Computational Photography Technology

Welcome

Adding a solid state drive to your laptop or workstation will dramatically improve performance, but it’s also a major investment. Here at foto-tech we generally don’t concern ourselves with trivial things such as the cost of technology, but in this case we had to take notice. These drives cost more than than many of the computers they are used in. This is the cost of owning a piece of technology that’s really new and really good:

32 GB= $500-800
64 GB =$1K-2K
128 GB = $3-4K

Benchmark tests that compare SSD’s to conventional hard drives show the SSD’s beating the pants off of the old spinners in read speeds. Windows and OSX startup times are cut in half, etc. Random write speeds are not dramatically increased on flash based SSDs. They also use less power, generate less heat, are more shock durable, and better tolerate climate changes.
SSD doesn’t work well with all controller chipsets, so careful consideration of the machine you intend to use one in is necessary. These drives do not need to be defragmented as fragmentation does not hinder them in any way, and defragmenting them will actually shorten the drives life.

Memoright seems to be leading the pack right now: Tom’s Review | Buy at MyDigitalDiscount

Note: Most modern Digital Imaging software relies on cache and scratch disk to fulfill needs for memory that exceed available RAM. Setting up the drives for these functions is very important. It’s not a good idea to use the same drive that your OS or Files reside on. Cache and scratch operations are very taxing on hard drives and the process of writing and rewriting constantly tends to fragment the drives.

Western Digital has released an upgrade to the very popular Raptor line of hard drives. Raptor drives are the only SATA drives that run at 10,000RPM. These new VelociRaptor drives make an excellent choice for Boot Drive, Cache and Scratch disks for Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge, etc. Speeds are 20-30% faster than the best 7200 RPM drives on the market.

Velociraptor Specs
300GB | SATA II | 10K RPM | 2.5” (with 3.5” Cooling Adapter)

Tom’s Review | Maximum PC’s Review

This may be the last post I make on spinning hard drives for Boot, Cache, and Scratch Disks. Solid State Drives (SSD) are the way to go for a high end Digital Imaging Workstation. I’m posting this because solid state drives are still a bit small and more than a bit pricey for the majority of photographers.
See my next post for more on SSD and for more info on hard drives, see my Jan 02 08 Blog: ALL ABOUT HARD DRIVES

My last post on camera bag technology and transporting your gear did not include lighting gear. This post is primarily for Pros who travel with lighting.

Case technology for transporting lighting really hasn’t really changed that much. Lights have gotten smaller and lighter, but this hasn’t change the cases. It’s just a matter of getting the right size and padding. Many newer cases come with wheels and that’s a noteworthy addition.

The four biggest manufactures are Lightware, Tenba, Pelican, and Haliburton.

Size matters: Getting the right size and weight for air travel is tricky. Sometimes it’s just best to rent gear near your destination when you travel by air. I like to hire local assistants who own lights or can get their hands on some. I’ll pay big bucks for someone who knows the location, can get the lighting, and can pick me up at the airport. What I save on rental cars, taxis, and baggage charges can pay for an assistant. Read more…

The right method of traveling your gear is essential. Careful consideration of the way the gear is transported is often overlooked. Camera gear has changed, so the bags and cases have changed as well. Some of the new bag technology is really innovative and can make a big difference in the way you work with the equipment. Backpacks, slings, and holsters are in are replacing shoulder bags. My back welcomes these changes! Really nice Modular Systems are also coming onto the market.

Depending on the amount of gear you own, and what you do with it, I recommend owning at least three camera bags:
#1.) The largest bag that will still fit the domestic travel carry on regulation: I use the Tenba Shootout backpack shown above for this bag. It just barely fit’s into the overhead of larger planes. The shootout is a really well thought out backpack and I highly recommend it.

#2.) A medium bag that will carry just one camera body, a flash and a couple of lenses: I use the Tamrac Velocity 9 shown below which is a sling style. I love the sling style and find the Velocity 9 to be an comfortable and accessible.

#3.) A holster bag that carries only one camera and one lens: It’s nice to be able to take just the bare essentials on some shoots. Read more…

I’m giving two hands on weekend workshops this summer at the School of Visual Arts(SVA) in NY City. All workshops take place on Saturday and Sunday from 10am-5 pm and include access to your own computer workstation.

Digital Asset Management: Where is My DAM File
With Michael Stewart, Digital Photography Expert
June 21-22
This intensive course will put the “flow” back into your digital photography workflow. It’s not a coincidence that successful photographers and profitable photo businesses are the most organized! Learn how to add keywords, manage metadata and streamline digital asset management tasks with different programs, including Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Bridge and Microsoft Expression Media.
http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/ceCourseFinder/app?sCourse=SWC-2341-A

Panoramic, HDR and Synthetic Depth of Field Photography
With Michael Stewart, Digital Photography Expert
July 26-27
This course will explore creative panoramic stitching and shooting, and processing HDR images and synthetic depth-of-field techniques. Starting with camera settings and shooting tips, we will quickly move into processing files with Adobe Photoshop to build HDR files that contain detail in the whitest whites and deepest shadows. Learn how to work with PhotoMerge to create stunning panoramic images and how to use image stacking to increase depth of field
http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/ceCourseFinder/app?sCourse=SWC-2381-A

For complete registration information please visit:

http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/ce/index.jsp?sid0=3&sid1=65&page_id=712

SVA has a wonderful MFA Photography Program! Katrin Eismann developed the Masters in Digital Photography program at SVA and she is now the Chair of the program.