I am so paranoid about losing images and data I backup quite often. However my backup system was flawed, I had too many and I did not know what was current. Very difficult to be able to tell what images I should be reviewing and to make sure that I am not losing any. Now I am using ChronoSync to address this issue, but that is another blog post.

I tried to use LightRoom to help with this process and it did help quite a bit, but I still had to go through many images on my own due to an improper choice on reimporting after updating to SnowLeopard. It was operator error. When I started on January 1, 2010 the statistics of the image catalog were:

• 41,880 images, 250.34 GB, backed up on 46 DVDs
  • 27,740 JPG Files
  • 2,248 CR2 Files
  • 718 TIF File (Scans)
  • 1,197 CRW Files
  • 9,964 DNG Files
  • 13 PSD Files
• A date range from 2000 to 2009
• Not all of these images were taken by me, so I want to remove them but keep them
• Duplication was an issue
• Duplication was an issue
• My photography skills have improved over the past 10 years, so some of these images are just poor
• Duplication was an issue
• Some images are memories and it doesn’t matter the quality

Many of these images were available online through my SmugMug account. It has unlimited storage so I was using it. If you don’t have to delete an image, why would one? However the downside to this was the fact that I had no organization of the galleries, categories, albums, and too some degree keywords. I also was not doing a good job of synchronizing the two collections. So I decided that while going through this exercise I would do the same thing for my SmugMug collections.

The question I had to decide was which would be the leader and the follower. There really was no definitive answer to that one. Within SmugMug I had many images in JPG format at 80%, some of them were sized to meet the maximum sizes. Within the LightRoom Catalog some images were RAW Images with their original name straight out of the camera; some had been renamed, some had been resized, and some had been editted. So it was a variety of conditions. There was also the issue of what processing I ran the images through for how much EXIF information they still contained.

What I figured I would do is rename all the images again. Yes, ALL the images. The idea was to have LightRoom set the name to be the capture time, it would be formatted as “YYYYMMDDHHMMSS” and I figured that would be pretty good. After renaming them all, I found that I had lots of duplicates, which I know I would, but I had no easy way to identify them. I tried a new structure “YYYYMMDDHHMMSS – W x H” so I could quickly see which ones had been resized for various reasons. However not all of these images had the capture time still contained in them. I then would check on SmugMug and see if I could figure out the date and time from the EXIF information that was available.

I have not yet started to integrate the two collections yet. The reason for this mainly is that I am trying to keep the process moving in small steps as it can very easily become overwhelming just based on the amount of data I have. There is also the matter of how the files are organized. Within LightRoom it is stored as follows:

• Year (YYYY)
  • Month (MM)
    • Day (DD)
      • File Name (YYMMDD-hhmmss.ext)

Within SmugMug it is not nearly as organized, really. The formatting is as follows:

• Category
  • Subcategory (Optional so this might not be here)
    • Album

There are 206 albums, some have one image, and some are duplicates for different usage (such as Blog Links and Twitter Links). So it is not a simple option of simply combining the two together. Now I could do the Lightroom trick again, but I am hoping I don’t need to as I should have the originals and SmugMug is just copies. I know better than that, but I can dream can’t I?

Of course into each project something unforeseen must happen. Mine happened today, and it is just a huge time waster more than anything. My local mirror of my SmugMug account decided to fail; actually the hard drive that contained it failed. It was “only” a 60GB USB drive that was 3 years old. The most amazing thing is that for the same price I now have a 500GB FW800/FW400/USB2 drive that is much faster and reliable. I also have that backup once a week to the desktop 500GB drive.

As I write this I have two Windows “machines” downloading the images again for me. One is a headless Windows XP machine that I am controlling via RDC from my MacBook Pro; the other is a virtualized machine running on the MacBook Pro. Yes, it does get a little confusing to keep it all straight and have the files download in order, but I don’t mind that the overall speed is slower since I have two machines downloading at the same time. I also have the issue that if one stops while I am not watching it, the other one keeps going so the overall throughput is better.

I will share the results of the process over the next few days. The part that has me the most interested is the way that different programs handle tasks and how to manage that.

Someone asked me the other day why I like SmugMug so much and what I do with it that is making my life easier. So I figured it was worth answering. The main reasons I like it can be summed up in one sentence: "SmugMug lets me easily control, distribute, and manage my images." That single phrase however overlooks a few of the items that are rolled into that process. It also doesn’t take into account all the little nuances that I thought about before purchasing a Pro level license.

