The Digital Story Photography Podcast

This is The Digital Story Podcast #951, June 11, 2024. Today's theme is "Apple Intelligence - Nonthreatening to Photographers, for Now." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Unlike our friends at Adobe, Apple isn't targeting the photo shoot with their AI integration into the upcoming versions of its OS and photo apps. There are lots of new goodies in the toy box, and many of them will be useful for photo enthusiasts. In today's show, I'll provide an overview from a photographer's perspective and also discuss Adobe's latest controversy. I hope you enjoy the show.

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Apple Intelligence - Nonthreatening to Photographers, for Now

Apple Intelligence is Apple's branding of Artificial intelligence into its operating system and apps. They are aiming to apply this technology in ways that make your life easier and more creative while at the same time keeping your privacy intact. They're calling it AI for the rest of us.

To some degree, based on the keynote presentation at WWDC, I think the marketing is lining up with real-world application. Apple Intelligence powers new writing tools to put your written communications in the best light, you can create new Pixar-like images with Genmoji, you can generate illustrations from scratch with Image Playground, and you can create professional-looking movies easily that are based on the pictures you have captured and stored in your Photos library.

Most of the generated images in the keynote were illustrative rather than photographic. I didn't see anything that resembled the output from my digital camera. But, according to the documentation, Image Playground does have the ability to transform sketches into polished photographs. And I can't see this happening on-device, so the user would have to venture out into the Cloud for this capability.

But generally speaking, if you want to create a custom emoji for a text message or an illustration for a school paper, Apple Intelligence will do a nice job.

When applied to the Photos app, this technology will further improve search capabilities, provide better organizing options, and even give us a nifty Clean Up tool for removing unwanted items from a composition.

To tap this tech you will need an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, a Mac with Apple Silicon, or a M-powered iPad. The hardware requirements are steep because Apple's approach is to do as much AI processing on the device as possible, with options for venturing out into the Cloud as needed. Users will have control over where the processing occurs, which is a good option for most of us.

The unknown is, however, what will developers want to do with this technology, and what will Apple allow them to put on its platform? Apple is providing an SDK with App Intents, APIs, and frameworks to make it easy for developers to integrate system-level features like Writing Tools and Image Playground into their apps.

Of particular interest to our community is the SDK for Image Playground. Here's what Apple is saying to developers:

"Image Playground delivers an easy-to-use experience to create fun, playful images in apps like Messages, Notes, Keynote, Pages and more. Using the Image Playground API, you can add the same experience to your app and enable your users to quickly create delightful images using context from within your app. And because images are created entirely on device, you don't have to develop or host your own models for your users to enjoy creating new images in your app."

Again, sounds fun and lighthearted. And it very well may stay that way. And it's going to be very interesting to see what savvy software companies like Pixelmator do with all of this new capability.

macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 will be released this Fall. Betas will be available to the gene...

This is The Digital Story Podcast #831, Feb. 22, 2022. Today's theme is "Lightroom vs CP1 with a Dash of Neo on the Side." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

For the longest time, Fujifilm photographers have heard that Capture One Pro is the best Raw processor for their files. But is that true? We review a head to head test with Lightroom to find out. Oh, and Luminar Neo is now available. How does it standup against Luminar 4 and AI. All of this and more on today's TDS Photography Podcast.

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Lightroom vs CP1 with a Dash of Neo on the Side

In the FStoppers article, Which Program Handles Fujifilm Raw Files Better, Lightroom or Capture One?, they pit the two premier RAW processors against one another with Fujifilm files. Some of their findings were quite interesting. Here are some excerpts from the article:

With Fujifilm medium format cameras, there is virtually no difference in how each of the film simulations are rendered. There is some back and forth between how Lightroom and Capture One work, however, for the most part, there's no clear winner.

On the other hand, it's quite a different story when it comes to Fujifilm APS-C cameras. Lightroom seems to have some problems with X-Trans sensors. Also, there are subtle differences in how the film profiles are rendered too.

