The Show is in the feed or you can download it at Pixelcorps.TV

This week: Drobo gets a big 'S', Hasselblad reveals a multi-shot $30,000 camera, and author David duChemin talks about his new book, "Vision Mongers."

Hosts: Frederick Van Johnson, Ron Brinkmann, Aaron Mahler, Alex Lindsay

Bandwidth provided by Cachefly. Intro Music by Scott Cannizzaro

Show producer Aaron Mahler at www.halfpress.com or www.twitter.com/halfpress

Show notes by Bruce Clarke at www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke

TWiP is sponsored by the new voice-activated SYNC. SYNC listens to your voice, so SYNC knows what to do when you tell it to play TWiP or call home, or play your favorite playlist, or give you turn-by-turn navigation. Even weather and traffic updates. All hands-free with the sound of your voice. For more details visit Syncmyridepodcast.com. And to enter to win a free Nano or Zune, send a tweet with hashtag “Syncmyridepodcast.”

TWiP is also brought to you by SquareSpace - the fast and easy way to publish a high-quality web site or blog. For a free trial and 10% off your new account, go to – Squarespace.com/twip, offer code TWiP. TWiP is also brought to you by Audible. The internet's leading provider of spoken word entertainment. For your free audio book, head over to www.audiblepodcast.com/twip

Another fine sponsor is Audible.com -- the leading provider in spoken word entertainment. Audible has over 50,000 titles to choose from to be downloaded and played back anywhere. Visit Audiblepodcast.com/twip for a free audiobook of your choice.

NEWS & DISCUSSION

New Drobo S
Fred is proud to announce the birth of the new 5-bay Drobo with an eSATA interface. A great storage solution for photographers.

Casio Gets Tough With a Rugged Camera
New camera from Casio features shock-resistant (7 foot drop), waterproof to 10 feet, dustproof, freeze-proof to 14F. Sports a 12.1 Megapixel sensor and a stainless steel / polycarbonate reinforced with fiberglass.
 

Hasselblad unveils high-detail H3DII-50 Multi-Shot
Hasselblad reveals a new camera which takes four shots, each offset by a pixel, and composites these into a single image. The result is a shot where every pixel has full color information and eliminates the visual artifacts that creep up on even better cameras, such as moiré from the interpolated color values. This 50 megapixel camera will retail for $34,169 ($23,775 with a trade-in).

Alex thinks that even though this an expensive camera there will be applications for it particularly if you are doing shoots which require the highest resolution available (e.g. billboard advertising). Likely rental houses will be one of the major customers who purchase this camera and then photographers who need this quality for a shoot will just rent this camera.

Explore images with Google Image Swirl, now in Labs
Once you find the group of images you're interested in, you can click on the thumbnail and a cluster of images will "swirl" into view. You can then further explore additional sub-groups within any cluster. Image Swirl expands on technologies developed for Similar Images and Picasa Face Recognition to discern how images should be grouped together and build hierarchies out of these groups.

Facebook Photos Lead To Cancellation of Quebec Woman's Insurance Questions
A Quebec woman on long-term sick leave, due to a diagnosis of depression, lost her health benefits after her insurance provider found photos of her on Facebook smiling and looking cheerful at parties and out on the beach.

SPONSOR

TWiP is sponsored by Audible.com - the leading provider in spoken word entertainment. Audible has over 60,000 titles to choose from to be downloaded and played back anywhere. Visit Audiblepodcast.com/twip for a free audiobook of your choice. Fred is currently listening to the Four Day Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, Alex is listening to the Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls and Aaron is listening to Badass by Ben Thompson.

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID DUCHEMIN

David Duchemin has joined us on the show again to talk about his new book "Vision Mongers".

Fred: Hey David, please tell us what is the book about?

David: The subtitle really says it all - how to make a life and a living from photography. I love photography and I love what I do for a living. I get a lot of emails from people telling me that I'm living the dream and wanting to know what the secret is. There really is no secret and no one magic formula and those trying to sell something like that are selling snake oil. The rules have changed and the lines between professional and amateur have blurred so I approach it more from a standpoint of photography as a vocation or a calling. This is a book for people who want make a living at photography because there is something that is compelling them do so. It's a sketch book of ideas and thoughts about becoming a vocational photographer. There everything in there from branding to social media and looks at the broad picture. If you want to go deeper into certain topics such as social media or legal topics for business then you should investigate books or other resources from people who are specialists in those areas. This book approaches those topics from a broader perspective.

Fred: I haven't seen a book that targets this niche before. It's not a tutorial on how to use a particular program or a particular technique. It's also not a coffee table. It's somewhere in between. Is that accurate?

