The Digital Story Photography Podcast

Three stories this week, one in the air, one on the road, and the last tied to my computer. Wind Shear Went flying over N. Cal this weekend. Came prepared for shooting through glass with my polarizer and rubber lens hood. But I also has the opportunity to take pictures with the window open. Sad what 130 MPH winds will do to a lens hood and polarizer. Memory Gain People ask me often about backing up images on the road when I'm in nimble photographer mode. At the heart of that workflow is having enough memory cards so I don't have to overwrite them. Sometimes I'd get the response, "but I don't have enough memory for that." Have you seen the prices of memory cards lately? iOS Tethering Aperture supports tethering of many Nikon and Canon DSLRs. But, did you know that tethering works with iOS devices to? And better yet, you can use the app ProCamera instead of the regular Camera app to capture the images. It's really kind of cool.

Photographers aren't the easiest bunch to buy for, especially on a tight budget. That's why I've published the TDS Gift Guide for Photographers. Here are 12 items, ranging from $25 to $329, that are sure to please the shooter in your life... even if that's you.

I had a surprising number of conversations last week that were focused on my micro four thirds system. At the Photokina show, people wanted to know if my gear was serious enough for assignment work, and is this something they should be interested in. I realized that the general photography population in Europe and USA still hasn't fully grasped the value of CSC. I then spend some time talking about Photokina itself and a few of the things that caught my eye. And then I wrap up the show with my night at Oktoberfest in Munich - all of this recorded in Germany.

Canon comes through with the 6D, a more affordable full frame DSLR. I take a look at its specs and see how it stacks up the the 5D Mark III and Nikon D600. Olympus was busy also with two new PEN announcements, the E-PM2 (mini) and E-PL5. They both have the same wonderful sensor as the OM-D, but in smaller packageS. I share a few travel tales, talk about the week ahead, and even have a surprise or two. All of this on this week's TDS Podcast, recorded in Cologne, Germany.

Taking good photographs from land is hard enough, but it gets even more exciting on a twin-engine outboard bouncing across the San Francisco Bay. I enjoyed the challenge while covering the Rolex Big Boats Series with pro shooter Daniel Forster. I take you behind the scenes and explain how Rolex reports on these events, and how Daniel makes his amazing images. I also have a fun iPhone anecdote, plus chat about the upcoming assignment in Germany. All of this and more in this week's TDS Podcast.

I've been waiting for a professional zoom lens to complement the Olympus OM-D, and thanks to Panasonic's new 12-35mm f/2.8, I have one. At 2.9" long and less than 11 ounces in weight, this 14 element zoom allows me to tackle the most demanding of assignments. I share my initial impressions of the 12-35mm in the first segment of this week's show. In the second story I share how AT&T kindly unlocked my iPhone 3GS so I could take it to Germany and use a local SIM card there. Will make life much easier on the road. And finally, I cover the iPad Smart Case. It protects the entire unit, not just the front. All of this and more in this week's podcast.

Not all terrific cameras get the spotlight they deserve. The Pentax K-30 is a good example. It's the most affordable weather-sealed DSLR available at $846, captures Raw in the DNG format, includes sensor-based image stabilization so any lens you put on is stabilized, plus has a raft of cool features, including HDR and multiple exposure. I then talk a bit about the recent rash of spam that has attacked our site. And I conclude with a brief wrap up of the Sonoma Coast Photography Workshop. Join me for this week's episode!

For a week of hiking, snorkeling, and lounging around the pool in Maui, I depended on one camera - The Olympus Tough TG-1. Not only did it stand up to a week of island abuse, I got great pictures too. In this week's podcast, I talk about the Tough and how it was an integral part of my super nimble workflow. Speaking of which, I detail the steps of getting the job done with just an iPad and the TG-1. Everything I needed to capture, organize, and publish fit in a light Lowepro Photo Hatchback bag. Don't believe it can be done??? And finally, I jumped in with both feet to Instagram while on the island. Near the end of the show, talk about the things I learned along the way. All of this and more in this week's TDS podcast.

The Canon EOS M mirrorless camera has been officially announced. We've had some discussion on TDS about "is it the next camera for you," and I cover that conversation as the top story this week. Then we get in to the Burger King Bust. Three employees at the hamburger shack photographed themselves standing in lettuce bins used for preparation. Then published the photo online. They were tracked down via geodata and fired. And finally, the $25 wireless flash trigger from Cowboy Studio. What a deal! All of this and more on this week's TDS podcast.

To 40mm or not? Canon's $199 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens seemed like a no-brainer to me. But some in our audience weren't impressed. I start out the show explaining why I think this little prime is just flat out fun. Metadata-Smetadata: despite the adolescent title, I think adding IPTC information to your photos before releasing them into the wild is important. And I say why in the second segment. SizzlPix 20" test from an iPhone 4S photo. I sent in an iPhone picture and got back a 20x15 inch SizzlPix. How did it look? All of this and more in this week's episode.

Whether you work with models regularly, or are contemplating your first shoot, this week's podcast includes "5 Don'ts" for these projects. These warnings were culled from many conversations with the models I work with for TDS workshops and other projects. In the second story I talk about the winner from the recent "World's Ugliest Dog" competition. Why? Because an artistic handling of an "ugly" subject can lead to an impressive photograph. And finally, SizzlPix is offering a 20 percent discount to TDS listeners... on any size or quantity. Listen in to learn how you can take advantage and get "sizzled" for less.

Imagine a set-up that includes modifiers for four flashes, including a grid spot, plus two sets of gels and a diffusion panel, yet only occupies the same amount of space as a standard laptop computer. That's the Rogue Master Lighting Kit by ExpoImaging, and I discuss how it could be very handy for nimble portrait photographers. Then I talk about my experience at the US Open Golf Championship last week, and share a few tips for photographing these types of events. I wrap up with an update about the upcoming Sonoma Coast photography workshop, TWiP, and the new MacBook Pro. Lots of ground to cover. I hope you enjoy the show.

Apple announces a 1-2 knockout punch for photographers: a redesigned MacBook Pro 15" with Retina Display combined with an updated Aperture (v 3.3) that supports the super high-resolution display. Other Mac laptops were refreshed also, but my argument for this week's show is to purchase the 15" Retina MBP. It's virtually the same thickness as the MacBook Air, has a quad processor instead of a duo, plus an impressive NVIDA GPU that you don't get in the other machines. Add the updated version of Aperture with its improved performance and intriguing new editing tools, and you have a photographer's dream machine. If you don't believe me, tune in and let me make my case.

The ability to capture crisp images is a longstanding goal for most photographers. In this week's podcast, I review 5 basic "dos and don'ts" for getting sharp shots. In the second segment of the show, I recap the recent TDS Action Photography Workshop. Our shoots at the motor sports raceway on the first day, and the hockey ice arena on the second, were both challenging and rewarding. I cover the highlights for those of you who couldn't attend. And finally, Lowepro is running a Dream Bag Sweepstakes that could put a pro roller and other top gear in your hands. All of this and more on this week's podcast.

Photoshop CS6 recently debuted with new features such as non-destructive cropping, Adaptive Wide Angle adjustments, enhanced video tools, and so much more. We thought it would be a great to find out from Bryan Hughes the inside scoop on these features. Why Bryan? Well, he's a photographer and the Photoshop Product Manager -- the perfect guy for our audience. After the interview, I switch gears and talk a bit about the latest time lapse movie I recorded with an iPad, titled "TWiG in 60 Seconds." This time, I also used a Losmandy StarLapse system so I could add panning shots to the video. I explain all during this segment of the show. Plenty of food for thought. I hope you enjoy it.