A while back I was invited by none other than Cali Lewis (GeekBeat.tv) and John P. (OneMansBlog.com) to attend OpenCamp 2010 in Addison Texas (near Dallas). Being the conference organizers, they thought it’d be good if I did a talk on social media. I was very honored that they asked me and of course I accepted.

We kicked off OpenCamp Thursday afternoon with a speaker tandem skydive courtesy the United States Army’s Golden Knights! This was my first time jumping out of a plane… and technically, I didn’t even have a parachute strapped to me, though @GKMikeTT did. Check out more photos of the jump here.

I was invited to do a talk on Social Media and was scheduled to take the stage day 2 of the conference at 9:30 am, so I had plenty of time to spy the other presentations and adjust mine for the audience. And man, were there some good presentations during this event.

My talk was entitled “Avoiding Social Mediocrity” and was centered around how to best use social media, and goal definition to attain your marketing goals. If you’re interested, you can see the slide deck here. Though the This Week in Photo podcast and blog audiences are huge, I always get a little nervous in front of “real” people. But folks seemed to dig the preso as evidenced by the number of requests I received afterwards for copies of the slide deck.

OpenCamp was kind of a perspective changing event for me. And not just the obvious shift of perspective that people say you get after first skydiving. I’m talking about the volumes of information I soaked up, catching up with old friends and making some new ones.

I’m really looking forward to next year’s OpenCamp—and am seriously planning to make a habit of skydiving.

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Victor Cajiao has been working to keep the Mac community informed and up to date for several years now. I consider him to be a pioneer in podcasting and “new media”. I also credit Victor with being one the folks who influenced me into thinking that this podcasting thing was even possible – though I was somewhat intimidated beause he makes it all seem so easy.

Victor runs The Typical Mac User podcast, and the Typical Shutterbug podcasts. Both of which allow him to share his passion for what I assume are two of his favorite topics; Macs and Photography. Coincidentally, those are two of MY favorite topics as well.

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1. Syl Arena on Livin’ Large with Small Strobes

There are tons of issues facing photographers in todays connected world. Increasingly, professional shooters are finding themselves needing to know more and more about technology in order to remain relevant and competitive. Not only do photographers need to know the basics of their craft (light, composition, exposure, etc.) but they also need to be technically savvy about things such as megapixels, cropped-frame vs full-frame sensors, noise reduction software, digital asset management software, digital retouching, and the list goes on and on.

I realize I’m painting a somewhat bleak picture, but really it’s not that bad. In fact learning that stuff is actually fun in some cases. One thing I didn’t mention above was search engine optimization, also known as SEO. This is the practice of creating web pages (and blog posts) in a way so that the search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc) can find them easily. You see, you could be the best photographer in your city, but if a potential client Googles, say, “Wedding Photographer, Anytown USA”, and your website doesn’t come up… or comes up AFTER your competitor (who’s photography sucks), guess who’s getting the job.

But there IS HOPE!!! In this interview, I have an in-depth chat with John Pozadzides (aka John P). Not only is he a SEO Ninja, but he also runs a company that aims to bring REALTIME web traffic analytics to your website or blog. That means, using their software you can literally watch people bounce around your site in realtime… and even open a chat window to freak them out! John gives some golden tips that photographers can start using today to begin increasing their search engine rankings.

You can find out more about John over on his very popular and SEO friendly blog “One Man’s Blog”, and be sure to check out Woopra.

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I recently had the privilege of virtually (via Skype) sitting down with Richard Harrington, CEO of RHED Pixel to talk about the growing challenges facing media creators today. It seems as though it’s becoming less and less appropriate to call a photographer a photographer, or a videographer a videographer. The roles are becoming inextricably intertwined, and media creators from every genre are being asked to not only create media in the format they’re comfortable with, but also to step outside of their comfort zones and capture everything — including video, audio, photography, and even writing text.

In this interview Rich and I talk about this impending tidal wave of forced diversification and what professional photographers can do to remain relevant. And to exacerbate this growth necessity, the proliferation of highly capable mobile devices means not only do media creators need to be fluent in multiple disciplines, but they also need to consider that their audiences will be viewing the content on a myriad of devices. Some of which Rich addresses in his latest book “From Still to Motion“.

About Rich:

No related posts.

If you haven’t heard about Syl Arena, you’re missing out. He’s the guy who founded and operates the popular Paso Robles Workshops. In 2009 the workshop featured the likes of Dave Hobby aka the Strobist, and the amazingly talented Joe McNally. He attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara for 6 months, then fled to the artistic world of the University of Arizona, where he earned a BFA in photography. Syl is now an active professional photographer in Paso Robles California photographing the people, lifestyles and products in and around central California for advertising, editorial, and corporate clients.