The main features that made me go to SmugMug was the ability to not have to make my own webpages to share images. I used to use Dreamweaver or a hosted application on my web host to create the galleries. However this still was not the easiest or fastest way to do it. I would have to go through the images, create the web page, edit the HTML, worry about the resizing of the images to have a multi user friendly web page. Previously this was my work flow for sharing pictures with people:

1. Take pictures
2. Load pictures onto computer
3. Rename pictures into meaningful names
4. Run resize routine and rename using Fireworks to make images 1024 x 768, 640 x 480, and 102 x 77. (Small, Medium, and Large)
5. Bring images into Dreamweaver
6. Create web page with links for images in Dreameaver
7. The typical process:

• create a table
• put caption under the image
• link to both the large and medium size image.

8. Upload images and web page to website using Dreamweaver. (Not all hotels will support FTP connections so not always easy)
9. Wait for page and images to upload and then check that everything worked okay
10. Share links with people

Now if I wanted to do something like right click protect or watermark the image, I would have to do some tweaky stuff. Not saying I couldn’t do it, just that it would add more steps. It also resulted in the watermark being embedded in the image that I upload, it was not a separate overlay.

Now the process using SmugMug is much simpler and faster

1. Load pictures onto computer
2. Create gallery in SmugMug
3. Set gallery settings the way I want in SmugMug
4. Upload images using various tools, does not require anything other than a web connection.
5. Send link to gallery (don’t even have to wait for uploads to finish)
6. If want to add captions and names there are many ways to do it, ranging from LightRoom to Bridge to using the tools in SmugMug

Now if you notice there were not as many things that I could do with my personal site. The reason is that basically it was things I was not capable of doing on my own or things I had not thought about. So now with SmugMug there is much more control over the sharing and protection. I can turn on the right click protection, I also can have SmugMug add a watermark to the displayed image, not to the original image. I can also create a better setting for searching and finding images. Plus SmugMug will also properly scale the image for the user’s display.

Where the control and features of SmugMug really made me chuckle was few weeks ago at a company conference. A coworker decided to borrow a few pictures without asking me. He took them from my SmugMug site which I had previously distributed. The images were pictures from the beta testing of new products in an unlisted gallery, I have no trouble sharing them. However I want to protect my images and where they are going, so I have set the defaults for all my galleries to be "Watermark enabled" (a Pro feature) and "Right Click protected". These settings resulted in the following situation for the presenter. The person was not able to simply right click on the image and select "Save Image As…" instead an alert appeared that says "These photos are copyrighted by their respective owners. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited." In addition to that trouble there was also a contrasting X through the image in their PowerPoint. So that the person had to explain that he had taken the images from my site to a room full of people.

I know it seems petty, but I want credit for my images and when they are being used. The amount of grief I get from coworkers for taking pictures is out of proportion to the amount of people that ask me for copies of images. So I think that making it difficult for people to "borrow" my images is well worth it. It kind of pokes them back simply saying, hey you wouldn’t have this image if not for me so how about a little respect. The amount of effort it takes is literally none, I have set up a template that sets the gallery settings the way I want them without having to change it again and again. While I am not a professional photographer, this Pro feature has made my work have more value at the office as people have to ask me for images.

The fact that I can also easily search and review the images online without having to travel with my images also makes my life easier. Being able to search quickly and easily by date range or by keywords or through the galleries, I can triangulate in on an image if needed. When I was asked on short notice to provide an image for a magazine article I had written, I simply sent over to the editor a few links to my Smugmug images; I let them pick which one was most appropriate for them. I then provided them the original image quickly and easily by simply placing it in a gallery for them with the option to save the original. I did not have to reupload the image or go back home to get it. I was able to provide it quickly and easily without having to do anything out of the ordinary.

The fact that I can also easily print an image through the services provided is also great. I can simply select an image and decide to print it and then a few days later it is delivered. Can I just as easily do this through some "local imager" the answer is yes. However the options available are not even close. Being able to get an image color corrected and printed on metallic paper that is 24 x 36 inches is not something that my local supplier cannot do as easily or cost effectively. Also being able to print directly on metal and have it ready to hang on the wall is really nice.

The customer service is also very reactive and able to respond to the questions without making one feel dumb for asking. Even when the answers are in the help files, they don’t simply say look in the help files. Often times I am trying to do something on a wireless broadband card from a job site, so browsing the internet is very slow. Using the Blackberry to send and receive an e-mail asking a question is much more time efficient for me. I am well aware that it is not for them as I used to manage my company’s Tech Support team and realize how much those questions take time that is not easily recovered. However at no point does that come through to me as the customer.

Not everything is perfect and they will admit it, that is actually quite refreshing. When I have had problems it is not like talking to a corporate conglomerate that is unfeeling. Rather I can talk directly with the people in charge and get real answers, not a politically polished and crafted answer from a script. While the answer might not always be what I want, it is honest and is respectful of my requests and needs. It is actually a conversation and trying to come up with solutions, not simply a "you can’t do that" answer.

