Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

Back in 1983/4 my friend showed me his Apple IIe and I was blown away. In 1986 I was super stoked to get a Macintosh Plus. No more hand written reports or worse using a type writer and relying on Wite-out to correct my bad typing. The world thanks to Steve Jobs and Apple is very different now.

I have been an Apple fan as long as I’ve used computers and I’m unashamed to admit I’ve purchased a vast majority of their computers and mobile devices. When the Macintosh II came out, Apple’s first color computer, I knew the world of digital imaging would be in my future. I didn’t now how exactly, but I knew it would happen. Photoshop did not exist in September 1988 when I paid over $5000 for the Mac II, but as I saw software develop in the months and years after that enabled the editing of photos I was enthralled. Sadly scanners were equally expensive back then, but I relied on scanning my photos using an HP scanner in my college computer lab. It took ~15 minutes to scan a 4×6 print at a resolution of 1600×1200 (a giant file at the time) and to share it I had to use dial up at home or bike to campus to use the earliest form of the Internet. It was a super exciting time. It was so obvious things were changing in radical ways. I had no idea how it would turn out exactly, but Steve seemed to have a master vision that kept Apple users on their toes waiting for the next development.

Since that time so much has changed. Steve Jobs without any doubt has influenced my life laying the groundwork for my interests and career aspirations. Would I have been able to do the things I’ve done to date with out Apple or Steve Jobs… likely, but not with as much passion. Steve Jobs kept me on my toes always thinking about the next big evolution in computing, content creation and publishing channels.

A Crowd Photographs the First Apple iPhone - MacWorld Expo 2007

I never met Steve Jobs, but I came close while at the 2008 MacWorld Expo. It was the year following the release of the iPhone and he was on the convention floor at the Apple booth. He was busy catching up on email on his iPhone. I never had any interest in interrupting him, but I did want to get a “I saw Steve Jobs! photo”. I had my dSLR with me which stuck out like a sore thumb and every time I raised it to take his photo one of his handlers would casually move between us blocking my view. I had to eventually shoot from my hip as I walked by to get his photo. I suppose it added to the adventure of it all.

Steve Jobs Checking His iPhone at the 2008 MacWorld Convention

I will certainly miss Steve Jobs not because I ever knew him, but because of how he made me think about the next big thing with each big announcement. The computers and gadgets were a means to an end… self publishing, photo editing, podcasting, webcasting/video conferencing, app development and so on. I will also miss hearing his catch phrase delivered only as he could say it:

One More Thing…

One final note, if you have yet to see this then I highly recommend setting some time aside to watch Steve’s Stanford commencement speech from 2005

Rest in peace Steve and thank you.

Technorati Tags: Apple, technology, Steve Jobs

Yosemite National Park is a sight to see in the Spring. The scenery is of course stunning with full waterfalls, iconic formations and a good deal of wildlife. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Yosemite in the Spring primarily due to the crowds. I broke my streak of avoiding the valley during peak time and it was amazing even with late rains that bookended my short trip. Its no wonder that the park gets busier and busier. I’m reviewing my photos from this week now, but I thought I’d share a few photos from my iPhone in the meantime. Enjoy!

Oh and if you’d like to see more of my cell phone photography adventures check out my Tumblr site Jim on the Loose!

Half Dome from Cook's Meadow

View before Sunset at Glacier Point, Yosemite

Bear Encounter - Mom with 2 Cubs

Glacier Point Death Wish

Technorati Tags: Photography, Yosemite, National Park, iphone, stock photo, travel

Ever wonder why mobile phone photography is exploding?

A discussion I had last night crystalized why this is indeed the case. Mobile phone photography, in particular iPhoneography, has distilled down the simple and core attraction of taking photos…  simply put it facilitates taking photos for the sake of taking photos and exploring visually. There is no preconceived notion of what is right, acceptable or marketable. You see something interesting, you shoot it and there is no major post-processing effort required.

