One Photo at a Time: Photography Essays

The impact of the iPad on Photography

Rob DeRobertis — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:17:00 GMT

The impact of the iPad on Photography

The iPad is coming April 3th.

Many people have pondered what this new device will achieve on introduction. There are millions of posts all over the internet and in mainstream media on this subject.

I found many postings on the iPad are titled “The impact of the iPad on _____". The blank is filled with all kinds of subjects from comic books to real estate sales to photography. So I felt this space was full, but a colleague in my day job asked my opinion and how it will impact business to business communications. That got me thinking…

Apple claims the iPad is a new category. In Steve Jobs keynote where the iPad was launched, he said as much and stated that the iPod and iPhone were launched in existing markets. The later is true, we all remember how difficult MP3 players were and how limited cell phones were until Apple arrived with an extended product (one that included delivery of content with iTunes and the App store) and they redefined the category. But is the iPad defining a new category or redefining an existing category. (Was the CD a new category or redefining the record industry). I think the iPad is not a new category. It is redefining many, many industries. Hence why there are millions of postings on such a subject.

So the question is if the iPad can replace a book or replace a photograph or replace a magazine or replace a comic book or replace a TV or replace… (the possibilities appear to be endless), how will business models change.

For me, I don’t get magazines or newspapers anymore. I get my info real time via the iPhone or laptop. I also don’t read books (I listen to them as I drive to work). Now I’m a bit on the leading edge of technology, but as much as I love Apple, I am not convinced that I need an iPad... yet. This is because the use case does not fit my life style since I have no need to replace a printed document, I’ve already done so. For others this may be different.

That said, one use I can see is using the device to show my photography to others, or to use the device to look at images in the field and from there the possibilities begin to become interesting for the iPad and photography.

Image the following possibilities:

You are in the field capturing a landscape and want to see the results before walking away, with the iPad you can see the full image and easily zoom in to look at detail.
Content providers around the globe are looking for quality images to post on their websites, do people start buying images same as they buy music and books today? Does Apple open a Photo Store?
You are taking pictures at a wedding and the bride’s mother has particular needs. Well, with an iPad, you can show, practically in real time, the image you just captured for approval. Going way beyond that 3” LCD on your camera.
You want to show your images to family, friends, and client. Instead of firing up a thick, heavy laptop with a questionable display or bringing along your desk top plus high quality monitor, all you need to carry is the 1.5 pound iPad to show images on the 9.7” diagonal screen that is 1024 x 768 @132 pixels per inch.
You are on a baseball field and just took a picture of someone’s child sliding into home. You can show that image to the child’s parent and make a “point of sale” transaction right on the field.
You just shot some video and want to preview it before moving on. Just pull out your handy iPad and you are good to go.

I think that the iPad will drive up the need for good quality photography. It will also become a critical tool in the coming years that photographers will want to carry along the iPad in their bag along with their camera and lens kit. [All you need is either an iPad Camera Connection Kit (supports USB or SD cards) or a WiFi/3G connection with your camera.]

So look out, the iPad is coming, the iPad is coming…

Motivational Poster Challenge

Rob DeRobertis — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:48:00 GMT

Over at the Digital Photography School, they are running a weekend challenge to create a motivational poster (like you see in many poster stores) using your own photography. You can read about the challenge and post yours here.

Well here is mine!

Tooting my own horn

Rob DeRobertis — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:20:00 GMT

Excuse me for tooting my own horn but I need a moment to celebrate. I want to announce that three of my images were accepted into the PSA International Exhibitions in Ridgewood, NJ and that one of my images was accepted into the PSA International competition in Wilmington Deleware. A small accomplishment but one I'm excited to share.

The image that was accepted into both the Wilmington and Ridgewood Exhibitions was my "Fire Truck".

The other images accepted into the Ridgewood Exhibition are

"Perfection"

And "Buttonwood Farms, CT"

Last notes on my Canon 7D experience

Rob DeRobertis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:48:00 GMT

Last notes on my Canon 7D experience:

1) The camera simply "nails" exposure. On my Canon 40D, I almost always have to adjust the exposure compensation since the camera almost never gets it right. On the 7D, it is a no brainer. The metering on this camera is a joy. The image attached to this blog shows a very difficult subject to meter. On the 40D, there is a bunch of trial and error to get it right, on the 7D, BAM: one shot and right.