They have also fostered a great free community, Digital Grin, where one can go and learn an awful lot about photography, the process, and tools. The people in the Digital Grin forum will share knowledge from all levels, ranging from people who are Canon Explorers of Light to weekend shooters. However all of these people are treated the same and with respect. It is something special when your images are being critiqued by photographers that are also shooting for the New York Times, and their responses are not condescending or trite but helpful and give one a tools to use to improve. This involvement also includes their SmugMug’s artist in residence program and the entire photography community is the beneficiary. Plus they have also donated photo hosting to my favorite charity (www.bmwmoafoundation.org) with no cajoling,

You are probably thinking that I am a shill for SmugMug, and to be honest, I am shilling in this blog post as they are giving away a year’s subscription (http://twitter.com/jeffjochum) which is well worth the effort as I do really like the service. Yup, gotta be honest.

My favorite of the year is one I took a few weeks ago in Las Vegas. I received a gift from the wife in 2007 of a Digital SLR after I wore out my Canon P&S. Up until recently I was still using it as a very expensive P&S. I would try things with the settings, but I did not know what the end result would be of the changes I was making. I did lots of reading on DGrin to learn about it more and more. Then in December of 2009 the “penny dropped”; things made sense I understood the controls and how they interact with each other. Not going to say I am an expert or fully fluent with them, but I finally internalized how they interacted and was able to start predicting how things would turn out and what changes to make after looking at the preview display. I still had to take many photos to get a few good ones, but the success rate went from 1 in 20 on a good day to 1 in 3 or 4.

I was in Vegas for two weeks for work, I wanted to take some photos of the architecture and landscape at night. So I went out on a Saturday night after a rain shower and took pictures. I posted the straight out of camera keepers to SmugMug and sent a link to the L&T wife. She really liked the images and indicated that one was her favorite, not of the batch but as art not just my photo. So I got it printed on metal, as suggested by a friend, and turned around very quickly by SmugMug and gave it to her as a gift on December 25. I think that it is very cool that I was able to use her gift to me to create a gift for her.

So while it might not be perfect, the image and experience is my favorite of 2009.

Click for larger image

What is yours?

It is time for some sleep.

Image (noun) a representation of the external form of a person or thing in sculpture, painting, etc.

• a visible impression obtained by a camera, telescope, microscope, or other device, or displayed on a video screen.
• an optical appearance or counterpart produced by light or other radiation from an object reflected in a mirror or refracted through a lens.

Picture (noun) a painting or drawing : draw a picture of a tree.

• a photograph : we were warned not to take pictures.
• a portrait : have her picture painted.

Photograph (noun) a picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused ontofilm or other light-sensitive material and then made visible and permanent by chemical treatment.

However I believe that there are different connotations to these annotations. A different value placed on each in relation to digital photography and drawing. To me an image is a drawing or illustrative picture. It is not meant to be art (emotional or visceral), it is meant to convey meaning or definition. An example of my concept of an image would be a screen capture that shows what is being discussed, this screen capture that highlights the problem I was having with Outlook would be an image

It could just as easily be an image of damage to a motorcycle such as this

It is for documenting and clinical to some degree.

A Picture on the other hand is something that is designed to help one remember, not just clinically but also the time that was being had while the picture was being taken. It can also be used to share an experience with others. This is not to say that a picture canʼt be dramatic, inspiring, or artistic it is just not a formal process to create the image it is often just taken quickly. An example would be a picture of a bunch of friends going tubing.

The picture took a little while to pose and frame, but not a whole lot of thought of composition, just a quick can everyone be seen? Yup, snap a couple and letʼs get back to having fun.

Now a Photograph is a little more difficult, often times pictures can become photographs but in my definition a photograph is more precisely set up and composed than taking a picture. This does not mean that a dSLR has to be used, it can be an inexpensive point and shoot camera, or even a cell phone. What it does mean is that while looking through the viewfinder the “operator” is thinking about the composition, is projecting the way the finished image will look and preparing for that. It is more studied. It does not mean that it canʼt just be taken quickly, it just means that the “operator” is more carefully weighing the composition and meaning of the picture.

Some what arbitrary terms, but I use them for classifying my images, pictures, and photographs. A diagram (image) might help to explain my thoughts and connotations a little more.

The fact is that at times one might snap multiple captures (image) while trying to get the right photograph or picture, how should that be categorized? Are they photographs or pictures or images? I am not sure it really matters what they are called, typically one would delete the ones that donʼt work. I call them images.

