New Year. New Decade. New photography

There is one full day left in 2019.  I haven’t done as much photography as I wanted to this year.  Haven’t done as much photography over the past two years as I wanted.  2020 will be different.  I told my new fiancé that in April I want to move out west to Calgary.  I really miss the mountains and the fresh air.  I hate being here in Ottawa.  I miss Calgary.  I hate the humidity of Ottawa.  I hate the winters.  I hate the summers here.  I would rather sleep in my vehicle or a tent under the stars.  I miss photographing the mountain landscapes.  When I was in Calgary 2 years ago, that’s all I did on my weekends.  Just spend my weekends in the mountains.  Now that I have my 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, I have room in the back to sleep.  I have pretty much all the necessary equipment except for a cooler for food and drinks.  But I could just spend $60 on a good sized cooler and use that for weekends.  In the next couple of months I will start looking for a job in Calgary.  I wish I could do landscape photography full time but I don’t know if it’s feasible.  I want and need it to be.  I am totally sick of doing the I.T thing.  My Sony RX100 Mark VII is a great camera to do landscape photography.  I don’t need a DSLR.  Actually for the photography I do, all I need is my Sony RX100 Mark VII and my 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  All the software I use is run on the iPad Pro.  I have Affinity Photo.  I have Pixelmator Photo.  Apple Photos is good enough now for doing just the basic edits.  A few months ago, I bought a book for Affinity Photo for the iPad.  I’ve started reading it but never completed it.  That will be my goal for the next 3 months.  Find a job in Calgary to sustain us and finish my Affinity Photo book.

I really don’t want to do any more wildlife photography.  Although it sells a bit on Shutterstock and Adobe Stock, I really enjoy landscape photography.  I like the solitude of being in the mountains.  I gave my fiancé my Sony RX100 Mark VI.  I don’t want to spend any more money on photography equipment.  Not for a while.  The Sony RX100 Mark VII does what I need it to do.  I shot the above photo with the Sony RX100 Mark VI.  I shot the below shot with the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I’ve sold both images on various micro stock stocks.  A full frame DSLR with an f2.8 16-35MM or an f2.8 24-70MM is not needed.  It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer.

More night photography with the Apple iPhone Pro Max

The 2010’s are coming to a quick close with New Years here in just 2 short days.  Fiancé and I went to play some pool and have some drinks last night and got home quite late for us.  Decided to step out onto the balcony with the iPhone Pro Max and take a test drive with the iPhone to do some long exposure night photography.  This was taken with the default Apple app.  3 second exposure, hand held off the ninth floor off our apartment building.  Edited in the default Apple Photos app.  I can truly say the iPhone has come a long way in the past 12 years or so.  Couldn’t do this 10 years ago, let alone a few years back.  I could make out some of the stars in the Big Dipper at the top of the frame.  The sky was noisy but in the Apple Photos app you can get rid of that.  I think in probably 3-5 years, you will only need an iPhone and an iPad to edit your photos on.  No more need for bulky DSLR cameras or point and shoots.  The hardware and software is getting much, much better.  The wide angle camera is pretty good so far.  Just needs optical image stabilization.  The zoom lens needs work as the image is shaky and noisy.

Night photography with the iPhone 11 Pro Max (64 GB model)

I got the 2019 Apple iPhone Pro Max (64GB model) earlier this month.  I got it just because of the 3 camera system.  It’s still a 12 megapixel sensor which is good enough for blogs, micro stock agencies and such.  I had my doubts as it is a small sensor on a phone regardless if it’s an Apple iPhone or an Android phone.  I honestly don’t get these 106 megapixel phones that are just coming out.  It’s still the same sized sensor.  No matter how many pixels you put on there, it’s going to be small.  Even full frame cameras shoot up to 61 megapixels.  The Sony A7R IV is such one camera.  Yes there are 100 megapixel full frame sensors but you’re paying up to $100,000 for those cameras.

The Apple iPhone Pro Max actually quite surprised me as to how sharp the above night photo is.  No noise whatsoever and the colours are actually pretty nice to look at.  I haven’t had a chance to shoot long exposure night photography on the phone yet.  With the cold Canadian winters here in Ottawa, I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to do that.  Personally I hate the Ottawa winters.  They’re cold and miserable.

I edited the above photo in Apple Photo on my 2018 iPad Pro with the 12.9” screen and the 512GB SSD HD.  I read a comment on some forum a few weeks back which has kind of stuck with me. It basically stated that iPhones and iPads are going to be the future of photography.  I’m 90% sure that comment is correct or will be correct in a few years.  The Apple iPhone Max Pro is almost there.  The sweet point for me for a camera lens is the 24-200MM.  The Apple iPhone Pro Max already has the 13MM wide angle lens equivalent which is fantastic for wide angle photography.  Just need the lens to go up to 200MM or maybe even 240MM lens and no more DSLR or mirrorless cameras will be needed.

Time lapse time

I haven’t shot a time lapse in a long time.  Decided to shoot one this morning going to work.  I shot it using my new Apple iPhone Pro Max with the new camera system.  It was quickly edited in Apple Photos.  I am actually quite impressed with the Apple Photos app on the iPhone and the iPad Pro.  The link is here: https://youtu.be/_BDz-Z4Jfz8  Please feel free to like and comment.  I think I’ll be putting it up for sale on Pond5, Shutterstock, Videoblocks and Adobe stock.  I’ll upload to all of them when I get home tonight.  Luckily don’t have to go anywhere tonight and see anyone so I have time to upload the time lapse.  It’s a short 23 second video.  I wish it took me 23 seconds to get to work.

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max and the 2018 Apple iPad Pro

I finally did it.  I braved the crowds on Black Friday at Best Buy in the east of Ottawa yesterday.  Needless to say I was not pleased with the crowds in the store after work.  But in the end I got the Apple iPhone 11Pro Max(64GB) model.  There were a few reasons I wanted the iPhone 11 Pro Max listed below:

1. The 3 camera system
2. New network
3. More portable than the Sony RX100 Mark VII
4. Battery life
5. Apple ecosystem

Ok.  So these are a few of the reasons.  I am really enjoying the three camera system on the iPhone.  I can shoot time lapse, slow motion and standard HD photos.  All cameras use the 12 megapixel sensor which is good enough for stock photography which is what I shoot.  I also sell my photography on Redbubble and Fine Art America.  You can find all the links on the right hand side of the front page on this site.