Syl has also dedicated himself to bringing a deep understanding of flash photography to the photography community by launching Speedliting.com. He says the site is the first Canon-centric site that focuses on the how-to and why-to for flash photography with Canon gear. Before the Nikon users start flaming him… he says he’s not anti-Nikon or anti- any other brand. To the contrary, he says some of his best friends in the blogosphere shoot Nikon.

In this interview we explore the basic skills necessary to master the elusive art of small-strobe photography, and Syl gives some tips on how to get started in adding this powerful tool to your arsenal.

To keep up with Syl’s daily exploits, be sure to follow him on Twitter.

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1. Chris Orwig – Photographer, Author, Educator

On the weekend of Feb 19, 2010, This Week in Photography co-host Joseph Linaschke (the guy behind ApertureExpert.com) and myself conducted the first TWiP workshop – in Joshua Tee, CA. And what an amazing time it was. The TWiP audience had been asking for something more intensive than the informal (though very fun) Meetups I’ve been running, and Joseph and I had been kicking around the idea of a “workshop done right” for a while. We had the option of creating a “safe” workshop… e.g. local (or major metro), one-day, low cost, etc., or going all out and doing it right.

We figured if we were going to do a photography workshop, especially the FIRST TWiP workshop, we should go all out — and doing it “right” meant pulling together an all-inclusive, multi-day event set in an amazing location with a professional model, make-up artist, video crew, sponsors, meals, etc.

Long story short… we did it right.

The workshop consisted of model lighting and posing demonstrations in a variety of amazing locations around Yucca Valley, CA. Over dinner after the first night of shooting, we reviewed some of the students images, like the one above captured by the talented Topher Martini. And day two was a demonstration Aperture 3 by Joseph, and Lightroom 2 (and Lightroom 3 Beta) by me. Followed by studio lighting technique training and model posing demonstrations.

At this workshop, every student got a chance to shoot and direct the model, and every student left the workshop with wonderful prizes, and some amazing portfolio shots.

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To win one of these books all you have to do is comment on this post.

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1. WIN a Photography Book — Just Comment on this Post
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3. This Week in Photography (aka TWiP)

Rick Sammon’s life to many photographers must seem like a dream. To travel the world, meet exciting people, and photograph them. To be respected by your peers, revered by your students, and all the while continually producing a stunning body of work, seems to be the “holy grail” for amateur shooters stuck doing something “other” than photography. Rick is doing all of those things, and more.

I’ve spoken with Rick on the mic once before, but this was our first one-on-one interview. I found him to be amazingly down-to-earth and easy to talk to. Like many educators I’ve interviewed, he seems to have the uncanny ability to put people at ease with his somewhat self-deprecating and highly approachable mannerisms.

With a career spanning more than three decades — Rick Sammon has been to more than 100 destinations on the planet, including Antarctica, Africa, Brazil, and many more. He is able to focus his camera and writing skills on different cultures, and on different subjects in the animal kingdom, to not just capture the grandeur of nature’s landscapes, but the wonder of being there.

Today he has established himself, through his seminars, how-to books and articles, as one of the world’s foremost travel photographers and digital image-makers – and as a person who can inspire others to succeed at their craft.

In this interview we discussed the business of Photography. In particular, Rick revealed his business philosophy and how he’s able to get so much accomplished being a one-man operation. He also revealed some tips for photographers looking to generate revenue in this challenging economy.

To keep up with Rick, be sure to follow him on Twitter!

Interview duration: 28 minutes 57 seconds

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On the most recent This Week in Photography show we tackled a topic that lately has been coming up more and more. Photographers covering a disasters like Haiti, Katrina, 9/11, the southern California fires, etc. have to ask themselves – when is it appropriate to put the camera down and help your fellow man?

Or, is documenting the situation, and helping with your skills behind the camera – documenting history, the correct course of action?

Of course there is no “correct” answer. Military photographers in active war zones have to deal with this question, sometimes on a daily basis. Imagine needing to make the choice between shooting with your D3, or your M16. Not getting the “shot” is probably always better than having to get a shot of morphine—or worse.

We “casual” photographers rarely have to deal with this choice. But when it does come—and you have to make the choice—what would YOU do? 

Initially, I thought I’d write this post with suggested guidance on how to handle making the “shoot or help” choice, but instead I’m going to put YOU on the spot…

Here’s a hypothetical situation:

You’re on a photo walk, not really finding anything interesting to shoot. Your camera has an empty CF card, and a full battery. Suddenly you find yourself walking by a hospital. A car speeds up and hastily drops off a badly battered and bleeding passenger. No one else is around. The person is unconscious, and lying just 15 feet from the emergency room entrance.

