My friend Paul called me yesterday to chat, and to let me know that iPhone 15 Pro phones were currently in stock at our local AT&T store. Fun news but not quite earthshaking. I use my current iPhone XR a lot for quick gear shots, visual reference notes and also.....phone calls. I also use it (sparingly) as a copy camera for the times when I want to show a print on the blog but don't want to spend too much time setting up a big copy stand and fancy lights to make a digital file of a physical print.
The image above is an example of just that. And while I am sure that an upgrade to an iPhone 15 Pro would yield a "better" file I'm also pretty certain that the phone I already have does a "good enough" job already.
I'd buy an iPhone 15 Pro if I was going to use it as a primary camera. From what I've seen the files are quite good; but like most camera files to get them "just right" requires some time in post processing. If I'm going to put in the time I still think I'd prefer to work with a bigger file, from a sensor with bigger pixels, and more choices of lenses. But the new phones are tempting. In the end, for the over-equipped photographer they just introduce yet another in a seemingly endless basket of choices one must make before venturing out to shoot...
Sometimes the real "magic" of a process is the quickness it provides. Would a bigger scan of the print enrich my life as a blogger? Probably not. Mostly because, as I've stated many times before, images on the web are meant to be consumed in the moment and very, very few people will return to look a second time...at anything. And, in all honesty, a 1600 pixel wide version of a 20x20 inch custom print is never going to translate the original in terms of impact or quality. Add to that the fact that over 74% of the views of any image on the web tend to be on handheld phone screens which ---- dumbs down everything.
*** the holidays are on us now. The canned holiday music fills nearly every store I walk into. Except for my local coffee shop. The employees there are still sampling from their own favorite playlists of contemporary music and so far, thankfully, I haven't heard a single jolly Christmas tune while buying the elixir of the gods. Hope that remains the case...
****Now is the time when vloggers, bloggers, YouTubers and all the rest make their press towards the goal of year end, personal enrichment. Be careful when shopping. Don't let the pressures of the plea and the season derail your better financial judgement. Content offered freely doesn't require you to overspend. Just remember, the new Leica SL3 isn't going to be available until mid-year 2024 (conjecture!) so keep some "powder" dry.
*****What do the rest of you professional photographers do to get rid of the endless partial rolls of seamless paper that seem to reproduce like bunnies in the studio? Too long to fit into dumpsters or recycling bins. No photo programs exist anymore for donations. Where do they go to die?
I'm holding on to my seamless paper for a while longer. Still need it occasionally. But if I wanted to get rid of it, I would cut it in halves or thirds with a saw and put it in my trash bin.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep a roll of white and a roll of studio gray but there are half a dozen rolls that got used once. The clients requested specific colors or shades. And I never used them again. Thanks for the idea of slicing and dicing. That'll work!
ReplyDeleteSchools and daycare centers can use seamless paper for art projects and for general drawing and coloring.
ReplyDeleteYes to Stan's idea, if you know someone. I was tossing seamless into the bin years ago and the teachers who live downstairs were crazy to have it. Or maybe you drive by a childcare place on your way to that no-xmas-music coffee place... Otherwise, I know you're not keen on using power tools but a sawsall does a great job on seamless rolls. Maybe B could take a break and lend a hand. Or that young man who comes over for dinner once in a while.
ReplyDeleteI take it you're unaware of the great Texas tradition of bundling up things you don't want, driving out into the countryside at night, and throwing them in a ditch. 8-)
ReplyDeletePining for the days of full time photo assistants. This is the kind of thing you could just assign them to. I can't imagine a school or daycare wanting to deal with a nine foot roll of black seamless paper. I think the saw and the recycling bin will be my friends. Or maybe I can foist the sawing onto our lawn service guys.... Yeah. That's the idea!
ReplyDeleteWrapping Christmas presents? Yours will certainly stand out under the tree.
ReplyDeleteChuck, LOL. Ben and I have resorted to wrapping presents in various shades of seamless background paper many times. It's the lazy photographer's go to for last minute gift wrapping.
ReplyDeletemaybe one for the props dept at a theater
ReplyDeleteor if you have an artists studio building in austin, you could probably dump them there
ReplyDelete