2) I used the camera for the last time last night. I was asked to take pictures at a retirement party for someone I've worked with for over 7 years. The auto focus of the 7D with poor lighting was spot on. No issues waiting for the camera to find the subject. I'm attaching one photo not because it shows the ability of the camera but it shows the skills of another colleague at work who made this figure out of icing and used it to top the cake!

Turning Lemons into Lemonade 3: The Canon 7D and the 16-35mm 2.8L lens.

Rob DeRobertis — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:55:00 GMT

Turning Lemons into Lemonade 3: The Canon 7D and the 16-35mm 2.8L lens.

Okay gear heads. Here are my thoughts about the Canon 7D lens and the Canon 16-35mm 2.8L lens.

It starts as an unfair comparison since I'm comparing this camera to my Canon 40D. My current camera is an excellent camera and I am very happy with it. The 7D is up a step in class from the 40D given the same sensor size..

To start with, if you are ever going to spend money on a new expensive camera or lens, I suggest you rent one and live with it for a week. This will help you really get a feel if this is something you want to spend lots of money on. I rented my camera from www.lensrentals.com. I've rented from them before and they are great. Customer services are top notch which is what you need from a rental service. I even receive responsive on weekends from Kristin in customer service. Also, lensrentals.com makes it a point to deliver the rental early to make sure you get it on time. You start paying on the date you requested, not on the date you received the camera/lens. So there is always extra time to play.

First impressions.

The 7D and the 40D appear to have the same body. This is nice since I love this form factor. Buttons are in different places which can be a problem when moving from one camera to the other. The power switch for example is on the top (and correct) location for the 7D. The Menu, Info, Picture Style, Image view and trash buttons are on the side not the bottom like the 40D: yet another improvement.

There is this "Q" button which I had no idea what it was for until my friend Phil told me. It provides an interactive display where you can change settings; a really nice feature. There is also a "Raw/Jpeg" button which allows you to change file types on the fly.

There is also an M-Fn button next to the image capture button which controls the auto focus capability. (You have to be impressed that Canon allowed a button to be called M-Fn. Now say it a aloud "Canon has the M, F-IN Button to control the Autofocus". If you don't get the joke, you grew up in a better place than I. The problem is that this button is MFn to use. If you want to change Auto Focus modes you have to press the AF button first then press the MFn button to change modes. Canon does have a really nice menu setup however which allows you to change the function of almost every button, but I could not figure out how to change this requirement to press these buttons in this order.

Auto Focus

Joking aside, the autofocus is great: very responsive. It is very flexible as you get used to the controls. Although I wasn't taking pictures of F18's I can see how this camera would do a great job on an aircraft carrier capturing landing and takeoff. (Sigh!...)

On screen menus

One annoyance with the 40D is that in the dark, it can be difficult to change settings because you cannot see the changes. On the 7D the 3 inch LCD provides a really nice display as the setting change. Now if only Canon had a touch sensitive display where control could be like something say an iPhone...

Biggest Plus

The biggest advantage of using this camera is the view finder. Looking through the viewfinder is like looking through a window; bright and clear. On my 40D, I find myself squinting to look through the camera. According to the spec, the 40D viewfinder provides 95% coverage with a .95x magnification. The 7D is 100% coverage with 1x magnification. For me this difference was very noticeable and a potential buying reason. It wasn't until I looked at the spec that I realized the difference. (PS the 5D M2 is 98% coverage at .71 magnification).

Big Files

As one would expect, given the 8 additional mega pixels 18 vs. 10 mega pixels between the 7D and the 40D, the file sizes are larger. Larger size means a longer time to do anything with each file; from downloading to the computer to renderings in Lightroom to loading into Photoshop. I guess this is the price you pay but do you get better quality images? It is true that you do gain the ability to crop into an image and still get something as good quality as a 40D.