Secondly, I was on Freedom Mobile.  If you want a reliable network, do not go with Freedom Mobile.  If I was in the middle of downtown Ottawa, I’d have the crappiest reception that you can imagine.  I’d on their, what they call “Nationwide” LTE network.  On this network, I’d have 500MB of downloads per month before I’d hit their limits and my speeds would drop to 3G.  I’d get descent reception in my apartment but I’d be on my own Wi-Fi network.  If I was out of city limits, I’d be on their “Nationwide” network again.  I decided to go with Rogers.  I’m not a big fan of their customer service but they’re slightly better than Bell.  I was with Rogers before I switched to Freedom and not I’m back again.  

Thirdly, yes the Sony RX100 Mark VII is a very versatile and portable camera.  I love it and will continue to use it as my main photography camera.  But for quick and easy stuff, I’ll be using the iPhone 11 Pro Max.  The iPhone doesn’t provide as much control as the RX100 Mark VII but for quick and easy shots, it’ll do.

Fourth, the battery life seems to be fantastic.  I haven’t had it for a day yet but with daily use the battery is great so far.  More daily use will be needed to judge the value.

And fifth, I love the Apple ecosystem.  Especially using the iPhone, the iPad Pro and Apple iCloud.  I pay Apple about $13 a month for 2TB of data storage to back up my photos and necessary documents.  I don’t do any dongles, even with my iPad Pro.  Especially now if I’m going to use the iPhone 11 Pro Max for the majority of my photography.  Especially if just go do walk around photography in downtown Ottawa.  For wildlife photography, I’ll still use my Sony RX100 Mark VII.  Even for my landscape photography I’ll use the Sony RX100 Mark VII camera since I can add physical filters.

My 2018 Apple iPad Pro setup

Just missing the Sony RX100 Mark VII and the Apple iPhone 8 Plus which actually took this photo and you’d have my complete setup.  I think next week when Black Friday comes around, I’ll go to Best Buy and get a new Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max with the 256GB hard drive.  Yup, life is good.  I think I’ll be using the iPhone for a lot more of my landscape photography.

This is sort of new

This is kind of new for me.  I’ve had bosses in different buildings in the same city.  My current boss is in Victoria, British Columbia.  I’m in Ottawa, Ontario.  We have a 3 hour time difference.  I’ve never had a boss in a different province that’s more than half way across the country.  At least I won’t have a boss who will be looking over my shoulder.  I hate bosses like that.  LOL

The perfect setup. For me.

So I’m sitting here at work waiting for my computer to get setup and finally getting my access to the network.  I brought by 2018 Apple iPad Pro with me today to watch some videos and do some light reading.  I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my computer setup and my photography setup.  I have the 2 terabyte backup plan with Apple.  I’ve had it for several months now.  I think I’m currently using about 270GB worth of data.  Most of that is my photography backup.  I am really happy with the Apple ecosystem.  How simple and easy it is to access pretty much everything.  

My current photography setup consists of a Sony RX100 Mark VII, a Canon Vixia HF R80 camcorder and an Apple iPhone 8 Plus.  My contract with Freedom Mobile is almost up.  Actually May 2020, I’ll be free of Freedom Mobile.  I am not entirely happy with Freedom Mobile.  Their network coverage is absolute garbage.  I could be right down town here in Ottawa and be on some other company’ network or I could have 1 or 2 bars.  The reception is absolutely horrible.  I honestly don’t like Bell or Rogers.  They’re overpriced and their customer service is atrocious.  Mind you Rogers’ network is pretty good.  They’ve had to up their game with the amount of data they give to customers having gone from 4GB a month to 10GB a month. They are about $20 more expensive a month.

What I’m trying to say is that I’m looking into the idea of just using my 2018 Apple iPad Pro and the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (256GB) model to do all of my photography and all of my computing needs.  I don’t use Photoshop or Lightroom on my iPad Pro.  Just use Pixelmator Photo on my iPad Pro to edit all of my photography.  I could use the iPhone as well to shoot all of my footage.  The iPhone has excellent video quality and it takes excellent photos.  All of this with a phone.  All my stuff would be backed up to the cloud and be accessible via WiFi with my Apple iPad Pro.  Something definitely to look into.

What’s the point of having a Point and shoot or a DSLR camera?

I’ve been thinking about the state of photography over the past decade. How things have changed in the last 10 years.  I’ve been shooting for stock photography for the past 5 years.  That’s how I make a part of my yearly income.  I’ve noticed over the past three years, while my portfolio on Shutterstock has gone up five fold, income has gone done by at least thirty to forty percent.  I’m still shooting with a Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I shot with a Sony a7II and Canon EOS 6D camera bodies with various professional f2.8 lenses costing thousands of dollars.  The return on investment has not materialized over the past several years.  I don’t shoot weddings, portraits, school kids.  I do mainly landscape and wild life stock photography.  I haven’t printed my photos in about 4 years or so as ink costs about $240.  That’s $240 for 8 cartridges to fit into my printer which lasts maybe 15-20 prints.  I don’t shoot do art shows.  Just shoot for stock.  

I’ve been thinking of getting rid of the Sony RX100 Mark VII and just shooting with the Apple iPhone 8 Plus for now.  I’m probably going to upgrade my phone to the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max in early 2020 when my contract with Freedom Mobile is up.  From what I see, the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max is an excellent phone with a fantastic camera setup.  I hardly go to Parc Omega to do wildlife photography as the park no longer offers viable spots to photograph the animals without getting some fencing or glass in the shot.  Particularly,  it’s difficult, if not impossible to photograph the Arctic or Timber wolves as there is either high fencing or glass in between my camera and the animal. 

I’d be crazy to get rid of the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  It’s a very convenient, portable Point and Shoot camera.  I can fit it into the same case as my iPad Pro and not have to worry about braking it or losing it somewhere.  I find the iPhone to be more convenient but the Sony RX100 Mark VII a far more professional camera especially for travel.

