This is The Digital Story Podcast #827, Jan. 25, 2022. Today's theme is "The Forgotten Magic of Fill Flash." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Our smartphones and many of our digital cameras have built-in flash capability. And to some degree, when to use this feature is counter-intuitive. As a result, millions of pictures that could be improved with fill flash never receive that beneficial burst of light. Hopefully that's going to change after today's TDS photography podcast.

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The Forgotten Magic of Fill Flash

There's nothing new about fill flash. It's a technique that was popular in the film days that balanced a front-facing burst of light with ambient lighting. It's especially effective for outdoor portraits that can be unflattering due to harsh sunlight from above.

Yet, working with fill flash is counter intuitive for some folks. Generally speaking, I turn on the flash when there is bright light from above, and I turn off the flash in low light situations when it would artificially render a scene.

No Fill Flash - Photo by Derrick Story.

Fill Flash Turned On (Fujifilm X100V).

The principal of fill flash is that for portraits, front facing lighting is more flattering than side lighting. Front light softens wrinkles and imperfections. Side lighting increases the appearance of texture.

On modern cameras, fill flash is the best of both worlds for candid portraiture. It present a flattering front light for the subject while the ambient lighting is balanced by the camera with the flash. The result is a wonderfully exposed image for both the subject and the background.

If you leave your smartphone or digital camera on Auto Flash, your device will never tap this technique. Because the camera reads plenty of overall lighting for the scene, even if is terrible for the subject. So you have to tell the camera to enable the flash.

On an iPhone, for example, tap the upward arrow icon at the top of the interface to reveal the camera settings. Flash will be to the far left. If you tap on it, you will see three options: Flash Auto, On and Off. If you turn it to on and stand relatively close to your subject, the camera will fire the flash and balance that exposure with the ambient lighting.

On my X100V, I have additional options such as TTL, manual output (1/4. 1/2, and full), and flash exposure compensation for the flash (different than for the camera's metering system.) So I don't have to dig through the menu system when I want to enable fill flash, I assigned the flash control menu to a function button.

The most natural looking fill flash portraits outdoors use flash exposure compensation dialed back 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop. Most viewers won't even realize that a fill flash was used. I leave mine set on -1/3.

I like digital cameras better for fill flash than smartphones. The flashes are more powerful, you have better controls, and the ability to balance ambient lighting with the flash looks more artistic.

Regardless, fill flash for outdoor portraits will separate your candids from the rest of the pack. If you haven't been using it lately, give it a go.

Tokina announces new 500mm F8 Reflex telephoto lens for six APS-C, full-frame camera systems

You can read the entire article DP Review.

Tokina has announced its new SZ Super Tele 500mm F8 Reflex MF lens, a new manual focus super telephoto reflex lens that will work with six different full-frame and APS-C camera systems using a T-mount adapter system.

The fully-manual lens is constructed of seven elements in seven groups, uses a 72mm front filter thread, has a fixed F8 aperture and has a minimum focusing distance of 1.7m (5'7"). The base lens measures 74mm (2.9") in diameter, 89mm (3.5") in length and weighs 310g (10.9oz). As with its other reflex telephoto lenses, Tokina has included a T-mount system (pitch 0.75mm, thread 42mm) on a base lens and will pair that with adapters for various full-frame and APS-C camera mounts.

At launch, the lens will have mount options for Canon EF, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F, Nikon Z and Sony E mount camera systems. As with all Reflex lenses, you can expect the 'donut-shaped' bokeh from this 500mm F8 lens.

No pricing information for this lens has been announced at this time.

The 2022 TDS Workshop Season

We have great events lined up for this year, and there are a few more coming. Here's a recap of what we have so far:

• March 2022 - Writing for Online Publishing (online) Was toying with changing this workshop to Hybrid Instant Photography, Both Analog and Digital, but our Inner Circle Members were not crazy about the idea.
• April 2022 - Humboldt Redwoods Workshop (physical)
• May 2022 - Infrared Photography Workshop (online event)
• August 2022 - Ultimate B&W Photography Workshop (online)
• Sept. 2022 - Eastern Sierra Photo Workshop (physical)
• Nov. 2022 - Oregon Coast Photography Workshop (physical)

You can learn more about all of these events and register by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

Digital Camera Scanning Is the Best Way to Digitize Film

You can read the entire article FStoppers.

For film photographers, digitizing film is arguably the most important part of the workflow. For me, there is no longer a debate of what is the best approach. Using a digital camera to digitize film is the only way.

Brought to you by Kyle McDougall, this video goes through Kyle's process and experience of digitizing film using a digital camera. More specifically, he is using his Fujifilm X-T4 equipped with a 7artisans Photoelectric 60mm f/2.8 Macro Mark II. The film is secured by the (expensive) VALOI 360 film advancer and holders.

