Iconic Museum Visits

Maybe in person or via the Internet, it is time to renew and refresh. Consider old ideas as the foundation for new work. 

As a fun diversion, read Ali Fitzgerald’s Iconoclastic article in MOMA Magazine about analog artist Susan Kare -- the creator of many familiar icons we see on screen. 

What inspires you to see different? 

Apple Pay & Apple Wallet

This post is not specifically about photography, but generally about paying for things. Like cameras, lenses, mobile devices and services. 

If you have any experience in using the Apple Pay service and loading credit cards into Apple Wallet, you might want to know more. Pete Lozzi is a guru about all things Apple and is a member of the Sacramento MacNexus User Group. His 2022 General Meeting presentation was on Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. The core presentation begins at 0:39:20 to 1:20:00 and then goes to Q&A. 

Apple is known as a disrupter in the marketplace. They did not invent computers, cell phones or credit cards. But they are challenging the market leaders and changing the playing field with consumers in mind.  

iCloud Cleanup Time - Again!

I'm still subscribed at 200GB on my iCloud storage. And it is almost full, again! 

To assess the potential for recovering space open Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Manage Storage to see what apps take up GBs of online storage. For me: Photos - 141GB, Backups - 42 GB, iCloud Drive - 5 GB, Pixelmator 2 GB and Mail - 1 GB. Attachments in the Mail app are probably the culprit. Pixelmator creates an in-app Gallery and the layered files have .pxm extension and the details on screen show my file sizes range from 14 MB to 160 MB. (The power of layers increases file size exponentially.) Pixelmator is a smart app and can save work to either iCloud or the device itself. Saving to iPhone is different than saving to iPad.  To clear our the Pixelmator Gallery, use the ( ... ) > Select > tap a file or two > Share > Airdrop to computer. Airdropped files can be found in the Downloads folder. Move this files to an external drive where other files are archived. 

LESSON #1

Back to Photos - where the Library only continues to grow. In addition to moving recent video clips and RAW images to my computer and external drive there is more work to do. The video files are from three recent Today at Apple workshops and follow-up practice. No need to keep these clips in iCloud, they can go to the external drive. Once video clips have been moved then select clips and delete. To move many video files, open Photos > Albums > Media Types: Videos > Select > tap to mark videos (36) > Share > AirDrop to computer. First the videos need to download from iCloud then are copied over. The list is highlighted on my Mac so Control + Click brings up menu with New Folder with 36 Items ... give the folder a meaningful name. Tap Done on the iPhone > while the clips are still selected > Trash. But wait! If you are using Cinematic Mode for video, you are capturing additional information and details in sidecar data. Adjust your options: Photos > Albums > Media Types: Cinematic > Select > tap to mark videos 11) > Share > Options > All Photos Data ON > Done > AirDrop to computer. Again, move the copied FOLDERS into a new folder while the selection is active in the Finder. Look inside the folders to see the .mov and .MOV and .AAE files. Did you also notice two files have been renamed - one includes "E" and the other "O" with the number? What does this mean? So much to learn about moving clips with "All Photos Data" to an archive and then restoring the clips and sidecars for full editing capability in the future. Cinematic Mode in video is like Portrait Mode in photos. The point of focus can be changed in post production. The depth map must accompany the file to make those changes. 

Photos, oh Photos. I've been making lots of stylized duplicate images for future machinations or collages and there needs to be modifications to my general workflow. 

Patterns, texture and stylized images need to be available for new work on iPad Pro. The USB-C connector makes a huge contribution here because the images can be saved to or opened from a thumb drive. The Files app is the connecting glue, especially if the photo editing apps can browse for images using the Files > Locations > iPad, iCloud Drive or external drive options. Apps that recognize more than the Photo Library are key: RAW Power, Pixelmator Photo, xxx (more to be listed soon). 

Thumb drive is 64 GB of storage for images, videos and other documents. This content will be backed up to a Western Digital 2 TB drive with my iPhone Vault (images archived from iPhone for long-term storage, printing and, originally, a Lightroom Catalog. The WD drive is backed up to a duplicate kept at home and a duplicate kept off-site. The content on the WD drive should be re-organized into subfolders for easier retrieval in preparation for new collages. I see finding many images and copying back to a thumb drive as if selecting a color palette and size of canvas to begin work. 

LESSON #2

Copy and Paste of images is sometimes an option. Try testing the process with file types - JPG would be fine; TIF is a larger file size; HEIF is newer file type; DNG is RAW - does the photo editing app recognize all current formats on external media? Does the photo editing app recognize all formats if available in the Photos Library? Adjust workflow as needed. 

On iPad, start at the current month in Photos Library and work backwards to the past. The routine is: Select > Share > Save to Files > external drive > archive folder | Select same images > Trash. Move back into earlier weeks/months and repeat. This is also an opportunity to rediscover photos to include in new projects! Add a Caption for future searches. This culling process will take many sessions. At the end of a session, make a screenshot of the current location in Photos Library to begin again - use Markup to add notes on the image for the external drive used. Make an optional screenshot of the Photos > Utilities > Recently Deleted to record the currently removed images. In 29 days these images will be automatically deleted. However, once I've confirmed the files are backed up to my external WD drives then the Recently Deleted files can be ... trashed before their expiration date to recover some space. 

