few top of mind thoughts on the new MacBook Pro 13" M2, and more. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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It's Official: Capture One for the iPad in June

"No wine will be released before its time," and such is the case with Capture One software as well. But finally they are confident enough in the iPad version to share it with the world.

Cost and Availability

The software will be available on June 28 at 1 PM CEST, will cost $4.99 a month, and will be available through the App Store.

Version 1 Features

More will be added to C1P iPad in the future, but for starters users can expect:

• Import from camera roll, files, a plugged-in camera or an SD card - Create albums - Sort and filter.
• Culling with Star rate and Color tag.
• Quick Editing with styles and presets - Create styles and presets - Import styles and presets.
• Crop and Rotate.
• Editing: White balance (wb & tint) - Exposure (exposure, contrast, brightness, saturation) - Dynamic Range (highlights, shadows, whites, blacks) - Clarity and structure - Dehaze (auto and manual) - Basic color editor, with color picker - HSL - B&W conversion - Vignetting - Sharpening (amount, radius, threshold, halo) - Noise reduction (luminance, details, color, single pixel) - Film grain (modes, impact, granularity) - Moiré - Histogram.
• Before/After - Undo/Redo/Reset - Display basic metadata - Copy and apply (selective adjustments).
• Add album to the cloud, to be imported into CO Pro desktop - Export jpgs (predefined recipes) - Export EIPs - Watermark (text-only) - Share to any relevant app, including cloud storage ones, or save to files - Airdrop.

Upcoming Features

Tethering, Masks and Layers, Cloud improvements for file transfer and ultimately, synchronization.

Understanding Their Approach

Capture One iPad app is not intended to be a replacement for the desktop app, but instead its best companion. Even though the iPad app works perfectly well on its own, it is built to be a part of an ecosystem where you can work smoothly across devices to get the most out of your time, money, and images.

With the Capture One iPad app you can plug your camera directly into your iPad, import hundreds of photos, organize them and get to culling. See your images in all their glory on the iPad screen, quickly swipe through them, and rate or color tag them. Filter your best ones and start editing using either Styles or manual adjustments.

Once you are done editing, you can show your images directly on the screen to team members and clients when together on location or by exporting them as JPEGs. If you would like to refine your images even further when you get home, upload your album to the cloud, import it into Capture One Pro on desktop, and continue working exactly from where you left off.

The 2022 TDS Workshops Update

We have great events lined up for this year, and there are a few more coming. Here's a recap of what we have so far:

• May 2022 - Infrared Photography Workshop (online event) - Sold Out
• August 2022 - Ultimate B&W Photography Workshop (online) - Sold Out
• Sept. 2022 - Eastern Sierra Photo Workshop (physical) - Sold Out
• Nov. 2022 - Oregon Coast Photography Workshop (physical) - 3 Seats Available

You can learn more about all of these events and register by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

What the Heck Was Apple Thinking with the New 13" MacBook Pro?

Since I'm still working with all Intel processor Macs, I was hoping that the M2 MBP 13" would be the computer that I could upgrade to. I guess I'll have to keep waiting.

First, let's start with the basic specs:

• 13.3-inch Retina display
• Apple M2 chip
• Up to 24GB memory
• Up to 2TB storage
• Up to 20 hours battery life
• Touch Bar and Touch ID
• Two Thunderbolt/USB 4 Ports
• One Headphone/Mic jack
• Starting price: $1,299 - Available in July.

Those are nearly the exact same specs as the new MacBook Air that starts at $1,199, but includes a slightly bigger screen and a MagSafe power port. The new Air doesn't include the TouchBar (that practically nobody cares about) and gets 18 hours of battery life compared to 20.

So tell me, what is Pro about the 13" MacBook Pro? Only 2 Thunderbolt ports (one of which has to be used for charging since there is not a MagSafe port), no SD card slot, and no other ports period.

I guess we'll see what happens next time.

Fujifilm announces X-H2S high-end APS-C stills/video hybrid

You can read the entire article on DP Review.com.

Fujifilm has announced the X-H2S, a high-end stills/video APS-C mirrorless camera. It's built around a stabilized 26MP Stacked CMOS sensor that lets it shoot at up to 40 frames per second with full AF. It can also shoot 4K video at up to 120p in a wide range of codecs.

The X-H2S uses its fast-readout sensor and new X-Processor 5 chip to add subject recognition AF (Humans, Animals, Trains, Planes, Motorbikes, Cars and Birds), and more sophisticated AF tracking even with subject-detection disengaged. This combines with the ability to shoot at up to 40fps and a buffer that allows up to 184 JPEG or 175 Raw files at this fastest rate, and over 1000 JPEGs or 400 Raw images at 15fps using its mechanical shutter.

On the video side of things the X-H2S can capture DCI or UHD 4K at up to 60p using the full width of its sensor to give footage sampled from 6.2K width. It can also shoot 3:2 6.2K footage using its entire sensor area or 4K at up to 120p from a 1.29x cropped area. Footage can be recorded in a choice of 8-bit H.264, 10-bit H.625 or ProRes 422HQ, 422 or 422 LT with the option of ProRes Proxy capture in parallel. 4K at up to 120p can be output over HDMI or a Raw stream for encoding as ProRes RAW or BRaw using external recorders.