I think my next photographic purchase will be a better drone.  I don’t typically fly a drone in the winter since, by the time I get home, it’s pitch black outside.  I’m saving up my photography money for a better drone than the DJI Spark.  I don’t know what kind of drone I’ll get since I have a huge hate on for DJI and the way they treat customers.  Plus, DJI being a Chinese company does not help.  I’d rather support a Canadian or American drone company.

The future of photography

I have been pondering the future of photography over the past few days.  I started photography about 15 years ago as a hobby.  I bought a basic DSLR back in 2004.  I had no understating of ISO, aperture, shutter speed etcetera.  I learned over a few years about exposure and such.  I upgraded my equipment as well as I learned more.  I shot Canon from 2004 to about 2017 when I switched to Sony cameras.  In 2015 I started doing videos as well.  I shoot for micro stock.  Primarily landscape, wildlife and such.  No weddings, portraits, or family photography.  I really enjoy the solitude of being out in the mountains with just my Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I used to have full frame cameras such as the Canon EOS 6D and the Sony A7II.  Had pro lenses as well.  They cost a pretty penny.  Now I just use a point and shoot pocket camera.  I get the same, if not better photos out of the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I find that the experience and imagination of the photographer is more important than the equipment used.

The market is also changing.  The biggest change in the photography market I find happened in 2007 when Apple released the Apple iPhone.  That put a camera in everybody’s pocket.  The iPhone has come a long way and it completely changed the photography market.  Now anyone can be a photographer.  I’d say 98% of people can’t tell the difference between a printed photo that was shot on an iPhone 8+ or a Sony A7RIV.  In the end it’s the skill of the photographer using the equipment he/she has..

In May 2020, my contract with Freedom Mobile ends.  I want to get the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max.  I’d need at least the 256GB model.  I find the 64GB doesn’t allow that much storage for shooting 4K/60fps footage.  I want to try using just the iPhone and iPad Pro for all my photography and editing needs.  The iPad Pro is a media consumption device which doubles as a laptop replacement.  Now with IpadOS 13.2.2 released, I don’t need a physical laptop running whatever flavour of the day of O/S.

If you look at my Shutterstock portfolio, you can’t tell what camera was used to take any particular photo with a particular lens.  I have sold photos shot on the iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy s7 Edge, a Canon EOS 350D, Canon EOS 6D, Canon EOS T3i, Sony RX100 Mark IV, V, VI, VII and the Sony A7II.  I bet in that 3-5 years, DSLR’s are going to be relics of a bi gone era.  Everyone, and I mean everyone will be shooting on a smart phone.  You can see the stats now.  The big camera brands such as Canon, Nikon, Sony are seeing their camera sales falling.  There will always be a need for high definition, high mega pixel cameras for scientific research.  You can’t do astrophotography with a phone yet.  There are dedicated cameras for astrophotography.  There will a need for specialized cameras for looking at cells and microbes.  Phones won’t be able to do that yet.  Who knows what the future holds for these kinds of cameras.  100 years ago, we were learning to fly.  70 years ago, we put a man on the moon.  40 years ago, a home computer was non-existent.  20 years ago, the internet was coming into its own.  Who knows what technology is going to be invented in 20, 40, 70 or a 100 years ago.  In the Back to the Future movies we were supposed to have flying cars right now.  

Technology evolves.  Attitudes change.  Tech just gets better.  Some of it for the better and most of it for the worse as it changes society for the worse.  But that’s just my opinion.

Consolidate and simplify your photography

I started doing photography seriously back in 2006 or so.  I bought my first DSLR that year with the kit lens.  I had no idea how to use the camera at all.  I never took a class.  YouTube was not a thing back then so I couldn’t learn off of what others did.  In 2010 I took classes at my local college.  In 2017, when I was in Calgary, I was using three Canon EOS 6D bodies with three different lenses.  I left Calgary with a Sony RX10 Mark II and a Sony RX100 Mark V.  Today I shoot with the Sony RX100 Mark VII and edit everything on a 2018 Apple iPad Pro with the 12.9” screen and a 512GB hard drive.

I am consolidating and simplifying my photography setup along with the rest of my life.  In May 2020, my cellphone plan comes up.  I currently have an Apple iPhone 8 Plus which takes really good photos.  I’ve uploaded a few shots to Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and some of those photos have sold.  I’m not saying I’m going to get rid of my Sony RX100 Mark VII because it’s really an excellent camera.  It’s portable.  It’s got an amazingly wide lens at 24MM and it can extend to 200MM.   I’ve always stated that the best camera is the one you carry with you.  I always carry my iPhone 8 Plus and my Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I always have my iPad Pro with me as well.  I am totally sucked into the Apple ecosystem.  I subscribe to Apple Music and Apple TV+.  I also have the 2TB iCloud subscription.  Basically I give Apple $25 a month for the services.  I don’t use my Windows 10 laptop and my 2013 MacBook Pro.  It’s too old and slow for me now.  And Windows 10 sucks.  I really enjoy the Apple ecosystem.  It’s really seamless and works really well.

Whatever equipment you have, I hope you use it and are happy with it.  Just keep using it.  Keep learning.  Keep supporting.  And all that fun stuff.  I’m still looking forward to moving to Calgary in the spring of 2020.  

Why the Sony RX100 Mark VII is the best camera (for me)

As a stock photographer, I carry my camera with me everywhere.  It’s either in my coat, jeans or shorts pocket when I’m out and about.  it’s just the perfect camera for me.  Some may say it’s just an overpriced point and shoot that’s a bit better than a phone camera.  I actually beg to differ.  Just because it’s got a one inch sensor with an attached 24-200MM lens, doesn’t mean it’s not a professional camera.  It is a professional camera because it’s with me every minute of the day.  I was going to buy the Sony A7RII with the 24-240MM lens.  But that combination would cost me about $4000.  And that combination would not be with me all the time just because of the size.  I carry the Sony RX100 Mark VII with me everywhere along with my 2018 Apple iPad Pro.

I can do all sorts of photography with the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I can do portraiture, street, landscape and wildlife photography.  I can shoot during the day and at night as seen with the above photograph of the fireworks.  This was a 3.2” photograph at f9 and ISO 100.  No noise.  No shake since I had the camera on a tripod shooting with an intervalometer.  I can attach all the adapters I need to.  It is essentially the perfect camera for me.

