“Finally!”
– all Adobe Lightroom users
I’ve been able to synchronize my custom film effects from the desktop to my mobile iOS devices so now I can edit my images anywhere.
On my iPhone
On my iPad
This is a fantastic development that’ll come in handy when I am out and about and want to share processed images right away.
Instagram sucks. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. VSCO has a great business model. They make and sell digital products to help enhance your photography and provide a social platform to host too. VSCO desktop presets for Adobe Lightroom and VSCO mobile are great tools to create and share your work.
Compare this to Instagram’s business model: advertising. Fun fact: I have never purchased anything from an online advertisement and I will go out of my way to not buy their products for their intrusive behavior. Also, I don’t want my data sold to anyone I don’t want to business with.
VSCO is minimally designed where the focus is on photography, not how many followers you have or comments and likes. These fake forms of measuring how good your image is can be unhealthy and distracting.
The attention to photography and storytelling beats the Instagram feed of 1 ad to every 4 photos. Instagram has ceased to be relevant and ceased being fun.
VSCO is a creative tool program where it provides the tools to edit your images and share on your feed or even in a journal format. Repost others in a Collection as a mood board of inspiration. Even reach out to others with private messaging.
I’ll still use Instagram for my Shots photo group and that’s all. I want to focus on enjoying photography again and being more creative as a result.
**Update** It is finished
When I noticed recently that the total number of photos stored
on my computer is almost 40,000, it seemed time to do some organizing
and pruning. No problem right? Just get rid of the images I don’t want
and look for the keepers.
So, what to do with pictures like
the one above? It’s probably not worth saving for the fact that it snows
in Houston Texas once every ten years. Or that we only had enough snow
to make this cute little guy on the top of our car. Look how cute that
baby carrot nose is.
The photo features a brilliant blend of
colors and an excellent bokeh and was shot three days before my birthday
in 2009 at f/5.6 at 1/500 seconds on my old Nikon D90 with no flash.
Yes, I’ll keep it.
One down, 39,999 to go…
Ever since I snapped my first digital photograph
I was hooked. Sure, it is fun and there is almost instant gratification
but what else? Why else does someone pick up a camera and invest a lot
of time, money and effort?
I have known a lot of creative
people over the years. They don’t have all the best gear, in fact they
bought it second hand and have worked wonders with what they have. And
then there are the gung-ho, all-in technical photographers.
These people are very clinical, technical and deliberate. Everything has to be perfect before they depress that shutter button.
I’d
like to think of myself as a good mixture of the technical and the
creative. And this is a very good reason why we choose photography.
Because it offers us both.
Most photographers are lone
wolves. Others enjoy shooting with others in packs. And this adds to the
question, why photography? It can be as social or solitary as you like.
Truly something for everyone. For me, again, I enjoy both. I love
roaming and exploring alone. I have my camera with me to document these
unique spots and save them for future use. Other times, I thrive on meeting with others to share what we know and learn together.
Once
you get past your initial investment of your gear, photography is an
inexpensive hobby. This can be a source of endless enjoyment for years
so why not photography?
Photography may be the best example of
flexibility. If you are stuck inside and cannot go shooting outdoors,
then no problem. Time to get creative and capture something inside your
makeshift studio. Take this time to study your craft, or play with
existing work on your computer. When the weather is better, grab your
gear and go shoot some more. Photography can be both an indoor and
outdoor project.
Photography is therapeutic in that if you
have your gear, a great location and subjects your day can be relaxing
and rewarding. These are a few of the reasons why I do photography.
Time to get serious and disciplined regarding digital asset
management (DAM). As I type, I am transferring files off of the various
external hard drives to a master file on my computer. Then I will use
Lightroom to remove the duplicates, sort the wheat from the chaff, sort
by year/month, geotag, keyword and then maintain this archive. After
this I will upload to my photo hosts. On backup drives, Flickr and
Smugmug.
With my new camera, I am considering this all to be a clean slate. Way overdue.
My very first digital photograph back in November 2001.
When
I was away at college I borrowed my father’s Olympus C2100. I loved the
zoom and bokeh it produced. This had helped solidify my photography
enthusiasm.
I discovered this when sorting through the archives
and organizing the digital assets (DAM). Yeah, it’s simple, but we all
start somewhere.
