Creative Concept Studios, LLC

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How I use my iPad for photography

Dean Shanson over at the Photopreneur Blog recently sent me a list of questions on how I use the iPad in my photography work. Dean did a good job of highlighting the pros and cons of my answers. See the article: The iPad for Photographers. Not long after he posted the article, I received a couple of emails asking for a detail list of my uses and apps.

What I have and How I use it:

I use the 3G/WIFI 32gb version of the iPad. I currently have 200 songs, 22 videos, 813 photos and 84 applications installed. 15.9gb of 29gb space available.

The iPad has become much more useful than I expected when I purchased it. I use it in several ways:

  • A portfolio of my work to include a running slideshow when that is appropriate.
  • A visual posing example book for clients and models.
  • Property releases.
  • Model releases.
  • Remote camera control.
  • Music at a shoot with small external speakers.
  • Show image collage videos I produce.
  • Educational videos to watch when waiting or traveling.
  • Educational books to read when waiting or traveling.
  • Sunrise/Sunset information and direction when in a new area.
  • Find locations when traveling.
  • Take notes on shoots and locations.
  • Find nearby food, gas or shopping.
  • Give the MUA/Stylist something to play with when I’m shooting.
  • Give me something to do (games, email, surfing, etc) when waiting on the model to finish ‘getting ready’.
  • As a prop within the shoot.
  • Checking the weather.
  • Taking credit card payments.

Apps I use now:

Built-in apps I use aside from browser, email and calendar;

  • Videos
  • Photos (very nice slide show feature too)
  • iPod
  • Notes
  • iBooks

Third party apps:

How I get a model release signed and emailed using the iPad?

I use Easy Release which is great at want it does; the process below is a limitation of the first generation iPad and not Easy Release.

Easy release sample

This is a bit cumbersome but here’s how I do it.

  • Take a iPhone picture of model or property.
  • Email it to myself.
  • Give model iPad to fill in their information
  • Get to photo screen
  • Open email on the iPad
  • Save image to photoroll
  • Open Easy Release and select the image

This process works but it ain’t pretty. The new iPad 2 with a built in camera will solve this problem.

iPad for editing – nope.

A complaint I hear often but makes no sense to me.

I have a desktop and a couple of laptops for post processing and other than a quick and dirty crop or adjustment of a photograph I don’t even attempt to do a serious edit with the iPad. If I think I’ll need to do on site editing I bring a laptop.

Advice for other photographers thinking of using the iPad in their photography?

Think it through; how will it assist your photography in a way that makes sense and works for you? Don’t get it just because you can. Technology is not a replacement for basic business or photography skills.

IF you decide to get it spend the extra money for the 3G/WIFI version – WIFI only is useless in the field.

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Things that go Bump during a shoot: A solution for strobists

I have tripped and bumped my way through a lot of shooting locations; the act of repositioning the speedlights on stands with modifiers, while not the biggest challenge of any photo session, was an annoyance I didn’t like. Between the umbrella, open or not, and the open legs of an 8ft light stand I have said ‘Excuse me’; Pardon me’ a hundred times.

Indoors; the knocking around furniture, people and doorways is a headache. Outdoors; moving through people, parked cars, shrubs, trees and rocks presents its own challenges. The act of closing the umbrellas and legs every time I want to reposition the lights is both time consuming and then reversing the process at the new position can a bit unprofessional looking. Sometimes while balancing my camera gear too. I’m not as graceful as I used to be.

I’ve been doing the strobist thing for a couple of years and am always looking for a better more efficient way to get the job done. I was shown a Kwik Stand about a year ago by a studio photographer and liked the idea, but soon found out the Kwik Stand Company had gone out of business. Over the past year two companies have come to market with their versions of the folding leg light stand: Denny EZ Stand and Cheetah Stand. I have tried both and chose the Cheetah Stand for several reasons:

There is no real comparison if you take the time to see the differences. The all metal construction of the Cheetah with its slim solid metal legs and rubber rib-footed feet beats out the thin walled tubular legs of the EZ Stand with its flat smooth plastic ones. The EZ Stand feet appear larger but only one edge actually contacts the floor and it slides easily on smooth shiny floors. Maybe it’s a feature and not a flaw; in any case I didn’t care for it.

The legs of both extend on contact with the ground but the EZ Stand does not compress back to its body as closely the Cheetah. Not a huge deal but depending on the space, think church pews, you’re navigating – it just might. The all metal locking clamps and thumb wings of the Cheetah appear to be better suited to hold up over time with field use.

My copy of the EZ Stand did not smoothly extend or compress, the bottom (largest) pole section was very stiff in fact. It’s supposed to be an air cushion stand, why I’m not sure for such a small stand, which may be the reason for the gummed up feel. Fully extended, the EZ Stand is about an inch taller. The tubes are not internally secured (more on this in a minute). The Cheetah on the other hand is quick and smooth without being a hazard to your equipment with common sense and normal equipment care.

In field use neither stand met all my needs. Because of the inherent design required for this type of stand, the center post must extend down to within an inch or so of the surface. This is only a problem, for me anyway, when shooting on very rough uneven terrain like a rocky ledge near Lake Grapevine.(Let me add that neither stand was designed nor intended, as far as I know, to be use exactly the way I describe here.) But this is how I found out that the EZ Stand’s main extension tubes are not internally secured.

During a two speedlight shoot, one Cheetah and one EZ stand, I was unable place the opened legs of either stand on the uneven rocky ground. So, in my get the job done mode, I placed (gently wedged/balanced) the stands in-between some rocks. Worked like a charm; got the pictures; time to move on. When I reached out to grab the EZ Stand by the middle tube, balanced upon another rock, to lift it out of the crevice I had half a light stand in my hand. I did not jerk or twist it; it just ‘plop’ came apart. Ten minutes later I moved on with two complete stands. Good news, the tube went back in as easily as it came out.

Now here is a completely mox nix point I noticed, the EZ Stand could be used as a wind chime with all the hollow metal racket it makes when you walk around with it.

So the Cheetah Stand works for me, I now have four of them and they go where I go. Quite, reliable and built to last.

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