In this day and age where the overwhelming majority of photographs live exclusively on our phones and occasionally make it to social media and an even more select few get printed, digitizing film has never been more important. That said, the actually digitizing process can be a real pain. The gear and process can easily get more expensive and time-consuming than any other part of your photography. I used to be a real fan of the Epson V600 (review of it can be found here); before I stopped using it, I had crossed the 2,500 scans threshold. Nowadays, however, I have exclusively been using pixl-latr (the review of which can be found here). The time it takes to digitize any one negative is now a fraction of what it takes with a flatbed or a designated 35mm scanner, and the results, in my opinion, are just as good or better. True, you have to clean the dust off of the scans, but that was already a task required for black and white film.

I expect someone will say that drum scanning is the absolute best way to digitize. And sure, drum scans are now and will continue to be superior in their quality, but they are inarguably impractical for 99% of what the typical photographer needs digitized.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #826, Jan. 18, 2022. Today's theme is "Lessons in Composition - A Visit to the Banksy Exhibit." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

The Art of Banksy is touring in San Francisco right now, with its next stop in Denver. I spent the morning sharpening my eye admiring the work of the famous street artist. In addition to just downright enjoyable, there were many takeaways for my street photography as well. I'll share those thoughts on today's TDS Podcast.

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Lessons in Composition - A Visit to the Banksy Exhibit

The Art of Banksy exhibit is currently showing at the Palace of the Fine Arts in San Francisco through February 27th. Attending it is a win/win for street photographers.

"No Ball Games" by Banksy. Displayed at the Art of Banksy exhibit in San Francisco, CA.

First, you have the location itself. The grounds at the Palace of the Fine Arts are spectacular with many opportunities for candid photographs. Then you have the works of Banksy that are provocative, humorous, and stimulating for those looking to create engaging urban art. And then if that wasn't enough, you would wander off into The City itself for a day street photography.

From the Art of Banksy exhibit in San Francisco, CA.

I came away from the show with some excellent reminders for my camera work. Here are my top of mind takeaways.

• The Power of Simple Compositions - Banksy works are immediately accessible, but you can linger on them at length as well.
• The Judicious Use of Color - Most Banksy works are black plus one color, and that color is used with great care.
• Humor and Satire Turbocharge the Effect - Not only are the images visually appealing, but then they stimulate other parts of the brain with their humor and satire.

As a photographer, thinking about this work helps us ask the question before we press the shutter button, "What is this picture about?" Trying to create a clean composition with intelligent use of color and having it tell a story are excellent goals to help us improve our pictures.

The Art of Banksy exhibit is runs in San Francisco through Feb. 27, 2022, then opens in Denver on April 14, 2022.

Apple AirTags for Photographers

Over the years, I've stashed business cards in my camera pouches in case I left gear behind (which I've done) in the hope that an honest person would contact me if found. Now, thanks to AirTags, they will "call" me if I wander too far away from my devices. This is a remarkable improvement.

I have a 4-pack of Apple AirTags. I've put two of them to use, and I'm still contemplating how to use the others. Currently, one of the active units is in my everyday backpack, and the second one is in my Peak Field Pouch 2 that I use for urban photography with the Fujifilm X100V. And after a couple weeks of use, I can tell you that I'm never going back to life without them.

I particularly like an AirTag in the Field Pouch because I'm more likely to accidentally leave it behind if I get distracted at a coffee shop or set the bag down on location. Did I leave it at the studio? Is it in the car? Maybe it's at home?

I can find the answer to these questions instantly by opening the Find My app on the iPhone and tapping on the Items tab at the bottom. Both of my AirTags are displayed on the screen, each with their current location. (I've grayed out the actual address that would be displayed on my phone.)

And I've taken it a step further by configuring them to notify me if too great a distance comes between us.

The tag in my Field Pouch fits snugly in one of the memory card sleeves. I never have to fiddle with it. It's never in the way. The battery is replaceable, so this is a quality investment that will serve me well for years. And they work really well!

I have instructions for setting up AirTags here.

The 2022 TDS Workshop Season

We have great events lined up for this year, and there are a few more coming. Here's a recap of what we have so far:

• March 2022 - Writing for Online Publishing (online) Toying with changing this workshop to Hybrid Instant Photography, Both Analog and Digital.
• April 2022 - Humboldt Redwoods Workshop (physical)
• May 2022 - Infrared Photography Workshop (online event)
• August 2022 - Ultimate B&W Photography Workshop (online)
• Sept. 2022 - Eastern Sierra Photo Workshop (physical)
• Nov. 2022 - Oregon Coast Photography Workshop (physical)

You can learn more about all of these events and register by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

Magic iPhone Photo Trick -- Soften the Background, After the Shot!

You can read the entire article on CodeX.

This is one of my favorite iPhone techniques, and I will explain how to use it in this segment of the show.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

Over the years, I've stashed business cards in my camera pouches in case I left gear behind (which I've done) in the hope that an honest person would contact me if found. Now, thanks to AirTags, they will "call" me if I wander too far away from my devices. This is a remarkable improvement.

I have a 4-pack of Apple AirTags. I've put two of them to use, and I'm still contemplating how to use the others. Currently, one of the active units is in my everyday backpack, and the second one is in my Peak Field Pouch 2 that I use for urban photography with the Fujifilm X100V. And after a couple weeks of use, I can tell you that I'm never going back to life without them.

