The Right Tool For The Job (DAM and Workflow)

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Ian
A Woodworker's Tools by ianspiers.com A Woodworker’s Tools, a photo by ianspiers.com on Flickr.

I committed a few hours this afternoon to editing photos and posting them to my Flickr account. With so many other channels available for my imagery, I’ve never really seen the point of posting images to Flickr. More recently, I’ve been reexamining my resistance; my thought is changing. I’m curious what others are experiencing and I want a better understanding of where digital photography and image sharing is headed.

Prepping photos for Flickr is interesting. I’ve got JPEGs that date back to 2000 and RAW files that date back to 2004, and I’m constantly adding new media to my library. My catalog is in a constant state of flux, and I’ve been in the process of reorganizing my image library and improving my workflow practices for months now–updating naming conventions, applying metadata, separating RAWs from Photoshop composites and final edits of images, reorganizing directories for automated backup to a host of external hard drives, building Expression Media catalogs, etc.. My catalog is a precious, living organism. It’s all still somewhat complicated at the moment, but it will be extremely efficient, expandable, and sustainable in the future.

If any of this “Digital Asset Management” (DAM) stuff sounds like the sort of thing you’ve wanted or tried to wrap your head around, here are three really great resources that come to mind.

First, IMHO, Peter Krogh’s The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers is the definitive work on the subject. I apply the concepts covered in The DAM Book organizing and retrieving all of my media, not just my photography.

Second, dpBestflow.org is an amazing resources for information on DAM. This one’s from ASMP , Richard Anderson (co-author of Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow Handbook) and Krough.

Finally, if you’re interested in a fantastic, professional-grade crash-course on DAM and workflow, as it relates to a real-world, professional photography, you really should check out this amazing video from Chase Jarvis.

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Empire Avenue

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Ian

Up in the middle of the night for no good reason I can think of, I stumbled across a curious tweet from Zack Arias: “Ummm… Andy, @unknown_photog, told me to do this. Empire Avenue –> (eZARIAS) http://bit.ly/zmsDoa via @EmpireAve”. Zack’s message piqued my curiosity so I followed the link.

That was 19 hours ago. Sure, I did sleep, eat and tend to other normal functions, but the truth is that I’ve been pretty much addicted to what I discovered ever since.

Empire Avenue is bit of a cross between a social media hub and an online stock trading game. Starting with a moderate stipend, one quickly accumulates more of the game’s currency, called “Eaves”, by filling out profile and bio information. Connecting various social media sites to EA establishes surprisingly concise reports on activity relating to those sites, and unlocks Achievements, both of which add value and Eaves to your account.

For me, the real fun started kicking in when I realized, to my complete surprise, that people were quickly buying “stock” in my newly formed account. Like a typical response to an IPO, dozens of other AE players started snatching up shares in my stock, sending the value of (e)IANSPIERS soaring. It turn, I began the vicious cycle of exploring people’s profiles, accounts and interest groups on the site, which opened more activities and achievements, which earned me more Eaves….

It really doesn’t take that much involvement to see that there’s real social networking potential behind EA’s approachable interface. While this is the first I’ve heard of Empire Avenue (’cause I live in a cave), I’ve found that EA has a respectable amount of press, a rapidly expanding following, and a broad base of support. If you invest time in social media and enjoy playing online investing/trading games, this definitely something you’ll want on your radar.

On the other hand, you may want to avoid Empire Avenue like the plague….

1/16/12
p.s.: I eventually decided to spin the madness of EA off onto it’s own blog. At the time of this writing it was located at http://ianspiers.wordpress.com.

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A Date With Destiny

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Ian

There is something deeply satisfying about being able to take out the right photo equipment and set it up efficiently for a quick photo op’. I’d wanted to make a new photo of Jace for a while now, but haven’t been able to due to bad timing and a child-hazardous apartment. Finally cleaned and organized for the holidays, my young subject was brought for a visit earlier this week.

Paige Marley, 2011

Paige Marley, 2011

As the adults sank into couches and conversation, I faded to a corner of my living room and quietly prepped a simple strobist shoot–a stand, a Canon 580EX, a pair of PocketWizards and a leftover piece of white foamcore. Jace’s older sister, Paige, became very interested when I opened and set the white umbrella and fired an initial test shot, and was a cheerful stand-in as I dialed in the settings for her little brother.

Jace Morrison

Jace Morrison, 2011

With everything set, I scooped up the 4-month-old and placed him on set, and even managed some fine-tuning as he tried to eat my hand.

Messy, slobbery, and altogether wonderful stuff! I am not a child photographer, but the truth is that I find this kind of work profoundly satisfying. There are no words that can accurately convey how I feel about watching a young family growing. But I do have a camera.

Knowing that I had my hero shot in the can, I returned Jace to his mother, dismantled the set and stowed my equipment. I knew that we’d just created some of my favorite images, ever.

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Intro To Macrophotography

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Ian

I’m still recovering from September’s failed physics experiment, but a new tool has just arrived that should help to ward off winter’s approaching gloom. I’ve just added a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro AF Lens to my toolbox.

For those that don’t know, generally speaking, macrophotography is photography of very small subjects. A variety of specialized equipment and techniques are often used to address technical considerations, such as blurriness caused by camera vibration during long exposures. So, adding this macro lens, a sturdy tripod, and some artificial light sources to my present physical limitations suggests some new creative opportunities.

Macro work is new to me. I really don’t have anything particular in mind that I want to explore, but that’s not to say that my approach to macro photography has been whimsical. I’ve done plenty of due diligence—reading books, magazine articles and blog posts, and poring through specialist photography forums and studying countless lens reviews. And all of this research has only fueled my appetite.

Amaryllis stamen.

Amaryllis stamen.

The photo you see on the left is the first test shot made with this new lens—it’s the stamen of an amaryllis we’ve been enjoying during this holiday season. The image was captured on my 5D Mk 1 at ISO 400 at 1/125 at f/20. (Yes, f/20, from about a foot’s distance.) That dramatic lighting coming from camera left is a stand-mounted Canon 580EX shooting through a white umbrella, triggered by a PocketWizard Plus II transceiver.

Oh, it is so on.

(Sorry if thumbnails are looking funky. WordPress and I aren’t seeing eye to eye just yet.)

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A Quick Health Update

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Ian

In case you were curious, my leg is improving nicely. I am off of the meds and crutches and I’m out of the leg brace. I’m still dealing with some fairly significant physical limitations (physical therapy scheduled into March) but I’m up and around, which is light years away from where I was, believe me!

During my recovery, with the help of the interwebs, I’ve kept myself occupied/distracted with tons of personal education. I’m choosing to regard September’s injury as a creative catalyst—having so much “free time” available has encouraged me to more thoroughly investigate my online options.

Which brings me back to creativeLIVE. Wow! How amazing is this, really? Streaming live, online events to a global classroom, creativeLIVE (CL) has been the single most entertaining and inspirational resource available to me during this challenging period. I’ve made a number of lengthy posts about CL on Facebook and Google+, so I’ll try to not gush again here, but I will repeat that if you are interested in photography and related media you definitely need to check CL out. I am a total CL junkie at this point.

"Preach"

Pastor Matthew Prasek

The last note that I’ll make is that I was actually able to get into my studio over the weekend to shoot a couple of friends. I found that the physical activity was still more than I’m really ready for at this point, but I am pleased with the results. I’m chomping at the bit; I can’t wait to be able to take my gear on the road and start producing some photos with high production value.

2012 is going to be a very good year!

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