This week we will be looking at what it takes to create a well done and communicative multimedia photo essay. I will be introducing you to some of tools it takes to create these effective presentations. We’ll also be taking a look at the type of photos you need in an essay to build the story up and keep the interest of the viewer.

As far as tools go, one of the most effective tools for integrating photos and sound into a slide show is an application called SoundSlides Plus. I have use it on almost all my slide shows. I also give demos of the software out to my workshop and most of the NGOs I coach. SoundSlides is a very intuitive, simple and effective tool for presenting your photo essay or simple slide show to the world. I’m excited to be able to give away a free copy of the full version of SoundSlides Plus to one of my lucky readers. I’ll tell you at the end of this post how you can have your chance to win a copy of SoundSlides Plus. But, before that, I want to give you a quick overview of the application.

When you open the application the first thing you see is a request for you to either open an existing project or create a new one (see fig 1). Let me create a new show just for this demonstration. We’ll title this demo “New Kumbh Mela” (fig 2). SoundSlides then creates a folder and some essential files that it will need to produce your slide show. Now you’re given the option to load your images and sound file (fig 3). Click on the JPG button  and navigate to where your images are held. SoundSlides works only with JPEGs. Once you load all your images is now time to load any audio file you want to use. Simply navigate to where your audio file is held and upload it (fig 4). As far as audio formats go SoundSlides works natively with MP3s.  After loading the JPEGs and audio files, the main window of SoundSlides opens. Here is where you will do all the editing of your shows timing and image placement as well as other things like captioning.

Believe it or not you’re about 80% done. Now all you need to do is drag and drop the thumbnails of your images into the positions you want them (fig 5).Once arranged like you want, there is a handy little option found under the tools menu that allows you to spread your images out equally (fig 6). If you don’t want your images playing all at the same rate, you can drag the edge of an image in the time line to lengthen or shorten the amount of time it shows (fig 7). At this point,  if you wanted to show your slide show you could. Basically it’s done. Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy.

Even though your slide show may be technically done, you probably want to tweak it a little more.  There are a few more ways to tidy it up and to make it look a little bit more professional. One option is to add captions to each image. If you have captioned your images prior to importing them there is a good chance that the information is in the metadata of the image file and if it is SoundSlides will read it. So extra work on captioning may not be needed. If you haven’t captioned your images before hand, it’s not a problem. SoundSlides gives you a window called “Slide Info” here you can add captions to each slide (fig 8).

SoundSlides provides users with some pretty basic slide show templates in a “Template” window (fig 9) or you can create a custom template (fig 10). The template is really just creates the HTML code for the player and web page for your show. In the template window you have options to tweak the color of the background, the text, whether to have captions showing by default, whether to show the scrub bar or not and many other options (fig 11).  The next window to be concerned about is called, “Project Info”. Here users are given space to write in the title of the show as well any credits and copyright information (fig 12). Then, the last window is the “Audio” window. This window simply give you the option reload or delete the audio that you have in the program (fig 13). This comes in handy when you realize your audio is too long or too short or you just didn’t feel like it was appropriate and you want to change it out for a different audio bed.

Up to this point you have only been able to see your show within the application’s main window. But wouldn’t you like to preview it on a big screen, the way others will see it? Now comes the fun part. Just hit the test button (fig 14) at the bottom of the page and watch SoundSlides create a web page featuring your slide show (fig 15).  If you like what you see and everything seems to be the way you want it, the next step is for you to publish it. To publish the show all you have to do is hit the export button (fig 16) and SoundSlides will export your slide show to a folder called “publish_to_web”. You will find this folder located within the project folder (fig 17). Rename publish_to_web to whatever you want it called in the URL (I called mine “kumbh_short”) and then just load it to your server and your done. Click this LINK to see the show I produced for this demo hosted on it’s on page. If you are familiar with the shows I  produce here for this blog you know I usually embed them into my blog posts. To do that, SoundSlides has provided a page to create a custom embed code for your work. You can visit that page HERE.

What if you don’t want an interactive show like we have created for this demo? What if you want a simple video of your slide show? Well, the good folks at SoundSlides have provided a link HERE for you to upload your show in a zip file. They will then convert it for you for free. You will be emailed a link where you can download a MP4 version of your show.

Like I said, pretty darn easy. Of course being so easy, there are some drawbacks to the application. Things that I hope will be improved in later versions. SoundSlides doesn’t handle subtitles very intuitively. It uses something called “lower thirds” and it is very clunky. If you have to make changes to the length of a slide in the middle of the show it can be completely devastating to any slide that falls after the one you’re adjusting. The time line gets completely messed up. The workaround on is to put the time line navigator bar (for lack of a better term) over the picture you’ve just increased or decreased the time of, then go up to the menu bar and choose the option under Tools, ” Spread remaining images equally”. This is not perfect but it helps.