I particularly like an AirTag in the Field Pouch because I'm more likely to accidentally leave it behind if I get distracted at a coffee shop or set the bag down on location. Did I leave it at the studio? Is it in the car? Maybe it's at home?

I can find the answer to these questions instantly by opening the Find My app on the iPhone and tapping on the Items tab at the bottom. Both of my AirTags are displayed on the screen, each with their current location. (I've grayed out the actual address that would be displayed on my phone.)

And I've taken it a step further by configuring them to notify me if too great a distance comes between us.

The tag in my Field Pouch fits snugly in one of the memory card sleeves. I never have to fiddle with it. It's never in the way. The battery is replaceable, so this is a quality investment that will serve me well for years. And they work really well!

How to Set Up AirTags

You'll need an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 or later and two-factor authentication turned on.

To be able to use Precision Finding and to see the most accurate location for your AirTag, turn on Location Access for the Find My app.

Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services, then scroll down and tap Find My. Check While Using the App or While Using the App or Widgets. Then turn on Precise Location.

Follow these steps to activate an AirTag

• If your AirTag is new, remove the wrap around the product and pull out the tab to activate the battery. Your AirTag will play a sound.
• Hold your AirTag near your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, then tap Connect. If you have multiple AirTags and see "More than one AirTag detected", make sure that only one AirTag is near your device at one time.
• Select an item name from the list, or select Custom Name to name your AirTag and choose an emoji. Then tap Continue.
• To register your AirTag with your Apple ID, tap Continue again.
• Tap Done.

BTW: If there's an active AirTag around you that isn't yours, your iPhone will alert you.

Final Thoughts

The Find My app has saved my bacon more than once over the years, mainly to locate a misplaced iPhone. Now, being able to use that same technology to keep track of my cameras and valuables is very comforting. AirTags are easy to use, and a bit of fun as well.

A 4-pack of AirTags costs $99.

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #825, Jan. 11, 2022. Today's theme is "The Joy of Everyday HDR." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Thanks to the ease of HDR merging in both Lightroom, and now in Capture One Pro 22, leveraging the advantages of high dynamic range photography doesn't have to be a special occasion activity. You can use it whenever you want a little more tonal range. How to easily do that is the first topic of today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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The Joy of Everyday HDR

Here, for example, is how I've been using it with my Fujifilm X100V and Capture One Pro 22.

Start by capturing three Raw files at -2.0/0/+2.0 exposure bracket. On my X100V, I press the Drive button, scroll down to BKT, choose AE BKT, then press the OK button. I don't have to worry about the bracket range because I've already set that by going to Menu > Shooting Setting (camera icon) > AE BKT SETTING > FRAMES/STEP SETTING. I choose +_ 3 Frames and 2 Step.

Since the camera will remember the Frame/Step Setting, I only have to go to Drive to slip into HDR mode, then Drive again to return to regular shooting.

The last thing to keep in mind is that you want to work in Aperture Priority mode. You want to frames bracketed by shutter speed, not aperture. By going to Aperture Priority mode, you set the f/stop and it remains constant forcing the camera to adjust shutter speed for the bracket. This will help keep your images sharper.

Import the images into Capture One Pro. Select all three images in the bracket, then right-click on one of them and choose "Merge to HDR" from the popup menu. A second popup menu will appear allowing you to auto align and auto adjust. I typically select both. The auto adjust presents you with a very nice merged DNG file right out of the gate.

The workflow is so easy, and I find myself merging to HDR more often now. I set my X100V to auto bracket at the -2/0/+2 range, and fire off a sequence whenever I feel a scene could use a little bit more dynamic range.

Make sure you record your files in Raw. C1P won't merge Jpegs.

Because this workflow is so easy with both Lightroom and C1P, you can capture an HDR sequence whenever you have a scene that you want to play with in post. No big deal. Just everyday shooting!

Remove Power Lines with Ease, Thanks to Luminar Neo

You can read the entire article on PhotoFocus.

In the new Luminar Neo, Skylum has added some great new tools to help save you time. One of these is the ability to remove power lines from images.

You can find this tool in the Erase tab, located under the Essentials tools. Then, you can click Remove Powerlines under the Objects Removal section.

To test out the tool, I found an old photo of a NASA rocket. I wanted to see if the AI would remove the cables holding the rocket. I simply clicked the Remove Powerlines button.

After about 5-10 seconds of the AI working, the cables were successfully removed. This is certainly an efficient feature! The clouds, blue patches, overexposed areas and painted lines on the rocket did not confuse the software.

You can buy a preliminary release of Luminar now for $79, and the final version will be made available to you in February. I'll be testing it soon and will share my initial impressions. Stay tuned.

The 2022 TDS Workshop Season

We have great events lined up for this year, and there are a few more coming. Here's a recap of what we have so far:

• March 2022 - Writing for Online Publishing (online)
• April 2022 - Humboldt Redwoods Workshop (physical)
• May 2022 - Infrared Photography Workshop (online event)
• August 2022 - Ultimate B&W Photography Workshop (online)
• Sept. 2022 - Eastern Sierra Photo Workshop (physical)
• Nov. 2022 - Oregon Coast Photography Workshop (physical)

You can learn more about all of these events and register by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

Nikon, Panasonic Absent from Japan's Best Selling Cameras of 2021

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.