Photographic Quality

I'm not sure if I get anything better by way of quality of images between the 7D and the 40D. Now to be fair, I haven't done a true A-B comparison. I don't think I'll have the time to shoot a variety of subjects with both cameras given the same set up. But for this evaluation this kind of test wasn't my goal;. there are other smarter bloggers out there doing this kind of work. For me this test is more about seeing what is is like to live with this kind of equipment in my tool box. After all, in the end, photography isn't about the tool / machine but the eye and ability to use the machine. In that matter, I'm just an amateur getting there but not a master by any sense of the imagination. The photos I most recently shot with the 7D are good but none of them struck me as an outstanding image. And this was not the fault of the camera but the operator.

Next Steps.

So where do I go from here? In a few days I'll put the camera back in the box and ship it back to lensrentals.com. I'm not sure if a 7D is in my future. Having two bodies is great since you can move from one to the other and I did plenty of that over the weekend. What I really want is a 7D with the sensor of the 5D Mark 2. If I was going to spend money on another body, I keep thinking I need to go to a full size sensor. But I would want the full frame sensor with the processing speed and autofocus capability of the 7D. Something I need to wait for Canon to invent.

And what about the 16-35mm 2.8L wide angle zoom? This is a really nice piece of glass and something I truly see on the horizon.

Turning Lemons into Lemonade 2

Rob DeRobertis — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Turning Lemons into Lemonade 2

Saturday I decided to take the rental Canon 7D and 16-35 2.8L lens for another ride to photograph the sunset. Again positioning the car east, this time I ended up at Horseneck Beach. I went out to what I think is called Gooseberry Neck / Island. It is the southern most point of the Horseneck Beach state reservation. There you can see some very scary looking look out towers. (I didn't go in.) Since I arrived 45 min before sunset, I need to find a good position to capture the image I wanted. (The sunsetting, the beach and rocks in the foreground.) I should have arrived a few hours earlier. There is so much to photograph here: from wonderful wild life to beautiful marshes. This will be a cool place to shoot just after a storm. I know I'll be going back here soon. To see more images check out the gallery here.

Turning Lemons into Lemonade 1

Rob DeRobertis — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:41:00 GMT

Turning Lemons into Lemonade 1

If you saw my previous posts, my planned trip this weekend was postponed. The day after I was notified of my postponement, my rented Canon 7D and 16-25mm 2.8L lens arrived. So what to do, what to do...

Well I decided to take a "mental health" day. Packed up my gear and headed east. In New England, that isn't too far of a trip before you hit water. Having never been to PTown, and the end of the world (or at least the Cape) headed there. The sky was beautiful at home, but darkened as I drove to the Cape. Grayed up and became dreary the deeper I drove into the Cape. And it was cold, with wind chills taking the temps into the 20's.

You can check out my images here.

Stops I made:

Under the Bourne Bridge /

Aptucxet Windmilll

Dunes at Barnstable/Sandy Neck

Nauset Lighthouse near Coast Guard Beach

Cape Cod / Highland Lighthouse

Providence Town

The postponement of my trip of a lifetime

Rob DeRobertis — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:49:00 GMT

I think Jeremy Epstein says it best in this blog: http://jer979.com/igniting-the-revolution/usnavy/

Clear and transparent communication from the Navy. They live their motto: Integrity, Honor, and Commitment to Excellence.

So now I know how Jim Lovell felt when he heard he wasn't going to walk on the moon. (Well kind-of).

A trip of the lifetime

Rob DeRobertis — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:35:46 GMT

Next week, I will be traveling to San Diego to spend 24 hours on the USS John C. Stennis as a “Distinguished Visitor”. The Navy and my company are both members of the Social Media Business Council and the Navy has been gracious to invite members of this council (fortune 500 companies) to observe our hard working men and women in the military serve our company. I am honored to be allowed aboard the USS Stennis, a 5000 + Person Nimitz class nuclear aircraft carrier. A ship that carries the most impressive collection of aircraft on the planet F/A-18 Hornets, E2C Hawkeyes, EA-6B Prowlers and the MH-605Seahawks.