Capture One has slightly more saturated red tones in the skin. This appears more pleasing in comparison to the Lightroom file, which leans more into the yellows tones. This is, of course, a matter of preference; however, the point is that for Fujifilm X-Trans cameras, there is a difference in how the film profiles are rendered.

The first thing to notice is that the Capture One image appears to have more contrast and vibrance. Due to these subtle differences, most people may likely prefer the results from Capture One. Also, Lightroom does do a better job at managing the vignette, but once again, some may prefer the darker corners.

Additionally, Lightroom seems to have a problem when it comes to rendering green tones from an X-Trans sensor. In the previous image, the blue and yellow tones were perfectly fine in how Lightroom rendered them; however, green seems to cause a lot of problems.

From the images that have been tested over the last month, it seems Lightroom mostly struggles with the color green. All of the other images tested did not demonstrate any issues. Effectively, this worming issue is going to be a problem if what you photograph contains a lot of green tones, for example, landscape photography.

If you're a landscape photographer, you will likely come across this issue in your images. If you're creating content for social media, then this may be a forgivable issue. If you're a professional photographer, it may be wise to avoid Lightroom and use Capture One instead.

Final Thoughts
In this series of articles, we covered Canon, Sony, and now Fujifilm. With Canon and Sony, the choice between Lightroom and Capture One was entirely down to personal preference. There was no clear way to determine a winner because both programs produced great results. With Fujifilm, there are objective differences that cannot be ignored...

This is The Digital Story Podcast #805, Aug. 24, 2021. Today's theme is "3 Intriguing Photography Stories." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Instead of committing to an entree, do you ever opt for a few appetizers instead? Well, today's TDS Photography Podcast is exactly that: a trio of tasty treats that should add up to a satisfying show. So tap your favorite beverage and let's go!

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3 Intriguing Photography Stories

Story #1 - Yes, You Can Use 35mm Lenses on a Medium Format Camera

I've really enjoyed testing the Fujifilm GFX 100S medium format camera. But I only have one lens for it: the Fuji 80mm f/1.7. It's a terrific optic, but I needed something a bit wider.

So I started researching the use of 35mm full frame optics on medium format. And lo and behold, it can be done. I explain how in this first story.

Story #2 - What I Did While Recharging the Car in the Middle of Nowhere

You may remember that I said I was taking the all-electric VW ID.4 on its first field test. Well, that I did, and you can see all the pictures and read the story on the TDS site. But right now, I want to tell you one anecdote from the trip.

Via the mobile app PlugShare, I had learned that there was a free charging station at one of my favorite state parks, Ft. Ross. It happened to be conveniently on the way to my final camping destination up the road.

So I made the stop, plugged in the car, and here's how I spent my time during that top off.

Story #3 - Getting a Grip on the Nikon Z fc

So one of the things that I did on the photography field trip is spend a full day with the Nikon Z fc retro-styled mirrorless camera. I had mentioned previously, before I had the camera in my hands, that I was disappointed in some of its specs.

After a couple day hikes with it, I began to soften my stance. The images looked great, the DX 16-50mm lens was sharp and optically stabilized, and overall, the camera was a pleasure to use - except for one thing: hanging on to it.

There was no grip on the front or back of the camera, and I found it somewhat awkward to hold. What a shame for an otherwise nicely crafted machine.

Once I got home, I did a little research. I ...

This is The Digital Story Podcast #807, Sept. 7, 2021. Today's theme is "Getting from Here to There: An Update from Maui." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

Despite all of the reports of travel challenges, most of them can be overcome with a bit of extra planning. But what exactly do you need to know, and prepared for, as you travel from here to there? I have a number of tips to share with you, for Hawaii or anywhere else, on today's TDS Photography Podcast.

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Getting from Here to There: An Update from Maui

In most parts of the world, the ongoing pandemic is having an impact on daily life. Not only in terms of additional regulations and restrictions, but it affects staffing as well at hotels, restaurants, airports, and practically everywhere else. This all points in the direction of spending more time planning.

The five tips I'm covering here help address many of those situations.