I’ve been told by the folks at SoundSlides, that an upgrade is coming out soon and it will have the option for creating embed code right in the player. That will be really nice for sharing your work. I would love to know what other options and changes are coming out in the next version.

Okay time to explain the giveaway. You now know the basics of how to create a SoundSlides multimedia show. So now, I want to hear from you how you would use SoundSlides? I would like you to write in the comments section on this page a very short description of a project or story you might tell using SoundSlides. All entries must be posted by Thursday May 20th, at 12 am Penang, Malaysia time ( GMT +8). I will then announce the winner on Friday’s blog post. Tell your friends; Tweet this on the wibiya bar below and tell your FaceBook friends this competition is running. Let’s spread the word!

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The first difference is, and I’m not trying to be a smart aleck here, Easy Release is two dollars more than the competitor mRelease. But with that two dollars you get a whole lot more. Yes, on the surface Easy Release does look a lot like mRelease. But Easy Release is much more thought through. That may be because, the designer of Easy Release is a photographer and used to work for Getty images. This is not a small thing when you’re building software that’s all about image releases. Easy Release gives you all kinds of customizable options. Not the least of which, and one I find helpful, is the option of branding the release with my own logo, company name and company contact information. There was much more information required in filling out the release form on Easy Release, which on one hand took more time to complete, but on the other hand, made me feel comfortable that all the legal information was obtained that I might need. Just like mRelease, Easy Release offers the option of taking the models photo with the iPhone in the field and added to the release. But unlike mRelease, Easy Release requires a model’s date of birth and thus requiring a Guardian signature if the model is a minor. It also requires my signature as the photographer in the document is well. I think this will give the model a little more sense of security rather than just having a release with their name on it alone.

Another thing I noticed right off when tinkering with a model release, was that even after the model release was signed, I was allowed to make changes. However, once I made any further changes to the release after it was signed, Easy Release required I get a new signature by the model. Again, another professional detail that makes this application well worth the extra two dollars above the competition.

Now this might not mean much to some of you, but for someone like myself living abroad, or for a photographer traveling abroad, the fact that Easy Release contracts come in 12 different languages makes it extremely useful for me. I could very easily take a photo of a Chinese person who might speak English, but would be uncomfortable signing a legal document written in English. But, Easy Release offers the release in Chinese simplified or Taiwanese scripts, allowing the model to read and feel at easy with the release and me.

Easy Release has thought through the possibility that you might use the same model on a different shoot and need a new release. It stores the models information as well as even the witnesses information. By the way, the mRelease doesn’t even offer a option for a witness.

It’s a simple, easy to use application that can be a huge help shooting in the field. It allows you to rest easy knowing the model release that was just signed on your iPhone or iPod Touch is the same one used by Getty and others. mRelease is a good attempt at this, but falls short. But, maybe the next version will be much better. If you’d like to see a comparison chart between Easy Release and mRelease click HERE. Right now, Easy Release is well worth the $10 and stands head and shoulders above any of it’s competition.

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This little app came in handy this week. While sitting on the veranda of my bungalow overlooking the beach, I saw a young woman laying a rock sunbathing. The palm trees were gracefully framing her with a wonderful sailboat in the background. It was a scene made for stock. I took several images, a few of which her face could be seen. And then I thought, “But how do I get her to sign a release?” Then I remembered Gavin’s Easy Release. He showed it to me while I was with him in Bangkok last week. I frantically searched for it on my iPhone in the Apps Store. I found it, but I also found its competitor mRelease.  Quite frankly they looked about the same, but mRelease was only $7.99 as opposed to easy release $9.99. I am cheap, so I quickly downloaded it and looked it over.

It’s pretty simple to use. You put in your details as the photographer, then the name of the shoot. After that you simply hit the plus button to add a new release. The application asks you for the type of release. The options are, appearance release, property release, location release and crew release. Each option gives a short description of how that release should be used. The next option is the release scope. The application gives you two options, unlimited and production, again with a short description of each. Then, you need to type in the general information of the model. Name, if it’s a minor the Guardian’s name, e-mail and contact information. At this point you can take a photograph of the model for the release using your iPhone. Once you’ve done that you’re given a preview of the contract. At the bottom is a button that says a “signed release.” Push that button and the model can sign it using their finger on the iPhone. You can turn the iPhone sideways for a wider pad to write on.