There are catalysts to this craze including the BestCamera, Hipstamatic and Instagram apps that are bridging phone photography to social media and making a big dent in how most people think of photography. In the near future when someone says in conversation they took a photo, the interpretation by default will be that the photo was taken with a mobile phone and not an SLR. You want proof? Just last week the New York Times pointed out that the iPhone 4 is just quickly rising to become the most popular camera used on photos submitted to Flickr.

To Be A Poppy

Of the three community based photography mobile apps previously noted, I’m most heavily using Instagram. Why?

• It’s free
• It has a similar posting vocabulary to Twitter (hashtags, @ replies, etc.)
• Vibrant community of users (2 million who joined in 5 months!)
• Easy to share via Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, Tumblr, and Posterous
• The app keeps improving with new features
• Like Flickr there is an API facilitating new services and sites to view & share photos (ex. Postagram, Webstagram, Instagallery etc.)
• The user interface is refined and simple from registration to sharing & reviewing photos

Clarity of Message

Rating:

I won’t sugar coat it. Instagram has had their rough spots (ex. their version 1.6 release having cache issues for some), but overall the functionality, and track record of regular incremental improvements has been impressive. It is the Flickr of the Mobile world and my most frequently accessed app on my iPhone and iPad. Instagram is by no means a finished product and ever expanding and improving. Instagram clearly has a larger plan expanding beyond the basic app, the release of their API and burgeoning sister apps like Postagram are a sign of the future. The mobile market is huge so it’s likely that there will be multiple players in this field and I’ll be keeping close tabs on BestCamera and Hipstamatic. For now I’m having the most fun with Instagram because its so simple, makes it easy to share output from other photo editing apps and most importantly has made it easy to take photos for the pure and simple joy of taking a photograph.

If you made it this far and you’re on an Android phone fear not, Instagram is rumored to be coming to Android.

Bonus: My Recommended Instagram User List (for the time being):

• JimGoldstein (my account)
• JKost (Julianne Kost)
• JohnCurley
• Sapphie
• JoshJohnson
• NPR
• Kelco
• Joey
• ExplosiveLimes
• MartinGommel
• DocPop
• IGersSF (Instagram’ers San Francisco)

Other Names You Might Recognize:

• JackHollingsworth
• Darren Rowse (AKA Problogger)
• treyratcliff (AKA Stuck In Customs)
• DavidSanger
• Zarias (Zack Arias)
• TheTrudz (Trudy Hamilton)
• TigerBeat (Steve Rhodes)

Technorati Tags: photography, iphoneography, app, review, iphone, ipad

Cell phone photography is exploding in use these days. As our ability to take photographs becomes easier, so too does the inadvertent spread of our personal information. Devices such as the iPhone automatically embed GPS data into EXIF data of its photos. Uninformed use of certain social media sites / image hosting services can result in the inadvertent spread of personal information such as your approximate home address or daily routine.

It’s important to note that I’m a firm believer in embedding EXIF data into professional images from a dSLR so that you can be found for future work, image licensing or print sales. In this instance I’m focused on images that originate from mobile / cell phones and other mobile devices. For a complete list of what social media web sites preserve metadata refer to David Rieck’s Controlled Vocabulary Social Media survey.

As it relates to mobile / cell phone photography and privacy I was tipped off to the following news report by Michael E. Gordon. Ever aware of metadata and my online activity with my iPhone photography I felt comfortable I was in good shape on the privacy front, but I decided to check sites that I disiplay my iPhone photos just in case. What I learned was that my settings on some sites were not 100% correct. Below the following video I’ve outlined what sites did or did not include GPS data and what I had to do to adjust my settings to hide personal GPS data.

Mobile App Communities (ex. Best Camera, Instagr.am, etc.)
A general rule of thumb is that anytime a mobile app applies a visual change to your photos there is a good chance, as of this post date, the metadata of your photo is not being preserved. Apps such as Best Camera and Instagr.am that apply pre-set filters to alter the look of your photographs do not carry over metadata to the final version of your image. As it relates to privacy this is great, but if you’re sharing dSLR photos that are being made available commercially this is not such a great thing.

