"There is no security on this earth; only opportunity." – Douglas MacArthur
pix
JPEG Mini – Put Your Pix On a Diet
When I shoot stills either for my clients of for myself, I shoot in RAW format. That way, I can manipulate the base image and have it look any way I want it.
But once I finalize the picture(s), I usually output them in JPG format. Most of the printers I deal with require that format, and if the pics are for web display, the best format is either JPG or PNG. And though JPGs are a lot smaller than RAW images, if you shoot and store enough of them, they can take up a significant amount of space.
Which is where JPEG Mini comes in. It basically strips away all non-essential information from the file, and just leaves the image behind. How good is it? How about routinely reducing your pictures to one quarter of their size? Or maybe even smaller!
I'm not getting anything out of this. I just think the program is an excellent product, and if you shoot a lot of pix, you'll probably wind up seeing the benefits of using it.
There are two (really, 3) versions of the software. There's the personal version, which handles smaller files as a stand-alone program. A free version of this software does up to 20 pix in one day. If you pay for it, it's only $20. The professional version of the software crunches pix up to 8 times faster (which can be a help if you've got hundreds – maybe even thousands – of pix to squash), and works in stand-alone mode and also works as a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom 5 and above. That version is just under $150. JPEG Mini is available in both Windows and Mac flavors.
Celebratory Pic
The very last pic from the very end of the evening. This was taken at CNY Karate’s 50th Anniversary banquet on October 6th, 2013. This is one of the musicians, Nikoro-san (his nickname) and I. We became good friends over the previous week. Bonded over a shared (over)use of technology!
Amateur Portrait
What happens when you turn your new camera over to a curious high school student? Sometimes, you get some really good photos. And sometimes the subject of the photo could be better.
I recently accompanied a client to Niagara Falls to shoot stills and video for them. His 15 year old son was curious about my camera, so I turned it over to him for a while. As you might think, some of his photos turned out poorly. And some turned out okay. A couple (out of maybe 50 or so shots) turned out pretty good – surprising for someone who’d never used a DSLR before.
One of the “okay” ones was yours truly, taken near the building on the American side that leads down to the Maid of the Mist boat tour.
Speaking of the tour. . . I had a number of people look at me like I was crazy for taking my DSLR on the boat and into the heavy spray from the falls. The didn’t believe me when I said my Pentax K30 was weather sealed. I’ve been using Pentax cameras for 30 years, and I’m happier with them now than ever before. I highly recommend their DSLRs.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
I’m not 110% “full-on marketing” all the time. Most of the time, yes. But not all the time. Recently my wife and I flew across the country to vacation in beautiful downtown San Diego. We spent several days enjoying the sites. The Friday we were there, we drove about 40 minutes north to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, an 1800 acre breeding facility and natural habitat. Between the Zoo itself and the Safari Park, I took a bunch of pics.
These are just a few that I came back with. Click the image to see a larger version. Enjoy!