Once I figured it out, it was easy to walk up to this young lady and asked her if I could get her to sign a model release. She seemed a little surprised to see it on a phone, but signed. In the end, I sent her a copy of the release in a pdf file, and the photo. This is an amazing little app that gives you a lot of options and certainly can cover your backside for a spontaneous shot in the field. It keeps you from carrying several types of releases and saves trees.

I think Easy Release is almost identical. But, one reviewer of Easy Release complained that it was only a model release and it didn’t offer other releases. I don’t know about that, maybe Gavin can chime in here? But certainly this application offers a lot and it’s going to remain on my iPhone.

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David does it again. He scores a hit with his follow up to “Ten”. “Ten More” is an additional 10 ideas to help growing photographers. Let me take that back, these are great exercises for even the best photographers out there. They are creative steps to improve photography as well as ways to keep your creative edge sharp.

David takes the photographer and relates with him in an almost an pastoral feel. As if he is sitting over your shoulder coaching you as a mentor. Ten More doesn’t just suggest you get closer or shoot with the heart, it gives you practical ways to accomplish this. Each suggestion is followed up with a Creative Exercises. These are practical ways to ramp up your skills or blow the fog of creative stagnation out of your head. The bonus is all this is done with a back drop of David’s stunning images! It is a 35 page ebook that is a steal for only $5. Well worth the money to help you break your creative block or push you to a new level in your photographic skills. Buy yours today HERE.

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I have had more and more positive feedback on my Depth of Field interview series and as such I became motivated to ramp up the quality. One of the best ways to do this, beside limiting my “ahhhs” and “ummms” was to up upgrade the sound quality of the field interviews. So a few weeks back I ordered the Sony PCM-D50 field audio recorder and I must say, next to my 5D Mk II, this is the best buy I have made in a long time.

I am not going to do an in-depth review here. If you need that, you can check out these quality reviews HERE and HERE. What I will do is show you in some simple audio highlights how well this recorder works on the field.

The PCM-D50 is not a small recorder. It is about the size of a portable hard drive. You can see from the image how it fits into the hand; it’s not small.

It comes with 4 GB of built-in flash memory. This lasted me two weeks of Lumen Dei and over 40 samples and three hour-long interviews. If you need more you can add additional memory in the form of Sony Memory Sticks. Why not non-proprietary CF cards? Ask Sony!

The D50, unlike other recorders it is not made of plastic. It is made of metal and seems to hold up well. I was climbing a stone wall in Ladakh to capture photos and sound of some Yaks threshing barley and scraped it on the stones, I can hardly see a scratch. Had it been a plastic case it would have been gouged. The interface is very easy to use compared to even my wife’s simple Sony.

The D50 operates very intuitively: push Record and the unit goes into Record Standby. Then press Play or Pause to begin the recording. There is a display button that shows you how long you have been recording or how much time you have left. Another feature I really like, and this may sound like a silly thing to some of you, but I love the analog volume for both the record levels and the monitor levels. This is a small thing but I feel it gives me a much finer control over the volume of both, over a digital button I push and hold.

One of the best features is the condenser microphones that are built in. These accurately capture the the sound around the unit. I am not using this to record music in a studio. I am using this recorder to grab audio from the world around me and field based interviews in crazy places and environments. The D50 handled anything I could throw at it. The mics record clear and very accurate sound. There are two mics that can be positionned to either a Y or X recording direction. In the X configuration the mics record a crossed stereo signal. The right mic records data to the left and vise versa. In the Y configuration the right records the right data and the left the left. This configuration give the listener the feel of being in a room between two people talking. You can here it in the short test clip I did with David DuChemin. By the way, this clip was recorded in a room with concrete walls and floor. I think you will be amazed at the quality in such a hollow room.

(Note:The quality of this audio is directly linked to the fidelity of the speakers you are listening through. If you have low quality speakers, try listening with decent headphones.)

DoF intro with David DuChemin

The mics are so sensitive that any handling or the least bit of wind will give you noise. As such a wind screen is a must when using it close to the mouth or outside or even if you are moving it back and forth between the interviewer and interviewee. Below are two samples from the streets of Old Delhi.  In the first sample you will hear the noise associated with a slight breeze. In the second sample I put on a wind screen and (I think) turned on the Low Cut Filter. The difference is huge.

Delhi Street with out wind screen

Delhi Street with wind screen

Speaking of the wind screen. Sony sells the AD-PCM1 Windscreen for around $45, this is robbery. But don’t do like me and cut corners. I bought the Mini Windjammer for $35, but it doesn’t stay on. So my advice is endure the pain or better yet, buy the recorder at B&H and they throw in the Sony AD-PCM1 for free!