David: In part it is. There are all kinds of images in there from a variety of shoots and on top of that I've interviewed and spent time with other photographers like Chase Jarvis, Zarias, Grace Chon and others and asked them about their struggles and how they made it. What I want people to understand is that when you're looking for "the path" there is no one path. It just takes getting out there and risking it. I think when people ask the question "How do I do this?" what they are really asking is how do I do this without any risk and you can't. Even if you're working for somebody else there is still risk. They could make some bad decisions and shut down the business tomorrow and you'd be out of a job so if you're going to take a risk you might as well risk it doing something that you love. I hope that the book is equal parts motivation and realism. Being a photographer is hard and there are ways to do it carefully and wisely but at the end of the day there is always a risk in anything you do.

Fred: You said that being a professional photographer is being hard. What does that mean?

David: Everything is hard and yet it's not. When you do something you love even if it is hard, the discovery and mistakes can be rewarding. The hard part for a photographer comes with trying to marry the craft with the commerce. There are so many places where those two worlds collide. There are financial issues and ways to be a financial moron. We are also in difficult economic times. There are many photographers out there who would like to make a living doing what they are doing but everyone is chasing a limited number of dollars using similar techniques. Being a photographer is hard enough with the limitations of the gear but add to that the business aspects, the marketing aspects, finances and legalities and it is a challenge. Most photographers that I've spoken to wouldn't trade that for anything if they love what they do. There are some people who aren't cut out for the business side and that's okay. Many people think that you have to be a "professional" photographer to be considered a good photographer and that isn't necessarily the case. You're a real photographer if you're creating stuff that you love. Whether you make a dollar off of that is totally irrelevant.

Fred: That's a great point.

David: A great parallel is Olympic athletes. For a long time, an Olympic athlete could not be a professional to compete but I don't think you would find anyone who wouldn't consider an Olympic athlete a professional. These boxes and labels are really silly and I'd like to do without them.

Fred: What about marketing. You're on Twitter at @pixelatedimage and you have your blog. How important is online marketing to you and the kind of things that you want to get done and just generally to the photographers who are listening to you. What's the value of digital marketing?

David: It's huge. I cannot imagine doing what I do without it. The big question is who's your market? You pick your tool according to what you want to accomplish. From a marketing perspective you have to decide if your market is on Twitter or Facebook. One of the best ways to make a living in photography is to be a part of the photographic community. For me it's a way to sell my books and my workshops. For someone who doesn't have any interest in selling books or talking to other photographers in the community it might not be the best place. Who is your market and how do they want to be communicated with.

Fred: I notice that you have recently made the jump into self publishing and eBooks. Can you talk about that a bit?

David: If you are going to make a living in the creative arts, you need to be as diverse as you can. That doesn't mean you can't be niche marketed but you need to be diverse in the sense that you only make money if you're out shooting. What happens if I get injured or can't go. I work for a humanitarian organization and they typically don't have endless budgets and they want to pay me quite good rates from about 30 years ago. You have to find a way to make money when you're not present. I read a book called "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and one of the things that book talked about was making a residual passive income. That was one of the reasons for the eBooks. They are cheap and I can sell them when I'm on assignment or when I'm sick. The goal is that it will bring in enough income that I can do other work such as pro bono work where I can do work without worrying about who is going to cover my costs. You can't do that if you have to pay for things like rent, food, etc. The other reason was simply because I love to create. This is another creative outlet to fire up InDesign and be involved in.

Fred: So the words, the photography and the creative execution of the book are all yours? And you sell it on your blog?

David: Yes, it's all true. I don't have much of a life.

Fred: To lay something out and sketch it out, use your photos and your words and then put it on line and have someone give you money for it is really the circle of life for a creative isn't it?

David: It is and it's absolutely gratifying. These eBooks have received a phenomenal reception. I love writing and teaching. Photography has given me so much that I feel it's time to pay it forward. There is that sense that we are part of something bigger.

Fred: It's great to see the success and what you've been able to publish yourself using the tools that are available out there today it's quite remarkable now what people can make.

David: You said something in testing there. There is a sense of woe is me out there and that things in the publishing world are crumbling and there is a certain amount of truth to that but there is also an interesting paradox that's been created out of all this. You used to have to grovel at the feet of publishers to get your work out there. Now if I have a new thought or a new teaching or rant, I can have it on the internet in 20 minutes and even write a book and have it published the next day. I love my publishers but there has always been gatekeepers and not every photographer gets to have their work published but everyone can have a blog. Now we have self publishing through things like Blurb.com

Fred: I think what you're talking about is the democratization of the medium. The big publishers are still important but there's also all those people that get turned away that doesn't mean no. Whether it's a Blurb or a Lulu or putting it out there on your blog - no doesn't mean no.

David: There is a lot of talk about this convergence between video and photography and I think if you're into that then go for it but I'm wondering why there hasn't been as much talk about the convergence between photography and publishing. It is so easy and with virality on the internet you could publish a book and if it gets picked up and it's a good looking book, more people could know about you in one day than most photographers were heard of 50 years ago in an entire career. Everyone is flocking to video like lemmings but I have no interest in video. Part of that is that I spent time trying to learn Final Cut Pro and realized that I wasn't enjoying it. I enjoy movies but it's another language.