Seems like an awful lot of parsing words but I believe that it is important to know the goal when taking action or considering something. An example would be a common question such as “What camera do you recommend?” My first response, “What are you wanting to do with it?” I went through these thoughts when looking at books about Photoshop. Doing a search in Amazon there are quite a few options; 922 to be exact if one limits the search to Photoshop CS3 in Books. Here is a sample of titles, tell me which one is the right one to purchase:

• Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended for 3D and Video
• Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended: Retouching Motion Pictures
• Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers: A Professional Image Editor’s Guide to the Creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC
• Adobe Photoshop CS3: Web Design (ILT Series) (Student Manual)
• Adobe Photoshop for Textile Design – for Adobe Photoshop CS3
• Adobe Photoshop for Underwater Photographers
• Believing Is Seeing: Lighting On A Laptop II: How to Light Like a Sunbeam
• Black and White in Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Lightroom
• Creative Photoshop: Digital Illustration and Art Techniques (Digital Workflow)
• Digital Character Painting Using Photoshop CS3 (Graphics Series)
• How to Cheat in Photoshop CS3: The art of creating photorealistic montages
• Mastering Photoshop CS3 for Print Design and Production
• Nighttime Digital Photography with Adobe Photoshop CS3
• Photoshop CS3 for Forensics Professionals
• Photoshop CS3 for Nature Photographers
• Photoshop CS3 for Screen Printers
• Photoshop CS3 Portrait Retouching Techniques
• Photoshop CS3 Restoration and Retouching Bible
• Photoshop for Architects CS3 Extended Edition DVD-ROM
• Scientific Imaging With Photoshop Cs3
• The Adobe Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers

I could of course list them all, but figure that this list is a good enough illustration of why it is important to define things carefully. So that is why I decided that there are differences between images, pictures, and photographs.How would you define them? Do you always take photos? Are you just taking pictures and every so often get a photo in there? Are you just making images? It doesnʼt matter if it makes you happy.

Coming soon, my favorite image/picture/photograph of 2009…

Does this mean I have to stop using the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words”?

Mr. O’Hara created a cool time laspe video of the process of shooting the photos that is embedded both on the Strobist page as well as on his own blog, the blog is nice as it gives a little more of the back story.

I think I am going to go out in the backyard tomorrow morning and bury my camera.

(Yes, I decided not to embed the video here so that you have to go else where….)

I am melancholy as I have been shopping for its replacement it was not easy to find what I wanted. A point and shoot camera that would fit in my pocket easily and discreetly and take uncompressed photos. I found that the two seemed to be mutually exclusive. I decided that instead of going for uncompressed images, I went to size and then compensated by going to high pixel count. Okay ridiculously high pixel count. A Canon PowerShot SD950 IS was what I decided on

Does one really need a 12.1 megapixel camera?

Typically no. Once one is printing out common sizes of pictures up to 8″ x 10″ output 5 megapixels is enough. So why did I go for 12.1 megapixels? To get more data, albeit compressed. Also I have found that by having all that extra info, I can do some cool things like take a picture that is not as tightly zoomed as I would like, I do not do digital zoom in the camera, I can zoom and crop using all those extra pixels.

So then came the fun of how fast do I need to SD memory card to be for the camera. Man am I in the bits and bytes. So since I could not decide I got two smaller cards so I can try the speed out of the cards. Why spend the money for a faster memory solution if the camera cannot write the data any faster?

So Saturday should be interesting as I wait for the new camera and wait to try it out.

Oh yeah, I also made sure that it had Macintosh Drivers. After the fun of the Apple website and Apple Store saying that there was support for the PowerShotS50 but the Canon site saying it does not support it, I decided to go with what the Canon site said which is that it is Macintosh compatible.

I am not an expert photographer by any stretch, I take lots of photos hoping to get a good one. Luckily it is my hobby and electrons are recyclable. This work flow is what works for me after a few years of process.

1. Shoot lots of photos
2. At the end of the shooting, typically the end of the day, download the photos in two methods
   • I use Adobe Lightroom to import the photos (copying them in), including a Keyword and Metadata set that is appropriate for the day. I also tell it to convert to DNG when possible. I shoot both RAW and JPG.
   • I then copy all the photos/data from the camera to a directory on the computer. All of these files are backed up and kept whether the pictures are keepers or not.
3. I print a PDF of a contact sheet of the photos and include that on the backup of the pictures. I then keep the contact sheet on the computer just in case.
4. I review the photos in Lightroom and figure what pictures are keepers and what ones are rejects. I then delete the rejects including the original files. (If I change my mind I have all the original photos)
5. I rename the files using Lightroom, I typically do a Filename that is a description and then sequence number.
6. I then go in and start putting in the keywords, title, and captions. To me the key is to just go in and do it that day so I do not get behind. I learned this one the hard way.
7. I then look for similar visual settings and create a smart group (there are lots of ways to do that) and apply an included Develop Preset, see how it looks – undo – repeat as necessary until I am happy with the look.
8. Continue until they are all done.
9. In Lightroom select Export and set its Post Processing After Export command to run a batch uploader.
10. Read various forums while the photos upload.

This work flow works on both Mac and Windows.

It might not be the right one for everyone but it works for me. I figure after 3,000+ photos cataloged and having taken over 10,000 photos with my digital cameras in the past 7 years I have learned a few things.