BCN+R, a large retailer and holder of one of the largest databases of electronic sales in Japan, has published the top ten cameras sold in 2021. Notably absent from the list are Nikon and Panasonic.

BCN+R regularly publishes trend and sales reports across multiple electronics markets, including cameras. While it shouldn't be taken as the end-all of Japanese sales reports, the company does command about 40% of the Japanese sales market which does make it a very solid indication of what products are popular. For what it's worth, no such ranking like this exists in the United States as no retailer or dealer is willing or able to share its sales data publicly. So while it's not the best data, it is some of the only data that those interested in industry trends tend to get.

And as noted by Imaging Resource, it's important to keep a couple of things in mind before taking a look at the results. First, the camera market in Japan is extremely different from that of North America or Europe. Japanese sales regularly show smaller compact cameras tend to be extremely popular, while the larger and more "professional" bodies that sell well in the United States are not nearly as sought after. Also of note is that BCN+R's list includes multiple variations of the same product through kits, standalone cameras, or even color options. As a result, these numbers might be skewed a bit.

Below are BCN+R's top-selling cameras of 2021:

• Sony A6400 Double Zoom Lens Kit (Black)
• Canon EOS Kiss M2 Double Zoom Kit (White)
• Canon EOS Kiss M Double Zoom Kit (White)
• Sony A6400 Double Zoom Lens Kit (Silver)
• Sony ZV-E10 Power Zoom Lens Kit (Black)
• Canon EOS Kiss M2 Double Zoom Kit (Black)
• Canon EOS Kiss M Double Zoom Kit (Black)
• Fujifilm X-A5 Lens Kit (Silver)
• Olympus PEN E-PL10 EZ Double Zoom Kit (White)
• Fujifilm X-A5 Lens Kit (Brown)

Obviously, the aforementioned repetition of products is obvious here. Sony and Canon both have products that show up twice, which potentially squeezes out the potential for the two camera companies that are notably absent here: Nikon and Panasonic. Both companies released cameras that would have theoretically been popular in Japan last year: Nikon released the Zfc while Panasonic launched the GH5 II. Both companies could be absent from this list for a few reasons.

One other thing to note is that not a single full-frame camera made it to the top-selling cameras in Japan list, which further highlights the difference in the eastern and western camera markets. That said, Imaging Resource reports that the Sony A7 IV, Sony A7 III, and Canon EOS RP have all made the top-selling list of cameras from BCN+R last month, so it's possible that the transition to full-frame is coming along in Japan, albeit slowly.

Photos for macOS Monterey and iPhone Essential Training

You can view the course here on LinkedIn Learning.

With the free Photos for macOS software from Apple, you can manage, enhance, and share photos in a variety of ways. In this course, photographer, author, and educator Derrick Story takes you on a detailed exploration of Photos for macOS.

Derrick gives you a tour of the interface and the headline new features, then goes into detail on the ways you can use Live Text to transform your camera into your personal assistant. He shows you how to search for pictures by object type, copy images from messages to Photos, use Quick Notes with Photos, and automate common tasks with shortcuts.

Derrick walks you through the improved importing process and gives you some useful tips on organizing and editing your pictures directly in Photos. Plus, he shows you where to find more tips and techniques for working with Photos for macOS.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

Back in April 2020, I published my initial review of the LaCie 2big RAID hard drive. There were many things that I liked about the unit including its ease of use, flexible options, and nice design.

I have it set up with my iMac in the Zoom recording studio. On days when I'm recording or conducting online classes, I power down the LaCie to keep noise to a minimum or to prevent performance lags if the hard drive had been sleeping. Then on days when I'm working offline, I fire it up and use its storage and backup features.

Everything had been working well until one day recently it wouldn't power up. I went through the usual troubleshooting checklist, but with no success. For some reason, the unit had failed.

Losing a drive unit is one thing, but the integrity of the data is quite another. I had the LaCie set up for RAID 01 configuration. So technically speaking, I had two hard drives with my mirrored data on them.

I extracted the first hard drive from the unit and inserted it in a swappable hard drive enclosure that I keep on hand for just this kind of situation. Fortunately, the drive itself fired right up, and all of my files were there.

So even though the LaCie enclosure had failed, its content had not. This is an advantage of the more simple backup systems that don't compress your data or otherwise mess with it. If the enclosure fails, simple extract the drives and use them in another unit.

I checked the reviews of the LaCie 2Big, and there were some other power failures reported. I would say that in my case, how I used the unit probably wasn't ideal, turning it off and on frequently. That may have contributed to its demise.

But I have my data, and I will begin a search for a new temporary backup solution that may be better suited to my needs. Maybe it's time to go SSD?

Stay tuned.