Facebook – Mobile Uploads & Places
Facebook has never preserved image metadata to the best of my knowledge. Once again this is great if you’re concerned about location related metadata in your mobile / cell phone photographs, but horrible if you’re uploading dSLR images for business purposes.

Flickr
Flickr has long been at the forefront of geotagging photographs. They’ve implemented an elegant solution to read GPS data in a photographs metadata on import and show the location via Google maps on each photo page.  I have (2) two Flickr accounts. One account is for my professional work and the other highlights photos taken from my cell phone. Checking my cell phone Flickr account I found that personal location data was being revealed on numerous photos and I had to remove it. The fastest way to do this was to batch remove GPS data.  Here is how I did it….

Batch Delete GPS data on Flickr

1. Navigate to “Organize & Create”
2. At the bottom of the browser window just above the row of image thumbnails click “Select All” and drag them to where it says “Drag items here to edit them as a batch”
3. Select the “Location” menu and choose “Change geoprivacy”
4. Select remove Map information

To stop Flickr from importing GPS data from your photos (highly recommended for mobile phone images if privacy is a concern)

1. Navigate to “You” > “Your Account” or click on your account name in the upper right of the browser window
2. Select “Privacy & Permissions”
3. Click on “edit” for “Import EXIF location data”
4. Uncheck “Yes, please, that would be lovely.” and click Save under “Shall we import that information when a photo or video is uploaded or replaced?”

FourSquare & Gowalla
These applications are a fun way to share your whereabouts and activity with your social network. While shared images do not contain EXIF data the application is capturing / providing information on your location you voluntarily share with others via location services.

GPS Settings on your iPhone
To be 100% certain what applications are providing location based information about you via GPS you should check your iPhone settings. To do this follow these easy steps:

1. Click on the Settings app
2. Choose “General”
3. Select “Location Services”
4. Turn on or off the ability to relay GPS data to the list of apps found on your phone

Final Thoughts
I hope this information helps you get the most out of your online / mobile experience while preserving the level of privacy you prefer. I do not have access to an Android phone so if you have privacy tips please feel free to share them in the comments.

Technorati Tags: Photography, mobile phone, cell phone, privacy, GPS, geotagging, iPhone, Android

Easy Release

A month ago quite a bit of buzz started to circulate with in the Twitter photography community about Easy Release (iTunes Link), a program that enables you to create model and property releases on your iPhone incorporating a digital signature of subjects and/or property owners. The potential immediately grabbed my attention and I approached the application publisher for a review copy. The review of the application was the easy part, but my background research on the acceptability of “digital signatures” in the form of an electronic touchscreen signature took much longer. Now that my research is complete here is the review…

Easy Release is just that… easy to configure, easy to use and easy to see its value. I give the team behind Easy Release a lot of credit as creating an application that is simple to use is quite a difficult task. The added perk to Easy Release is that it makes obtaining, logging and sending releases a very cool process. The out of the box thinking to obtain releases digitally is exactly the type of application I’ve been waiting for to maximize the business potential of my iPhone.

The Process (Ex. For a Model):

1. Click the “Plus” sign to create a new model or property release
2. Enter the “Shoot Name” and “Shoot Reference ID”
3. Enter Shoot location information “Shoot Country” and “Shoot Region/State”
4. Enter the Shoot Date
5. Enter the Model’s Name
6. Take a photo with your iPhone of your model
7. Enter the Model’s date of birth, gender and ethnicity.
8. Enter the Model’s address
9. Enter the Model’s Parent’s name if a minor
10. Enter the Model’s Email address and phone number
11. Enter the name of a Witness
12. Review the Release summary
13. Sign your signature (the photographer) with your finger on the screen
14. Let your Model review the agreement. They tap to agree.
15. Model signs the release using their finger on the screen.
16. Click to create a PDF of the signature and send it to your model & yourself via email

Fully written out the process seems long, but it takes only a few short minutes to complete.

