Tim Grey’s Blog

I was checking out the latest news from Photokina (which I opted not to go to in order to finish up the latest book — you’re welcome, Deke), and ran across an item that gave me some hope.

You see, not too long ago I was testing some things out in Adobe Bridge and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. As it happened, I was able to assign different keywords to the same image with each application, and have them show up differently in each application.

I know, this sounds crazy. But it’s true. In Bridge there would be one set of keywords for a given image, and in Lightroom there would be a different set of keywords. Ouch.

This got me thinking a lot about the challenges of metadata. They’re not trivial. There are many standards, many more software applications that attempt to implement those standards, and basically a lot of disagreement about how metadata should be handled.

For the photographer, this isn’t good. I mean, we need to be able to trust our metadata, right?

Well, a new industry consortium gives me hope. Yes, you read that right. “industry consortium” and “hope” appeared in the same sentence — a sentence written by me.

But it’s true. The consortium is called the Metadata Working Group. It was proposed by Microsoft (feel free to groan, and claim I’m biased because I used to work there, but then read the details at the website and decide for yourself). It includes Adobe, Apple, Canon, Microsoft, Nokia, and Sony. And yes, I did just put Apple and Microsoft in the same sentence. The issue of metadata is so important that they’re working on this together, which is cool.

Anyway, it is probably no surprise to photographers that metadata is — in many ways — broken. I applaud these companies for getting together to do something about it, and am hopeful it will lead to improved specifications that will be implemented by all the companies involved (and more) to make life better for photographers.

Metadata deserves respect, after all. Thanks guys.

I just got back from a cycling trip in Spain. I was there for 11 days, rode 412 miles through the mountains and plains (they’re wrong about the rain in Spain falling mainly on the plain, by the way), stayed in 5 cities or towns (and passed through many more), climbed many thousands of feet including some of the most difficult climbs in Europe…

Oh, and I took 2,148 photos (1,288 RAW with my DSLR and 857 JPG with my point-and-shoot), as well as 117 video clips.

Which brings me to a new Pet Peeve (a popular feature in my latest book, Take Your Best Shot).

Now, I’ll admit right from the start that my current frustration is really my fault. You see, my digital SLR was set to my home time zone in Seattle. And my point-and-shoot digital camera was set to the east coast from a recent trip there. So they were each set to different time zones, and neither of them was set to the correct time zone for Spain.

Granted, it really isn’t the end of the world for the capture time to not reflect the “real” time when the picture was taken, at least in most cases. I mean, if I have a picture taken in a plaza at night after dinner at the metadata indicates it was taken at 8am, that’s really not a big deal, right? It would be nice if the data were accurate, but I can live with it.

But the bigger issue in this case is that the date and time for photos from my two cameras were out of sync. So when I would browse the RAWs and JPEGs together, they wouldn’t match up. Pictures I took while riding my bike (with my point-and-shoot) would be mixed in with pictures I took before or after the ride with my DSLR. This gets to be really annoying.

At this point you’re probably thinking, “Hey, Tim, why don’t you just adjust the capture date and time using any of the many utilities that exist for this very purpose?”. Well, I did. And that worked great. Until I tried to browse those photos with Adobe Bridge.

And so now (finally), I get to the new Pet Peeve.

Adobe Bridge is a great tool for browsing your photos, and even allows some basic organizational work. I generally use it as my first tool for sorting through my photos. But one big shortcoming for Adobe Bridge is the limitations on how you can sort your photos. Naturally you can sort by Filename. You can even sort by File Size, Rating, Document Type, or Label. And while it doesn’t prove all that useful for most users, you can even sort by Color Profile or Resolution.

And yet, you can’t sort by the EXIF capture date. Sure, you can sort by the file creation or modification dates, but those are different. If you change your EXIF capture date with one of the many utilities available, the file creation and modification dates won’t reflect that new date. Only the EXIF metadata will.

And Adobe Bridge doesn’t allow you to sort by EXIF capture date. Crazy. And deserving of Pet Peeve status. Let’s hope Adobe will fix this in an update. Soon.

In the meantime I’ll try to be sure to never forget to change the date/time setting on my cameras when I go to a different time zone. Because Adobe Bridge isn’t very forgiving when I make that mistake…

I’m just about to head of to Spain for a 10-day cycling tour. And my camera is coming with me, of course.

I’ve been doing extra training over the last few months or so to try to get ready for the trip (which features one of the most difficult mountain climbs in Europe), so I’ve been racking up quite a few miles.

On my final ride before packing up my bike and getting ready to fly to Madrid, I noticed that my bike computer indicated I was going to cross the 3,000 mile mark in just a few miles. This, I thought, was cool. I’ve put enough miles on this bike that I could have ridden across the US.

I decided this was a photo-worthy moment. Mostly because I love preserving memories in photographs. But I don’t carry my camera when I ride (don’t want all that extra weight slowing me down, after all).

Fortunately, I had my mobile phone with me. So as I approached the 3,000 mile mark I pulled it out got it ready (which took a little more time than you might expect, considering I was going about 20mph at the time). As I hit 3,000 miles on the odometer, I snapped a photo. Memory saved.