I am a stock photographer

No weddings. No portraits.  No family shots.  Only landscapes of nature and wildlife.  With my Sony RX100 Mark VII and my 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  No huge cameras.  No heavy laptops.  If I need to get closer to something, I walk towards it.  If I need to be farther away from subject, I walk away from it.  Easy as that.  I enjoy my independence.  I would rather be in my car with my camera driving to somewhere new.  Photograph something new.  Experience something new.

I honestly don’t need the latest and greatest anymore.  I am truly happy with what I have.  I have the best camera.  I have the best computer.  Why?  They are always with me.  I have decided to just do photography and shoot footage with the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  High quality photography and high quality 1080p video.  4K files are way too big and take too much time to process.  The 2018 Apple iPad Pro just flies through 1080p footage.  I keep learning about the iPadOS everyday.  Learn something new with it.

April 2020, I have decided to move to Calgary and be near the mountains.  I want to pay off my debt and just live simply.  That is my goal.

More Parc Omega photography with the Sony RX100 Mark VII

So I took a day off from work last week to go to Parc Omega for the day.  We got our first snow fall of the season and I wanted to photograph some animals in the fresh snow.  I’ve been trying to convince myself that I need a full frame, high megapixel camera and a really fast computer to do landscape and wildlife photography.  That just isn’t true.  I’ve been using my Sony RX100 Mark VII camera and a 2018 Apple iPad Pro with the 12.9” screen and a 512GB hard drive for the past six months to do all my computing and photography work.  If I didn’t say what equipment I was using no one would know unless they asked and I told them what I was using.  It is not the equipment, but rather the photographer.  Photography is pretty easy to learn.  Anyone can shoot decent photos.  You just have to have an eye for it.  You have to see the composition.  You just have to take the camera with you.

The above photo was taken at Parc Omega in Montebello, Quebec.  It was taken with the Sony RX100 Mark VII, edited on a 2018 Apple iPad Pro in Pixelmator Photo.  Literally just one click and voila.  Does not take much.

Shooting panoramas with the Sony RX100 Mark VII

So shooting panoramas with the Sony RX100 Mark VII is a bit different.  The lens is equivalent to a 24-200MM on a full crop.  The above shot I had to shoot vertically composing 2 shots together and aligning them in Affinity Photo on the iPad Pro 12.9”.  Colour corrected in Pixelmator Photo.  That’s it, that’s all.  The Royal Dominion observatory has a pretty cool sundial in front of it.

I have to get used to working in Affinty Photo on the iPad.  I have two books that I have to read before I leave for Calgary in April 2020.  That is my goal.  I’m actually surprised the photos were able to be imported from the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I guess Apple updated its Raw engine in iPadOS 13.2.  I’m actually able to import all the files from the Sony RX100 Mark VII into Photos.  The Sony RX100 Mark VII came out in May and only now does Apple update the RAW engine.

On a side note, I don’t think I’ll be purchasing the Sony A7RII camera, lens and battery grip combo.  I think the Sony RX100 Mark VII is good enough for me.  The 20 megapixel, 1” sensor is big enough and good enough for the photography that I do.  I don’t want to be saddled down with a huge camera and lens combo.  Now that Apple has updated its RAW engine in the iPadOS, the Sony RX100 Mark VII is just great for me. The RX100 VII and the iPad Pro a great combination for a mobile photographer.  I’ve been looking at the Henry’s and Vistek websites and there is absolutely nothing that I want or need for my photography.  I’m probably going to give the Sony RX100 Mark VI to my girlfriend so she can do photography as well.  I’ll just buy some more batteries and another battery charger.

Photography with the Sony RX100 Mark VII

Got this resting male wood duck at Mud lake about a week ago.  I love my Sony RX100 Mark VII camera.  It’s small and compact and takes amazing photos and video.  It’s a perfect travel camera.  On my next few trips I will be taking it with me all the time.

My next goal is to get the Sony A7RII camera and the Sony f3.5-6.3 24-240MM lens with the battery grip.  I’m a small time photographer with a small blog and small portfolios on Adobe and Shutterstock so I’ll never get sponsored or have equipment sent to me.  One can only dream.  But I’m a total fan of the Sony line of cameras.  I used to shoot Canon for the longest time but I switched to Sony 2 years ago because of the technology.  Just love Sony cameras.

Review of Adobe Stock. And it’s not good.

I started with Adobe stock about 2.5 weeks ago.  I realize my portfolio is small.  About 1150 photos and clips.  I’ve sold two photos on there within the last couple of weeks.  When I started with Shutterstock, I sold a photo on my first day and I had 7 photos accepted.  My portfolio grew and so did the sales.  I have 15,000+ photos and 1,500+ footage clips on Shutterstock.  I make sales daily pretty much on Shutterstock.  Weekends are a disaster on every micro stock agency.  So I should not be surprised that I’m getting very view sales on both Adobe and Shutterstock.  I typically now sell 46 to 60 shots on Shutterstock monthly.  That’s down from 120+ monthly from 2 years ago with a portfolio that is 75% larger.  My portfolio is varied on both sites.  I’m adding to Adobe and Shutterstock daily.  I’m hoping sales increase next year when I move out west.  The last two days here in Ottawa have been miserable weather wise with rain and more rain every day.

I thought Adobe Stock would be much better than it is.  Reading the reviews of other contributors I thought I would get a few more sales than I have.  I am going to continue to upload shots that I’ve taken over the last seven or so years, picking out the best ones and adding them to both Adobe and Shutterstock if I haven’t already done so.  Pond5 and Storyblocks aren’t doing that well either.  Sales have fallen over the past two years to very minimal.  Maybe one or two sales on Pond5 a month.  Storyblocks has a subscription model on their site now.  I sell less than twenty dollars on average over the past two months which is atrocious.  

Also, I’ve decided, today, I am going to buy the Sony A7RII camera, lens and battery grip when I save enough photography money.  I want to do this as my full time job.  I will be using my Canon Vixia HF R800 for my YouTube channel I think.  As good as the Sony RX100 Mark VII is at video, the 2018 Apple iPad Pro with iPadOS just doesn’t function well.  It takes too long to import gigabytes of data just for a 10 minutes video.  The Sony file structure doesn’t work well with iPadOS.  