Product Links and Comments

There are product links in this article that contain affiliate tags. In some cases, depending on the product, The Digital Story may receive compensation if you purchase a product via one of those links. There is no additional cost to you.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #824, Jan. 4, 2022. Today's theme is "Honoring Two Golden Girls" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

On December 31, 2021, the world lost two Golden Girls: Betty White and my mother, Lynn Story. I was at mom's bedside with family when we heard the news about Betty White's passing. Hours later, Mom followed. They had much in common, including love of family, tolerance of differences, and care for animals. I wish I had an interview of Betty White to share with you because I so admired her. But I do have a chat with Lynn Story from December 2018 that I'm going to play. There is much to learn from her words. They resonate even more now in 2022. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

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Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In

Honoring Two Golden Girls

When asked, Betty White said the key to her happiness is that she works to "always find the positive" in her life. "I got it from my mom, and that never changed," she said.

I was thinking about how Betty White and Lynn Story had much in common, and thought it would be good to revisit some pearls of wisdom from Lynn that she shared in a 2018 interview.

Lynn Story photographed in 2018, Huntington Beach, CA. Photo by Derrick Story.

One of the things that I've noticed in people who appear to be happy is the notion of, "appreciate others rather than judge them." This idea of appreciation was certainly a theme in my Mom's life.

As an example, I stayed in her apartment on Thursday night while she was in the hospital. I wanted to take care of her kitty and get a little bit of sleep before heading back.

I noticed an envelope on her bed that read, "For my hardworking housekeeper and waiter." Even though she was in independent living, she did have weekly housekeeping and help if needed. The envelope contained a thank you card with a gratuity. This was something she did time and time again with practically everyone who contributed to her life.

There's a reason why some people go directly to heaven. Caring for and respecting others is at the top of the list.

The 2022 TDS Workshop Season

We have great events lined up for this year, and there are a few more coming. Here's a recap of what we have so far:

• March 2022 - Writing for Online Publishing (online)
• April 2022 - Humboldt Redwoods Workshop (physical)
• May 2022 - Infrared Photography Workshop (online event)
• August 2022 - Ultimate B&W Photography Workshop (online)
• Sept. 2022 - Eastern Sierra Photo Workshop (physical)
• Nov. 2022 - Oregon Coast Photography Workshop (physical)

You can learn more about all of these events and register by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

Samsung's New TVs Let You Buy, Sell, and Display Photography NFTs

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.

As part of a series of announcements it made for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Samsung unveiled that it would be adding an NFT marketplace into its smart TV system that would allow users to browse, buy, sell, and display art on Samsung TVs.

The introduction of the NFT Platform marks the first time a major television manufacturer has decided to support non-fungible tokens in any capacit and provides a more tangible way for NFT owners to enjoy their purchases.

The company's NFT aggregation platform is built into this system and allows users to browse, buy, sell, and display NFT art directly through a compatible Samsung television. The company says that the NFT platform it built features an intuitive, integrated platform. Any art bought or displayed is supported by the aformentioned Samsung Smart Calibration feature that automatically adjusts the display settings "to the creator's preset values" to assure that how it appears is exactly, or as close as possible to, how the artist intended. The Verge compares the idea to Dolby Vision or Netflix Calibrated Modes as an example of how this might work.

The NFT Marketplace feature will be supported on the company's 2022 lineup of MICRO LED, Neo QLED, and The Frame television models. Samsung says that the platform is an aggregator, and as such, it is assumed that the platform isn't just supported by one NFT marketplace, but several. The company hasn't specified which marketplaces it will support, but that information should become more available leading up to the commercial availability of the televisions.

Photos for macOS Monterey and iPhone Essential Training

You can view the course here on LinkedIn Learning.

With the free Photos for macOS software from Apple, you can manage, enhance, and share photos in a variety of ways. In this course, photographer, author, and educator Derrick Story takes you on a detailed exploration of Photos for macOS.

Derrick gives you a tour of the interface and the headline new features, then goes into detail on the ways you can use Live Text to transform your camera into your personal assistant. He shows you how to search for pictures by object type, copy images from messages to Photos, use Quick Notes with Photos, and automate common tasks with shortcuts.

Derrick walks you through the improved importing process and gives you some useful tips on organizing and editing your pictures directly in Photos. Plus, he shows you where to find more tips and techniques for working with Photos for macOS.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

In the late 1970s Orson Welles made famous the phrase, "We will sell no wine before its time" for Paul Masson vineyards. This saying has since been used in many settings, and it's one that comes to mind for the engineers at Capture One Pro. They don't rush tons of enhancements out the door, but when they do, they are usually quite good. Such is the case for the three headliners for C1P 22.

My experience with them (auto rotate, HDR, pano stitching) after a couple weeks of testing is different than what I thought it would be. Like many, I read about the new tools and thought, "Well, that's nice."

But all three are saving me a notable amount of time, mainly because I don't have to bounce out of C1P to other apps for my high dynamic range work or for panorama stitching. As a result, I'm using these techniques more because they are now convenient in my workflow.

Let's take a look at all three of them, beginning with auto rotate.

Auto Rotate Saves Time

Slanted horizons and tilted compositions can consume quite a bit of time in post production. Well no more. The smart algorithm added to Rotation & Flip in the Lens tab works as advertised. Simply click on the new Magic Wand icon in the Rotation & Flip panel, and Capture One Pro will straighten things up.