This is a highly trafficked entrance, but you can’t be sure when a qualified medical person will find the person.

Oh, one last twist… you recognize the person as a prominent, and important political figure.

What would you do? Get the shot, or get help. Sound-off in the comment area below.

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(Listen to the full interview at the end of this post)

Michael Corsentino is hard to pigeon hole. “Photographer” just doesn’t seem broad enough to cover all of the things the has done — and is currently doing. For starters he has a career that spans three decades in the creative arts. Starting as a graphic designer in New York City then transitioning into photography. Trading in his Wacom tablet for a DSLR he was able to bring his knowledge of design and composition together with his already amazing skill-set as a photographer to launch Corsentino Photography.

Today Michael spends his days creating what he calls “lifestyle” photography. It’s his own unique blend of photojournalism, fashion, and editorial. His unique photographic execution combined with a winning personality have propelled him to become one of the most sought after photographers in Northern California.

Michael invited me into his studio to chat his business philosophy and mindset. One of the first things that struck me was his attention to detail and customer experience. For example, his customer greeting area is immaculate, and everything points towards making the customer experience positive. In the conversation we cover things like his pricing philosophy, his thinking behind customer service,  his equipment choices, and his thoughts on marketing his business using his blog and Twitter.

This interview is a must-listen for any photographer aspiring to rise to the top of his industry, while not sacrificing quality or vision.

Interview duration 22 minutes

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High Dynamic Range photography, or “HDR” as it’s known by those familiar with the technique is basically the process of merging various exposures of a subject into a single “merged” image.

This merged image typically contains image detail in the extreme highlights, mid-tones, and shadow areas. With a light touch, the technique gives photographers the ability to capture scenes that would be impossible to capture with a single exposure. For example, balancing scenes consisting of varying daylight and incandescent light sources. The technique essentially gives photographers the ability to represent in an image the dynamic range that we’re able to capture with our eyes.  But with great power…

With a heavy touch — the technique can be used to create some amazingly surrealistic (or unrealistic) scenes, scenes that would be impossible in nature. It’s those “heavy touch” images that have been the source of much controversy, and even more criticism. Many photographers allege that the effect is heavy-handed, over-used, and “played out”. Others say, it’s merely another technique at the artists disposal.

One of the photographers at the center of the HDR debate is Trey Ratcliff, he’s the author of the new book A World in HDR and he also runs Stuck in Customs, one of the most popular Travel Photography blogs on the Internet. Trey has a unique way of executing his interpretation of HDR, and has exhaustively documented it as a very popular HDR tutorial which he makes available on his blog. He attributes some of his unique perspective on the world (and light) to the fact that he was born sightless in one eye, and with a background in computer science and math, he also brings an algorithm-like process to capturing his images.

In this interview, Trey and I discuss the HDR controversy, and his perspective on why there has been so much debate.

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2. The Golden Gate Bridge in HDR
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It has been several months since I had the opportunity to interview the talented Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir for This Week in Photography. In the first interview we discussed things like her inspiration, how she became one of the most popular photographers on Flickr, and how she deals with the adoration, and the requisite criticism that comes along with being a self-portrait artist.    

In this interview she gives some great tips for beginning, and intermediate photographers with regard to gear, and technique. She also reveals that she’s been diversifying her creative outlets by taking up knitting, and has built a thriving business around this decidedly non-techy hobby turned income stream.

Be sure to check out her Flickr stream, and be prepared to have your socks knocked off… she’s got some powerful work in her portfolio. And if you’d like to get to know her better, head over to her blog… and see what she’s been up to. Make sure to say “hey” in her blog comments.

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS reed for more interviews like this. Or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Interview duration, 30 minutes.

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What an amazing year 2009 was. I had the privilege of interviewing some of the most talented people in the photography industry. In the series of interviews below you’ll hear from; Flickr mavens, stock photography experts, photojournalists, commercial photographers, authors, and more. My thanks to all of the folks who allowed me to interrogate them in 2009… and I’m looking forward to doing many more interviews in 2010!

Happy New Year! Click through to learn from some of the most talented movers-and-shakers of 2009. If you’d like to get these interviews automatically, just subscribe to my Interviews Podcast in iTunes! 