In preparations for this trip, I’m watching the series Carrier http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/full_episodes.htm which I understand provides a realistic view of life on an aircraft carrier.

I’m excited to note that I will be landing on the aircraft carrier in a C-2 Greyhound aircraft and taking off from the same.

The SMBC coordinated an earlier visit with a number of influencal bloggers. My favorite blog is “How to Change the world” by Guy Kawasaki

The coolest thing is that I will be able to take pictures! So in preparations I rented a Canon 7D “backup” camera to go along with my 40D, and also rented a 16-35 wide zoom. We’ll see what happens. I am really excited to see the people and equipment in action.

You can check out my latest air show gallery here.

A podcast from the 2008 air show here.

And see my favorite signature image here.

Free 2010 Calendar

Rob DeRobertis — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:18:00 GMT

I just finished putting together my 2010 wall calendar and thought that it might be fun to give away the PDF version for free. If you like the calendar, feel free to print it and hang it on your wall. Also, feel free to share with a friend.

If after looking at it for a while, you decide you want to purchase a high quality print of one of the images, visit my website at www.robde.com or my store at http://robde.smugmug.com/

Enjoy

Workflow

Rob DeRobertis — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:50:00 GMT

Last night at the Stonybrook Camera Club here in Wrentham, MA, (www.stonybrookcc.com) I had a chance to present a class on workflow. In the planning of this workshop, I decided to focus on helping the photographer define their own workflow by identifying the elements important in creating their own. I outlined 6 major steps from capturing the image to delivering the finished product. The ideas behind each step came from a conversation I had online at the Canon EOS Digital Photography Forum on LinkedIn along with research across the web plus my own point of view.

My workflow centers around Adobe's Lightroom so I also have to send a thank you to Scott Kelby for writing the book on Adobe Light Room workflow:

I just posted the slides on my website at http://www.robde.com/Workflow.pdf. It is available for use under creative commons license.

For those wondering how the presentation went. For the most part I think very well. I think the Powerpoint posted was well received. I did have a few "Murphy Law" issues. My projector overheated prior to starting because it was placed in a closed cabinet and my Lightroom catalog became corrupted which never happened before. Luckily I had a backup.

Web References used in this presentation:

The digital photography connection: http://www.thedigitalphotographyconnection.com/LFDP.php

“Develop workflow”
http://digital-photography-school.com/simple-lightroom-image-fixing-workflow#more-7747

Luminous Landscape.com
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/digital-workflow.shtml
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/workflow1.shtml
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/techniques/process.shtml
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/instant_photoshop.shtml

Another set of workflow articles:
http://handbook.outbackphoto.com/section_workflow_basics/index.html
http://www.outbackphoto.com/CONTENT_2007_01/section_workflow_basics_2009/20090614_DOP_WorkflowIntegration/index.html

Leica's newest cameras

Rob DeRobertis — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:36:00 GMT

It is rare when my day job and photographic passion collide. Today was one of those days. Today I had a chance to attend an event run by the camera manufacturer Leica. They launched 3 premium cameras into the market today. The X1, M9 and S2. (S2 was an announcement of production.)

I had a chance to meet their CEO and Division Manager who announced the cameras. These guys are crazy about quality and I mean this in a good way. Their emphasis is on precision, quality, innovation, optics and the photographer. I was very impressed by the event they ran which was also webcast live.

The X1 has an APS-C 12.2 megapixel sensor with a fixed-mount LEICA ELMARIT 1:2.8/24 mm lens. It is a small light and nicely compact camera. A high quality camera you can carry in your coat pocket to capture those decisive moments. It will retail for under $2000. This is a very sweet camera.

The M9 is the world’s first digital rangefinder camera with a full-format 24 × 36 mm sensor at 18 mega pixels. It works with any of the lens Leica has built since 1954 for the M class of cameras. It is comfortable to hold and is retailing today for under $7000.

The S2 is a medium format, 37.5 megapixel camera. Has a form factor of a DSLR but is very heavy to handle at 32.8 oz. Will start shipping end of this month starting at $23,000.

