It’s been a great week here on Photofocus. Here’s a review of some of our posts. A camera/printer combo fun package from Canon is reviewed by Mike Hagen, Vanelli has two articles in the WW-U — cloud storage vs. backup and using “Quick Edit” in Luminar. Scott Wyden Kivowitz gets a bit zen writing about what to do during really long time exposures then, Levi Sim urges us to shoot more portraits to learn their stories.
Having fun with the Canon IVY Cliq+ camera and printer - Photography should be fun. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to test out this new Canon IVY Cliq+ camera that is also a printer. Both my daughter and I put it through its paces to see if it meets the “fun” criteria. The answer? Yes! I asked my daughter to take the camera to the beach with a few of her friends. My instructions were to shoot as many pics as she wanted and to also try out printing from her cell phone. Her and her friends absolutely loved it. For my experience of testing the camera, I took the Cliq+ on a hike with my wife. We had a great time snapping pics along the way and I really enjoyed printing out the photos while we hiked. Honestly, it was a very cool experience. Video Check out the video here to see all the details around photo quality, usability and overall experience. Some important points The IVY Cliq+ isn’t a professional tool in the same way that your DSLR or mirrorless camera is a professional tool. However, I do use it as a tool in my business. When I travel, I like giving away photos to people I meet along the way. Also, when I’m on set, I love handing out quick photos to staff and talent as a thank you. The Cliq+ camera/printer is the perfect tool for the job. I encourage you not to get nit-picky about image quality. This system will not produce high-end prints, nor will the colors even be entirely accurate. Remember, that’s not the point. The point is to do something that is fun that helps create memories with others. The Cliq+ is small and portable. I found that I could easily put it in my pocket or in my camera bag without any additional fuss. In my opinion, the best way to use the Cliq+ is to shoot your images with your mobile phone, then print them on the Cliq+. In this scenario, you are only using the Cliq+ as a mobile printer. Links Canon Ivy Cliq+ with 20 sheets of paper Canon Ivy Zink Paper 50 sheets
The difference between cloud storage and cloud backup - A successful 3-2-1 Backup Plan (Three copies of your data: Two stored locally, one stored offsite) includes one copy of your data stored offsite preferably in the cloud. This has led to confusion between cloud storage and cloud backup. Here’s the difference between the two and why you should consider using cloud backup as part of your 3-2-1 Backup solution. Cloud storage and cloud backup are not the same Don’t let the word cloud fool you. Cloud storage is not the same as cloud backup. Dropbox, Google Drive, or MediaFire are great inexpensive solutions for cloud storage. They give you the ability to safely store an identical copy of your data. Sounds like a backup solution, but it’s not. A true backup service — Crashplan or Backblaze — keeps multiple changes and deleted versions of your data. This is useful if you accidentally delete a file or if a corrupted file was uploaded. In my case, a corrupted Lightroom catalog was saved. I was able to restore the catalog from an earlier date. A cloud storage service would only have the corrupted file. The purpose of cloud storage Cloud storage — especially when free — is a great solution when you need to transfer or access files when you’re away from your main computer. I created a _Quick Transfer folder in my Google Drive account so I can access images on my Surface Pro or smartphone. I have an _Articles folder that is home to the articles I write. This gives me the ability to start an article on my desktop and finish on my iPad or smartphone. When I need to send very large files, I use MediaFire. The purpose of cloud backup CrashPlan and Backblaze — both services I’ve used — are great solutions for cloud backup. You download their software and select which files you want to be backed up. Since you have unlimited storage, it’s best to backup your entire system. The first backup will take a long time but after the initial backup, it only updates files that were changed. Unlike cloud storage, you have the option to select how long to keep your deleted files and how many versions to keep. In the event both your local backup drives fail or are stolen, you can pay a small fee and have a hard drive sent with your entire data to minimize downtime. Best of all, it’s a set it and forget it, peace-of-mind solution to ensure your data is safe. My personal 3-2-1 backup solution I’m a huge fan of Drobo. I started out as a consumer and over the years developed into a Drobo Ambassador. I’m fortunate Drobo has given me an excellent platform to teach the 3-2-1 Backup concept. I feel Drobos are a great solution if you have more than 6TB of data. If you have less than 6TB, you should still follow the 3-2-1 Backup plan but use 6TB external drives. I currently use CrashPlan for my offsite Cloud Backup. I’ve switched between Backblaze and CrashPlan. Over the years, it has been my personal experience that Backblaze seems to work better on macOS and CrashPlan seems to work better on Windows. I have no scientific data to back up my findings. I suggest you download a free trial of each and try them on your own. Either way, you will need an offsite cloud backup service. To ensure a successful 3-2-1 Backup Plan, add cloud backup as your offsite option. The time and money invested are worth the peace of mind you will have to know your data is safe. For more information, download a free copy of Building a Bulletproof Backup Plan for Photographers. Don’t have a Drobo? Use the promo code PHOTOFOCUS for 10% off your purchase!