Easy Release

Additional Features & Real-World Experience
The application allows you to customize your releases with a logo, specify a default language from 12 translations or add your own custom release text.

Of course it would be easy for me to just idly claim Easy Release is easy to use, but having tested this in the field I can attest that not one subject I asked to use the application had a problem or showed any confusion when reviewing the release or signing it. Logistically using Easy Release was much simpler than dealing with a paper release and fumbling for a pen. The convenience to email the release in PDF form to both the model and the photographer is also a huge time saver. Lastly and most importantly the biggest benefit was speeding up the process to obtain a signature.

Easy Release

What to Be Aware of…
The one weakness of Easy Release is that some stock agencies might not yet accept “digital signatures”. At the time I received my review copy of the application it was unclear to me if Getty accepted “digital signatures” in the form of an electronic touchscreen signature. Right off the bat I was able to confirm with Rasmus Rasmussen (@theprint) that iStock does not yet accept these type of “digital signatures” and prefers pen on paper signatures. I had to wait a few weeks to hear back officially from Getty as to whether “digital signatures” in this form were currently accepted. The response: “…the Getty legal team is reviewing this, but at this time digital signatures are not allowed on releases.” That being said the people behind the application are former Getty employees and are aware of this. If you’re outside of the Getty sphere and/or work independently then this is a non-issue.

Rating:

Easy Release is a solid application that is ultra intuitive to use. Not only did it live up to my expectations, it surpassed them. Whether you’re a semi-professional or full-time working pro photographer this is a must have application to have at your fingertips. For those that have been holding off on upgrading to an iPhone, this app alone might be reason enough to do so.

Technorati Tags: photography, release, iPhone, app, Easy Release, model release, property release

My photography has transformed over the past couple of  years thanks in part to the advent of photography apps on the iPhone.  Reference information, in particular, now available on iPhone apps has made a special impact. My iPhone now is a critical photography tool when I’m in the field. Always on the look out for great apps I thought I’d share a review of an  app series iFotoGuide (iTunes link) put together by fellow nature and landscape photographers Dan Baumbach and Bret Edge.

The iFotoGuide to date is comprised of location guides for Yosemite National Park and Arches National Park. Each offer information resources covering:

• Area Information
• Park Information
• Interactive Map
• Photo Locations
• Photo Gallery
• Sunrise/Sunset Times
• Additional Resources

$4.99 Yosemite National Park iFotoGuide	$2.99 Arches National Park iFotoGuide

Things I Liked and Didn’t Like

These apps have you covered when it comes to making plans to photograph these national parks. With in the “Area Information” section for example you have airport, transportation, lodging, campground, shopping, restaurants weather and important phone numbers at your finger tips. One noted absence that surprised me under “important phone numbers” was the lack of inclusion of regional resources to get road conditions. For example in the Yosemite app the CalTrans Highway Information number was missing to track when mountain pass roads are open/closed through Yosemite.

Weather information for each park is included in their respective app. Note that the “Weather” section will jump you to monthly averages. To get current conditions the app with an additional link will load Yahoo weather. Perhaps a personal preference I think I’d rather get the current weather first and click through to the monthly averages.

The Yosemite app includes a link to the Yosemite Cam page that loads with in the application. It’s just not possible to get enough of the Yosemite cams (unless you’re checking at night).

The Park information section covers the basics with wildlife, wildflowers, backpacking info and safety info. While the wildlife and wildflower sections are more than adequate it would be great to see in future versions more detail to fauna and plants species in each area.

The Interactive Map is a great feature allowing you to see example photos taken from various park locations. Small camera icons have been transposed to National Park maps so with a touch of your finger you can load photos to get an idea of what is possible. Each image on the Interactive Map loads with additional links to more detailed information and maps.  The downside to the Interactive Map is  that it’s impossible to do each park justice with the number of locations to photograph, but it does cover the major locations.