High Res without iPhone 14 Pro

I've been a fan of Camera+2 for years. It was on our purchase app in 2017 and continues to improve. Under the hood, the version released last week is version 22.3.3 and the title is now Camera+: Pro Camera & Editor. In reading the recent reviews, one commentator mentioned that the 48MP UltraRes feature was not working. Now it does! On iPhone 13Pro: 

12MP 4032x3024 - 6MB HEIF

48MP 8064x6048 - 6MB HEIF 

The other app that offers his res is Hydra by image stacking. 

Normal @ 12 MP 3024x4032 - 7MB HEIF

Hi Res @ 27MP 4536x6048 - 9MB JPEG

Hi Res @ 48MP 6048x8064 - 14MB JPEG

Hi Res @ 110MP 12096x9072 - 29MB JPEG

New people purchasing Hydra will get a subscription prompt. 

File type will also change the file size, HEIF and JPEG are smaller files while TIFF, RAW/DNG and ProRAW are large files. 

Remember, the new 14 Pro quad-pixel sensor technology is the future of imaging. Maybe even the future of imagining. 

Next time I visit with Marilyn, we will test these apps again and update this report to include iPhone 14 Pro and RAW format photos. 

Sharing a project with strangers

Here is a workflow I do not expect to use often: a photo shoot for strangers. Well, strangers with puppies. 

So I'm taking RAW + JPEG photos of a puppy class and then want to make the photos available for the people participants via a website. I will use the Photos Shared Albums public link feature. 

Download the RAW images to computer and open in DXO Photo Lab 5 for some shadow and highlight correction (in lieu of Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop). Export 92 images uncrossed to JPEGs at 90% quality and file size remains 5-to-9MB. 

In Photos, create a new Shared Album. Drag and Drop from Finder directly to Shared Folder does not work. So Drag and Drop to Photos Library first, select all photos from shoot and drag to Shared Album. Now, can delete from Photos Library.  In settings for Shared Album, enable Public Website option and copy the link. Send the link to someone in class to test and if successful, send link to event coordinator to distribute to all participants. 

P.S. - Sharing the photos in a folder in the Files app was awkward. Not recommended for multiple images, would work OK for a document, spreadsheet or presentation file. 

iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1

This last week I've archived my unique databases just in case the apps won't work on the latest mobile operating systems. Did not need to worry because the apps are working fine - even though one developer is no longer in the App Store and another has not been updated for 4 years. Just being safe! 

After updating all this feels new again and the search for changes begins. Read the articles, read the app reviews (sort by latest) and then poke around the interface.. Look at the Settings app - changes always pop up here. Look at your favorite apps to see how they interact with the Photos Library. Notice the changes in the Share Sheet listings! 

Please keep your discoveries in a Notes page or scribble on Post-Its for future discussions. 

Relating to workflow, MacWorld: Four iPadOS 16 features that will have a huge impact on your productivity article mentions Stage Manager for multitasking, collaborative document editing and  "desktop quality app" features. It will take time for developers to "implement the customizable toolbar, system-wide find and replace, consistent undo and file name control in the Files app." 

With iPhone 14Pro and ProRAW there is much to discuss about 48 megapixels and what can you do will all that data. Read NatureTTL article Megapixels: How Big Can You Really Print a Photo? for a simple chart comparing megapixels and print size. While you are there, read How to Print Photos: A Photographer’s Guide because, why not? Other articles on this site are of interest to photographers. 

Seminar Description for Spring 2023

Draft - submitted on 10/12/2022

iPhone Studio - Multimedia Collective 

Past studio enrollees are encouraged to register as this seminar transitions into participant-led activities oriented towards video production. Continuing to use familiar apps and expanded studio workflow, this semester we add emphasis on the iMovie app. Online shared albums are our critique and learning platform. While six meetings are scheduled for Zoom, presenters may plan in-person photo walks instead. Our public website continues to provide informative articles, demonstration videos, and examples of our artwork at http://rsiphonephotostudio.blogspot.com 

My Story Project needs video production volunteers

The My Story Project  an interesting opportunity to learn more about video production using iMovie on a Macintosh computer. It is also a way to learn about other views and lived experiences. 

I know Craig from the RS DigiCam Tuesday class and the My Story Project is part of RenSoc this semester. See the description on page 38 of the Fall Catalog. Over 80 completed interviews have been produced by this team over five+ years. 

Here is why I think volunteering on this project is a great way to learn more about iMovie video production - the interviews take place in the Senior Center at Sierra 2, in a "studioette" setup for this activity. All the gear (lights, cameras, mics) is in place and a workflow established. Client photographs are often brought to the interview as collateral material to be digitized. The interviews are recorded to SD-Cards and the video is edited off-site, the final video is mastered to DVD and duplicate DVDs made on-site with custom printed designs. 

Again, the workflow is in place, what the project needs are volunteers to edit interviews, add still photos and produce the final video. Repetition of these skills would help you move into video production and create your own family memories. 