I just have to weather the next 5 months here in Ottawa till I move.  It’s just very depressing.

It’s not the camera

Still in a conundrum.  Luckily I have until March 2020 to make a final decision.  Now I’m leaning towards just shooting with the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the VII.  I realize the Sony A7RII has more than twice the amount of megapixels which means higher resolution photos and 4K footage.  But I mainly shoot for micro stock agencies and I’ve gotten excellent photos and 4K footage with the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I am trying to convince myself to just shoot with those cameras instead of the Sony A7RII.  I could edit the A7RII photos on my 2018 iPad Pro.  It does have enough horse power to colour grade and edit the images unlike my early 2013 MacBook Pro or my Windows 10 laptop which has 2 SSD hard drives and 32GB of RAM.  I want to be as minimalist as I can.  I don’t want to carry around large amounts of equipment.  

There are photographers with YouTube channels who shoot on Sony a6400 bodies with pretty much kit lenses.  I think I can do well with just the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the VII.  I should really save my money for a better drone than the DJI Spark.  I want to go out west and do more drone photography in the mountains.  

I think I’m just going to keep saving my photography money and finally make a decision in March 2020.  I am kind of hoping that Sony comes out with the next Sony RX100 Mark VIII which has more resolution and better battery life.  I should have about $2000US saved, if not more by March 2020 to make a good decision.

Tonight after work, I’m going out to do some more photography.  I want to go to Nepean Point and get an HDR shot of the Ottawa landscape.  It’s a sunny day right now and there are white fluffy clouds in the sky.  I hope to get some good light tonight to get a spectacular image of the Ottawa landscape.  If I do get a good image tonight I will show you here tonight.  

Just an update

I have a huge conundrum right now.  I have the Sony RX100 Mark VI and the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  They are both my primary cameras for my stock photography and landscape photography business.  I want to move away from the I.T business and do the photography business full time.  I started this I.T contract just over a month ago.  I know I’m not getting extended past December 31st of this year.  Our apartment lease is done at the end of March 2020.  At that point I want to move to Calgary to be closer to the mountains, nature and wildlife.  I am currently saving all my money for a Sony A7RII camera body, lens, battery grip.  I figure it’s going to cost me about $4500 for the camera, lens, battery grip combo.  I think the Sony A7RII is more of a professional camera setup.  Since I shoot majority stock which only requires a 5 megapixel resolution sensor.  The Sony A7RII has a 42.4 megapixel full frame sensor.  I think I would only print 13” by 19” if I choose to get back into printing my photography.  The Sony RX100 Mark VI and VII are good enough to print 13” by 19” prints.  I’m currently planning a YouTube channel as well to market my photography.  I don’t do the Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc marketing since I can’t stand Facebook and all its scary privacy breaches.

For me, it’s not the equipment that matters.  I’m more worried about the perception. The Sony RX100 line of cameras are awesome cameras for travel photography and videography.  If people see the Sony RX100 Mark VII in the field used for landscape photography versus a Sony A7RII camera with a Sony 24-240MM lens, they’re more likely to perceive better quality coming out of the bigger Sony A7RII camera.  I have until March 31, 2020 to think about my conundrum.  I love the portability of the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  It allows me to take excellent photos and videos as does the Sony A7RII camera.  I just wish my photography would sell better.

As you can probably tell, I have extreme doubt about my abilities to take this on full time.  I just don’t know if I can make it.

Adobe stock first sale

I’ve been on Adobe Stock for a week now.  I have 800+ photos on the site.  Today I sold my first photo on the site.  It’s a shot from Monument Valley which I visited about 3 years ago.  You can click the following link to see the photo and I hope you view some other photos I have for sale.  The photo is ok I guess.  Not my best work but I like it.  My plan is to add about 100-150 photos/clips a day to my Adobe portfolio.  Hopefully in a month or so, I’ll have 3-4000 photos available for sale on Adobe.  I have 15,000+ photos and 1,500+ footage clips on Shutterstock.  I hope Shutterstock lets me download my footage clips since I lost them all when my hard drive got corrupt when I moved last year.

I really fell in love with the southwest American landscape when I was there back in 2016.  I am going to move to Calgary in April of next year to be closer to the national parks in Canada and the United States.  I love photographing the landscape of the parks.  It is truly beautiful out there.  I think I won’t need a tent or anything.  Just sleep in the back of my vehicle.  The problem I’ll have is finding a toilet.  I’ll just have to watch what I eat so I don’t need to visit Mother Nature as often.

Free Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom Classic CC

As of today, I had 372 photos and videos accepted on my Adobe Stock portfolio.  As per the Adobe site, once you reach 300 photos or videos accepted, you get either the photographer or the all in package for free for a year.  You'll receive a code within 6-8 weeks to redeem this offer.  Typically I wouldn't install any Adobe stuff on my computer or at least I wouldn't pay a subscription for software.  Now that I get it for free for a year, it's not that bad.  Once the year is up though, I will of course cancel the subscription and only use Pixelmator and Affinity Photo to edit my photography.  I'm actually using that right now and submitting it to Adobe Stock.

New portfolio

Got a new place where you can buy my photography.  I've submitted my photography and footage to Adobe Stock.  I only started submitting in the last week or so.  The portfolio is small but it is growing.   So please have patience.  You can click here to see the portfolio.  It's limited right now but I'm adding photography and footage on a daily basis.  Once it gets approved, it'll be on there.  Usually takes a day or so to get approved once I submit it.

I want to give my customers choices for where to shop for my photography.  Adobe Stock is another good, quality choice.

Adobe Stock

So after a few years of avoiding the website, I am on the Adobe Stock site.  My portfolio is very small as I just started uploading there this week.  I will be working over the next 2-3 months in adding more photos and videos to the site.  I’ll be going out more on weekends doing more of my photography.  I need to add more photos and videos to my Shutterstock, Pond5, Storyblocks and now Adobe Stock portfolios.  I just want to give people more options to buy my photography and my videos.  You can also go to my own personal website and buy photos there to hang on any wall at home or office.

I wanted to go do some photography after work but it looks like we’re going to get rained on starting today and ending at some point tomorrow.  This weekend, the girlfriend and I are heading down to Lake Placid, New York.  She’s never been and I haven’t been in about 3-4 years.  The fall colours are amazing this year in the north east of Canada and the United States.  Hope you will buy some of my prints.