Along with the Low Cut Filter there is the Limiter option. Unlike other recorders, where once the limiter is turned on, you hear a clear drop in the sound when the signal peaks, the D50 shows no sign of this. The recorder simultaneously reserves audio for the digital limiter, which is 12dB lower than audio processed in the normal circuit. This compensates for clipping that happens during digital processing if audio is over-input. So you get a very smooth limiter effect, Most of the time you can not tell it is even on.

The PCM-D50 includes a 5 second pre-record buffer. How would you use this? Well, say you want to record something you know is about to happen, like the call to prayer. You know it will be any minute, but never sure when. Set this feature on and once you hear the call begin, hit record and you will have it all recorded, from 5 seconds before you pressed the button. Very cool and very handy for field sound recording.

As you can see, I am very impressed. The size is no big deal to me, as it feels good in the hand and cannot be lost in a camera bag. I only see two drawbacks with the D50. One: it does not record MP3s. It only records in WAV. For some folks this means an extra step in recording podcast. Two: even though it comes with 4 GB built in, any extra flash memory has to be the proprietary Sony Memory sticks. This bites! I have a ton of 1, 2 and 4 Gb CF card that would work perfectly for gathering sound files, but now I need to buy Sony Memory Sticks if I want more space. This is not a deal breaker by any means, but it is an irritant.

Over all, this is an amazing recorder with pro features. It comes with a hefty price tag between $450 at B&H (with a free Sony Wind Screen), and up to $500 on Amazon.com.  But if you want high quality sound, this unit is well worth the price tag.

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I just got my copy of David Duchemin’s, Within the Frame. I have had the privilege to be involved with this project on the sidelines over the last year or so. David sent Gavin, me and a few others the draft chapters as he wrote them to give him feedback, thoughts and our opinions on some of the images selected for the book. So I was very excited to hear it finally was released. Of course, my copy arrived at my house the day after I left for Phoenix. So, David sent another copy to me in Phoenix but I only received that one the night before I left to return to Malaysia. As a result, much of the trip back to Penang was spent reading this wonderful book again.

When I finally got my copy and I opened it, I was shocked. I had already read most of the text before, but to see the text illustrated with some of the most beautiful images I have ever seen, was too much for me. For some strange reason I became emotional, to the point that my eyes actually teared up. This is the book I have been waiting for since before I ever met David. I have been looking for a book that addressed, not just how to shoot the image, buy why do I shoot it a certain way. The how was a question I had for years, but it was always in context of larger questions. “How do I make my viewer feel the vastness or the intimacy of a scene?” “How do I convey the vulnerability of a child?” The how needed to be more than, “How do I get the shallow Depth of field?” The question I was looking for was, “How do I get it and why do I need it?” The how for me has always been embedded into the why. This is the book, had it been written many years back, could have made life as a photographer a lot easier. Hear me when I say; this is the most helpful book for the traveling photographer to date. Bar none!

David speaks my language. Maybe that was what brought us together a few years back. This is the same language that most of you speak as well. He talks about infusing your photography with emotion, releasing your passion and finding your vision. When you read this book you get the sense that he cares not just about the subject he is shooting, if you have ever spent anytime on his blog you will know this is true, but about you as a photographer. His words are not hollow and canned, they are honest and full of integrity. I was with him when he took a big hunk of the images in this book and I co-lead Lumen Dei with this guy, and I can tell you, the words between the covers of this book are from his heart and he lives them and he wants you to know and understand what it takes to get the kind of images on these pages. This book is a rare glimpse at the heart, vision and yes, technique of one of the best.

While in Phoenix, I was able to visit with a friend that I had not seen in a few years. He told me he had been taking a beginning photography course this past year. We started talking about what he was learning on his photographic journey. He asked me about depth of field and how to control it and other things. Then he asked a question on the “circle of confusion” and it was at that point that I knew this young man needed this book. He had more “how to” than he could possibly ever use. What he really needed now was a healthy dose of the “why?”.

Much of what David writes about in this book is the “why” to take the picture. But it is more than that. That is too simple just to say it is about the why. Within The Frame brings the how and the why together. David does a masterful job of explaining why one lens will give you a certain feeling or emotion or why composition is important in telling the story. Who the heck cares that your eye is drawn to a light space in an image over a dark space unless it is anchored in how it effects the story you are telling? Don’t misunderstand, there are plenty of “how to” in this book, but all within the context of why it helps you achieve your vision and that is what make this book different.

