Photo Tips           

Jim is an award winning professional photographer, a certified Photoshop expert, a regular contributer to Apogee Photo magazine AND a full-time cruiser.

He shares his expertise on the Cruiseheimers Tech Net. Jim occasionally conducts spontaneous photo walks and workshops at an anchorage near you.   
Visit Jimages  Jim Austin Photography and Jimages Digital 
.

Store your camera in a plastic bag with silica gel.
Query: Where can I find a good source for silica gel?
Jim: Use blue cat litter found at pet stores.  It's mostly silica.

Use a cooler bag to protect your camera in the dinghy. (Scaramouche)

"The best camera,

Is the one you have with you."

When deciding which camera to purchase, don't use the quantity of mega pixels as a factor.  Pay attention to the quality of the photos instead.


Android and Tablets - Jim's Top Pick for 2012
iPad3 is faster and wireless. Has a retina display.  Quad core system is faster, more functional, and much brighter.  Very durable.

Android Acer A700  is 10". It has 1920 x 1200 resolution and runs android 4. It also has a stronger case for durability.

UNDERWATER CAMERAS - JIM'S TOP PICK FOR 2012
Olympus Tough TG-1
It's air-tight and doesn't require an external case.

REVOLUTIONARY
Lytro a Lightfield camera.  "The only camera that captures life in living pictures."  It's a whole new technology using light waves to process images.  Mouse over the images to bring different parts of it into focus.  Must see.

FYI: iPhone 4S has a better lens than the previous iPhone.  It's made of glass.  It also has a wider aperture to get better pictures in low light situations.

CLEAN YOUR PRINTER
Get best results from your printer by cleaning the print heads with the printer's built in software program.
Comment: Cleaning can also be done with Q tips and alcohol. (St Jude)

PAPER CHOICE
Use printer setup options for paper. Choose the type of paper you're actually using and the printer will use just the right amount of ink for the paper. It avoids over or under inking.

Query: What paper is best to use?
Jim: Glossy archival is best for long term storage.  Regular #20 bond is good, but colors will fade within a year.

Recommended Printing Services
If you'd rather have your photos professionally processed:
Costco Photo Center
Kodak Gallery - matte or glossy surfaces.
Shutterfly - order online.
Snapfish - order online; some freebies too.
Walgreen - can pick up in person, or have them mailed.

Average time from upload to in your hands is about 5 days.

(also printers in tech net section)

Query: What's are easy ways to get pictures onto a website?
Jim: Use Simpleviewer. It's a free download that makes thumbnails and professional looking photo albums.  Program works with Mac and PC.  If you already have this program, upgrade to version 2.3.

Query: What's a good software program to create slide shows?
Jim: Lightroom3 from Adobe.  And Windows Movie Maker is excellent for working with videos; this comes bundled with Windows.

Photoshop Elements is excellent software.  It provides all of the tools you'll want or need for working with your digital photos. Cost is
reasonable.

FYI: Gimp is a program similar to Photoshop.  It's free to download. (C_Language)

INSURANCE
DAN (Divers Alert Network).  You can use them to insure your diving gear, including your camera.

SCANNING
Recommend Scan Cafe for professional scanning. Send them slides, negatives, prints. You'll get excellent results.  
Query: Will they clean up the material as they scan?
Jim: Yes. They remove scratches, dust etc. They also offer a service just for cleaning.

Filters
A Polarizer will make water and sky bluer with less glare.  These are relatively inexpensive.  Polarizers are also made for some point and shoot cameras.  If not, get one and duct tape it over your lens.
Comment:
It's the best purchase you can make for you camera. (St Jude)

A Sky Filter protects the lens and is color neutral.  Think of it as a mechanical "fender" for your lens.

CARDS
High quality SD cards are more reliable.  The brands I recommend are SanDisk and Hoodman.

FLASH DIFFUSER and TRIPOD in One
Two in one for all of ten cents.  Learn how to make one.

TRIPODS
Four choices:

1. Merlin Steadicam at $849.

2. Steadycam Counterweight. Build it yourself for $14. Videos and full instructions online.

3. GorillaPod.  A small inexpensive, flexible tripod.

4. The Ten Cent Tripod.   Bentley, aboard Salty Paws, invented
a super lightweight tripod made from a discarded CD tower and some nuts and bolts.  It's great for photos inside museums and anywhere. Photos with instructions are at Jimages.
Comment:
A fishing pole waist belt works great with a Steadycam Counterweight. (Scaramouche)

"Any data that's not stored in at least two places, is stuff you don't really care about."

Back up
Hardware
Good sources for terabyte external drives:
bhphotovideo.com 
Western Digital 
My Passport terabyte drive includes software that makes backing up easy.
Software
SyncToy is a back up/synchronization software for your files.  Free to download.
Make it a habit to backup on a regular schedule. kish-d has a good program to help. (Island Spirit)
 
CARE AND CLEANING

While in storage, protect your camera from humidity with silica gel. Use rice grains if you have no silica.
Query: Would kitty litter work?
Jim: That would work if it's silica-based.

Use Dust Off, an air spray, on lenses and camera view finder.  It will also prevent dust from getting into the body.  Always use on the lens only, never use on the inside of the lens or sensor. Remember to spray the inside of the lens cap too.
Comment:
Kleenex facial tissues are soft and gentle and work well as a cleaning agent.  Air cleaning is preferred over something abrasive. Turn the camera upside down to help remove dust. Also clean connectors.  If the connectors are dirty, the auto-focus won't work properly. (Zephyr)

CREATIVE FUN

Make your own calendar online at Lulu.com.  This site has a lot to offer for turning your photos into tangible print.  Make photo books, e-books, and more.  These make nice personal gifts.
Get the kids involved too, they'll have a great time.

Super fun DIY photography at Photojojo. How to take Impromptu Street Portraits
is just one of many activities.


BigShot is an educational site where older kids learn how to build and use a camera.

As a writer of books and articles on photography, I always seek high quality photo-related talent online. PH Magazine has gorgeous, free magazine spreads that you can download as PDFs for your screen, tablet, or device.  To save time, you can view them before you download.
Issue 16: Portraits
Issue 14: Power of Self Portrait
Issue 10: From Music to Portrait Photographer Daniel Barraco Interview (Jim's favorite)

School of Visual Arts NYC (SVA) for inspiration.  

WORLD'S FIRST PHOTO
FYI: The very first photograph ever taken was in 1838 in Paris.

The first self portrait photo ever made. 1839.

World's First Digital Camera
"The first digital camera, 1975, was a camera that didn't use any film to capture still images..." 

World's largest stop-motion animation

The entertaining GULP video was created at the seashore using a Nokia cell phone.  Be sure to check out the behind the scenes look at the end of the animation.
A must see!

Join Flickr. It's fun for amateurs and pros. Jim's Galleries and Photostream are found there too.  Have a look.  
Set up your own account in minutes.

MovieMate DVD Combo - portable projector, DVD and music player combo.  For cruisers who travel to places where a big screen TV might be stolen, here is an alternative. Over 10 times larger an image than a 40 inch TV.  Epson's Projector is small enough to lock away, safely..