Over the past few months the service that Apple rebranded from .Mac to MobileMe has gone through some insane growing pains, even a trip or two. But it has come out of its ugly duckling stage and is revealing its true potential. With the increase in storage from 10GB to 20GB with the rebranding and a monthly download limit of 200GB transfer it lends itself well to a great client based proofing service and downloads area. 

In a past post on MobileMe’s gallery potential I talked about how easy it is to now setup a great looking portfolio and now we’ll dive into a bit of how you can now use that to let your clients proof great images quickly and efficiently.

First as a recap - We need to remember that you no longer need the iLife suite to upload images to create the great albums, all you need is a MobileMe account. You can organize, rearrange, sort, even select whether you allow users to download the images, etc.

Another great feature to the MobileMe suite is it’s iDisk and how it allows users to upload large files to a server for download by clients, friends, family, etc. and with that large bandwidth limit per month, you don’t have to worry about your website being bogged down or server crashing because of large uploads and downloads. 

It’s turning out to be a great package for the average user and the photographer on a budget wanting a clean simple solution. If Apple continues to beef up the service with reliability and more storage, they’re going to start having an amazing tool set online. Did I mention it offers amazing “push” style capabilities for my iPhone with my contacts, calendar, and email? Another bonus of keeping track of clients while on the road.

Yours truly has been featured on Wallblank.com. We’ve decided to go with a four images and four different causes. There is a limit of 50 prints / picture so they will go like hotcakes! All prints are 13″x19″ in size so they’re going to look incredible on your walls. 

Spread the word, all the proceeds go to four amazing causes. Did I mention they make great Christmas presents? (Sorry I had to)

A couple of weeks ago a great website launched called Wallblank.com. It’s head up by a few people whom I know, so I will get that out in the open at the start. 

The basic premise of the website is to allow layman (normal people) purchase great art to fill their rooms, homes and offices. On a usual print they will have a limit print run, approx. 100-200. Once those are sold out then you’re out of luck so you have to act quickly. A great aspect to this startup is it’s focus on the artist, which I am always gun-ho about. They, unlike other nameless sellers don’t keep 99% of the profit from the prints, they allow the artists to afford something better then a PB and J sandwich. They also run non-profit Fridays (which I will hopefully be involved with on a regular basis) that raise 100% of the profits from the prints and send them to a select organization of the artists choice.

So now that you know, buy a print, support an artist and I will keep you posted when a print of mine comes up and you can support me or a non-profit organization that I will supporting. Let me eat better then PB and J, please!

When was the last time you stopped from taking pictures and just sat and talked with someone who you’ve wanted to or have photographed? Or when was the last time that you actually cared enough to stop and speak with someone, a stranger, a friend? 

I’ve often felt that we as photographers don’t care. We get involved in creating a masterpiece, a something, anything, that we completely lose our human touch of interaction and involvement. We’re often viewed as “snoops” stealing moments from others.

At this moment we, as photographers, need to finish being inhuman. We need to learn that putting down the camera is sometimes more important then using it as a barrier between us and our subjects. That our “subjects” are just as human as us, hurting, joyful, kind, wanting to share a story and feel a true intimate connection. Realizing that our cameras are nearly a means that we use to tell a story but the true connection happens when we put down the lens and interact. 

We need give before we expect others to relinquish their sense of personal barrier and stare down the barrel of camera. I believe photography is a tool to break down barriers, alas it has been used as form of personal “right” that allows the user to poke their noses into the lives of others without any questioning of whether it is an uplifting thing to do. 

Use this art form as a tool to build connections with others. The more I dive into photography the more I begin to realize it’s less about how technically good you are and more about how vulnerable you are with others. When you become vulnerable with others, they open up to you, and a connection is formed.

First learn to be human, then learn your craft. Stop and be more human.

Two juniors campers fly down the screamer.

As one young guy clings on to the ropes, the others are feeling the thrill of the ride.

With the recent weather around the Cowichan valley it has been ideal conditions for the leaves to turn a brilliant yellow, orange and red color. 

Download HERE!

Thursday was a bit of a lazy day here at Kaleo so some of us decided to take a hike to the point. With the seasons changed and the colors beginning to really change the view was amazing, walking beneath a sunlit canopy of warm yellows.

Every once and a while I get a smidgen of inspiration to make a tilt-shift style image. This particular image was shot from the top of Mount Maxwell overlooking the sound end of Saltspring Island.

Lately I have been struggling with where my passions lie and where I should be investing most of my time. To let you in on a bit of how this is happening here is a bit of an explanation.

Many of you know that I am working as an intern in the Kaleo program (an adventure based first year bible college program based out of Camp Qwanoes). Within this role I am basically asked to throw my life at these students, love them, care for them, have fun with them and watch them grow. It takes a lot of time, a lot of will power and a lot of patience - patience beyond what I can bare sometimes. 

On the other side of things is this passion, my photography. I am barely going a day without thinking about what I will be doing with it in the come years. It as well takes a lot of time, practice, patience and will power. 

Here is where the two worlds collide. Both allow me to do something which I have a joyful passion of doing, making a meaningful difference in the lives of others and in this world. Sounds like both fit, right? They do. So why am I struggling with this? I don’t know. 

Professionally I want to go all out for my photography. I want to dive into this crazy vat of glue called this world and get all sticky. I want to go out there and tell the stories that need to be told. I want to tell the stories of children around the world. Most of all, I want people to have their hearts broken for the issues tackled in my images. I want a child’s smile to warm a heart, a personality to speak through an image and attack a persons conscience to the point where they want to act. Most of all, I want to bring hope and love in a new unique way. 

Are you passionate for something? Do you struggle with a balance? How do you tackle the battle in your heart? 

I’m excited for the future and more excited for the now.

For most serious photographers even thinking about using the iPhone camera to capture decent images is completely out of the question. Well I have an argument against those thoughts. I do feel that the iPhone camera is not as good of quality as it could be, but quality shouldn’t limit your creativity. 

Just recently there was a great app. released for the iPhone called “Camera Bag“. This app allows the user to stylize the images that you take on the iPhone, from Holga effects to B&W’s. Here are a few samples:

Once again, these images aren’t about supreme quality but rather content and effectiveness of conveying good stylized images. I have been very impressed with how this little program allows the user to take a so-so image and transform it into an well post-pro’d image. I am excited to see what the future holds for the camera software in the iPhone and hope to see some more customization in the future.

First, I just want to apologize for the slow down in posts as of late. Kaleo has kicked off and has been taking up a lot of my time. We recently just returned from a surfing trip around Tofino (Long Beach area). I would post images from that trip, but alas, I forgot to pack my camera for it! Ya, I know, how could I ever forget a piece of equipment like that. But I did. 

So now that it’s Thanksgiving, why not take a break and spend time with your family and loved ones. Appreciate the smells and old familiar aromas of the season. Take a walk and admire the colors. Make some coffee and read a book. Slow down a bit, and be thankful that you have the ability to appreciate these things, you have the ability to see what others do not see, and the ability to capture them. It’s a gift that could easily go away.

With the recent events of SALTS I have been able to capture a new desktop for the month of October. So without any further fanfare, here it is!

Download it HERE!