PhotoActive

Episode 62: Photos App Extensions with Nik Bhatt

February 28th, 2020  |  35 mins 47 secs

adjustments, apple, cameras, curves, guide, instruction, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, levels, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, photos extensions, podcast, white balance

Gentleman Coder Nik Bhatt returns to help explain a complicated topic with Apple’s Photos app: Photos Extensions. If you want to use another tool to edit images beyond what Photos offers, you can load that software’s editing tools within Photos. It seems straightforward, but soon gets tricky if you want to go back and adjust some of your edit settings or even if you perform a minor edit in Photos first. If you’ve ever been confused about the differences between Photos Extensions and the “Edit with” feature (which do two very different things), especially for raw files, this is the episode for you.

Episode 61: Choosing What to Photograph

February 14th, 2020  |  40 mins 2 secs

apple, cameras, choice, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast

A listener in the PhotoActive Facebook group asks a great question, “How do I choose a subject to shoot?” In this episode, Kirk and Jeff explore how they approach a scene, with groups of photos from deliberate photo shoots that seek to answer that question.

Episode 60: Machine Learning with Andrius Gailiunas and Pixelmator Pro

January 31st, 2020  |  35 mins 30 secs

andrius gailiunas, apple, cameras, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, machine learning, ml, ml super resolution, photo editing, photo organization, photography, pixelmator, pixelmator pro, podcast

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Andrius Gailiunas of Pixelmator to talk about machine learning and how it powers some of the features in Pixelmator Pro. In particular, we’re impressed with ML Super Resolution, a way to enlarge photos beyond their original dimensions while retaining quality and crispness.

Episode 59: Luminar 4 and Its AI Emphasis

January 3rd, 2020  |  35 mins 52 secs

ai sky replacement, apple, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, luminar, machine learning, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, skylum

We’ve talked about several photo editing applications in the past, and in this episode we turn our attention toward Luminar 4 (and not just because one of us has a forthcoming book about it). Skylum has overhauled Luminar in significant ways for version 4, with an emphasis on AI features that save a lot of time and effort on your part.

Episode 58: Rule of Turds

December 20th, 2019  |  47 mins 51 secs

apple, cameras, instruction, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, myths, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, rule of thirds

At several points when recording the PhotoActive podcast, Kirk has said that the “Rule of Thirds” does not exist. Most books and articles about photography insist it does, that positioning objects at approximately one third distance from the edge of the frame leads to better composition. So in this episode, we get into it: Does the Rule of Thirds exist, and why?

Episode 57: Remote Triggered

December 6th, 2019  |  32 mins 57 secs

apple, apple watch, cameras, iphone, iphone camera app, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, miops, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, remote trigger, shutter

It’s time to step away from your camera. No, not put it away for the holidays—we’re talking about triggering the camera remotely! In this episode, Jeff and Kirk talk about various ways to trip the shutter from afar, such as using an Apple Watch to control the Camera app on an iPhone, remote cable releases, and products that control a mirrorless or DSLR via apps.

Episode 56: Considering a Second Camera?

November 22nd, 2019  |  36 mins 45 secs

With the holidays and Black Friday sales upon us, this is the time that photographers can often get good deals on equipment. In this episode, Kirk and Jeff ponder the reasons you might consider buying a second camera. Perhaps you want a backup for your regular camera, or maybe you want a smaller go-anywhere camera that might encourage you to take photos more often.

Episode 55: Photos App in iOS 13 and macOS Catalina

November 8th, 2019  |  35 mins 22 secs

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Now that iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina are out, Jeff and Kirk have some strong opinions on the changes made to the Photos app for each platform. It's time to rant a little.

Episode 54: Product Photography with Dan Bracaglia

October 25th, 2019  |  35 mins 58 secs

apple, cameras, dan bracaglia, dpreview, guest, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, product photography

How do you make product photos look fresh and interesting? Do you need a well-equipped studio? Dan Bracaglia shoots thousands of images of cameras and other accessories in his job as photo editor at DPReview. Dan joins Kirk and Jeff to answer those questions and more.

Episode 53: Focus Stacking

October 11th, 2019  |  35 mins 16 secs

apple, cameras, depth of field, focus bracketing, focus stack, focus stacking, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, photoshop, podcast

You can control depth of field in a photo using narrow apertures, but what do you do when that’s not enough to get everything in focus? For macro and some landscape photography, the answer is focus stacking, a technique that blends several images shot at different focal lengths. Kirk and Jeff talk about how it works and when you’d want to use it.

Episode 52: iPhones 11 and Semantic Rendering

September 27th, 2019  |  35 mins 20 secs

apple, book, cameras, guide, instruction, iphone, iphone11, iphone11 pro, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, podcast, ultrawide camera

Kirk and Jeff both bought the latest models of Apple’s digital camera - sorry, we mean the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. Does adding a third camera make a difference? Is the ultra-wide camera just a gimmick? And what is “semantic rendering” anyway? We explain why nothing is really real, and yet these might be the best-looking photos people create.

Episode 51: Questions, Answers, and Geotagged Flowers

September 13th, 2019  |  34 mins 1 sec

answers, apple, cameras, geotagging, instagram, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, q&a, questions

We solicited photography questions from the great folks in the PhotoActive Facebook group, and now we have answers! All the answers. Or maybe just the most interesting ones. But definitely some answers. Panoramas, shooting photos in public places, revealing edits, and more.

Episode 50: Creative Black and White Photography with Harold Davis

August 30th, 2019  |  34 mins 9 secs

apple, black and white, bw, cameras, harold davis, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, rocky nook

Artist, photographer, and writer Harold Davis joins us to discuss his new book Creative Black & White, 2nd Edition, and we talk about the photographer as artist, and how to see the world in monochrome.

Episode 49: Creating Panoramas

August 16th, 2019  |  33 mins 12 secs

apple, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, lightroom, pano, panorama, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast

You want to capture a wide-angle shot, but what if your widest lens isn’t wide enough? In this episode, Jeff and Kirk talk about creating panoramas, from the ingenious Pano mode in the iPhone’s Camera app to stitching many images from traditional cameras or drones.

Episode 48: Adventures with Dan Bailey

August 2nd, 2019  |  41 mins 50 secs

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Photographer Dan Bailey is our guest this week to talk about his book FUJIFILM X Series Unlimited: Mastering Techniques and Maximizing Creativity with Your FUJIFILM Camera—though we’re not focusing on Fujifilm cameras. We’re more interested in questions such as how many of your camera’s features you should understand, whether technical details really matter, and how Dan became a pro photographer and expert in the first place.

Episode 47: Jeff Becomes an Event Photographer

July 19th, 2019  |  30 mins 34 secs

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Jeff was the event photographer for the CreativePro Week 2019 conference in Seattle, a task that requires a different approach to making photos. You've probably been asked to shoot some type of event, so we talk a little about specific gear to deal with low-light situations and catching candid shots in a crowded setting.