I am back

Well, after a few years of being permanently banned on a particular micro stock agency, I decided to try and upload some of my photography.  I added about 10 photos and 9 of the 10 were approved.  So I started adding more.  And more.  And more.  Apparently a few years back I was spamming their agency with the same photos.  Apparently I was spamming all the agencies but I was only banned from this one.  

Well, after a few years, I guess I am able to upload again.  Which is fantastic. I sold quite a few photos and clips on there.  Hopefully I can replicate the success on this site again.  I hope I sell as many photos as I do on Shutterstock on this site.  The more photo and footage sales, the better.  I just want to buy a better drone for my Ariel photography.

This is scary Shutterstock

Going on the 4th day with absolutely no sales on Shutterstock.  I've added a few new photos and vids but nothing.  No sales!!!  Nothing.  This is the longest dry spell I've had in a few years.  Sometimes I go one or two days, typically weekends without a sale.

I've taken my Sony RX100 Mark VII to work with me the last week or so.  There is absolutely nothing to photograph around the place I work at.  It's a pretty drab area of Ottawa I work at.  Nothing but buildings from the 1950's.  The area consists of buildings built in the 1950's that were used as a hospital.  Home dwellings were built in the 1950's as well so they are pretty old.  Maybe I can go for a walk tomorrow and do some black and white photography.

I am so looking forward to moving out of Ottawa and Ontario to Calgary in 2020.  I can't stand Ottawa anymore.

But, back to Shutterstock.  I a stuck at 8 sales for the month.  8 measly sales with a portfolio of 15,000+ photos and 1,500+ footage clips.  It is kinda sad.

Update:  I wrote this post and within half an hour, sold 4 photos to someone in San Diego, California.  Went to bed at about 10pm and sold another 4 photos overnight to someone.  Yup.  Thanks shutterstock.

This has become a joke

So I’m starting my third week at work and my admin account is still fubarred.  Still doesn’t work properly.  That’s one thing.  I setup my late 2013 MacBook Pro yesterday, installed the new operating system and signed up for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC.  I upgraded my Apple online storage back to 2TB.  I have about 6TB of photos on an external drive that I want to back up onto the Apple storage plan.  I doubt I’ll be able to put all of that photography on there.  I want to keep using just my 2018 Apple iPad Pro.

I am really not in a good mood today.  I created a Facebook account temporarily today.  Creeped my ex.  Learned my dog had died back in November 2018.  It was a golden lab we got back in 2009.  It was only 9 years old.  Most labs, if you take care of them live to 12-14 years old.  So Stella, died fairly young which pissed me off.  She died about 3-4 years too young.

In all honesty, I missed the dog more than I miss my ex wife.  I need to get the F out of Ontario.  Honestly.

Back to using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC

So after several months of using my 2018 Apple iPad Pro 12.9" with the 512GB hard drive, I am back to using my 2013 Apple MacBook Pro with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC.  It is totally frustrating.  I've been using my Sony RX100 Mark VII as my main photography camera.  Apple has not updated the RAW engine so my photos are incompatible with iPadOS.  They are incompatible with Windows 10 as well.  Recently Adobe released the RAW software for the Sony RX100 Mark VII and the Sony AR7 Mark IV.  I absolutely love my Sony RX100 Mark VII.  It's my go to camera/camcorder.  I know the 2013 Apple MacBook Pro can handle editing pictures and 1080 video from the Sony RX100 Mark VI and VII.  Just takes a while to edit 4K footage.  

I was at Mud Lake for a bit today and I was thinking that I really want to use the photos from the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I read somewhere online that Adobe finally updated the RAW plugins for its software suites to finally use the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I'm going to use Lightroom Classic CC on my MacBook Pro for a while.  

I really wanted to use my iPad Pro with the iPadOS but iPadOS and the photography software is just not there yet.  Maybe give it another year and it'll be there but it's not there yet unfortunately.  The apps I use have to be fully upgraded for use with iPadOS and external hard drive support.  I'm just going to use Lightroom Classic and Affinity Photo even though I do have access to Photoshop.  I like Affinity Photo much better.

Apple iPadOS 13.1.2

So I had an issue with the new iPadOS.  Some of the keys would not work when I had my Bluetooth mouse connected.  I posted the issue on the Apple Communities Support Forum about 2 weeks ago.  Today, someone posted the solution to my and others keyboard/mouse problem.  Now, I literally have no issues with the iPadOS.  I just got rid of my Windows 10 laptop permanently.  I still do have one issue with iPadOS.  I actually have the same issue on Windows 10 and Apple desktop operating system.  My Sony RX100 Mark VII is not yet supported.  Not the RAW images anyways.  That should be updated probably within a month or so.  Luckily I have my Sony RX100 Mark VI which works fine with all operating systems.  I am happy with the iPadOS now.  Thankfully.

This is hilarious

So I took another contract in I.T with the government.  Third day here and still no pass.  I have accounts and an email address.  My admin account is unusable as I can’t install/uninstall drivers, software, updates etc.  I have found the last 4 of 6 contracts to be a total sh!t show.  Third day here on the current contract and my boss took the day off.  Emailed him already and told him about my admin account and not having a building pass.  I can do the job if I have the tools.  No tools, no job.  I just can’t believe how disorganized everything is. 

If you have an iPad

If you have an iPad and are thinking about upgrading to the latest and greatest software from Apple, don’t.  Just don’t.  It’s a buggy mess.  I upgraded today thinking everything would be fine.  It’s not.  When I have Assistive Touch on for mouse support, half my keys on the Apple Keyboard Folio do not work.  All the keys from A to H work but from I to Z do not.  If I disable Assistive Touch, all the keys work.  I have a USB mouse attached to an external dock so maybe the setup is what’s causing the bug.  I ordered a Bluetooth mouse off of Amazon and it should be here in two days.  Suprisingly or not, Apple’ own Bluetooth mouse won’t work with iPadOS 13.1 which is very underwhelming and to be expected from Apple.  Also the software keyboard keeps coming up in various apps even when I disable it since I use the external keyboard.  Apple has some serious coding to do to repair a shit tonne of bugs.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who is having this issue, let alone other issues.