Of course, in Spain I’m going to want a better camera with me. So I’m thinking I’ll keep my digital point-and-shoot in my jersey pocket. If only my digital SLR could fit in one of my water bottle cages…

I just wrapped up a couple days in Las Vegas for Photoshop World, which is always a whirlwind show (of amazingness). I gave eight presentations over the course of two days, which was great fun. But I also had a chance to catch up with good friends George Lepp and Jeff Greene.

Those of you who already have a copy of my latest book, Take Your Best Shot, might have noticed that the book was dedicated to George Lepp. In most cases it can be challenging to decide who to dedicate a book to, but in this case it was easy. I started my free Digital Darkroom Questions email newsletter (where I answer questions related to digital imaging, and which was the inspiration for the book) while I was working with George. In fact, many of the things I do to earn my keep today found their source while I was working with George.

I was able to give George a signed copy of the book at Photoshop World, and thank him in person for all he had done to help me. Having this opportunity reinforced the value of looking back on where we’ve come from to help figure out where we’re going. It seems the future comes into more clear focus when you can look back and contemplate what worked and what didn’t, and how you got where you are right now.

For me, looking back gives me greater perspective on how my photography has transitioned over the years, and how the changes in my shooting style have (I hope) improved my photography. It also gives me some perspective on the various ways I’ve been teaching photographers how to best utilize digital tools in photography, so I can better appreciate what approaches work best, and which aren’t particularly helpful. We’re a product of our past, and by looking back I think we can make our future better.

I tend to think about how I can produce better books, better newsletters, better workshops, and better anything-else-I-decide-to-focus-my-energy-on in working to help photographers produce better results. How do you look back to improve your photography and digital imaging?

What do you mean you don’t recognize the acronym in the title of this blog post?!

Well, perhaps you’re in the “other half” then. The “other half” being those who will experience a hard drive failure someday. And, of course, the first half (or the other other half) are those who already have experienced a hard drive failure. I’m in that group.

In my case (and thus the mysterious acronym), it is “yet another hard drive failure”. I seem to be having a lot of these. Maybe it just seems to happen frequently because it really isn’t fun when it happens.

Ever notice that hard drive failures always happen at an inopportune time? Well, OK, there’s never a good time for a hard drive failure. But they seem to know when the worst possible time is. For me that’s in the middle of working on a new book project with the amazing Deke McClelland.

Fortunately I’m good about backing up. But it is still a hassle to deal with a hard drive failure, and there are often files you’ve updated but not yet backed up. Doing all the grunt work associated with getting things back up to speed (and making sure everything was intact) provided some time for me to think about the many issues related to reliable storage and backup. So I’ve added that topic to my list for a future article (probably in Digital Darkroom Quarterly).

In the meantime, backup your photos!

It’s no surprise to photographers that our images are under increasing scrutiny since Photoshop became a household word. But it doesn’t even require the mention of Photoshop to contribute to the mistrust of photographic images.

I was checking for updates on the Summer Olympics in Beijing (go, Phelps!), and ran across an article telling the story of how the incredible fireworks display shown during the opening ceremonies was completely faked.

Let’s be real. It’s not like I don’t push my photos in Photoshop way beyond what I could possibly accomplish in the camera. In fact, some of my favorite photos are those that have had a good amount of work applied to them in Photoshop.

But there’s an important distinction, I think. When I push the creativity of a photo in Photoshop, there’s never an intent to fool the viewer. In fact, it is always quite obvious that I’ve optimized the image, I think, especially if I got particularly creative. In my mind, it is when we try to fool someone (in a deceptive way) that we have crossed the line.

In my mind the fake fireworks at the Olympics were deceptive, not creative. And that sort of gimmick adds to the mind set many photographers find themselves facing when they’re asked if they “Photoshoped” one of their favorite images.

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve posted to the blog. I’ve been meaning to write a post for the last, well, couple weeks. I don’t have a set schedule or a particular number of posts I’m trying to write in a given period of time. But I still feel guilty when I don’t post on a somewhat regular basis. That’s the problem with blogs. If you get busy and can’t write frequently, you tend to feel guilty (at least I do). Not that I think anyone is holding their breath waiting for the next post, but there is a sense of responsibility in maintaining a blog once you’ve started it. It is sort of like my Digital Darkroom Questions email newsletter. It is free to receive, and yet I feel really guilty if I miss a day.

All this thinking about the reasons I haven’t been able to write in the blog more frequently, or why I’ve sometimes struggled to keep up with the DDQ emails, got me thinking about photography (Think this segue is a stretch? Stick with me…). I realized that my own photography faces the same challenges of writing blog posts or any of the other tasks on my list. Sometimes we get so busy we have to put aside certain tasks and focus on the most important. In my case that’s been a couple of new books I’m working on. It’s amazing how much work is involved! I realized the last time I was out photographing was on the University of Massachusetts campus when I was presenting at a New England Camera Club Council event a few weeks ago. And that didn’t really count, because it was really about me making use of my free time in between sessions. It’s been a little longer since I actually set out for the purpose of taking pictures.