1. Alex Lindsay — CEO, Podcaster, Entrepreneur

Alex Lindsay is the head-honcho at PixelCorps in San Francisco, and hosts several popular podcasts like This Week in Technology (TWiT), This Week in Photography (TWiP), MacBreak, and more. In this interview Alex discusses how he got his start, his work on Star Wars, and his early work in podcasting. For those who haven’t had the opportunity to get to know Alex, here’s your chance. Watch the interview here.

2. Steve Simon — Photojournalist

3. Jim Heid – Author, Photographer, Flickr-er

There is no bigger fan of Apple’s iLife software than Jim Heid. He’s a self-described poster child for the software, and has been using it since the pre iLife days, when there was only iMovie. Jim is also the author of the extremely popular book entitled The Macintosh iLife. I met Jim during my time at Apple, and we became good friends, mainly because we’re both pretty rabid about Apple software, though we still healthily disagree on one or two points. And in this second interview with Jim Heid, we discuss how he got into the publishing business, and what sequence of events led him to create this very popular and somewhat de-facto guide to all things iLife. We also dive into what makes this book different, and his overall philosophy behind computer-related instructional books. Watch the FIRST interview here, And watch the SECOND interview here.

4. Joseph Linaschke – Photographer

In this interview, my good friend Joseph Linaschke and I have a quick chat about some of the cool projects he currently working on – including being signed as the official photographer for Seal’s upcoming European tour. I’ve known Joseph for several years now, and among his many talents (Photographer, Foodie, world traveler) he’s always been a good and loyal friend. We sat down for this interview during his last evening in San Jose, CA. He needed to crash in my guest room as he’d just vacated his place, and was in transit to his new home in Pasadena. Watch the interview here.

5. Liana Lehua – Back in Action

After dropping out of sight for several months, Liana Lehua, photographer, blogger, writer and host of GirlsGoneGeek has reemerged. As it turns out, she’s been dealing with HIV/AIDS, and over the past year or so has been working to get things under control in order to continue doing cool things. But now she’s back, in full force. And though she’s still recovering and working to get her T-cell count back into a safe range, she’s been extremely active, and has even started a new blog for Californians afflicted with HIV/AIDS to help with instruction on how to get free, and low cost, healthcare services. Watch the interview here.

6. Katrin Eismann — The Photoshop Diva

As an internationally recognized artist, author, and educator, Katrin Eismann has been involved with digital imaging tools since 1989. She regularly teaches creatives about the latest tools and techniques of digital imaging and the impact they have on creative professionals. She’s author of several books on digital imaging such as The Creative Digital Darkroom, Photoshop Restoration & Retouching as well as several online titles on KelbyTraining.com. Listen to the interview here.

7. Chase Jarvis – Photographer

You’ve probably already come across Chase Jarvis‘ name if you follow photography movers and shakers. His clients include Microsoft, Volvo, Reebok, Nike, and REI just to name a few. I was able to grab a few moments of his time to talk about how he managed to come so far, in such a short period of time. Chase also revealed and discussed for the very FIRST TIME his new book with Peachpit Press “The Best Camera“, as well as his brand new iPhone application – “Best Camera“. Listen to the interview here.

8. Jim Collins & Simon Anderson – Pictage.com

Founded in 2000 Pictage.com has seen their fair share of drama over its nearly 10 year life. The company has risen to become – arguably the leading lab in the wedding and portrait photography industry. And now serving more than 8,000 professional photographers nationwide, Pictage aims to be a one-stop-shop for both new photographers looking to start small businesses, and even more established businesses. They’re targeting photographers that want to offload online viewing, selling, printing, and email marketing to the Pictage staff. Listen to the interview here.

9. Scott Bourne – Lightroom Too?

10. Natalie Dybisz – Photographic Artist

Natalie’s work is amongst the most viewed on Flickr and each photo sparks a full-on and sometimes heated discussion in the comments. Many have accused Natalie of using her gender, or her “good-looks” as a means to success, however in the end, we are all artist — and can only be judged by the work we produce. Regardless of the “hows” or “whys” behind her work, there’s no question that it is exemplary. My guest in this post is Natalie Dybisz (“Debish”) aka Miss Aniela. She’s an artist who in many ways defies categorization – though many have tried. She has accomplished an amazing amount in her career… especially since she just started a few years ago, including landing Microsoft as a client, and having her work appear on the cover of American Photo magazine. Listen to the interview here.

11. Chris Orwig – Photographer, Author, Educator

12. Jeff Schewe – Photographer, Author, Consultant

Jeff Schewe is a feature consultant and alpha and beta tester for Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and you’ll find his name amongst the credits. He has also held the title of President of the Advertising Photographers of America (APA). I cornered Jeff after one of his talks at Photoshop World in Las Vegas and got him to agree to tell all in this quick, but informative conversation. He’s a feature consultant and alpha and beta tester for Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and you’ll find his name amongst the credits. He has also held the title of President of the Advertising Photographers of America (APA). Listen to the interview here.