On a side note, the good things about iPadOS so far are that you can connect external hard drives and USB drives.  Just make sure they are formatted in APFS or your iPad won’t recognize them at all.  Once Apple fixes the mouse support, it’ll be very handy.  Some of the apps need to be updated so that we can import photos and footage directly from an external hard drive or an SD card.  That would be very useful.  That shouldn’t take more than a week or two for all the developers to get fixed.  

I do photography on the Sony RX100 Mark VI and VII.  RAW profiles are available for the Sony RX100 Mark VI but not for the VII like I was hoping for.  But with the new files system, I can at least access the footage files from the Sony RX100 Mark VII and store them on the external hard drive which is attached to the iPad Pro.  So still waiting for updates on that.

So if I were you, I’d wait until at least iPadOS 13.2 or 13.3 is released to the general public.  Until then, stay with iOS 12.4.1 or whatever you’re at now.  Let schmucks like me go through the trouble of updating our iPads early so we can go through the shit so you don’t have to.  

Edit:  The Apple Bluetooth mouse does work with iPadOS 13.1 but it screws up the iPad keyboard folio again.

Apple iPadOS is buggy as hell

So Apples iPadOS came out today and so far it's a disaster as far as my experience goes.   i use the external apple case with the keyboard.  half the keys don't work.  I have to use the on screen keyboard to type this since the eternal keyboard is pretty much useless.  Also the Apple bluetooth magic mouse doesn't work with the new operating system.  What a shit show Apple.

IOS 13 is out and it’s...

...meh.  Dark mode is nice and all and that’s about it.  Couldn’t get my Apple Bluetooth mouse to connect.  It just kept searching and searching and searching.  I don’t know I’d need mouse support on an iPhone.  The App Store app kind of a step backward.  It’s got the Arcade button at the bottom right.  I’m 44 years old.  Haven’t played games since I was 14 or 15.  So that for me is a step backward.  My iPhone 8 Plus feels a bit sluggish compared to iOS 12.  Thankfully iOS 13.1 is coming out in a few days so hopefully it’ll speed up my iPhone 8 Plus.  The camera app has been upgraded to offer more options for shooting.  I use Camera+ 2 for 98% of my iPhone 8 Plus photography.  I barely use my iPhone for photography.  Instead I use my Sony RX100 Mark VI and VII for 99.999999% of any photography and videography that I do.  So far, iOS 13 seems like a meh update for the iPhone anyways.  I’m still waiting for iPadOS to be released in 4 days.  I hope that iPadOS 13.1 will be released.  I hope my Sony RX100 VII will be supported. At least the photos would be supported with the new RAW engine updates.  

I just want to access SD cards from my iPad Pro so I can import footage from my Sony RX100 Mark VII so I can import them into LumaTouch.  I hate using WiFi to import footage clips from my external hard drive that uses WiFi.  It’s so damn slow.  I am really looking forward to the iPadOS so I can ditch my laptops, both Windows and Apple.  I love shooting 4K and photos on my Sony RX100 Mark VI and VII.  

So I’m just waiting on clearance for two contracts for my last I.T position in Ottawa.  In April 2020, I want to be in Calgary, Alberta.  I am so sick of Ottawa and Ontario.  I am so depressed right now just waiting for government security get my clearance processed.  It takes them so long.  What good a day or two a few years ago now takes weeks.  It’s not like I have a name that is so foreign.

My last I.T contract

Took on my last IT contract in Ottawa.  Haven’t started yet because Procurement is completely inept.  I’ve found over the last 4 years that working for the Canadian government is becoming a nightmare.  So much red tape.  So much BS in stopping you from where you want to go and what you want to do.  I’ve basically reached my braking point.

I’m starting my YouTube channel and getting to do more photography which I should’ve been doing anyways.  Yesterday I had some regrets in selling my Sony a7ii full frame camera and lens combo along with my Canon Vixia HF G40.  Today I’m realizing that I only need the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I’m hoping Apple holds its release date of Apple iPadOS to September 30th which is in a few weeks.  I hope the OS update includes drivers for the Sony RX100 Mark VII since the current version of iOS does not recognize the photos or the file system.  I have two external hard drives attached to the 2018 iPad Pro which are currently inaccessible.  IPadOS will change that of course.

In March of 2020, our lease is up on the apartment and it’ll be time to move.  I’m moving out west regardless if my girlfriend comes or not.  I just can’t stand Ottawa anymore.  I can’t stand the weather here anymore. The summers are hot and the winters are cold.  The humidity sucks here in the summer.  The bugs don’t help either.  Calgary doesn’t have that which is fantastic.  Hopefully I’ll be able to support us or myself on photography and YouTube.  I hope.  

5000

5 years and 6 months later.  I made it to 5000 sales on Shutterstock.  Should have taken me less than year.  LOL  But I will take it.  I have 15,261 photos and 1,544 footage clips on Shutterstock.  I should have started shooting footage a lot sooner.  Footage makes up about a third of my sales as far as dollar value goes.  

My next big milestone I would like to reach in the next year or so is get my sales to $10,000 so I get the final raise on Shutterstock.  I'm earning $0.36 a photo right now.  It would go up to $0.38 for the most basic of photos.

Tomorrow is my 44th birthday so this is a nice present to reach.  Hopefully on my 45th birthday I'll be over the $10,000 mark and the 10,000th sale.   Wishful thinking I think.

Finally on Youtube

So I decided for a different format for my YouTube channel.  I hate being on camera so I will just combine all my photos and video clips and put them into a video.  I don't have any experience with film making so I will learn along the way.  I hope you join me https://bit.ly/2kGDsso.

Apple has become a joke

I’ve been using an assortment of Apple products for the past 15 years or so.  I started with a Mac Mini.  I upgraded the hard drive and RAM in that machine.  Now, you can’t upgrade anything since all the parts such as the RAM and hard drive are soldered onto the motherboard of every Apple computer from the iMac Pro to the new Mac Mini.  That’s just the computer hardware side of things.  The iPhone lineup is a joke as well.  Minimal upgrades every year it seems like.  This years new iPhone Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max is a joke.  If I want a real camera, I’ll grab my Sony RX100 Mark VI or Mark VII.  I don’t even consider using my iPhone 8 Plus as my main camera.  The Sony RX100 Mark VI is the perfect travel camera I don’t even use the iPhone for anything but making phone calls and watching the occasional YouTube video.  My iPhone is a phone and and iPod.

