The Digital Story Photography Podcast

I've attended a half dozen Photo Plus shows over the years and have loved everyone of them. Sometimes I was working, other times teaching, but always exploring and interacting. Here are five reasons why I highly recommend this event.

Over the next few months, the days will shorten and the weather becomes less favorable for North American photographers. So after we've had our fill of Fall color, it's time to think about projects that we shelved during the long days of summer. This week I offer a few ideas for you to consider during your photography off-season.

Aside from pure immediacy, my favorite aspects of the digital age are firmware and software updates. I'm thinking about this because I've just reinvigorated my laptop, iPhone, iPad, and the DxO ONE camera. And what a difference! But sometimes we're hesitant or don't have time for these maintenance tasks. And that's the subject of this week's show.

Photokina truly offers everything under the photographic sun. But the most interesting announcements for me were the new mirrorless cameras and lenses. Panasonic, Olympus, Canon and even a newcomer to the market proudly touted their wares. To help you filter through these new items, I'm going to share my favorites on this week's show.

No doubt that initially the rise in smartphone photography was due to convenience. Having a camera integrated into a connected device made it easy to send and share pictures, especially when practically every person we know is online. But we've gone way beyond simple convenience into truly capable cameras. And with no end in sight. I talk about the iPhone 7 specifically, and smartphone photography in general on today's show.

I recently learned of the passing of Scott Sheppard, who helped me in the earliest days of The Digital Story podcast. This show is a bit about Scott, digital content in general, and how it all can just disappear in the blink of an eye.

I must admit that in the beginning, cameras that added WiFi and GPS felt more like novelties than real tools. But that was because the initial supporting software, and the implementations themselves, were a bit crude. But we’ve come a long way since those early days, and those radio technologies are very important to my work now. I explain why in today’s show.

Over the past few days, I’ve been seeing the world in Black and White. “How?” you may ask. It’s been through the viewfinder of my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, set in monochrome mode. And as a result, I saw the rugged landscape of Pt. Reyes in a whole new way. What I discovered is the subject of today’s podcast.

Most of us probably think that we're ethical photographers. But what does that really mean? Is it a common sense thing, or are there real guidelines to help us act responsibility when photographing landscapes, wildlife, and indigenous cultures? I explore this topic today with Alexandra Garcia, executive director of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Since I embraced the philosophy of nimbleosity, I've pared down my lens combinations to groups of three. And unless I'm on a paying gig, that's all I carry. In today's show I share the contents of my five favorite camera kits, featuring a trio of lenses for each. For me, they're the perfect balance of effective photography and traveling light.

I want more macro in my life. I love being able to close-focus on a subject without having to change lenses. In fact, changeing lenses, although very necessary at times, is a real buzz kill, especially when I have a shot before that’s ready to be captured. So, in today’s show, I’m going to talk about why you may want to add more macro to your life.

Summer wardrobe is much different than other times of the year, and the same is true for the camera I'm carrying with me. I discuss my favorite tough camera on today's podcast.

If someone asked you, "What would you rather do this morning, tackle that big writing project you've been procrastinating on, or have Moose Peterson stop by to shoot the breeze?" Well, I can tell you what my answer was, and I turned on the recorder to share the conversation with you. Listen in on today's TDS podcast.

Video isn’t so bad. If you didn’t have to worry about loads of equipment, frame rate, humongous files, crappy audio, a plethora of formats, or compression algorithms, it would be a piece of cake. I might not be able to help you with everything on this list, but I can share with you my nimble video kit that will lighten your load. It’s what I use for commercial interviews.

I was writing a post the other day about Flickr and looking at photos in my Friends feed. I started thinking about all of the photography I consume, and the role those pictures play in my own work. I explore this idea in today’s show.