13. Rich Legg – iStockphoto Photographer

I sat down with iStockphoto.com contributor Rich Legg during Photoshop World in Vegas last month to chat about what his processes and techniques are for being so successful in this business. Rich also offers some great tips for standing out from the crowd when considering what subject matter to shoot. If you’re not familiar with “microstock”, in short it’s the reinvention of the traditional stock photography business. Companies like iStockphoto are attempting (sucessfully) to democratize the business by allowing photographers to submit images to be reviewed and possibly placed in the database for sale. And if sold, the photographer gets a cut of the overall sales. The “micro” in the phrase comes from the fact that the photos typically sell for a fraction of what traditional stock photography houses would charge – bringing money to folks that wouldn’t ordinarily get paid for their shots, and bringing photography “on the cheap” to businesses with tight budgets. Listen to the interview here.

14. Joey Lawrence – Commercial Photographer

At 19 years old, Joey Lawrence (aka Joey L.) already has already built up an enviable career. Hailing from Canada, Joey now lives in New York city but travels the globe taking photographs for clients like Warner Brothers Records, Forbes, NBC, the Scifi Channel, Kawasaki, as well as the Twilight movie ad campaign. And he’s only just getting started. Even if you don’t recognize his name, you probably have already seen his work. Joey photographed the ad campaign for the hit movie “Twilight”. In this interview Joey and I talk about the Twilight shoot, as well as how he got his start in photography, how he was able to break into the “big time” so quickly. He goes into his thought processes when coming up concepts for his commercial photography gigs. Listen to the interview here.

15. David duChemin – Visionmonger

David duChemin is one of those “next generation” photographers that “gets it”. He is fluent in the latest and greatest photographic trends, technology, social media, etc. And along with being a sickeningly talented photographer, he’s also a brilliant marketer. Wrap all of that up and you’ve got an artist who can not only create masterful visual imagery and write about it — but one that can also publish it. He’s a one-man creative ecosystem. Listen to the interview here.

16. Moose Peterson – Wildlife Photographer

Along with being on the front lines as a working shooter, Moose Peterson also helps shape the industry as a Nikon “Legend behind the Lens”, a member of the Lexar Elite, and recipient of the John Muir Conservation award, to name just a few of his credits. As longtime Nikon shooter, he was one of the first photographers to receive the original Nikon D1 in 1999, and he became the first wildlife photographer to shoot strictly digital in the early years of the technology. I ask Moose some pretty pointed questions in regards to the necessity of upgrading to the “latest and greatest” Nikon gear, in particular the new 70-200mm VRII lens. His response may surprise you. Listen to the interview here.

17. John Philpin – liveBooks.com

Chief Marketing Officer of liveBooks.com, John Philpin talks about some of the problems facing photographers today, how he’s hoping their new pricing structure will solve with many of the cost objections photographers have voiced. We also discuss how they’re spending the $5 million they just took from investors, and what’s next for the company in terms of priorities. Listen to the interview here.

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The response to this contest has been overwhelming. I mean… over 480 comments is way beyond anything I expected to see on this post. The response is a testament to just how good, and in demand, these four books are. A huge thanks to all who participated and took the time to comment on the post. I can tell you that each author has seen the post, and read your comments — and I’m sure each was beaming with pride. Read on to find out who won! …

If I were to run another contest like this, which books would you like to see as prizes? No promises, I’m just askin’. Enter your responses in… you guessed it… the comments area of this post.

Here are the books again if you’d like to check em’ out on Amazon.com:

1. Photographing Nature: A photo workshop from Brooks Institute’s top nature photography instructor
This is a book about making outstanding and stunning images of the natural world around us. If you’ve ever considered becoming a nature photographer, you know that it’s not nearly as easy as it looks. In this book the author takes you on a visual trip, shows you what gear he takes… and why. And how he’s able to make some of the most stunning nature shots you’ve ever seen. WINNER – JOHN SOKOL

2. Visual Poetry: A Creative Guide for Making Engaging Digital Photographs
A riveting book about how to “simplify” your photography. Chris teaches the reader how to participate in the story they’re photographing, rather than just capturing it. For lots of shooters, having too much gear just gets in the way. Chris talks about having a vision, and finding inspiration… then how to use the tools you have to effectively capture an image you’re proud to show off. Check out the audio interview I did with Chris here. WINNERS – JUDITH & J. CLARK

3. VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
A candid revelation of wisdom, ideas, and inspiration for photographers wanting to transform their photographic passions and hobbies into a full-time vocation. In this book the author shares stories from other noted photographers like Chase Jarvis, Zack Arias and more. Check out the audio interview I did with David, here. WINNER – JUSTIN SMITH

4. A World in HDR
See the world from Trey’s perspective as he takes you into the world of HDR – High Dynamic Range photography. Not only does this book take you through the mechanics of creating convincing HDR images, but the Trey also takes you “behind the scenes” of how he created some of his most noted HDR images. WINNER – AMIE LARSON

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE LUCKY WINNERS! ENJOY!

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Backup Blueprint: Introduction

Have you felt it yet? That sinking feeling that comes when you realize all of your eggs are effectively in one basket? I’m talking about your “digital eggs”. If you’re like most folks, you have all of your precious photos of friends, family, and if you’re a pro even your client work stored one one rickety hard drive. And here’s the scary thing, YOUR-DRIVE-WILL-FAIL. It doesn’t matter which hard drive you buy, how much, or how little data you store on it… or even if you baby it by running drive maintenance software on it regularly. Hard drives are mechancial devices that have moving parts… parts that over time will wear out, and break. And if you  haven’t taken measures to safeguard your data with a multi-faceted backup plan, when your drive dies — it will take your data with it.

Mo’ Data, Mo’ Problems

The really screwed up thing is that this problem isn’t getting any better for most people. If you’re an active digital photographer, you’re creating more data than ever before. Especially since companies like Nikon and Canon are producing cameras capable of shooting higher and higher megapixel count images, not to mention the space hogging high-definition video files that are becoming all the rage. Add to all of this your documents, email, software, music, TV shows, etc, and you have a recipe for a *really* bad (and expensive) day when all of that stuff goes “poof”.

Forming a Strategy

Now that I’ve defined the problem (and probably scared the crap out of you), let’s talk about solutions. It’s not really rocket science when it comes to protecting your data. The thing is, electrons (information), unlike atoms (stuff) can reside in more than one place at a time. This means, at its most basic, an effective backup strategy means — you guessed it — making copies. If you, at the very least, buy a second hard drive, and copy all of your data onto it – you’ll be ahead of most folks. But doing that, effectively only cuts your exposure in half… temporarily. You’re still exposed, becuase what about keeping those files in sync? You can easily make a copy, but then after you send and receive a day’s worth of email, add one CF Card’s worth of images, or download one movie… suddenly your hard drives are out of sync. And you’re back to square one. Well, maybe not square ONE, but you’re still not in an optimal protected state. As my friend Alex Lindsay says, if your data doesn’t exist in three places (simultaneously), it doesn’t really exist yet.

The true goal is to have a drive failure be a NON EVENT. If a drive dies, get stolen, or some sort of natural disaster claims your house (and your data) you need a plan in place so that you can easily get EVERYTHING back — with very little time or effort. Don’t worry, you’re not alone… EVERYONE has these problems, except the really geeky amongst us (don’t look at me).

The Series

In this series of blog posts, I’ll give you a solid strategy to help you get your eggs OUT of that janky basket. So you can finally sleep at night knowing that, barring some sort of cataclysmic event, your photos will remain safe and accessible.

1. Introduction (this post)
2. Selecting a hard drive solution
3. Choosing the right backup Software
4. “Cloud” or Internet backup options
5. Pulling it all together – The Plan

Be sure to bookmark this blog, or subscribe to the RSS feed because over the next few days you’ll be preparing to do some much needed end  of year (or beginning of year) data organizstion. So, let’s start the year off right, and build a solid foundation for your photo storage.

Note, though I am a Sr. Marketing Manager at Data Robotics, Inc. (we make the Drobo), this series will not be focused on any one product in particular, but rather the whole “Blueprint”. The hard drive solution, though critical, is only a piece of a truly robust backup strategy.

Stay tuned.

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Check out a larger version of this image here.

Thanks to some inspiration from Trey Ratcliff after interviewing him for the This Week in Photography podcast, and reading his book A World in HDR, I decided to see what all the fuss is about and give this technique a try for myself.

I grabbed my Nikon D700, a 14-24mm lens, and a tripod, and drove up to San Francisco to see what I could capture. The obvious place to shoot from was the Golden Gate Bridge, I wasn’t trying to create “art” per say, but rather to gather some pixels with which to try out this technique… so the GG was just as good of a spot as any.