Know someone else interested in video production? Pass this email along 

Let me know if you want additional volunteering details -- Melissa 

From Craig: 

I would like to connect with anyone in class interested in editing videos. For the last 11 or 12 years I’ve been a volunteer with the My Story Project where we shoot videos of older folks to record their life story to pass along to their families. We were inactive during the pandemic and I’m working to revitalize the group. I am currently doing a Renaissance Society SIG/class about how to coach seniors on preparing their stories, shooting the videos, and editing them to burn to a DVD. We only have one video editor on our team currently and need some additional help with editing. This role is critical to our success!

Our next class will be about video editing on a Mac using iMovie software. If anyone is Interested in attending the class, or help us with editing they would certainly be welcome. 

Save these Dates

Currently working with Roseville Apple Store for small group Today at Apple sessions. I’ve requested two topics:1) Photo Tour: Taking Portraits on Location and 2) Directing the Portrait. Our group will be split into 10 participants on Thursday November 3rd and Thursday November 10th. 

Possible meet-up to share techniques learned one November 17th (in-person or via Zoom TBD).  

Sign-up preferences and details to be discussed in class. 

Spring 2023 - Your Involvement Needed

Looking for new ways to approach a final product or begin a new project. 

I want to step back from planning this seminar in the future. Especially the day-to-day work. We discussed this briefly and have begun to form a "collective hive mind" where during each of our six meetings two or more participants will step up to share current projects and app workflow or lead a photo walk/activity plus pick a lunch spot. 

Draft details will be shared in email and discussed in the last two meetings this semester. Suggestion is to keep to Thursday morning schedule. 

Your creativity continues to inspire my work. 

iPhone 14 eSIM

Tom found an article following our discussion on eSIM cards, used for accessing cellular networks. The latest iPhone from Apple has ditched the SIM tray and has implemented an electronic version. 

Apple’s New iPhone 14 Will Pose A Problem For American Travelers at Travel Off Path website predicts European travel will be OK but do your research before traveling to Latin America. 

Halide and LUX Camera Deep Dive

You might not jump on the Halide Camera subscription bandwagon. However, the team at LUX reports on current camera technology and reading their website is informative across Apple technology. Reading about The M1 iPad Pro Cameras posted May 2021 was eye opening because of the macro capability - a hidden gem - on recent iPads. 

Other long-form articles for your perusal include: 

The iPhone 12 Pro Max: Real Pro Photography 

Understanding ProRAW 

The Long Term iPhone 12 Camera Review 

iPhone 13 Pro: The Edge of Intelligent Photography 

iPhone Macro: A Big Day for Small Things 

iPhone 14 Pro Camera Preview: The Hardware Changes 

LUX offers a free 10-Day email course to get up and running with Halide and pro photography. 

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The articles and course will help you grasp the computational horizon of digital photography.

Apple Silicon - Mobile to Desktop

Life in the Apple ecosystem is always interesting but multiple that by100 once Apple released computers and laptops with the M1 Apple Silicon chips. Now distant relations of desktop and mobile have come close together! 

When buying mobile apps, some were labeled "universal" meaning that they worked on both iPhone and iPad. Some apps have desktop applications and files sync through iCloud from mobile device to desktop/laptop. Now that distinction is going away. 

Apps purchased for iPhone and iPad have started to appear in the App Store on M1 and M2 Macintosh computers. There will be references "Designed for iPad" or "Designed for iPhone" and also "Not verified for macOS." 

When viewing your account, click on the iPhone & iPad Apps tab. Here are a few I've discovered: 

TouchRetouch, Image Blender, SnapDot, Picsew - Screenshot Stitching, Tangled FX, Diptic, Leonardo Photo Layer Editor, Darkroom: Photo & Video Editor ...  

More research needs to be done. All in due time. 

Make your own business cards

Use the Pages app and one of the business card templates as a starting place. Then throw the baby out with the bath water. 

You want the cut marks and the Avery code on the page. Keep the top left text blocks as a starting point. 

1. Edit to include your name and an email address. You can always handwrite your phone number on the card as needed. 
2. Set the font, size and color of text to be ... readable. 
3. Select the name and the address blocks then from the Inspector > Arrange > Group. 
4. If you have an extra keyboard, try the Cmd+D keyboard shortcut to duplicate. If not, tap to select and choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu. 
5. Drag the duplicate to the new position. 
6. Tap to select one block, hold Cmd key then tap second block. Now duplicate and move down the page. Repeat until all 10 positions are filled. 
7. Replace the graphic if you want. 
8. Print and cut at home or go to office service center to print on card stock and cut. 
9. Put your cards in your car, purse or wallet. 

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Use the Hide My Email feature to create a unique email address based on your Apple ID 

Settings > Apple ID > Hide My Email > + Create New Address .... and follow the prompts. Add a note on this address so you know how to reuse it. Refer to the online iPhone User Guide for more info about Hide My Email. 

Test sending email to this account. Mail will be forwarded to the email associated with your Apple ID. When you reply to the sender the Hide My Email will be used, keeping your identity ... secret. 

Why? Why go through all this effort? You will know the events where you've given out your cards. You can cut off emails from this address at anytime. Maybe not important in our instance but good to know for other situations. 

AFTER A FEW OF US TEST THIS, watch for an update below. 

