The Big Picture

Apple devices unite!

[article best viewed on computer]

Scrolling through social media posts this past month I noticed that there was a little panic and even more confusion about the quietly convenient and accessible Photo Stream was being shut down by the end of July. This led to comments about external hard drives and how best to save all of those precious iPhone images, screenshots and videos we carry everywhere with us. It’s our modern day plastic wallet insert where we carried about 14 photos of our family, mainly school pictures. We just knew it was there. Our little do it all devices, including iPhone is all that on steroids times 100.

So then, the note that we could lose access is a terrifying thought. A busy schedule doesn’t warrant phasing over to a new system, or does it?

I created a walk through video to share that you already have exactly what you need and so much more in place. Keep in mind that Photo Stream only stored your last 1000 images for only 30 days at a time to sync in the Cloud for all your devices to enjoy. Your workflow is going to be much easier!

Photo Communiqué TV

Since we are photographers, many of us are creating video content along with pictures of kittens and little Jimmy on our iPhone’s. I use my iPhone to create campaigns so I’m keeping content there to build those on the fly.

We should always think about a back up plan, and eventually pulling things off into external’s because space can be used up quickly. Also, simply buy into additional storage with iCloud. I use the $2.99 plan which gives me about 10,000 images and 1000 videos of about 10 minutes or less. So, I do keep them moving but have no worries on the day to day.

Watch as I explain on the YT video, that you have the Photos.app pre-loaded on your computer. It’s exactly the same set up as your iPhone. As long as you have synced your Photos.app to iCloud, you simply open the app and easily have access to all of it! No more sending by AirDrop to the computer, it’s grab and go time.

Our little computers we carry with us every day and its incredible camera capabilities are more worthy than ever to do some intensive editing in LR, PS or C1. The file sizes are pretty large as well so this all takes space. Remember to up your iCloud storage to work seamlessly and upgrade your actual computer when the spinning wheel of death is in your way of production. Usually when the operating system cannot be updated and choking out, it’s time because iCloud had to be shut off when I tried to squeeze out two more years than I should have. But that’s another article on space concerns…

Another pretty cool thing I discuss in the YT video is the Photos.app itself and the remarkable editing capabilities. For the novice photographer not ready to get into the Adobe CC commitments, you will be pleasantly surprised. As a journalist, I am utilizing the system to work faster with images I capture on the iPhone. By the way, any updates you make are synced to all your iCloud enabled devices. Voila!!!

Here is a related article on organization I found on Apple Support pages.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207368

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Lori Patrick

Editor and Publisher of Photo Communiqué
Studio owner, award winning journalist, community builder and teacher in the photographic arts.
World traveler with her touring company PhotoCoteries.
Lori owns Portrait Symposium, an in person education platform for photographers.

Tate Modern in central London is hosting Elton John’s vast collection of photographers’ work.

The collection lives in John’s 18,000 square foot home in Atlanta, wall to wall and top to bottom. He only needed this much space to hang ‘the love of his life’ in art… photography. Not his own, but the work of many masters through time. These photographers told stories of fashion, lifestyle and social discourse. I won’t mention any names, I don’t want to dismiss the importance of any one artist in the collection or Elton’s fascination and appreciation of their work. What I will mention is who made the pictures above and at his bedside. Above you will find Man Ray in noir et blanc. To the right of his bed is the work of Irving Penn who photographed Elton John in a series of experimental portraiture, a quirky set which offers a distorted view of Sir Elton and adored by the subject in them.

"That's what photographs do ... they're like reading a book. Your imagination comes alive and you wonder what was going on when the photograph was taken" _elton john

Man Ray 1932 ‘Glass Tears’

The video below caught my attention for this article after researching Elton John. Previously, I was thrilled to photograph Sir Elton in concert. You see, in an age when photographers shooting for publication are often forced to sign contracts to give away the images to management of a performance upon request. Or, finding out at the last minute you will have to capture the essence of the show from hundreds of yards away (soundstage). I need the intimate moment of capture you only see when you are several feet away (in the pit). I nearly cried when told we would be photographing Elton from the stage front and did not require a contract. For me, this was an act of grace, courtesy and gratitude from a genuine superstar, void of diva mentality or disrespect for the professionals covering the show. The most special part of this experience was how he would turn and really connect with us as he played his heart out. And when the song was over, despite a sold out arena, he stood up and gave us a bow, yes us. Something was so special in his gestures and I did not realize why until I viewed this piece. I feel honored to have photographed this lovely person. I would love so much to make a portrait of Elton John one day. Hopefully, the universe will hear me… in appreciation.

André Kertész 1917 ‘Underwater Swimmer, Esztergom, Hungary’ John’s favorite piece

You can see The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection until May 7, 2017

Some photographs I captured at the Wonderful Crazy Night show of Elton John … and so it was. My editor and I danced like fools once I found my seat (there was a wall behind us). An incredible evening. One to remember.

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Follow my ‘Live Performance’ Images on Behance via Collections

-article by Lori Patrick