I set the camera to auto-bracket five f-stops (+2 and -2) — I realize that I could’ve gotten similar (or the same) results with just three exposures, but then this was all an experiment, and I had a blank 16GB CF card in the camera after all… so what was a few more megabytes? Oh yea, I was shooting in the raw file format.  

Once everything was set up (camera settings, vantage point, composition, etc) it was surprisingly easy to snap the shots. As Trey instructs in his book, and in the free HDR tutorial on his blog — I was sure to pay attention to moving elements in the scene. In the case of this photo, nearly everything was moving; the surf, the sailboat, the clouds, and yes even the unfortunate naked person walking along the surf. I figured regardless of all the movement, this would be a good test to see how Photomatix handled the scene.

After importing everything in to Lightroom 2, I did some spotting on one of the images. As it turns out, I had to do ALOT of spotting. I somehow managed to get what seemed like the entire beach onto my sensor. But thankfully I only had to invest time spotting ONE image in Lightroom, then all I had to do was sync those edits to the other four images. What a time saver!

Once the images were spotted and cropped, I exported them using the Lightroom Photomatix export module. I played around for a while with the sliders in Photomatix, figuring I’d read the instructions later to figure out what the sliders were actually doing. After I seasoned the image to taste, I hit a button to send the image back to Lightroom. Once back in the LR, I boosted the blacks a bit, added a slight vignette and that was it!

It was surprisingly easy to do this I must say. And as I played around with the sliders in Photomatix I saw how easy it was to create that controversial “over done” HDR look. My aim in the above image was to not make it an obvious HDR image, but rather just make the actual scene better. I think I accomplished that, and I’m looking forward to experimenting more with this technique. It’s a blast!

Here’s the shot with no processing:

If you’re interested in experimenting with HDR, here are some resources to get you started:

A World in HDR – Trey Ratcliff
Free HDR Tutorial – Trey Ratcliff
Complete Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Digital Photographers – Colin Smith

Related posts:

1. Trey Ratcliff – A Photographer with Dynamic Range
2. The Golden Gate
3. Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS3: Stitching a Panorama

UPDATE: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  I’ve selected the winners. I’ll post a video announcing the winners names shortly. Thanks to all who commented — this has been amazing.

I have several really good photography books on my desk that I either have multiples of, or have already finished reading. So, in the spirit of holiday giving, I’d like to give four of them away! So how do you get one?

To win one,  just comment on this post!!

You can only pick one book, and make sure you specify in your comment which book you want. And get this — if you win, I’ll even take care of shipping (US only!)

Of course, all of the books are about photography, but from various photographers’ “perspectives”. Here they are listed, with links over to Amazon.com so you can read their full descriptions (in no particular order):  

1. Photographing Nature: A photo workshop from Brooks Institute’s top nature photography instructor
This is a book about making outstanding and stunning images of the natural world around us. If you’ve ever considered becoming a nature photographer, you know that it’s not nearly as easy as it looks. In this book the author takes you on a visual trip, shows you what gear he takes… and why. And how he’s able to make some of the most stunning nature shots you’ve ever seen.

2. Visual Poetry: A Creative Guide for Making Engaging Digital Photographs
A riveting book about how to “simplify” your photography. Chris teaches the reader how to participate in the story they’re photographing, rather than just capturing it. For lots of shooters, having too much gear just gets in the way. Chris talks about having a vision, and finding inspiration… then how to use the tools you have to effectively capture an image you’re proud to show off. Check out the audio interview I did with Chris here.

3. VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
A candid revelation of wisdom, ideas, and inspiration for photographers wanting to transform their photographic passions and hobbies into a full-time vocation. In this book the author shares stories from other noted photographers like Chase Jarvis, Zack Arias and more. Check out the audio interview I did with David, here.

4. A World in HDR
See the world from Trey’s perspective as he takes you into the world of HDR – High Dynamic Range photography. Not only does this book take you through the mechanics of creating convincing HDR images, but the Trey also takes you “behind the scenes” of how he created some of his most noted HDR images.

Remember, to win one of these amazing books all you have to do is write something pithy in the comments area below — and mention the book you want to win. That’s it!

Related posts:

1. WIN a Photography Book – Comment on this Post!
2. Photography Book Comment CONTEST WINNERS!!
3. Trey Ratcliff – A Photographer with Dynamic Range

One of the many problems facing photographers today is the necessity of having a slick looking website, however most shooters lack the skill-set (or desire) to get into the “weeds” of building a site reflective of themselves. We’re long past the age where having a website is optional, today it is imperative that every photographer who intends to do any level of serious business on the Internet has a web presence that reflects both their art and skill, while also providing a way for potential clients and customers to get to know and contact them. Easier said than done.

has been around for several years now — their main goal is to help build websites that reflect Photographers’ craft and artisanship. The problem facing the liveBooks is that their audience is faced with a sophisticated problem, that is, creating a website that’s beautiful and functional while remaining flexible enough to allow the owner to keep it up-to-date and fresh. When you’ve got ISO, F/Stops, raw, etc, who wants to deal with CSS, Flash, HTML, CMS, FTP, and browser compatibility?