Online Tutorials & Fun

Several of the Today at Apple in-person sessions feature using Savage Interactive's Procreate app. Here are some resources to explore before and after and after you attend the Playful Portraits or other sessions. 

Beginners Series at developer's site; scroll down to see FAQ, Hints and more. All free. 

Learn to Procreate YouTube Channel hosted by Will Robinson includes 62 short videos to help you do specific things in Procreate. More freebies. 

Creative Pet Portraiture with Procreate with Nicki Fitz-Gerald - $34

Today at Apple - Playful Portraits - Using Procreate - Free 

Every-Tuesday with Teela - Lettering designs 

Procreate for Beginners (Cynthia’s discovery) 

Apple on-demand videos 

Direct, Shoot and Edit Powerful Portraits on iPhone 

Another 

How To Shoot iPhone Studio Portraits Without a Studio - iPhone 12 

Get Ready for iOS 16

Do you have specialized non-photographic apps with critical information? You want to check the developer website to make sure the app will work with the new iOS. It would also be a good idea to export your data before beginning the upgrade process. For me, that means three special "databases" need to be exported and saved to the Files app. Databases are often exported as CSV, comma separated values, that can be opened in Apple Numbers (spreadsheet), Apple TextEdit (plain text editor) or Apple Pages (word processing) among other apps. 

Charlene reminds me about App Store Reviews. The default view seems to be Sort by Most Helpful and needs to be changed to Most Recent - for each app! Urggh. Here are the steps: 

1. Open App Store then open an app page for details (new or purchased) 
2. Scroll to Ratings & Reviews > tap See All > tap Sort by Most Helpful > tap Most Recent 
3. Check developer's website > tap ( ? ) App Support in the Ratings & Reviews section 
4. Add your own Star Rating and write a review while you are here. Reviews with device details mean more to me than complaints. 

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iPhone Life has some free content and offers more to those that subscribe. They also offer a senior discount! 

Free Class: Get Ready for iOS 16 has just been announced for September 8th at 12 pm Pacific Time.

Did you know that Apple will be releasing iOS 16 in the next couple of weeks? That's why I'm excited to announce our Preparing for iOS 16 Free Live Class! Join CEO David Averbach and myself to learn everything you need to know to get ready for iOS 16. Updating to a new operating system can be trickier than you think and there are a lot of ways you can get stuck or even brick your phone. We'll show you how to avoid the common stumbling blocks to make sure everything goes smoothly for you. We'll also give you a sneak peek of top iOS 16 features including the new Lock Screen and the ability to unsend messages.  The class will be held on Thursday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET, and is completely free to attend! Sign up to attend the free class now (no credit card required)! Donna Schill Editor in Chief at iPhone Life  P.S. Replays will be made available to everyone who signs up. Even if you are unable to attend live, make sure to sign up for the free class so that you receive the replay and the exclusive Insider discount.

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iPhone Life article - When Can You Download iOS 16 & Which iPhones Are Compatible?

Today At Apple

We are fortunate to have two Apple Stores in our area. Also lucky that they are in two different counties with different rules for business operations in the era of COVID. 

Open up your iPad and the Apple Store app. On the left sidebar is Sessions. Many topics are offered online and some in-person - at the Roseville Galleria location. 

Near the top of the page is a blue locator arrow with Apple Arden Fair listed. Tap to see the Apple Roseville listed under Nearby Stores then tap Apple Roseville. Tap on a topic of interest to see dates offered. Tap the blue Sign up button to register for these free sessions. 

Here's one: Art Skills: Sketching Ideas in Notes. "Using the Apple Pencil and the Notes app on iPad ... combine drawing, handwritten text and color." Hey, we did a similar activity with Cynthia's guidance.

Explore all the sessions, even the ones for kids. I found the Apple Camp Field Guide created with storytelling motif combining several activities.  

Traveling? You can find Sessions around the world. Maybe your friends and family have questions and you can find the Apple Store near them. You attend here and they can attend there. Try connecting with FaceTime or a cellular call. 

Fall 2022 - Around the Corner

It is just about time for our class to officially begin on Thursday, September 8th, 10 am to noon. 

I will be asking for a brainstorming session on September 1st - same Bat Channel, same Bat Time. You will get email with details and "thought seeds" as prompts for Studio work. 

More soon! 

Digging through email I found a diversion. Jamie Hoe - Instagram jamiehoefun She is offering a one-hour EventBrite class called "Let's Make Roy Lichtenstein - Inspired Art" on Saturday, September 3rd, 9 am - AEST timezone. So I'm lost. Continuing down this rabbit hole is the idea of Design Sprint development process ... started at Google. View AJ & Smart's intro video or Maxim Bassin's Medium article "Running a Successful Product Workshop Utilizing 'Design Sprint' Principles. This is overkill for me as a retired person. But interesting to see how teams continue to evolve and push towards better products and processes. 

AARP Member Only access - Watercolor Basics by Stan Fellows or Hand Lettering with Molly Jacques. Stan is the illustrator behind two serial mystery stories written by Ann Cleeves, also a member only access. I prefer audio books, so this is a challenge and an inspiration. 

Who is using social media tools for inspiration? Who do you follow? Do you post? Can you give us a tour of some of your mentors? 