Fred: I don't think I ever want to be a videographer. I respect videographers immensely. I appreciate films but I like still photography and that's what I want to do.

David: What frustrates me is that I hear about photographers who are trying to learn the craft and get better and then they hear that they should be doing video as well if they are going to a professional photographer and they get frustrated. The leads them away from getting better as a photographer. If you love video then go for it but don't cave to the pressure if it's not something you want to do.

Fred: Before we let you go why don't you tell the TWiP audience again where they can find your new book.

David: The new book is called VisionMongers: Making a Life and Living in Photography. You can find it a places such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble or at your local book monger.

Fred: Where can people find those eBooks that we talked about?

David: I have four eBooks and they are all available on my blog at www.pixelatedimage.com/store

Fred: Where can people find you online?

David: I'm at www.pixelatedimage.com and my blog is at www.pixelatedimage.com/blog. There are links on my blog to my Twitter and Facebook profiles as well.

SPONSOR

SquareSpace.com now has a new iPhone application available. SquareSpace is the fast and easy way to publish a high-quality web site or blog. For a free trial and 10% off your new account, go to – Squarespace.com/twip, offer code TWiP.

LISTENER QUESTIONS

Question 1 - Renting a 5D Mark II

Q. Chris Shields asks: I live in Scotland, and I'm just beginning to take photographs on a semi-pro basis. I'm shooting my second wedding on New Year's Eve, and I'm a bit worried about the low levels of light that I might encounter at this time of year (particularly if the weather is bad). My current kit is a Canon EOS 40D, with a Tamron 28 - 70mm f2.8 lens. I've more or less decided to supplement my kit for the day by renting a Canon 70 - 200 f2.8 L IS lens. I'm hoping this will prove to be great for the bride and groom portraits, and for unobtrusive reportage shots. My question is if you think it is worth also renting a 5D Mark II or even a 5D? I know that full frame cameras provide better low light performance, but having never used one I have no real experience of how much better. Do you think there is a significant difference shooting at say ISO 800 or even 1600 (although would hope to avoid this) on these bodies and my 40D. Also are there significant differences between the original 5D and the Mark II in terms of low light performance?

Aaron: I think it would be a good idea if it fits your budget and timing to rent it. There will be a bit of learning curve moving up to the 5D but not that drastic so if you can get it a couple of days before the wedding to get comfortable with it then I think you'll be okay.

Alex: Definitely the shorter depth of field with a lens like a 50mm f1.4 on a 5D will give you that luscious look that you're going to want to get with a wedding. It is a great way to decide if that's the camera that you want. You'll find much better low light performance and better image quality.

Question 2 - Color Spaces

Q. Chris Sgaraglino I have been shooting digital for several reads and have always used sRGB. I understand that there is also Adobe RGB and Pro Photo. I shoot exclusivly RAW and my first stop for post processing is Capture NX2. How does color space affect (or is affected) by RAW? Should I be shooting in a different color space? I don't know if it matters, but about 75% of all my images are posted online and the other 25% get's printed.

Ron: We touched on this last week when we talked about picture styles. When shooting RAW it doesn't matter. You are getting everything the sensor is capable of doing. Your choice of output is where you chose a color space. If you are going to publish to the web then you want to go with sRGB. If you are going to another destination then you want to go with one of these bigger color spaces like Adobe RGB.

Question 3 - Christmas Cards

Q. Joe Kleemann asks: Do you have any good sites for printing nice Christmas cards or other cards that won't break the bank?

Fred: Take a look at Moo.com. They do holiday cards and lots of other items. I'm going to use some of the images I took at the Aperture Nature Photography workshop for my cards this year.

SPONSOR

TWiP is sponsored by the new voice-activated SYNC. SYNC listens to your voice, so SYNC knows what to do when you tell it to play TWiP or call home, or play your favorite playlist, or give you turn-by-turn navigation. Even weather and traffic updates. All hands-free with the sound of your voice. For more details visit Syncmyridepodcast.com. And to enter to win a free Nano or Zune, send a tweet with hashtag “Syncmyridepodcast.”

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Ron: nikonrumors.com, canonrumors.com, and photorumors.com

Aaron: Lt. Tyler Ginter's Blog - (specific mentions of Night Combat Drop video with Mark IV / 7D / 5D MkII Tutorials)

Alex: Steadycam Merlin

Frederick: Help Portrait

WRAP UP

Frederick Van Johnson - www.frederickvan.com or www.twitter.com/frederickvan

Ron Brinkmann - www.digitalcomposting.com or www.twitter.com/ronbrinkmann

Aaron Mahler - www.halfpress.com or www.twitter.com/halfpress

Alex Lindsay - www.pixelcorps.com or www.twitter.com/alexlindsay

Show notes by Bruce Clarke at www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke

Visit the blog at www.twiplog.com and the Flickr critique group.