The book is gorgeous and is worth the cost just for the images alone. But the text makes the images that much more special. By the way, every image in the book has the EXIF data under it. This is a wonderful tool to help you see what it took technically to shoot each image. One of my favorite parts of the book is the side bar called “Without the Frame” where David goes into the story behind an image. If you are a reader of his blog you will recognize this from there as well.

I am not being too hyperbolic when I say every photographer that has ever struggled in finding his vision and how to accomplish that vision needs to read this book. Quite frankly I never met a photographer that didn’t struggle with this. I am not going to lie, this book is not a magic pill and once you read it you will never struggle with this issue again. You will. But I promise you this, if you read this book and put it into practice you will struggle a whole lot less and when you do struggle you will know the steps you need to help you resolve that conflict.

This book would be a perfect textbook for any photo class, high school, university or private course. It is the perfect remedy to the hours of discussion of f-stops, Megapixels, Hyperfocal Distance and of course the ever popular circle of confusion. Within The Frame makes it all real and practical. In fact, I will let you in on a little secret, I have been using it as my core curriculum in my mentoring ever since I first got the drafts.

Ok, I guess I have gone on about this book long enough, now do your self a favor and go out and buy it. Here is a way to get it freeeee! Our friends at Think Tank Photo are giving away 10 copies of Within The Frame. So to this LINK and enter. You have till June 1st to enter.

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All photos copyright Think Tank Photo. Except the one of my big belly and gear.

Ok – here is a brief look at the Think Tank Photo’s Change Up as was requested. The question was asked, if it can be used as a camera bag to shoot from? Absolutely! However, that is not my primary use for it. I use it really like a utility pouch (that is a manly way of saying a purse). Meaning, I use it to carry all my necessities for the flight or the day out around town. I used it this past trip as well as on my last trip to Thailand and found it very helpful. The Change Up is a simple bumbag design, made with D rings on the bag and the hip belt. Normally I take one of the two straps that came with it and snap it to the two D rings on the main bag to make it a shoulder bag. Both in India and in Thailand I used the bag to carry my gear while shooting and found it quite a nice alternative when not carrying a large load.

As I said, the bag can be used as a belt pack/bumbag or a shoulder bag. When using it as a shoulder bag you can tuck away the waist belt behind the back padding. The bag is not big, but the main compartment can hold my 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens and my 24-70 at the same time. The bag comes from Think Tank with a padded insert in the main compartment. One of the first things I did was take that out to give me more space. Then if you really want to load it to the max, you can. Just use the waist belt and add, as I did, either a modular component or one of the Skins from the Skin set. In Thailand I was flying Firefly Airlines. Firefly only flies small regional aircraft, and so space in the plane was limited. I could not bring  my Airport International, so that meant putting as much gear in my Change Up as possible. I had my 70-200mm f/2.8 and my 5DM K II with the battery, but no lens attached, in the main compartment. Then I had the Skin Chimp Cage on one side with my 24-70mm f/2.8 and the skin 50 on the other side with my 85mm f/1.2. If I remember correctly, I put my 17-40 f/4 in my checked bag. I still had space in the bag to put my book (Presentation Zen) in one compartment and my iPhone, wallet, reading glasses in their hard case, lip balm and assorted pens in the other pocket. At one point I even carried a small water bottle in the side neoprene pocket. With all this gear the bag was very heavy and I had to use the waist belt to take the load off my shoulder and my back. By attaching one end of the strap to the main compartment  and the other end to the waist belt;  the weight was spread between my shoulder and my hips. This kept the bag from pulling down my pants and leaving me with plumbers crack. The bag is small, but can carry an amazing amount of gear. Shooting out of it is a little tricky. The bag cannot hold my 5D with any of my normal lenses and the battery grip. But, if you carry the camera on a strap and just use the bag to haul the lenses, you will find it works great. One last little trick I discovered is you can put the bag over the handle of the Airport International like you would the Urban Disguise or many other laptop bags. Just zip up all the pockets and turn the bag sideways. Then slide the handle through the slot where you store the waist belt. It fits perfectly! Like every Think Tank bag I own or have used I can recommend this bag without any reservations. Five out of five stars, ..er little trekker guys or something. Anyway it is a winner!