Email message on August 20th 

First, since our Studio is closed to newbies, I did not plan a “meet and greet” Zoom session. As Cynthia and I discussed possibilities last week it became clear that we could all benefit from a brainstorming session on what you want to do for the fall. Here are some thoughts to start our discussion: 

• How much emphasis on 1) Photography, 2) Stylizing, 3) iOS/iPadOS Technology 
• New apps you have discovered 
• Projects and image processing you will share 
• Future seminars - iPad Art idea, Introduction to iPhone Photography, Portfolio Reviews as pop ups, Assigned Linked-In video classes followed by photo walks, etc  

We could come up with many new ideas for seminars. What this team could use is a couple ORGANIZERS to work out the date/time details while the creatives work on the presentations. New seminars could be pop-ups, meetup at Today at Apple, etc. Meet in person at Library or local parks.Review LinkedIn video classes offered through the Library. No need to have bells and whistles (website and YouTube videos) …  

I do have one field trip idea - for Class Day 4 on September 29th at our usual class time. Then maybe lunch nearby with outdoor seating... These are opportunities to use various lenses on our iPhones, capture textures, get macros of detailing, play with reflections and try portrait mode on objects and while in conversation with people. Is it time to play with creating short videos? (Adding Slo-Mo, Timelapse or Cinematic modes.) Apple offers two apps for editing video, iMovie and Clips. The photos and video clips we collect at this time could be used in future semesters. 

FIELD TRIP - new device to share and explore. Bring empty SD Card to move your files from my iPhone for processing on your device in Diptych, iMovie or Clips. 

Step Into Updates - Slowly

The Apple World Wide Developer Conference, WWDC, has inspired developers to make updates to their apps and work to be ready for iOS 16.x in the fall. 

So if you are not on auto-update for apps, then read the reviews before taking the leap. 

View your important apps on the App Store. Read the hype. Scroll to Ratings & Reviews > tap See All > tap Sort by Most Helpful > change to Most Recent. Read. There's no rush to update. 

When reading reviews, know that some folks are using old iPhones and iPads and have an axe to grind. Read reviews for the features that are important to you.  

On my Caution List: 

• Pixelmator v2.7 released Jul 18, 2022 
• Darkroom Photo & Video Editor v6.0.6 Jul 16, 2022
• Focos v 2.5.12 Sept 5, 2022 

On my Good-to-Go List: 

• PicCollage 
• Camera+2 
• RAW Power 
• Touch Retouch
• Prisma
• Hydra 2

So far, I have avoided opting into a subscription when offered on apps. 

Investigating Camera+22 - yes, that is "twenty-two" the current version for Camera+2. This update now includes an "Ultra Res" camera preset and in the editor. Ultra Res is supported on devices with "neural engine" meaning iPhone 11, iPad Pro 3 generation and iPad 9th generation ... and later. I've reported a "bug" for the iPad version because there is no ( i ) > Copy Edits ... to apply edits (crops) to other photos. This feature is available on iPhone. 8/1/22 WAIT A MINUTE - USER ERROR! After contacting tech support at LateNightSoft, this feature is where it’s been all along. Edit your picture in C_2. In the thumbnail display of C+2 Photo Library > Info > … > Copy and close the picture. Back at thumbnail view  tap a photo to see options > Info > … > Paste. 

I'm also shooting with Hydra 2 Pro-Pack because it offers 110MP and 49MP resolutions. These upscaling features are part of the "computational photography" that helps camera with small sensors (smartphones) capture amazing details. Similar to Apple Camera's Night Mode, the best shots for image stacking are still images or landscapes where a tripod can be used.  

Filter - is our friend

Just working with Photos and found the Filter option. Looking at Library Albums or Shared Albums you can find the ( ... ) button in the top right corner and see several menu items. The menus change depending on the current view. For example: 

• Library > Months > ( ... ) > 
• Albums > view an album > ( ... ) > Filters > 
• Albums > Shared Albums > view an album > ( ... ) > Filters > 

[We can expect new menu items to appear with future iOS updates.] 

The little icon for Filter is available in other apps. 

Frame Grabber is the app recommended to save a still frame from a video clip. And from Live Photos! Also from Timelapse or SloMo videos. Individual frames are saved as HEIF to Photos or to Files app.  

Some Update News

It is important to keep up with updates for security reasons. There are always incremental updates between major updates that are important to install for computers and mobile devices. 

iOS and iPadOS 16 is coming this fall and the current version is 15.5. 

I've finally updated my iMac to the Monterey macOS, v12. The reason for my long delay in updating is because of critical software I use for recording and editing app demo videos. (Telestream's Screenflow is this critical app.) Just in time because the Ventura macOS, v13, will be out this fall. 

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Troubleshooting 

iPhone OS was acting strange. Several features seemed to be misbehaving. I've used the Screenshot feature to document the app and Markup to add annotations on wackiness. After restarting several times and the problems persisted, the last resort was to sign-out of my Apple ID and sign back in. This would be called "the nuclear option" and after this experience, I'd not recommend it. Live with the problems until a new iOS comes out and then update. If that doesn't solve things, call Apple Support for guidance. Why? Because you are disconnecting your device from Calendar, Contacts, Messages, Mail, Photos and more. The guidance from the pros at Apple will help you not duplicate your Contacts. 