Before and After with Auto Rotate

Auto Rotate is also included as an option in the Auto Adjust tool at the top of the C1P interface, so you can one-click spruce up any picture quickly, including now fixing that tilting horizon.

Auto Rotate is also included in the Auto Adjust menu. Very handy!

The bonus for including Auto Rotate in the Auto Adjust menu is that those corrections can also be added automatically during image import too. Just click the box next to Auto Adjust in the Adjustments panel of the Import dialog box. That way, you'll never have look at another crooked horizon again.

Merge to HDR is Clean and Efficient

The workflow for creating an HDR image is straightforward, and the results are quite good.

Choosing Merge to HDR with three bracketed images in C1P

Start by capturing three Raw files at -2.0/0/+2.0 exposure bracket. Import the images into Capture One Pro. Select all three images in the bracket, then right-click on one of them and choose "Merge to HDR" from the popup menu. A second popup menu will appear allowing you to auto align and auto adjust. I typically select both. The auto adjust presents you with a very nice merged DNG file right out of the gate.

The merged image with its three bracketed thumbnails.

The workflow is so easy, and I find myself merging to HDR more often now. I set my X100V to auto bracket at the -2/0/+2 range, and fire off a sequence whenever I feel a scene could use a little bit more dynamic range.

Make sure you record your files in Raw. C1P won't mefrrge Jpegs.

Stitch to Panorama Provides Just the Right Options

After taking Merge to HDR for a spin, Stitch to Panorama will feel very familiar. The steps are about the same (select your images and right-click on one, then choose Stitch to Panorama from the popup menu), albeit with a few more options. There a four projections to choose from, but most of the time you'll likely be using Spherical.

Choosing your projection and final resolution.

You also have control over how big (in terms of resolution) the stitched final image will be, ranging from 25 percent to 100 in 4 steps. After making those decisions, click on the orange Stitch button. You'll still have to crop afterward. But resulting image will be a very editable DNG file.

The stitching is quite good. And with a little cropping and basic adjustments, the final image looks great!

As for the stitching itself, it's top notch. Capture One recommends overlapping your files by about 30 percent. That's what I did, and the whole process worked well.

The Bottom Line

You may wonder if these three headliner features are worth the upgrade price. Before you make a final decision, keep in mind there's plenty more happening under the hood in this latest version. So if you want integrated HDR and pano stitching, I would say yes to Capture One Pro 22. Everything else will be icing on top of the cake.

You can learn more about all of the features and the pricing plans by visiting www.captureone.com.

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #823, Dec. 28, 2021. Today's theme is "What Are You Going to Do in 2022?" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

For essentially 2 years we've had the opportunity to retool, learn new things, and break away from old habits that may not have been as productive as we wanted. Now, as we stand on the precipice of 2022, it's time to put our "new normal" into action. We are going to take a closer look at the pending possibilities on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

---

Apple Podcasts -- Spotify Podcasts -- Stitcher

Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In

What Are You Going to Do in 2022?

Here are the things that I'm discussing in this segment:

• Set goals for 2022. Mine include bringing back physical workshops, adding new topics to the online workshops, resume publishing on TheNimblePhotographer.com, reorganizing the studio, and more.
• Plan activities that are inline with your goals. For example, we will have a variety of online and physical workshops, set aside time to research and learn online, and spend time with others who have shared interests.
• Add organization to the mix. It's one thing to say you're going to do something, it's far better to build a plan with milestone dates.
• Build a budget. I like to create a separate account for projects and equipment that I want to fund.
• Make 2022 a "springboard year." Take all the adjustments that you've made over the past two years, shape them into goals that will further your growth, and fuel them with organization and capital. The net result can be personal growth that you haven't experienced in years.

In terms of workshops, I've updated our TDS Workshops page on thenimblephotographer.com. You might want to take a look. (Inner Circle members will receive discounts for all 2022 activities.)

How Infrared Photography Can Create Stunning Sci-Fi Night Photos

You can read the entire article on PetaPixel.

Infrared photography is mostly used to create alternative and dreamy landscape pictures during bright days, giving nature specific hues from clear white to vivid yellow or red. But this technique has also a high potential in urban photography too, moreover at night.

Infrared photography requires specific gear such as a full spectrum camera (which sensor has been modified to bring back its initial sensitivity from ultraviolet to infrared light), an infrared filter, and a compatible lens. When it comes to shooting cityscape at night, a tripod is also required to deal with long exposure.

At this step, my advice is to choose an infrared filter with a low cut-off wavelength, like 550nm or 595nm. This way, the exposure time will not be too long (at night, infrared emission is only due to urban light and is far less important than IR sun emission) and you will observe a large range of colors in the different lights caught.

Personally, I use a full spectrum Canon RP, a Laowa 15mm f/4.5 shift, and a Kolari Vision 550nm filter in a drop-in mount. This association allows me to create large panoramas without any hotspot and with a reduced amount of flare.