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I really like the idea behind geotagging photos. ((For a long winded explanation of geotagging go HERE.)) Many of you know I have been wanting to get my greedy little hands on the Jobo Photo GPS unit since they first announced it two years back. For whatever the reasons, Jobo had a series of delays releasing this unit. Finally in December 08 they released the product and I got my hands on the little guy. ((One note, this is a completely different unit than they had planned to release. The original one had a led display on the back and a higher profile. I am not sure if this unit is made by someone else and distributed by Jobo with their name on it or if Jobo is producing it for Geotate under the name Kato. No biggy, manufactures do this all the time. Just an interesting fact.)) Only to have my excitement dashed as they did not have Mac software for it only Windows. So I have this tiny sexy little gps for my camera sitting on my desk for the past month or so waiting for the release of the Mac interface. Finally a few weeks back they released it. (Remember, click on any images to view them larger.)

I downloaded the software and right away went out to my front yard to shoot two or three frames to test the unit. I returned to fine the software was not finding any locations. It recorded the shots and the times, but no locations. I had heard from Jobo that this was supposed to be so specific that the software would not only record the latitude and longitude but also the street name. This I wanted to see. But nothing.

So I emailed and called Jobo with not much luck. Finally they wrote and told me I must have a defective unit. I don’t think so.  Here’s why; In a last desperate attempt I went out into the city and just drove around and shot with the unit on my camera. I came home and found that several locations where in fact recorded and even had street names. Hurray! So I went out again yesterday to do a more detailed test.

Before I get into the workflow let me describe the actual unit its self. It is really small. It is about 2 inches by 1 inch. It is mounted on the camera flash shoe and records a position every time the shutter is fired. The one gripe I have about the actual unit is that the hot shoe connector does not have a lock of any sorts. The unit just slides on and slides off. It fits snugly on the shoe, so it won’t fall off if the camera is turned on it’s back. But not that tight to give me any comfort that it would not get knocked off while the camera hangs upside down on my BrackRapid strap. This just seems like an design over site and very risky.

The gps is always on and in standby so unlike other gps units it does not need to find the satellite. I am not going into details of how the GPS unit works. For some of you that is important. For me it is not. All I need to know is that it does work, and it does. What I struggled with was not the gps unit but the Mac software.

So once you have taken your images and return to the computer to download them you need to run the Jobo software, PhotoGPS. The software is simple and easy to use. But it does become an extra step in the download process. You will want to run the PhotoGPS software before you load your images into LightRoom. The reason being is that LightRoom reads your metadata and records it into each file. So it will read the gps coordinates on import once PhotoGPS embedds it into the RAW file. You can run the PhotoGPS software after import into LightRoom. But, once you add metadata to each file after import, like the gps coordinates, then you will have to have LightRoom re-read each file for the new metadata and that just gets complicated and time consuming.

So once you open the PhotoGPS software you are given a two paneled screen; one side for the gps data and the other for the photos. (See the image to the left.) The Jobo gps unit plugs into the computer through a USB 2.0 cable. PhotoGPS sees the unit and tells you it is there and that it is charging. You are given two ways to read the gps data, either by reading it directly from the unit or by downloading the data to the computer and storing it in a folder on your hard drive. I tried reading it from the unit first. The software thought a long time then crashed. I tried again, and it thought a long time, then started to download, then crashed again. This was not encouraging to say the least. So I tried the other option of downloading the data. I told it the folder I wanted the data to be stored in and told it to download. It thought, and thought and thought and…well, you get the picture, it hung. I quit the application and restarted it. This time it loaded the data fairly quick. Overall in this process the PhotoGPS crashed or froze several times. It is clear there is an issue with the Mac software. Finally the images all loaded. The next step is to match the data with the images. This is done simply by a push of a button. So I pushed the button and prayed; this time no issue. All the data matched up to all the images. Then the last step is simply to write the data to the RAW files. To do this you push the “Tag Photos” button and it writes the data to a XMP sidecar file where you have the photos stored, in this case the flash card. Apparently it write it directly into the EXIF data in a JPG file. Again, it went off without a hitch.

Now you just proceed to import the files like you would normally do into LightRoom. Only this time you will see two new metadata fields. Yes, two. One for the gps coordinates and the other for the altitude. Fun. One more thing that is kind of cool, but needs some tweaking, is that on import all the street information is imported at key words. Very cool! This mean you do not have to key word on import the location of your shoot anymore. But here is the downside to this and where it needs tweaking. What I found was that the location did not import as multible key words but one single entry. Normally I would inter key word and they would look like this: Malaysia, Penang, Tanjung Tokong. Each place or name separated with a comma. But when PhotoGPS entered the key words they came out like this:  Mukim 18 (Tanjong Tokong) Penang Malaysia. To be honest, I am not sure if this is really and issue or not. But it does make for some very long key word sets in LightRoom.