After signing back on to iPhone with Apple ID, there has been one new problem - Shared Album in Photos. On my iPad this current semester's album has 260 photos and 14 videos! Sounds about right. But on the iPhone there are only 71 photos and 7 videos! What? Past shared albums for our Studio class seem to include the same number of photos on iPad and iPhone. So there is a ghost in the machine and it got cranky in March and June. Time to visit Apple Communities and search posts to see if others have noticed this problem. 

Back in March I posted a video report about Live Photos. Actually a "problem" with changing the Key Frame in a Live Photo and retaining that frame when Share > Duplicate > Duplicate as Still Photo and then editing the still image. Oops. When editing the new still image it automatically everts to the original Key Frame. Whattt? Experimenting with options: First: transfer the Live Photo with new Key Frame to Mac computer using AirDrop. Photo becomes JPEG. Good. Second: transfer the Live Photo with new Key  Frame using PhotoSync app on iPhone. One photo becomes two files - a JPEG and MOV! The new key frame appears as the JPEG photo.  Third: use Frame Grabber app on iPhone to open Live photo, select individual frame and export ... HEIF image. 

Gear, Experiments, Questions

From Spring 2022 

Gear We Love - Tripods and stabilization 

• Chad likes the IPOW Universal Cell Phone Tripod Mount - use on 1/4" thread tripods. This spring loaded clamp will adjust to fit phones in cases and can hold a phone in vertical or horizontal position. 
• JoEllen recommended the Ulanzi ST-14 Iron Man III 360° Tripod Smartphone Mount is a ball-head mount for 360º movement while on a tripod. 
• Chad also uses the GRIPT Professional Smartphone Tripod Adapter, Hand Grip Universal Tripod Mount for hand-held or tripod use. 
• Cynthia reports that tablet support is also available IPOW iPad Tripod Mount Adapter Universal Tablet Clamp Holder 
• Melissa found the IKLIP-3 Deluxe iPad Tablet Mount that looks like it can hold an iPad Pro. 

Experiments and Questions 

• Niel - the Monuments Preset in Camera+2 does a fabulous job with long exposure to remove people from a scene. He tested it in Arden Fair Mall. 
• Chad - has embraced his inner black & white guru self with the free Lenka app. 
• Chad - My iPhone 11 Pro can't unlock when I'm wearing a mask. Oh, this feature requires an Apple Watch. 
• James - what is the latest on a news for an iPhone SE? Welcome to the rumor-mill for the Apple Ecosystem. There have been two SE models in the past, and are probably offered to bring new people to the world of iPhones. If this "special edition" model is introduced, it will not be a choice for photographers. In the past the SE was a smaller size device. The History Cooperative has a timeline of iPhone models and Wikipedia has a succinct iPhone article. 
• Cynthia is always interested in macro - a recent video from Luke Edwin is iPhone 13 PRO MACRO Photography Tips and Tricks  

Widgets and Workflow

Back in 2021 Notes 

Widgets and App Library on iOS 14 (iPhone only)

Apple User Guide: Widgets and Personalize Your Home Screen 

How to setup and use Apple ProRAW on iPhone 12 Pro 

Hints from the online universe: 

iPad Pro Subscription-Free RAW+JPG Workflow Using iCloud Photo Library and RAW Power from Ben Vallack featuring his Fuji mirrorless camera and an app on our list, RAW Power. He covers the editing workflow steps and uses iCloud Photo Library - but I want more details on the after edit workflow. Check out Ben's Designing a Self-Managing Filing System for document lifespans. Can this system be twisted into our photo workflow? At least it helps us to think outside the box.

Watching other YouTube videos by photographers and reading the viewer COMMENTS reveals interesting possibilities. Several refer to Pixelmator Photo and editing in place (on external SSD) vs copying to local storage (on iPad). Back in 2019 Noah Herman's video iPad Pro + External Storage | Photo/Video Workflow Demo! talks really fast but offers important clues for workflow. 

Andrew O'Hara at AppleInsider has posted Everything New with Camera & Photos in iOS 14! 30+ Changes & Features! Get ready, he talks fast and I could watch this 9:26 minute video several times to get it all in my brain. 

How to Master the Camera App on iPhone 13 Pro & iPhone 13 Pro Max! video from AppleInsider has good reminders and features iOS 15 updates. 

A Photos app Extension is Markup, Apple introduced several iOSs ago. I use it to add details to screen snapshots, annotate photos and draw in Notes. Read about Markup. 

Awhile back I posted Markup in iOS 11 - a video on YouTube showing examples of how I use the Markup Extension. 

iDownload Blog reviewed Apple's Markup Extension << this is a power feature in iOS, iPadOS and MacOS. 

Black and White Notes

 Posted for Fall 2021 but a good reference 

• 10 Tips to Improve your B&W Photography by Stephanie Gagnon on PictureCorrect 
• How I create dramatic Black and white images for Instagram by Sean Tucker (Darkroom app has Curves and HSL sliders) 13:38 
• Editing images on mobile phone with apps by Sean Tucker (Android) 15:33 (Amazon Prime - Photos for backup at 11:56) 
• Protect Your Highlights by Sean Tucker 15:48 (@2:04 begins sketch of dynamic range) 
• Embrace your Shadows: A lesson for light and life by Sean Tucker 

Spring Cleaning - New Articles

Well, "new" is a relative term, right? New to me, not necessarily "hot off the press" kinda new. 