Open, process and manage images using Luminar’s Quick Edit command - Luminar has a really cool Quick Edit command that lets you edit a single image or several images, but not add or import them into your library. This is great in situations where someone wants you to develop a few of their photos or even when you have a photo you want to quickly process, but not have it remain in your Luminar Library after you are done editing it. Here’s how to process an image using Luminar’s Quick Edit command without adding it to your Luminar Library. Where is the Quick Edit image stored? When you open an image in Quick Edit from a memory card, USB thumb drive or from a folder on your computer, the image remains in its original location. Luminar puts a reference to the image into a special collection in your Library Panel under Shortcuts called Quick Edits. Keep in mind, the Quick Edits shortcut will not appear unless you have added at least one photo using the Quick Edit command. Three ways to add a photo to Quick Edit There are three ways to add a photo to Quick Edit. Select the option that works best for your workflow. Open button File menu Keyboard shortcut Open button: Click the Open button on the top toolbar and select Open Images for Quick Edit. Browse your computer for an image and click the Open button to add it to Quick Edit. File Menu: Click File from the top menu and select Open Images for Quick Edit. Browse your computer for an image and click the Open button to add it to Quick Edit. Keyboard shortcut: Press keyboard shortcut Cmd+O (macOS) or Ctrl+O (Windows) to launch the system dialog box. Browse your computer for an image and click the Open button to add it to Quick Edit. Selecting multiple images Choose your favorite method to open an image. When the system dialog box appears, select an image you want to edit then, using modifier keys like Shift or Cmd/Ctrl, select multiple photos. Click the Open button to add them to Quick Edit. The images appear on the Filmstrip side panel. If multiple images are selected, the first image selected will be opened in the main window ready to edit. To select another image to edit you can scroll through the Filmstrip on the left or click on the Navigate Up button on the upper left area of the toolbar to get back to the Gallery view. Managing images in the Quick Edit collection Images will stay in your Quick Edit shortcut collection until you remove them. This is a collection that builds automatically. You can use the Showing and Sort By menus at the top of the window to reduce the number of images shown or change their display order. To remove an image from Quick Edit, right click on the image to select it and choose Remove from Quick Edit. This removes it from your library but keeps it safely in the image’s original location. Processing images fast with Accent AI 2.0 Select an image you want to process. Click the Edit button to reveal the Edit Panel. Quick and Awesome is the default workspace. This workspace adds the Accent AI 2.0, AI Sky Enhancer, Saturation/Vibrance and Clarity filters. All filter values are set to zero by default. Notice the filter’s name is White and when an adjustment is made, its title color changes to gold. Remember to File > Export to save your edited image for use in other applications.