Once in LightRoom you will find the Metadata field that holds the gps coordinates you will see a small button next to them. (See image) If you click on that button you will be taken to Google Maps and shown where the image was taken. For the most part the data was very close to the spot I stood. The difference might be at the most 50 yards, but much of the time it was within a few feet.

Another LightRoom add on is the Flickr plugin that Jeffrey Friedl has made. This will upload your images to Flickr with the gps coordinates and then visitors can view them on the Flickr map.

So, over all what do I think? I really, really wanted to love this product. I love a lot of Jobo’s product like the Gigaview Pro. I love the concept and the unit itself. Jobo, or somebody did a great job designing a small, low profile gps unit for the camera. It does what it was designed to do and for $159 it may well be worth it, especially once they get the software kinks worked out of it. But what I really dislike is the Mac version software PhotoGPS. Not because it is hard to use, it is not. It is very simple. It is just glitchy, really glitchy. It took so much time to load and then reload the images due to all the snags. I am just not sure it is worth the effort. I guess it all comes down to how important is GeoTagging your photos. For me, at this time it is mostly just for fun. But there are important uses. When I went to Sumatra in Feb 08 I needed this unit, but it was delayed. The NGO I was shooting for really wanted to know where the images of each people group I shot where taken. I had to just point them out generally on a map after the trip. This would have been really handy. The PhotoGPS  is a group effort between Jobo, Geotate and it uses the data from the OpenStreetMap project. This product has a lot of potential. With all that said it still is a far cry better than the way I was doing geotagging before. A lot fewer steps and I thing this is all correctable in the next version update. But for now. Just be ready to fight with the software if you really want your photos tagged.

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One of the goodies I received early this January along with my 5D, was the new hot-off-the-line Think Tank Shape Shifter. This bag is a whole new design for Think Tank and I gotta tell you, I like it. The bag is different than any other bag I have ever seen or used in the past. Its design is unique in that it does not use the typical foam and Velcro divider concept in the main compartment, but uses neoprene pouch like pockets. The reason being, they collapse easier and more flat. The whole concept of the Shape Shifter was to make a bag that could easily transport gear to the site and then collapse and save space. I have used the bag twice now, once to Cambodia and then to Bangkok for my meeting with David and Gavin. The bag worked as expected and beyond.

First let me describe the bag. It is made of high quality ballistic cloth and is, thus, pretty much indestructible. This is good and bad. It lasts forever; good, but then you never get to buy a new bag because your old one has never worn out; bad. Well, not really. I guess, overall, this is a good thing. The Shape Shifter is a backpack or rucksack style bag with contoured shoulder straps and a padded airflow system that vents the space between your back and the bag. The Shape Shifter comes with a simple nylon waist belt. The first thing I did was to disconnect it, replace the nylon belt with my Steroid Speed Belt. The design allows the user to open up the Velcroed lumbar support and place any one of Think Tank’s belts from their Modular systems under it and use them as a waist belt. I prefer the Steroid Speed Belt as it is wider and gives better support with the bag fully loaded. I also saved space by not having to pack my Steroid Speed Belt. Once I got to my location, I tore the belt off, loaded the skins on it and off I went shooting. The bag is made with two large compartments, one to hold a laptop, and the other camera lenses and bodies. The laptop compartment is big enough for my 17 inch MacBook Pro. Heck, it is big enough for my 17 inch MacBook Pro in the Think Tank Artificial Intelligence case. This is good, and I will tell you why. Too many times I get to a hotel and there is no WiFi in the rooms only in the lobby. If I don’t have a case like the Artificial Intelligence, then I have to carry the computer and cords down to the lobby in my hands; not good on so many levels. So this way you can pack the laptop in it’s case while in the camera bag and once you arrive at your hotel you have the Artificial Intelligence Laptop case ready to use around the hotel. When I travel I leave the Artificial Intelligence unzipped so I can easily extract the computer at security checks.

The camera compartment is the guts of this bag and what makes it special. The inside of the camera compartment is lined with five neoprene pockets – two pockets to hold two pro DSLR bodies without the lens attached. Then three other pockets for lenses. One is large enough for a 70-200 f/2.8 with lens hood reversed, another fits the 24-70 f/2.8 with lens hood reversed, and the remaining pocket can hold a 17-40 f/4 without the lens shade. Think Tank says it can hold 16-35 2.8 or similar hood reversed but I found it was too tight. The lens hood for the 17-40 really sticks out wide and it might fit, but I was afraid it might get smashed and it was simpler just to remove it and put it into one of the mesh pockets in the same compartment. I found the pockets easy to get gear in and out of. The only catch is that you need to empty the top pockets first before you can empty the lower ones. This is a minor inconvenience, but not a deal killer at all. Remember, this is a bag not meant to shoot out of. The design of this bag is for transporting the gear, then empty the gear out into your modular system whilst minimizing the bag down to 3 to 4  inches in width.