Besides feeling that I need my “photography” fix, I am, like most photographers, on a quest to always improve my photography. That takes practice. And that requires getting out there and taking pictures. For many of us photography is a hobby rather than a profession, and as much as we love it, sometimes it falls by the wayside. I think from time to time you need to decide it is the top priority, and get out there and take pictures, even if it is just in your backyard. So, sorry Deke. I’m bailing out on the book for a day and going to take some photographs!

I’ve been writing books for a few years now, with over a dozen titles to my name (though as I mentioned in a prior blog entry, that all depends on how you count). I’ll never forget the first time I saw my name on the cover of a book. It was an incredible feeling. And yet, with each new book and the passing time, it got to be a little less exciting. Still exciting, but nothing like it was.

Until now.

I’m incredibly excited about my latest book, Take Your Best Shot: Tim Grey Tackles Your Digital Darkroom Questions. Writing this book was by far the most fun I’ve ever had writing a book. And I think (hope) that it will be equally fun to read. And more importantly, it is very informative.

The book was inspired by my Digital Darkroom Questions email newsletter, which I’ve been publishing for over six years. But the material in Take Your Best Shot is all new. I’ve distilled the most common questions into completely new questions with completely new answers and lots of great imagery to create what I hope will become a valuable addition to your library.

I love when my camera helps me connect with another person in a unique way.

One day on my recent visit to Japan I found myself in a cemetery, capturing various photos. I’m fascinated by cemeteries, in part because they say so much about people and their culture. And yet I get very self-conscious when I’m in a cemetery taking pictures, because I respect the sacred nature of a cemetery and don’t want to intrude. So here I was in Japan, not sure if it was really OK to be taking pictures in this cemetery, and yet fascinated.

It was then that a woman came up to me. Now, you have to understand that (much to my surprise) there was an incredible language barrier in Japan. Very few people I came in contact with spoke any English at all (which was part of what made it such a wonderful and memorable trip). This brought communication down to a very fundamental level, which actually made the interactions that much more treasured.

It seemed clear to me that this woman singled me out in part because I was taking pictures. It seemed to tell her that I was indeed fascinated with this place. I suppose it helped that as a relatively tall Caucasian I sort of stood out in this place.

She motioned for me to follow her, and tried to speak to me in very broken English. She guided me to a small Buddhist temple across the courtyard. She showed me the statues inside the monument, and taught me, using only gestures and motions, how to pray. I followed along out of respect, and savored the moment.

This isn’t the only time someone took note of my special interest signaled by my camera, and offered their assistance in understanding–on some level–what I was experiencing. I love that something as simple as having a camera held to your eye can signal that you are a friend and you are interested in learning more. Even if you don’t understand the language.

Sometimes I think you’re reading my mind. OK, not really, but it is funny sometimes how different people are thinking the same thing at about the same time. Thus was the case of a comment posted to one of my recent blog entries. The person posting the comment referred to taking a trip and capturing a lot of photos, but feeling on some level that she had missed out on the experience of being in a wonderful place.

This is something I’ve actually contemplated quite a few times, and was thinking about recently as I reflected on some of my recent trips and the way I approached them photographically. As I’ve written in previous blog posts, I like to take pictures. Lots, and lots, and lots of pictures! But I have felt on various occasions that focusing on capturing images in order to preserve my memories in photographs leads to not actually having that many memories in my own mind. I can look at certain groups of images and feel like I wasn’t ever at that place.

I’ve dealt with this in various ways. When I went to Italy last year, I wanted it to be first and foremost a vacation. I still took a lot of pictures, but I changed the way I approached the act of taking pictures. I focused on using my digital point-and-shoot camera for most of my photos, to the extent that only 25% of the photos I took were taken with my digital SLR. I didn’t want my focus to be on making beautiful pictures (crazy though that may sound) but rather on enjoying the experience, and snapping some casual photos to help me remind myself of all the wonderful things I saw.

When I went to Japan a couple months ago, my focus was a bit different. Sure, I still wanted to have a vacation, but I also wanted to come back with some images I could use in the books I’m working on. So I balanced things a bit differently, and on that trip more than half of my captures were with my digital SLR.

In some cases I take things to a bit of an extreme. When I really want to make sure I am fully engaged in an experience I’ll leave my camera behind. For example, a few years ago I had the opportunity to fly a Huey helicopter and a T-34 airplane (I’m a private pilot, though I’m not doing any flying these days). I knew this was going to be something I would want to fully experience and remember, so I made the decision not to do any photography.

I’ve also made a conscious decision not to bring a real camera with me when I’m cycling. You can imagine the beautiful scenes I frequently find riding scores of miles each week in the Puget Sound area. Several times I wanted to kick myself for not having a camera with me. But I have made a decision that when I’m riding that’s all about getting fit and having some time to myself to decompress. I want to focus on my riding, and not be stopping every few miles to take a photo.

It is a difficult balance, to be sure. But I think it is important to find that balance. I think it is important to be sure you’re both experiencing life, and doing the things you love. It’s OK to get completely absorbed in your photography. But sometimes I think you need to make a conscious decision to set that aside and enjoy the experience that is unfolding before you.