The Fujifilm X-H2S will be available from early July at a recommended price of $2499.

Virtual Camera Club News

Have you been unsubscribed? A number of listeners have let me know that they were unceremoniously unsubscribed from the show. If that happens to you, just go back to the app and click on subscribe.

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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 #845, May 31, 2022. Today's theme is "Capturing the Joy of Celebration with Photography" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

We certainly have had our share of images filled with heartbreak and anguish lately. Mass shootings, war, and disease fill our newsfeeds. But the month of June can help balance those emotions. The sense of accomplishment captured in graduation ceremonies, Father's Day and the debut of summer activities can brighten our spirits. And if we get out our cameras and capture those moments, we can help spread the joy. More about that on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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Capturing the Joy of Celebration with Photography

For the first time in months, I welled up during a photo shoot. I was standing in the middle of a post-graduation ceremony at Santa Rosa Junior College watching a family converge on a young woman in a cap and gown holding her certificate.

Mom was crying, dad was beaming, and the siblings were looking up in admiration at the accomplishment of their oldest sister. Against the odds of the pandemic, assured financial challenges, and demanding course work, she was graduating and ready for the next chapter of her life. The top of her cap was decorated in sequins that spelled UCLA. She was on her way.

I was there with my camera drinking in every life-affirming drop of joy. Finally, something beautiful.

June is here and it's time to add some balance to my life. I have gatherings planned with friends and family, photo assignments on the books, workshops on the calendar, and as much nature as I can squeeze in between.

I'm tired of reading the newsfeed on my phone that emphasizes the darkness in our world. I know it's here. I know it's real. But I also know there is light. And I'm ready for the brightness of summer.

When I capture one of those moments that warms my heart or makes me smile, not only do I get to experience it live, but get to relive the joy countless times afterward via a well-crafted photograph. This is the magic of photography.

I bring this up because these moments are available to any of us. A playful pet, wondrous child, a little league homerun celebration, a quiet sunrise - these moments are everywhere, especially this time of year.

And when we get tired of celebrating those quiet moments on the bright side of life, our social media feeds will still be there - just in case you get tired of the light.

The 2022 TDS Workshops Update

We have great events lined up for this year, and there are a few more coming. Here's a recap of what we have so far:

• May 2022 - Infrared Photography Workshop (online event) - Sold Out
• August 2022 - Ultimate B&W Photography Workshop (online) - Sold Out
• Sept. 2022 - Eastern Sierra Photo Workshop (physical) - 2 Seats Available
• Nov. 2022 - Oregon Coast Photography Workshop (physical) - 3 Seats Available

You can learn more about all of these events and register by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

Photographer Teaches Posing to Prove Anyone Can Be Photogenic

You can read the entire article at PetaPixel.

A posing coach and portrait photographer has a mission to help people who believe they aren't photogenic. David Suh, from Sacramento, California, runs a course entitled "How to be Photogenic in 30 Days," as well as sharing quick and easy tutorials from his TikTok page.

The 26-year-old has posted dozens of clips where he explains how to pose properly for different kinds of photos. He offers tips on how to "level up" Instagram selfies, how to pose for graduation photos, and explains the best outfits for photo shoots.

Suh's overarching philosophy is based confidence and authenticity, but he has specific poses that he likes to teach such as leaning against a wall.

"Kick the hip out a little bit away from the wall, then lean into the wall. Then use natural hand placements from grabbing the jacket button to grabbing the fingers," he says in a YouTube video.

While this is a standard pose, Suh then likes to direct the subject to a more "fashion" pose by doing something more unusual against the wall.

"I love putting an editorial and magazine twist to my portraits. I don't want it to look too traditional of a LinkedIn headshot kind of vibe," he explains.

"Something you can do is stand further away from the wall and lean with your shoulder. What makes this have that fashion look is the fact that we don't do this every day. A lot of fashion poses are meant to be striking so it captures the viewer's attention so doing an exaggerated move is what gives that fashion look."

Another pose Suh likes is using a flight of stairs, a common feature in cities.

"One of my favorite things to do is give a strong masculine look by sitting wide-legged. You can go for various leans forward while keeping your chest forward. Opening up your energy towards the camera is what gives off a commanding badass energy."

"You can also very easily turn this around and make it a softer look by turning to the side slightly and doing a leg crossover instead. As we turn our energy away from the camera we have a softer look. Turning to the side can also have a slimming effect."

Master Your Craft: Why you should re-edit older photos using new skills

You can read the entire article on Imaging-Resource.com.

Much like your photography skills improve with time and practice, so do your editing skills. Over time, you acquire new editing skills, software improves, and you develop new and different styles. What happens when a professional photographer like Pye Jirsa of SLR Lounge re-edits a photo he captured more than a decade ago?

When Jirsa started doing wedding photography in 2009, his editing style was very different. The image in question is HDR-esque with a lot of contrast and high saturation. I'm sure we all have images like this, especially from when we started photography or learned specific new techniques. The video shows why keeping your original raw files is so important. You never know how your style and taste will change over time. It's always good to have an original file that you can edit again rather than be stuck with a processed file that you no longer like.

Virtual Camera Club News

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.

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

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.