On the outside of the bag, you will find three additional pockets. The top one is a small organizer and has two expandable pockets inside that are big enough for my OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro™ drives in each compartment. It may seem like a minor thing, but the pen slots in this bag are larger than many other bags. In so many bag organizers the slot for your pens seem to be made for a #2 pencil or a Bic pen. In this bag I can slide a large fat pen or, (and this is not a minor issue) a large Cohiba Siglo III cigar tube. The next pocket down is gusseted and is big enough for my Sony Noise Canceling Headphones that I keep in my Think Tank Bum Bag as well as a book and a magazine or two. Then the last pocket on the outside is a pretty straight forward pocket near the bottom that I use to store the rain cover of the bag. This pocket is also meant to secure the base of your tripod, if you choose to use the optional tripod lashing straps that come with the bag.

The whole bag is made extremely well and, as with all Think Tank products, is thought through. I am 6 feet and have the belt line of a 50 year old man (I am working on it, ok?!). But I found the pack fit me well and very comfortably. When fully loaded it was heavy, but that is not the bag’s fault, that is the glass I am carrying in it. Yet, the bag did not wear me down or hurt my shoulders in any way. Fully loaded it fit easily into the overhead or under the seat in front of me on all my Air Asia flights. Once I made it to my hotel I was pleased to find that the bag fit easy into my PacSafe 55 wire mesh and I was able to secure the bag and the contents to a metal desk in my room so I could breathe easy.

One  of my pet peeves with bag manufactures is that they put corded zipper pulls on compartments that carry valuable items. Think Tank did not do this with this bag. The two main compartments, the one for the gear and the one for the computer, both have corded pulls but they have interlocking eyes that you pass a lock of some sort through. Finally someone is thinking! Now can I suggest a metal cable on the top handle. The North Face trolley bag I have have has this, and if I need to take a nap at an airport, I know I can lash a cable through the “cabled” handle and with the zippers really secure I can sleep well, knowing my bag is not going to walk off.

Now, what would I do different with this bag had I designed it? Not much, in fact I found no real flaws with this bag and what it was designed to do. Here are a few suggestions that might give the bag some added value. I already suggest the cabled handle at the top of the bag. It would have been nice to have the option to slide the handle of my Think Tank Airport Security between the bag and the lumbar and back support. At one point in one of these trips I took the bag off my back and was only going a short way to the taxi. The bag was so heavy that it would have been nice to just slide the bag down the handle and forgo putting it on my back. I found I could put most of my valuable gear in the Shape Shifter and the less costly gear and more compact gear in my Airport Security. This option did two things, it gave me a peace of mind that if I had to check the Airport Security for some reason, I knew I had my MK II safely on my back, and the second was it made my  Airport Security much lighter and easier to stow in the overhead.

In conclusion; I think I will be adding this bag to my travels. The ease of use and convenience is what I had hoped for. I had been traveling with the Think Tank Urban Disguise 60. It is great, but limiting on the gear it can carry. This bag allows me to load up and the fact it looks nothing like a camera bag is also a nice security factor. Over all I give this bag high ratings for design and functionality. Fully loaded it is heavy and can be a strain on your back, but again, this is your issue not the bag’s. You just need to join me for more sit-ups.

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I already wrote how I really liked the auto ISO feature of the 5D. This is something that Nikon came out with on their latest camera first and then Canon followed suit. My guess is this is going to be one of those “love it or hate it” features. I love it, though it can be dangerous, bouncing your ISO  all over the place without you knowing it. But with the new Digic 4 processor in the 50D and 5D the higher ISOs are hardly an issue unless you are printing quite large.

I was asked by some monks on Saturday to take their picture.  I had been shooting something else and had my aperture stopped down to f/14. With out thinking (I think most of you can relate) I snapped of a few and then realized I needed to open it up. So I then shot them at f/1.8. Later in Lightroom I was amazed at how the camera at handled the situation. I shoot almost exclusively in AV (aperture priority), so when I changed my aperture to f/1.8 the camera changed the ISO from 3200 to 100 and my shutter from 1/100 to 1/200.  Check out several things below.  First, the dreamy bokeh at f/1.8, really smooth. Also, how quick the depth of field drops off. But, more importantly for this conversation, look at the 100% enlargements of the eyes. ISO 3200 never looked so good!

View the images at 100% by clicking on them to load them in Light Box.

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