I had the opportunity to work with a new food stylist Ann Jensen. This is the second time ann and I have collaborated on some shots. The first ones are here.

The second time we did some drink images. I’ ve shot some beer in the past, but I wanted to expand my skills.

I’ll be adding them to my food site Minnesota food photographer. And the BDI site

I have limited storage space. I like it that way. It forces me to make a desition. Keep it or not. Photographers can be pack rats sometimes… Well most of the time. That’s evident from the last studio sale I visited so much stuff…. So when I built my studio I kept the storage space small. In the past, you were expected to “have it on hand” now that is changing. Less photographers have studios, or the place to store all the stuff.
This week I spent two days going over all the boxes I had in storage and deciding what I really needed and what should keep. I thru out some old props and then made a list of the stuff I should add to the prop/surface selection. So this summer I’m going to add 10-20 new surfaces and a lot more basic items for shooting with. This also involved adding more shelves. And some organizing.

My next feat will be cataloging all the plates and glassware I have. That will be a challenge. below are just some of the boxes I went thru. Some do I really need 3 tubs of fake snow and a box of different kinds of rope?

This is the second part of the Ipad camera kit review,testing,what ever you want to call it. this part cover images into the Ipad and in to Adobe Light room.  Here is how it works. If you use a USB card reader to the Ipad USB connector, to the Ipad, this is what happens. Imsure its the same if you use the SD card  adaptor to the Ipad. The Ipad recognizes the card reader,  Photos on the pad will open, and a new button will appear called “Camera” and the pad will start to  show you the images. The ones I up loaded are Canon Camera raw from a 50D

Once all the  thumbnails of images have been loaded, the Ipad give you the option to select the images you want, before it imports the  high res images.

The Ipad then give you the option to keep  or delete  selected images or all images on the card. 

Once the import is complete, the images will be in the last import album. Now the next. is to attach it to  your computer.  and import the images in to Lightroom.

Launch Lightroom, then attach the Ipad and Lightroom will recognize the Ipad will  act like a removable  USB drive.  Heres  what the Light room import  dialog box looks like. This is  using Lightroom 2.7. One thing I did see is that the previews of the images do not show up.  But once  the images started to import, the images files., show up Ok.

This is how the import  looks like. Just like normal importing.

One  of the  thing I would  change is the Ipad.  I need a larger one. I would  recommend a 32 gig  to start.  Another thing I would change is getting the images deleted off the Ipad The pad is a viewer only. The only way  I have found  to  delete images is, to open the Iphoto App and transfer the images to the computer and then delet the images from the pad and then iphoto program. 

 I will say that the transfer  of the images from a 2 gig card was fast.  2-3 minuets. and from the pad to Lightroom even faster. 

The Iphoto deletion is kinda hassle. If you think of any way to delete the images from the pad Let me know.

Thanks Joel 

 please leave comments below.

One thing a food shooter needs are plates. All kinds of plates. Big one small ones. Lots of colors. But mostly white. White goes with every thing. I just doubled my number of plates. A twins cites photo studio was “down sizing” and I was able to pick out over a 100 new plates. I picked up.coffee cups and so glasses too. I think I may go back for more!
Joel

I purchased a Apple Ipad the first day it was released.  I knew there were some things I wanted to do with it.  Show my portfolio, create presentations on it,  mail, internet and so on. I also wanted to use the Ipad as a image file back up system. This way I could shoot to a card in the camera, and instead of carrying my 17 inch laptop to back up and view load my images on I could use the Ipad. The ipad is so much lighter. 

The  Ipad Camera kit is for the smaller SD cards, (the memory cards in you point and shoot camera) or for direct download from the camera by way of USB 2.0 cord in to a USB adaptor.  My cameras take the larger CF cards.  I bought a SD card and a CF card adaptor, to test and see how all this transfer idea will work. The SD cards are slower in write and read speed than a CF card. I really dislike waiting for the camera buffer to empty on to the card. And I really don’t want to invest in additional cards.  Well I did test the SD card I do have. It’s a 4 gig Extreme card. and A Class 6 speed (20mbs). 