Oh yea I came home with some cute Leica give-aways, like a Leica Loupe.

New Galleries

Rob DeRobertis — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:56:00 GMT

I just made some minor re-work to the website. I created two “Galleries”. One is my portfolio of images the other are prints for sale. The differences are that the portfolios contain a broad number of images from various events. These images are what I consider my four or five star images. The images for sale are my five star images or in the case of the Penny Download section images that might be useful for websites, PowerPoint, wall paper, screen savers.

In addition, I added a new portfolio gallery of Sunflowers.

Enjoy.

Lulu Shutterfly Brick Flickr Smugmug

Rob DeRobertis — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:10:00 GMT

Over the last couple of years I made a somewhat expensive and resource intensive journey to find a platform to sell my images. I thought sharing my findings might be a useful blog so here it is.

To understand my journey I think some background will help. I had a couple of goals. One was in support of my day job which has nothing to do about photography but has much to do about marketing. I wanted to learn how to market and promote products on the web. The second goal was a bit egotistical but I wanted to know of the images I’ve been creating is marketable.

I started this journey by building a website. The website was pretty basic at first. I spent some time looking at other photographer’s websites which helped me to lock in on a certain look. One technology I found which I think is really cool is CoolIris. Cooliris allows a person to view images in a gallery in a very interactive manner. Right now the technology is free but they are a startup and I figure soon they will need to put in place a business model. The Cooliris gallery is the centerpiece of my website. To show my images, I used Adobe LightRoom’s ability to create web galleries to showcase my images. I use Adobe's Dreamweaver to build the site. I write as little HTML as possible but find myself needing it to get certain looks I want.

I started with Lulu as my first online platform to sell images. At the time they were providing photographic prints along with books. It appears to me that they never really had their heart in support photography. I ordered a print from Lulu as a test case and wasn’t really impressed with the quality. Uploading and setting up image galleries was also difficult. In addition, Lulu charges a royalty per item shipped. This appears good at first since startup is free but creates a situation where it is difficult to manage your own pricing. I admit the integration of the website and the “LuLu Storefront” was not ideal. People would have to view images in the LightRoom gallery and if there was interest to purchase the image, they would select a shopping cart and again have to find the image to purchase. This wasn’t completely Lulu’s issue but also my own in how I built out the galleries. In the beginning I did not want to be in the customer’s face about purchasing my images.

About a year later I decided to try something else. I looked at Zenfolio and Shutterfly. I went with Shutterfly because it was a cheaper solution (at the time). There is a Lightroom to Shutterfly interface which made for an easy upload of images. I set up a pro account costing me $99. ShutterflyPro really caters to those who are photographing events like school sporting events and want to quickly post images in galleries on a hosted website. For me since I am trying to sell images to people who may wish to hang these pictures on their walls, the product offerings weren’t what I had hoped they would be. Print quality was good. I am sure parents would love to have pictures of their kids hitting the ball and winning the game using this service. My biggest complaint is how Shutterfly handles cropping of images. The flexibility is limited, buggie and not very flexible. In addition, editing multiple images was hard and inconsistent. The point of sale function was also something I felt would be difficult for a customer to use since images would need to be recropped. (I still use Shutterfly for photobooks and am happy with their capability here).

In the mean time, I found a “Brick and Mortar” gallery that would sell my images. It appears to me purchasing prints for your home is a very personal endeavor. This is where I’ve had my best success for the items I am selling. My problem is that I am printing images on ceramic tile which has a higher baseline cost and with a markup I have to pay the “Brick and Mortar” proprietor (justly deserved) and the price I think people are willing to spend on my images, I am not really making much by way of take home money (ie, keep your day job, Rob).

I also tried Flickr to share images with friends. But the ease for people to download and do what they want with the images was contrary to my need to find people interested in my photography and willing to spend money for it. I still use it but partially for traffic generation.

This weekend, I revamped my website. I created a set of images I am calling my “Signature Series”. They are my favorite images printed with a faux mat/white stroke, signed and titled. I printed a couple at BayPhoto and was wowed by the quality I consistently receive from that lab.