#1 - Plan Further Out than Ever

I've been coming to Maui for years. Generally speaking, if we wanted to go out, we would use Open Table or call the day before and get a reservation. But now, you need to have your key reservations long before you get on the plane to your destination. That includes any important service including restaurants.

#2 - Learn the Rules of the Road

I'm using Hawaii as an example because that's where I am. But this applies to many, many destinations. Go to the state's or country's travel site and find out what you need to do for admission and to avoid quarantine.

For example to be admitted to Hawaii, you have to complete a travel record online, upload your vaccination proof or recent COVID 19 test results, and complete a health report.

In return, you'll receive a QR code that will let you bypass tedious stoppages at the airport.

#3 - Bring Lots of Masks

Masks are required practically everywhere. And if you're on the plane for 5 hours, you better have a mask that is comfortable for that period of time. I also have masks that go with my wardrobe, that I can stow in my swimming trunks, and extras in case one or more breaks.

#4 - Get in a Patient Frame of Mind

Everything moves slower. Lines take longer. There are few people available to help you. And if you let these delays get under your skin, it can adversely affect your trip.

One of my favorite signs I've seen recently said, "Please be kind to the employees who showed up to work to help you."

#5 - Get Creative

In an effort to go with the flow, we've discovered new things to do that work more easily with the situation at hand. For example, we'...

This is The Digital Story Podcast #921, Nov. 14, 2023. Today's theme is "The 2024 TDS Workshop Season, Plus the Sony a9 III Global Shutter." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

The marque feature of the Sony a9 III is the global shutter. I interview Zach Sutton from Lens Rentals to discuss its significance. Then we roll right into the just-announced Photography Workshop Schedule for 2024. It's an exciting lineup of both online and in-person events. And you're going want to hear what we're up to. All of this on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

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The Significance of the Sony a9 Global Shutter

The Sony a9 III is an amazing camera. And at the top of the feature list is the global shutter. I interview Zach Sutton, the editor of the LensRentals.com Blog, and we discuss the importance of the shutter and the new camera.

The 2024 TDS Photography Workshop Season

You can see all of the workshops and reserve your spot at thenimblephotographer.com

I've just announced six new workshops for next year - 3 online, and 3 in-person on location. All events are open for registration right now. Here's what's going on.

Photo Critique and Building Your Portfolio - Online

February 2024 - It's difficult for photographers to find constructive feedback for their images. And it's even more challenging to determine their strongest work on their own. In this workshop, participants will be able to present images each week to be reviewed by the group. Plus there will be tips on building a strong portfolio, entering photo competitions, and more.

Spring in Sedona, AZ - In-Person

April 2024 - TDS photographers return to Sedona, AZ, but this time during the Spring to view the landscape in a whole new way. We will explore iconic locations, picturesque landscapes, mysterious vortexes, and towns frozen in time from the mining days. What a great way to kickoff our 2024 workshop season!

Infrared Photography - Online

June 2024 - Do you feel like the world is looking like "the same old same old" through your camera's viewfinder? Have you felt your enthusiasm for photography waning? Then it's time for you to consider exploring infrared imaging. Suddenly walks you've taken a hundred times look completely different as you see them through your camera. Old familiar subjects burst to life with new vibrancy. IR photography can energize your creativity, not only for this medium, but for all of your artistry.

Inkjet Printing for Photographers - Online

August 2024 - This inkjet printing workshop will help you tame your printer, enabling you to create beautiful prints and fine art greeting cards. We'll cover paper stocks, printer setups, project design, and even how to choose the best inkjet photo printer for you. Weekly printing assignments with class support will help you hone your skills. If you're tired of being baffled by the fine art output process, and are ready to start creating artwork that you can physically share with others, this workshop is for you.

Durango, CO and Mesa Verde National Park - In-Person

October 2024 - Autumn in Colorado. This workshop will combine the beauty of Durango, located in the Animas River Valley and surrounded by the gorgeous San Juan Mountains, elevation 6,500 feet, with the archaeological wonder of Mesa Verde National Park. During the workshop, we will photograph stunning landscapes, explore ruins, and immerse in the town t...