Oh wait….  small epiphany, Duh.. if I use  the USB adaptor and a CF -USB card reader which, I have already, I can the use it to down load my CF card  images directly to the pad. I will not need to buy any additional  SD cards or adaptors. Darn now I need to cancel  an order. Writing this blog made me think of  it.  

Now  with that idea, I did some testing. It took 10 minuets to down load  4 gigs from a SD card  to the pad.  The  4 gig CF card took only 7 minuets.I   Every little bit of time helps. 

I now have  3 options to transfer images on to my Ipad, SD/CF card adaptor, CF/CF-USB , and USB cord to camera. 

The next test is to go from the Ipad to my editing computer.  Thats another post.

 Joel 

Camera, Ipad, and the Apple Ipad Connection Kit

Apple Card reader and a SD card and CF Adaptor

Using a Camera Kit USB Adaptor to a USB card reader

I think the perfect  breakfast food is Pizza!  Eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, on a light crust. Wow Good Eats!.

I just completed a food shoot for a marketing company, That is adding pizza among otheritems to there catalog.  I have a couple let over and I think I’ll bring them to the next morning staff meeting.

Heres a just a slice. 

Ponchos and Lefty’s, a popular Mexican restaurant in Brainerd MN.  Its going through a make over /remodel. Part of it is a new menu, that’s were I come in.  I was able to spend a couple of days  shooting some of the new and returning favorites.  My truck was full of props,and backgrounds. I also want to thank Crystal of the Johnson Group for doing the prop styling. I shot 11 set shots and 7 drink shots.  that’s a lot for 2 days.  I But I brought a lot of extra backgrounds/props so we would be covered.

The Ipad will change every thing many things.  I know you think I drank the cool-aid. No, to me Apple products are tools I use to better convey my creativity, that’s all.  But I have to say that what the I pad can bring to the world of photography and video is fantastic. Because of the cost in print production, and the issues of band with and connectivity,   I see the Ipad/ tablet so many opportunities for it to be the next communications platform. We have the printed communication, the electronic web, and now both in one package.  I think many companies adding an Ipad/tablet for of there communication to there clients and business partners.  I  have some Ideas on how to capitalise on this for my clients.  I need to do some more research. But soon I think that things are going  to get fun.

I’ll post a photo of me when I get mine. 

 Till then, 

 Joel

 Most Photographers dislike over cast days. They want the light and shadows to play with.  I like overcast days. the clouds create the biggest over head  soft light you can imagine.   And for food photography its wonderful.  Last week  I got to gether with one of my favorite food stylist  Lisa McGann, and created 5 shots at her house.  I brought along a intern from the Central Lakes Collage in Staples MN. Sam is here name. She was able to see first hand what goes in to a food shoot.  My friend Keith was there to shooting some video for a little behind the scenes look. I’ll post it later. 

Here are two of the images we created.

Good images take  time and planing, Great images need luck and photoshop.   Last fall I was hired to shoot a company group photo.  Nothing to hard I thought until I found out it was for 75 to 100 employees,the building and the company trucks. This is were the good planing comes in. The biulding faced west, so I had to create  the shot in the afternoon. There was an all employee meeting that day so it needed to be before the meeting. Other wise we would loses to many emploees skiping out to go home.  I needed a lift to get me up 20-30 feet off the ground. This way the poeple would be looking up at me and therefore I would see all there faces. By the way I had 10-15 minets to shoot it!  

I met with the company owners a week before,  explaining how I thought I would shoot it and all the things I would need to pull off a shot like this. They were very helpfull and understood  what I was trying to accomplish.  They even bought  a t-shirt for every one to help the images look better.

The first image was of the  camera file I shot that day.   this is were the luck came in. as you can tell the storm was coming in from the north.  Passed by and the tail end of the clouds defused the sun, so when the employes look up at me they were not looking in to the sun. The next image  is of all the adtional clean up and recouching I did.  I did this so the client could see all the changes i was going to make.  I added a sign to the building. removed the cracks in the asphalt. and only needed to swop a couple of heads.