This step is not specific to infrared photography, but if you are looking for futuristic pictures, you will need futuristic places. Modern financial hubs are full of buildings, headquarters, and offices made of glass and steel with impressive design. At night, they emit a lot of light and their look totally changes.

Do not hesitate to visit these places during the day: it will be easier for you to find interesting points of view and to test compositions that you will reproduce at night.

As infrared light will come from urban lights, road and subway networks are also great subjects to integrate into your compositions: at night, long exposures will create colored light lines in them.

Can the Cheapest MacBook Pro Keep Up With Professional Demands?

You can read the entire article on Fstoppers.

Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros are mightily impressive, but their prices can grow quite quickly as you add more features and capabilities, with the top model tipping the scales at over $6,000. On the other hand, the base model comes in at less than half that price. Can it keep up with the demands of professional photographers and filmmakers, though? This great video review puts it through the paces to find out.

Coming to you from Potato Jet, this excellent video review takes a look at how the base model of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro performs under the demands of a professional creative, and no doubt, it looks like even the M1 Pro model with 16 GB of unified memory is a remarkable step forward over previous generations, providing performance that easily handles heavy loads that would have bogged down even tricked-out older models. What impresses me all the more is the computer's long battery life, even during these demanding editing sessions, making it easy to work on large projects no matter where you are. It is also nice to see that the base models come with 512 GB SSDs, ensuring you have plenty of storage. Check out the video above for the full rundown on the new model.

Photos for macOS Monterey and iPhone Essential Training

You can view the course here on LinkedIn Learning.

With the free Photos for macOS software from Apple, you can manage, enhance, and share photos in a variety of ways. In this course, photographer, author, and educator Derrick Story takes you on a detailed exploration of Photos for macOS.

Derrick gives you a tour of the interface and the headline new features, then goes into detail on the ways you can use Live Text to transform your camera into your personal assistant. He shows you how to search for pictures by object type, copy images from messages to Photos, use Quick Notes with Photos, and automate common tasks with shortcuts.

Derrick walks you through the improved importing process and gives you some useful tips on organizing and editing your pictures directly in Photos. Plus, he shows you where to find more tips and techniques for working with Photos for macOS.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

I can't remember the last time I spent three days at home doing nothing more than watching sports, harassing the cat, and enjoying the company of my family. Oh, and I also played with the camera a bit as well.

Derrick with Sylvester. Fujifilm X100V using the CamRemote app to take the picture.

I wanted to grab a few snapshots of Sylvester and me, so I used the Fujifilm X100V with the CamRemote app. Between the moving cat and the herky-jerky app, it was more humorous than anything. But I love these kind of goofy shots.

My sister-in-law gave us all Bombas slippers for Christmas. We wanted to send her a thank you text, so I captured this fun snap with the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Zach and Max enjoying Christmas Day taco bar. iPhone 12 Pro Max.

We had a taco bar for Christmas Day lunch (of course, it's California!). Was a colorful opportunity to catch a grab shot of the boys.

I hope you had a bit of fun with your gear over the holiday. If not, maybe you'll get a second crack at it this weekend for the New Year celebration.

Wishing you the happiest of holidays.

Derrick

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.

This is The Digital Story Podcast #822, Dec. 21, 2021. Today's theme is "5 Reasons Why I Still Carry a Digital Camera." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

It's true, we live in the age of the smartphone. Then why am I so happy to pull my digital camera out of my backpack on a regular basis? I just returned from a road trip to Southern California where I used my X100V a number of times. I'm going to share 5 of them on todays TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!

---

Apple Podcasts -- Spotify Podcasts -- Stitcher

Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In

5 Reasons Why I Still Carry a Digital Camera

Don't get me wrong, I used my iPhone all the time on a recent trip to visit my mom, including a fun selfie of the two of us sitting in her living room.

But man o man am I glad I had my digital camera with me too. Here are 5 reasons why.

• Digital Cameras Make the Best Webcams - I had a couple of workshop classes I had to lead while down there, and boy am I glad I had the X100V to serve as my webcam. The image looked great!
• Digital Cameras Save Your Back and Knees - When I want a really low angle shot, which seems to be often, that flip up screen on the X100V is invaluable.
• Crop, Crop, Crop! - Sometimes I don't find the best composition until way after the shot when I'm working on the MacBook. With a 26 MP sensor, I can crop, crop, crop and still have plenty of resolution.
• Did Anyone Say Film Simulations? - Let's face it, the filters in the camera app for the iPhone suck. And compared to what I can get on the X100V with those lovely film simulations, they really suck.
• True Flash Photography - Not only does the built-in flash on the X100V blow away that wimpy LED unit on the iPhone, but I can attach a true hot shoe flash as well.

There are also lots of other little things that I notice over time, such as real RAW files, click-stop aperture ring, more comfortable ergonomics, and more.

iPhones are great, but digital cameras rock my world.

And for a bit more about using a smartphone and digital camera together, take a look at Ditch the Bag, not the Camera on TheNimblePhotographer.com.

Tokina's second-generation 400mm F8 mirror lens is available in eight mounts for $260

You can read the entire article on DP Review.