Backlight is a new site - maybe start with Shadow photography on iPhone: How to master light and shadow and wander through the other articles posted there. Peruse the list of articles on Storing photos because this is a recurring theme for our time together. One of the ads is for Gemini Photos - with in-app purchases - for cleaning up duplicates. Not ready for this service yet. 

Review Things You Never Knew iCloud Could Do from Slash Gear.  You can open Pages and create a new document using the Book template, share cloud files and more. 

Come back for other new articles ... next week ... after I catch my breath. 

Pages to ePub

You can create your own photo book using the Pages app and a book template. 

Checkout these references to help make books in place of Albums. 

Books app resources 

Pages User Guide for iPad 

https://books.apple.com/us/book/pages-user-guide-for-ipad/id1450571972

Creating Digital Books on Mac and iPad 

https://books.apple.com/us/book/creating-digital-books-on-mac-and-ipad/id1572547377 

iPad User Guide - Files app, iCloud, Collaboration references 

https://books.apple.com/us/book/ipad-user-guide/id1567104892 

Venngage 20+ eBook Templates and Design Tips (ideas for your work) 

https://venngage.com/blog/ebook-template/ 

You will need a reference for the Pages application, this is Apple’s free word processing and page layout app. This guide, is an example of a word processing book where readers can set font size and style for preferred reading. The text in this type of book “reflows” and a larger font increases the number of pages. Search will find text in this book. A page layout book, a picture book, has fixed pages and the text does not “reflow” or pages expand to accommodate larger text size. Search will find text in this book. 

Why a book instead of an album in Photos? 

• Your audience is not sitting on your couch 
• Audience uses Windows or Android devices 
• You want to make room on your device for new photos
• You want to include text, video and audio to your project 
• Add interactive features, Image Gallery with captions
• Add links to web videos and web sites
• ... 

Workflow suggestions 

1. Review your photo library, add captions for pictures you want to add to your book
2. Review existing Photos albums for source material
3. Review Pages app and the User Guide 
4. Practice with text styles and making modifications in page layout document 
5. In pages look at options to add media to your document 
6. Organize your project in the Files app > iCloud Drive > new folder for project
7. Bring word processing files into iCloud for easy access 
8. Review landscape book templates offered when creating a new photo book
9. Review portrait book templates for new text-based book 
10. Choose a template with placeholders and pictures options for your project 
11. ... 

Important steps in creating a book project 

• Plan on practicing with features in a sampler document 
• Mac users need to find a Windows user to install ePub Reader app & test sampler
• Collect assets (text, photos, presentation files, audio recordings/script …) 
• Pictures can be captioned or added to an album in Photos app 
• Keep web link contents in Notes app or a Pages app 
• Archive Keynote presentation at full resolution 
• Archive Keynote presentation as PDF - slides & handout 
• Save a copy of Keynote presentations with Reduced Size option
• Export Keynote presentation as individual images 
• Warmup your skills by working with a practice document 
• Export an early version of several pages and open in Books app
• Revise template and workflow as needed 
• Complete project 
• Save ePub to iCloud and find sharable link 
• Share ePub file using email and add text to mention the project, file size and how to open on iPad or a Windows computer 

Features for your book

• Master Pages (blank, two-column, one-column, photo collage, cover) 
• Text Styles (font, size, style) 
• Placeholders (text, photos, gallery) 

Template 

• Page Layout style document 
• Test text with styles and making modifications then updating style
• Styles to include: heading, body, caption, label, URL (new for us) 
• Practice on a page with Image Gallery, add caption (accessibility feature) 
• Practice on a page with collage of photo placeholders 
• Practice page for table of contents 
• Page with lorem ipsum text
• Add photo to lorem ipsum page and set text wrap 
• Add photo to blank page with border style 
• Create page with instructions on using features of this document 
• Add Blank page for book cover 

iPad Activity 1.0

1. Open template and rename document > 2022_book_practice.pages
2. Touch buttons on top left, top right, to see features, menus, options
3. Use left sidebar to rearrange pages (move cover to page 1) 
4. Use left sidebar to add new page - see available page templates 
5. Add a photo to image placeholder and adjust mask 
6. Add a new blank page, add text block and stylize, add photo 
7. Add shape and arrange layers - text block, photo and shape 

iPad Activity 2.0

1. Look at Master Page options and change the background color of the page
2. Look at Master Pages and add a line or border (even layout grid) 
3. Close Master Page view 
4. Add two more pages with lorem ipsum text, edit heading, add some new text
5. Add a new page then add Image Gallery (not included in a template) 
6. Set order of images in gallery, add Caption/Description for each photo
7. Check page sequence 

iPad Activity 3.0

1. Export Pages document as ePub with Table of Contents 
2. Save to iCloud Drive project folder 
3. Open Files app and find ePub document, tap to open in Books app
4. Explore the features included in your ebook 
5. Tap center of page to bring up top tools, bottom page thumbnails
6. Test TOC jumps to page, Search finds text, Gallery flips images 

iPad Activity 4.0

1. Return to Pages app, open 2022_book_practice.pages
2. Add a new blank page
3. Add a web video 
4. Add a new blank page 
5. Add text and links to websites 
6. Export document as ePub with revised name
7. Open Files app and tap to open revision in Books app
8. Test new web content pages 
9. Take notes on what you want to include in your project 
10. Revise your practice document and Export as Pages Template 
11. Delete early version of the book in the Books app
12. Delete early versions of your practice document 