…a little known fact is that liveBooks sites have mirroring HTML counterparts to optimize SEO and to help make them Google-friendly.

Like I said, it’s a sophisticated problem but this isn’t to say the audience isn’t sophisticated, they’d just rather be out taking photographs and building their businesses than dealing with the complexities and the code behind designing a competitive website. liveBooks aim to take away the pain of deploying a professional web presence by essentially acting as the outsourced graphic design and web development firm for the photographers who hire them.

John Philpin is the Chief Marketing Officer of the company, and in this interview he talks about some of the problems facing photographers today, how a new pricing structure deals with many of the cost objections photographers have voiced. We also discuss how they’re spending the $5 million they just took from investors, and what’s next for the company in terms of priorities.

If you’re at all interested in learning about liveBooks, definitely check out their website — after listening to this interview.

Related posts:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Photographers
2. Pictage.com – Under New Management.

Moose Peterson is a legendary wildlife photographer — along with being on the front lines as a working shooter, he also helps shape the industry as a Nikon “Legend behind the Lens”, a member of the Lexar Elite, and recipient of the John Muir Conservation award, to name just a few of his credits.

As longtime Nikon shooter, he was one of the first photographers to receive the original Nikon D1 in 1999, and he became the first wildlife photographer to shoot strictly digital in the early years of the technology.

Check out this audio interview with Moose as we talk about Nikon, nature, and more.

Related posts:

1. 17 Amazing Photographer Interviews from 2009
2. Joey Lawrence – Commercial Photographer
3. Jeff Schewe – Photographer, Author, Consultant

1. TiltShiftGen

First up is TiltShiftGen. This app has got to be one of the most underrated iPhone photography applications in the iTunes store. That’s likely due to how its creators have positioned it… wrongly. Even the name hides the power of this thing. For example, in the all-important iTunes title, the developers call it a “Fake DSLR”, and say it “will allow you to create retro miniature pictures”. Sorry guys, but this application does SO much more than create fake miniature pictures. In short, TiltShiftGen has become my go-to application for creating the “look” I like from my iPhone pics. Now I’m admittedly fickle when it comes to apps on my iPhone — some sexy new number might show up tomorrow and catch my eye. But for now, I’m completely in love with this one. But why?

Well, for starters I’m a HUGE fan of shallow depth-of-field, saturation, vignetting, you know… that sort of stuff. The user interface, features, and speed of this application allow me to create some pretty cool effects very quickly, and just using my thumb. Take the above image for example. It’s a simple shot of a Japanese garden taken at Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, CA. With about four quick corrections (Blur, Saturation/Contrast, and Vignetting). The image went from “oh nice”, to “oh my!”.

For $0.99, I don’t think this is an application you can afford NOT to purchase.

2. PhotoGene

Second on my list is PhotoGene. This app is my “Swiss Army Knife” of iPhone Photography. It’s kind of like Photoshop on the iPhone — you know what Adobe’s Photoshop iPhone app should’ve been. Complete with cropping, saturation, rotation, sharpening, borders and more. The power of this app becomes clear the first time you see a histogram on your iPhone with shadow, midtone, highlight sliders. Most of what I need for basic on-the-go pixel pushing is tucked neatly in this application. There are a few features I’d love to have, like some sort of rudimentary cloning tool, and more control over the size of borders, etc. But for my measly $2.99, I’ve already gotten WAY more than my money’s worth out of this application.

It’s the camera you have with you.

Photographers like Chase Jarvis were early to recognize what a game-changer having a decent camera with you at all times is. But the iPhone camera is so much more than just a camera. Not only do you have a camera with you, but one with photo-manipulation software and a way to share your creations. All of this wrapped up in one pocket-sized package.

So celebrate the restrictions, and the new capabilities of this new kind of image-making. In future posts I’ll go into detail on my other iPhone apps, and how I use them. In the meantime, post your favorite iPhone apps in the comments, and please check out a few of my iPhone pics on Flickr.

Related posts:

1. Using the Airport Express with iPhone
2. Fit 8TB of music into an 8GB iPhone
3. Chase Jarvis – Photographer