Tokina has announced an updated version of its 400mm F8 mirror lens that tweaks the optical detain and adds a T-mount system that Tokina says improves the performance of the lens and enables the lens to be used with eight different camera mounts.

The Tokina 400mm F8 N II S mirror lens is a successor to the 400mm F8 N S mirror released back in July 2020. The updated lens is constructed of six elements in two groups--a departure from the six elements in five groups used in the original version. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 115cm (45.3"), has a 67mm front filter thread and measures between 82-112mm, depending on whether you get the SLR or mirrorless mount versions, as the mirrorless versions have a longer adapter to account for the short flange distance of mirrorless cameras.

The 400mm F8 lens is fully manual and features an integrated T-mount that uses the standard male 42x0.75 thread; by using various adapters, which are place on the lens before being shipped out, the lens will work with Canon EF, Canon M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Pentax K and Sony E-mount camera systems. Naturally, the T-mount means the lens can easily be adapted from one mount to another with a different mount adapter.

As is the case with all mirror lenses, this lens features the signature 'donut' bokeh, which is usually considered less aesthetically pleasing than the bokeh of conventional optics, but is the price paid for getting longer focal lengths in a relatively small body. Below are the only two sample photos Tokina has provided at this time:

The Tokina 400mm F8 N II S mirror lens Is currently listed on Tokina's website for around $262, but it doesn't appear as though it's possible to actually place an order at this time. The first orders, when they go live, are expected to ship starting December 24, 2021.

Mastering Capture One Pro Online Workshop - Jan. 12, 2022

Jan 12 - Feb. 2, 2022

Are you ready to move to one of the best RAW processing digital asset managers available today? If yes, then this online workshop is for you.

Over the course of four sessions, you will learn to organize, process, enhance, and share your images with Capture One Pro 22, the state-of-the-art photo management platform for professionals and serious enthusiasts. This application runs on both Mac and Windows platforms, with an iPad version scheduled to be available in January as well.

You will also have access to our online workshop community, DerrickStoryOnline, where you can ask questions, share techniques, and show off your work. Your membership to our online community extends pass the workshop itself, so you can continue to share notes with those who share your particular interests.

Our weekly meetings during the workshop itself are via Zoom, with AM and PM sessions available so you can match this event to your busy schedule. Plus, we record each session and make them available to participants future reference.

This is exactly the type of learning environment that will accelerate your mastery of this powerful application. I hope you can join us!

You can sign up today at TheNimblePhotographer.com.

Attention Inner Circle Members: Be sure to visit our Patreon site for the discount code that will save you $15 for this very affordable online workshop.

Pixelmator Photo is a Powerful AI-Driven Photo Editor for iPhone

You can read the entire article on Petapixel.

Pixelmator has announced Pixelmator Photo for iOS, what it calls the most powerful editor ever designed for a mobile device. The company even goes so far as to call it "basically Aperture for iPhone."

Pixelmator Photo has been launched for iPhone (in addition to iPad) and features desktop-class color adjustments, support for over 600 RAW image formats -- including Apple ProRAW -- deep integration with the Photos app and iCloud Photos, tools powered by what the company calls groundbreaking machine learning technologies, and more.

The company says that Pixelmator Photo contains a collection of over 30 desktop-class color adjustments that allow editors to adjust the colors in a photo in a variety of ways. The app also features classic photography essential tools like White Balance, Exposure, Highlights, and Shadows adjustments, to more advanced tools like Selective Color, wheel-based Color Balance, photographic Grain adjustment, and others.

Pixelmator says that all the adjustments were designed using advanced image processing techniques that it says will preserve color quality and eliminate image posterization artifacts even when making "extreme" edits. All adjustments made in the app work directly and nondestructively with over 600 RAW image formats, including Apple ProRAW.

The app has what the company calls deep integration with the Photos app and iCloud Photos. To edit photos, users have to open it in the browser of the Pixelmator Photo app and when edits are finished, changes automatically sync with the photo library.

The app is free for existing Pixelmator Photo users but is available for $4 for new users (it will eventually increase to $8) It requires iOS 14 or later, and full iPhone requirements can be found on the company's website.

Photos for macOS Monterey and iPhone Essential Training

You can view the course here on LinkedIn Learning.

With the free Photos for macOS software from Apple, you can manage, enhance, and share photos in a variety of ways. In this course, photographer, author, and educator Derrick Story takes you on a detailed exploration of Photos for macOS.

Derrick gives you a tour of the interface and the headline new features, then goes into detail on the ways you can use Live Text to transform your camera into your personal assistant. He shows you how to search for pictures by object type, copy images from messages to Photos, use Quick Notes with Photos, and automate common tasks with shortcuts.

Derrick walks you through the improved importing process and gives you some useful tips on organizing and editing your pictures directly in Photos. Plus, he shows you where to find more tips and techniques for working with Photos for macOS.

Virtual Camera Club News

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts!

My Writing on Medium.com: I now have 51 published articles on Medium.com. And if you haven't visited the site, and enjoy good writing on a variety of topics, I suggest that you may want to take a look. You can just go to the home page and enter "Derrick Story" in the search field. And if you like what you read, then follow me!

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.