TWIP #127 – iPad for Photographers

This week: The iPad – What's in it for Photographers? More thoughts on when and when not to shoot, and special guest hosts' Rick Sammon and Derrick Story.

Hosts: Frederick Van Johnson, Rick Sammon, Derrick Story

NEWS & DISCUSSION

Apple Announces the iPad
Fred, Rick, and Derrick discuss Apple's latest product – the iPad and it's relevance to photographers. When Rick first saw it he immediately realized that it would be great for showing and sharing his portfolio as well as a valuable business tool. Rick also has an iPhone application that he's excited to use on the new iPad. He feels it will be an essential business tool for many photographers. Rick would like to see multi-tasking on the device.

Derrick also sees the iPad as a great tool for sharing images and even for getting jobs to begin with. The biggest advantage to the iPad is that you can easily hand it to someone and they can view it the angle that is comfortable for them. It will also be great to use when traveling and will likely use it as a laptop.

Fred also thinks that the iPad will be a great step up from the iPhone in terms being able to display and share his images but wonders about some of the limitations (no camera, no multi-tasking, etc).

Photographer's iPhone Lights Birth in Haiti
A photographer covering the earthquake in Haiti, used his iPhone to provide light for a woman giving birth. This ties in with Fred's discussion and blog post from last week regarding what would you do in a situation where you have to choose between helping out and documenting the event with your camera. Derrick's inclination would be to help out first and then shoot once the person is stabilized. Rick likes to picture people at their best and would concentrate on helping out first and wouldn't think about shooting.

Shepard Fairy Under Criminal Investigation
The guys discuss their thoughts on Copyright vs. Creative Commons. Rick is happy to share his work with people who want to use his photos as a desktop wallpaper, or mouse pad,etc but doesn't want people making money from his photographs. Derrick falls somewhere in between and really likes the creative commons options. Most of the time his work will be setup for creative commons by default. Other shots he will lock down with regular copyright but that applies to around 10% of his images. As a little tip, on Canon cameras you can program them to write your copyright information into the photo as you press the shutter.

LISTENER QUESTIONS

Question #1
Robert Adriaansen writes: I have a Canon EOS 5D Mark-II. What is the widest angle lens that can be used with a full-frame sensor and have minimal distortion? I am a backpacker and primarily shoot landscape and wildlife. Would the answer be different for portrait photographers?

Rick: I wouldn't recommend shooting portraits with a wide angle lens. You'll want to get a rectilinear corrected lens. There are also tilt-shift lenses. I really like the 17-40mm f2.8.

Derrick: I also like the 17-40mm lens but don't forget about shooting panoramas.

Question #2
Rob Carson asks: I often hear how many of you use Aperture or Lightroom etc. for file management. I get awful results when my Raw files are converted by Aperture versus the supplied Raw conversion software from the camera manufacturer. I have tried it with RAW files from a Canon 40d and a Nikon D700 and the photos look washed out. Am I missing something?

Rick: There are certainly different interpretations between different RAW conversion programs. Not sure unless he has some default settings set on import perhaps that are affecting the output?

Derrick: Rick is right that there are definitely some differences between RAW processing programs but you also have to have a tight workflow. Is your screen calibrated? Are you getting good exposures. There are a lot of other elements so make sure those are tight and then pick the process that appeals most to your eye.

Fred: One thing to note is that when you shoot RAW, the image on the back of the camera is not the RAW file but rather a JPEG rendering of the RAW file.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Derrick – Gorillacam for the iPhone

Rick – I have a tip. The camera looks both ways. The energy and mood we project is reflected in the people we are photographing.

WRAP UP

Frederick Van Johnson – www.frederickvan.com or www.twitter.com/frederickvan

Rick Sammon – www.ricksammon.com or www.twitter.com/ricksammon

Derrick Story – www.thedigitalstory.com or www.twitter.com/derrickstory

Show notes by Bruce Clarke at www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke

Visit the blog at www.twiplog.com and the Flickr critique group. We also have a new Facebook group so be sure to check it out.

Bandwidth provided by Cachefly. Intro Music by Scott Cannizzaro

Show producer Aaron Mahler at www.halfpress.com or www.twitter.com/halfpress

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