Lose Yourself in Search

Niel Nielsen will demonstrate the power of Search available in the Photos app Library. His handout can be found at https://rsiphonephotostudio.blogspot.com/p/search-your-photo-library.html  

Search keeps getting better with each iOS release. 

Distractions

Our website is pretty much the same as last fall. I've been distracted in organizing a new seminar and building the associated website. 

We have a new Shared Album for posting - any photos and image creations - 2022 Spring Studio. 

Day 1

Challenge is to play and create with Slow Shutter app or Live mode in Apple Camera. Post your photos in the 2022 Spring Studio Shared Album. 

Actually, use any of our camera apps that extend the shutter time. My approach is to find the best app with the easiest interface to capture a scene. Many of our apps can so all of the types of photography we explore by changing the preset or mode or feature. That takes time. iPhone photography is best when you can quickly capture the moment.  

Watch the iPhone Photography School video Long Exposure iPhone Photography: Advanced Techniques to see how Emil Pakarklis uses the Bulb setting on Light Trail mode to capture traffic at blue hour. He is using wired earbuds to start and stop the exposure as a remote control.  Note how he is safely on a bridge and not in a traffic lane. 

Think about locations that would be safe places to gather before blue hour to take light trail photos. Consider how to get height (top of parking garages) and road with curves. 

• In Old Town Folsom, the parking garage is across the street from the Light Rail Station. The trains comes and go at the hour and half-hour. 
• Pedestrian overpasses along Hwy 50 near Hazel or Mather Road. 
• Serrano Parkway from near El Dorado Hills Blvd. 

I hope to hear other suggested locations. Where are commuting bicyclists riding? Where do roads curve? 

Go, play, experiment. Take a buddy along. Be safe. 

Photo Walk Report

Report from photo walk. We signed in using the RenSoc Vaccine form and then stood around covering the plan for the next couple hours. Our ragtag group walked along the levee to the empty golf course where open shade, full sun and sloping path gave us photo opportunities. Plus there were joggers and bicyclists in motion. Success with Apple Camera Portrait Mode (optional lighting modes) because we had dog subjects, also some practice with turning on Live mode or using Burst in Apple Camera. Camera+2 in Macro Preset is suggested for default with optional Burst mode when hand-holding shots. Macro has such a short focal length that any little movement might miss your intended detail. Burst lets you choose the best focused shot. An alternative is to use Live Mode and choose the best Key Frame then Share > Duplicate > As Still Photo. Slow Shutter was a challenge and it took all of us to inch towards success with moving subjects. In this case, single bicycles are fast moving and the background is static (aka "persistent"). The recommended settings work well for flowing water - static rocks and shoreline with continuous moving water. The "ah-ha" here is continuous movement. Glad Debra worked outside the box - try Light Trail mode instead. 

Play with Slow Shutter at home in a room with different amounts of light. Get some light sticks to wave around. Play with this using the front camera so you can see the image "develop" while you move. Avoid too much light. Karen has found double exposure possibilities with Slow Shutter with a change in "Workflow" to Default. The shutter button stays on screen with option to Clear - Edit - Save. After two or three overlay exposures tap Edit for the Freeze and exposure control sliders. Try the Motion Blur, Light Trails and Low Light modes. Try this in front of your computer in a darkened room. The light from your computer screen can be adjusted from high to low. When you get a result that has potential, tap Save; then return to the gear to show Mode choices and make a screenshot. You will have lots of practice photos to delete. Seems that Motion Blur does better with available light but Light Trails is best in the dark. For multiple exposures, use very short shutter speeds. Have fun!  

Tripods and monopods were helpful today. Also Bluetooth shutter remotes and earbuds with Lightning connectors were on-site. Toys were plentiful! Balls, remote controlled car and a skateboard were on hand. 

Who thinks my next iPhone accessory should be a remote controlled truck that can hold a small multi-colored LED light source? How about an evening photo walk? Yea, when the pandemic has cleared. 

Spring 2022

Stay tuned! This semester we gather in our familiar tribe - people who know the ropes already, have purchased the apps, regularly navigate this website and feel that Zoom fits them like a glove. 

Thursday Feb 3rd will be an opportunity for our small group to meet in person (vaccinated, boosted and masked) for a review of camera apps: Apple Camera, Camera+2 and Slow Shutter. A reminder for this short activity will come in email on Feb 1st. This is an optional activity. Especially if you are comfortable with these apps. As a hint - Camera+2 in Macro preset and Slow Shutter Motion Blur @ 15 sec - Auto ISO. 

Our six class sessions begin Feb 10th.