Portraits precipitate stories; make more of both - I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: You need to make more portraits. Portraits don’t have to be formal affairs with special lights and special clothes and special occasions. They can be those things, but they should also be spur of the moment, occasion-marking, memory-making experiences. Make a portrait to precipitate a story Did you know that snowflakes and raindrops are formed around a chunk of something else? It could be a piece of dust or another piece of ice or water. The core, the thing that the rain or snow forms around is called a precipitate; that’s why rain and snow are called precipitation. The portraits you make are the perfect tool to precipitate a story, a recollection about an event. You should make portraits every time something happens. It’s a lot easier than keeping a journal and a lot more fun to talk about. Here are two recent examples, followed by two more I wish I had portraits to precipitate. Stuck in the wilderness The other day I went into the mountains of Idaho to make some pictures, hunt, and find a pocketknife is lost in the snow. There was still a little snow in the parking area, but I was sure my car could bust through and save me 50 yards of waking. Foolish, I know, and I got stuck — totally high centered with all four wheels spinning freely in the air. Ever optimistic, I figured the snow might melt a bit while I was hiking and maybe I could get out later. If worse came to worst, I’d use my snowshoes as shovels and dig out. Fortunately for me, Bill happened to arrive just as I was about to walk away. He drove his Jeep all the way from Georgia. Fortunately for me, he came West to attend an overland touring convention in Arizona so his Jeep was decked out with the right tools to get a foolish guy unstuck from a snow drift. We hooked up his winch and I was out in a jiffy. Bill joined my hike to the alpine lake and I enjoyed his company. We made a quick portrait without fanfare and it reminds me that miracles are always happening in my life. I didn’t find my knife, but I did find a terrific memory and great portrait to precipitate the telling. I wonder what story this picture will precipitate for Bill. Happily saddlesore Living in Idaho the last year and a half has offered me so many opportunities I’d never imagined. The other week I was invited to go hunting with a friend and his dad. The unique thing is that we’d be traveling by horseback and following hound dogs around. Wow. I’ve seen it in movies, and now I was going to live it. I’ve ridden horses now and then for a few miles at a time, but nothing prepared for me this. I felt like I was in “The Man From Snowy River.” We went up and down hills so steep I wouldn’t have approached them on foot, but my horse was a particularly talented mountain horse and I was never afraid. After 25 miles in one day, I was saddlesore but I had the time of my life seeing country that would otherwise require multiple days hiking and camping to see. Ostensibly we were hunting, but I could tell (and Don admitted) that he just loved riding those magnificent horses in magnificent country. Hunting was just an excuse to go. This picture with his grin and the steaming mount really sums it all up. Assisting new friends Here are two I don’t have pictures for, and the stories are much harder to share and less likely to be shared without pictures. I was traveling home from Photoshop World in Orlando, sitting at Minneapolis airport, when a lady walked by dragging a duffle bag by its strap behind her; it looked heavy. I walked over, introduced myself and asked her to let me carry it to her gate. Holy cow, it weighed more than both my children. Along the way she said she was going home to Kenya, and it turns out we have a mutual friend. What a small world! I wish I’d asked her to let me make a quick portrait. There was this other time not the way to Alaska … but I don’t have a portrait for that either — one of my big regrets. For this one, at least I have a photo of our group that went to dinner the other night (you’ll recognize Vanelli and Richard Harrington are the far end of the table). After dinner, though, I met a guy who needed a little help with directions which lead to an adventure with me driving him to his hotel and my friends picking me up. It was a wild experience, but I really wish I’d made a portrait of my new friend Eugene. Make more stories and more portraits Don’t let your memories fade with time and don’t let experiences pass by without memorial. Make a portrait of the people — better still, send them a printed copy so it can precipitate a story for them too.
What photographers should do when waiting for a long exposure to finish - I’ve been there, you’ve been there, we’ve all been there. You’re at the scene, camera set up, exposure time determined and you push the shutter button on the camera or your cable release. Now you wait. And wait… Still waiting… The light is so perfect with the purples and pinks and oranges in the sky. You need the exposure to be on point. You want that photo to be the defining photo of your trip. But the exposure time is long. It’s so long. It’s crazy long. It’s 20 minutes because your neutral density filter is so dark. So I might be overexaggerating a bit, but it’s OK. The drama was intentional. I understand the wait time. Heck, I love the wait time. It’s part of what makes landscape photography so darn enjoyable. The joy, the bliss, the Zen moments. So what should photographers do when waiting for a long exposure to finish? Here are some quick tips for you to do once you’ve taken in the moment while that shutter is still open. Journal it Think ahead. You have a website, or you’re about to post the photo somewhere on social media. Open a notebook or the notes app on your phone. Jot down some thoughts you’ve had during this Zen time. How are you feeling? Where are you? Let others in Step back from your camera and take a behind-the-scenes photo. Maybe not for immediate sharing on social media, but people love seeing behind-the-scenes photos. Body and mind Part of what makes landscape photography so good is the mindset you put yourself in. It’s relaxing as heck. But maybe consider the body part of the equation. For example, as a karate student, I enjoy doing Katas as I wait for the shutter to close. I get my mental and physical workout at the same time. Call mom If you’re not using your phone as a remote trigger, consider calling mom or dad and telling them how much you appreciate them and love them. Make their day, and feel good as an amazing child. These have been a few small tips to keep you busy while you wait for a long exposure to finish. But there are thousands of other things you can do. Comment and share what you do while you wait. We cannot wait to see it!