I streamlined the home page of the website and posted all of the “Signature” images on the Cooliris gallery. I removed the LightRoom web galleries and am now using Smugmug’s gallery/ebusiness platform. In addition, I rolled up my sleeves to write some HTML code and modified the Cooliris mRSS feed to bring users to the Smugmug gallery when an image is selected. There is also a Lightroom to Smugmug interface so uploading is easy.

Smugmug provides two sources for printing images EZprints and BayPhoto. It is great of have choices. In addition, Smugmug provides many of the print options available from BayPhoto. (I just wish they also provided the ability to mount the images on boards.)

SmugMug provides a lot more flexibility on building a gallery page than does Lulu and Shutterfly. The list price to get started is $150 but I found a discount coupon by Googling “Smugmug coupons” and saved 50% for my first year. I’ve seen a number of websites based on Smugmug and am still scratching my head trying to figure out how they do what they do on their sites which leads me to believe I have a lot of work left to do.

I’ve entered a new phase by starting a “Google Adwords” program for this site. I’m going to run a low cost ad campaign and learn what works and what doesn’t.

So going back to my goals…

I’ve learnt a lot through this process and it does help me on my day job where my “Fortune 500” company runs many online ad programs and a very extensive website. It has also provided me with a place to experiment and learn (like the Podcast I started on iTunes).

By way of making money, well I am still in the red. I’ve found giving away my prints provides better satisfaction to me right now than in selling them.

Last week I gave the Scituate Light House image to my dad. He is from the class of 1945 and not much on complements. He was so impressed with the print he said that this was something he would hang on the wall in his living room.

Well that’s good enough payment for me.

New Gallery Signature Series

Rob DeRobertis — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:01:00 GMT

I just posted a new gallery. I am calling it my Signature Series. It is what I consider my best work so far. Enjoy!

http://www.robde.com/SignatureSeries/gal.html

Episode 3: Photo Essay, Jennifer's Horses

Rob DeRobertis — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:20:00 GMT

I was fortunate enough to have my friend Jennifer allow me to take pictures of her three horses and 1 pony (Bailey, Bandit, Tango and Emma) a week ago. The weather was great with both direct sunshine and also clouded shade. It was fun working with her family and the horses. They were so kind to entertain the craziness of a photographer.

Here is a photo essay of these wonderful animals. I hope you enjoy it.

Credits:

Music by Ron and Maryann Sfarzo http://sfarzoproductions.com/ brought to you by music.podshow.com.

New gallery: Jennifer's Horses

Rob DeRobertis — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:44:00 GMT

I was fortunate enough to have my friend Jennifer allow me to take pictures of her three horses and 1 pony (Bailey, Bandit, Tango and Emma) this last weekend. The weather was great with both direct sunshine and also clouded shade. It was fun working with her family and the horses. They were so kind to entertain the craziness of a photographer.

Check out my images at http://www.robde.com/Horses/gal.html

Updated: Rhode Island National Guard Airshow

Rob DeRobertis — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:39:00 GMT

I was challenged by my friend Phil to take the previous verison of this airshow podcast up a notch. So here is a new verison with more photography in almost the same amount of time.

Every year the Rhode Island National Guard runs an air show for the public. It is a wonderful day for the young, the old, the patriotic and photographers. If you are in Rhode Island on either June 27th or 28th I recommend you go if the weather is cooperative.

Check them out here: http://www.riairshow.org/

Here is my Video Podcast of the 2008 show.
Enjoy.

Photo Essay: Rhode Island National Guard Air Show

Rob DeRobertis — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:30:00 GMT

Every year the Rhode Island National Guard runs an air show for the public. It is a wonderful day for the young, the old, the patriotic and photographers. If you are in Rhode Island on either June 27th or 28th I recommend you go if the weather is cooperative.

Check them out here: http://www.riairshow.org/

Here is my Video Podcast of the 2008 show.
Enjoy.

Smiles, Enhanced Podcast

Rob DeRobertis — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:25:00 GMT

I've created this enhanced podcast to share. It is a Photography Essay on Smiles.