The Photo Gallery section also allows you to easily navigate additional information and maps. One thing that was mildly disorienting is that this section is a mixture of photos referencing subject and location. For example in the Yosemite app you might click a photo of Half Dome to read about a particular meadow and another photo of the same subject might tell you about Half Dome itself. Perhaps in future versions they’ll tighten this up to easily search of a quick means of seeing one or the other with in the gallery section.

The Photo Locations section does a great job of identifying photo subjects that are ideal to photograph  at sunrise, sunset or all day.  If you don’t have time to adequately scout these parks in advance this feature will prove to be a huge time saver.

The Sunrise/Sunset section of each app will give you a quick look at approximate times for sunrise and sunset for the 1st and 15th of each month. Helpful for general information it would be nice if the apps provided links that took you to a site that relayed specific information for a particular day. To be fair though this chart is more than enough if you lack connectivity in the field.

Rating:

iFotoGuide is well worthy of picking up for the price. For a version 1.0.x app it’s very well done. Easy to navigate, intuitive and full of great information. Some portions of the app aren’t as strong as others, but that’s normal. One app can’t do it all. On that note I’ll likely continue to use other applications that specialize in sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset calculations. I’m hopeful that in future releases more detailed information is added about wildlife and plant species. I’m eagerly awaiting to see what National Parks they add to the series next. For updates and additional information visit the iFotoGuide blog.

I consider myself lucky to have been include in a select group of folks randomly selected at the Adobe Photoshop 20th Anniversary celebration to receive a copy of Photoshop 1.0.7 for the iPhone. Thanks to Adobe’s Russell Brown for the creation of this retro application for the iPhone (or at least announcing the news of it… seeing as it was actually made by development firm named Corona).  So what’s the fuss about this app?

First let me burst most people’s bubble…

• This app is not a full version of Adobe Photoshop 1.0.7 and only provides basic levels adjustments. (No cropping, no image rotation, no resizing, no curves, etc.)
• Touch screen controls on the iPhone are quite clumsy to use
• It’s not being distributed beyond the select pool of people who were given the opportunity to receive it at the 20th anniversary celebration
• The app is not being further supported
• The app is tied to specific iPhones ID’s.

Now that I’ve laid the ground work as to why you shouldn’t be upset Photoshop 1.0.7 is not widely available let me tell you why it’s cool.

• For those who used the first or early versions of Photoshop the user interface is a real flashback
• The startup sound is another great flashback and reminds Apple/Adobe fan of Pavlov’s theory of conditioning.
• Adjusting levels by color channel (red, green and blue), in addition to a master adjustment is nice be able to do.

Really? That’s it?

Yup that’s it. This app highlights one function of the original Photoshop app. Nothing more and nothing less. Other photo apps that are currently available do tons more. This app hardly will become a part of my standard iPhone photo editing workflow. But if you’re a tech geek… meaning you grew up using Photoshop & old macs and still hoard old equipement and software (please don’t tell my wife) then you’d love this app. How long I’ll be inclined to show my buddies this app at bar-b-q’s and various tech events I don’t know. The shelf life might be quite short, but the inner geek in me loves it.

Technorati Tags: Adobe, Photoshop, Photoshop 1.0.7, iPhone app, iPhone, app, technology, photography, geekery, review

It hasn’t been that long since my first iPhone application post 11 Must Have Photography iPhone Applications, but there have been some great additions on iTunes as of late that you should definitely know about.

onOne dSLR Camera Remote Professional Edition
When I first heard about this application it definitely grabbed my attention. At the time it was only compatible with Canon cameras, but now it supports Nikon as well. I decided to take the plunge on this $19.99 app and try it out this past weekend for a photo shoot and it worked really well.  I mean really well. This remote works on a camera tethered to a computer and provides every function under the sun that a camera remote could have.  The LiveView and remote camera setting adjustment functionality is too cool for words. If the LiveView functionality isn’t worth the money for you there is a substantially lower cost version – dSLR Camera Remote Lite. By far this is the most expensive app I’ve purchased but it is also the coolest. Read more…