The thing that irks me the most now is the software upgrades.  The Apple software is buggy and unstable.  Almost unreliable.  I was hoping that iPadOS would come out when iOS 13 for the iPhone came out on September 19th, 2019.  Nope.  It’ll take an extra week and a half for iPad OS to come out.  More beta testing is needed for iPadOS 13.1.  iPadOS 13 is more than likely not going to come out.  Us iPad Pro users will likely get iPadOS 13.1 on September 30th, 2019.  Luckily I still have my Asus ROG gaming laptop to edit photos and videos on.

On another side note, I start a new job on September 16th, 2019.  It runs till the end of December 2019 with a good chance of extension.  I’m hoping I get extended until March 31, 2020.  Then we just move to Calgary, Alberta.  I am so sick of Ottawa.  It’s so depressing living here.  I want to pay off some credit card debt and then take a week or two to get to Calgary in April 2020.  I cannot stand Ottawa anymore.

I’m studying and learning how to use Affinity Photo for the Apple iPad Pro.  I have it on my laptop as well but I’m finding that I am using the iPad Pro more.  With Apple iPadOS coming out at the end of the month, I’ll be able to use the iPad Pro for 100% of my work.  Hopefully Apple will upgrade the RAW drivers to include the Sony RX100 Mark VII so I’ll be able to use the Sony RX100 VII with the Apple iPad Pro.

My most popular photograph

I was in Banff, Alberta when I took this photograph: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rocky-mountains-on-spring-day-615715556.  When I took the photo, I thought it was just a generic mountain shot.  The lighting was harsh since it was taken at mid day.  I did not like the photo in colour.  I converted it into black and white.  I uploaded it to Shutterstock and hoped that it would be at least accepted.  It was accepted a few days later and at that point I thought it would never sell.  At all.  Today it sold 3 times.  It's sold for a grand total of 225 times since April 2017 becoming my most popular photograph ever on Shutterstock.  I have it on my own website as well if you would like to purchase it and hang it on your wall:  http://josefpittner.photos/featured/14-the-rockies-josef-pittner.html.  This photo is the reason I want to go back to Alberta as soon as possible and get more shots like this.  I do miss the mountains of Alberta.  I miss being outdoors in the Rocky mountains.  I want to go to all the national parks in Canada and the USA that are located in the west.  I believe it is my calling.

Become a Shutterstock contributor

Want to earn a passive income with your photography, sign up to be a Shutterstock photographer.  I signed up to Shutterstock back in May 2014.  I started off with 7 out of 10 photos being accepted.  Trying to get accepted was a lot harder back then, than it is now.  Currently you have have to have 1 out of 10 photos accepted.  I had to get 7 out of 10.  It took me a while to get accepted.  Back then I thought my photography was great.  In focus with no noise at all.  It took me a while to figure out what Shutterstock wanted.  Almost six years later, I have over 15,500 photos accepted and over 1,500 footage clips accepted.  I regularly make payout which is not hard to do.  Just sell $35 worth of photography or footage.  If you sell one clip a month, you'll make payout easily.  I think I haven't make payout once in the last 4 years or so.  You can sign up by clicking on this link https://submit.shutterstock.com/?ref=1070795.  It will take you to the Shutterstock website and all you have to do is create an account, upload some ID and then start uploading.  I've submitted photos from various cameras including my old Samsung Galaxy s7 Edge, my current Apple iPhone 8 Plus.  I also have pictures taken with a Canon EOS 350D which is an old camera by todays standards.  Equipment does not matter anymore it seems.  Just start.

Wow Apple,that was really...

...underwhelming.  Arcade, Apple Watch, new bands, retail?  New Apple iPhone 11 and the Apple iPhone 11 Pro?  I don’t use my phone for the majority of my photography, let alone shoot my footage.  I was hoping for more information on new laptops, the Mac Pro, iPadOS, iOS13.  But nothing.  Just new phones and services I have no interest in.  I am so disappointed with Apple right now.  No information or updates on iPadOS.  Nothing.

I was going to do a livestream of myself reacting to the September 10, 2019 event.  I’m glad I didn’t.

Just read on Macworld.com that iPadOS will be available September 19th.  A week from this Thursday.  IOS 13.1 will be available on September 30th, 2019 which is pretty specific for a dot one release.  Why couldn’t Apple say this in their presentation?  I want a fully functional 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  IOS 12 is a disaster.  IPadOS is much more feature rich and it’ll make the iPad Pro usable.

Edit:  iPad OS 13 will be available on September 30th of this year with iPad OS 13.1 being available the same day.  WTF Apple?  This is really confusing.  IOS 13 will be available on September 19th for the iPhones.  God!!!!! Another 20 days with iOS 12.4.1!!!!!!  I so wanted to only use my 2018 Apple iPad Pro with iPadOS 13 ASAP.

It’s happening again

So I’ve been looking for another job for the past few weeks.  Could not find anything at all.  Now I’m getting multiple calls for contracts.  Today I got three calls asking if I was available.  Of course I am.  The one job from SSC sounds interesting.  They’d fly me out to the maritimes for a week or so and out to Vancouver.  If I get his job, I’ll of course be bringing you Sony RX100 Mark VII and my 2018 iPad Pro.  

I just hope that Apple will release the new iPadOS by then.  I don’t like using my Windows 10 laptop.  It’s not bad but it’s just the form factor that I do not like.  I used my Canon Vixia HF R800 this morning to do a sort of introductory and RX100 Mark VII review.  I can actually import the HF R800 footage onto my iPad Pro and work on it in LumaTouch.  I just have to go home and upload the video.  I have 20 megabit upload at home which is about 10 times faster than the Timmies WIFI.  I did not know that the Canon Vixia HF R800 footage would import onto the iPad Pro.  Learn new things every day.  Now I have to learn how to use LumaFusion on the iPad Pro.  Too bad I can’t import the Sony RX100 Mark VII footage onto the iPad Pro yet.

I hope, I hope I get one job so I can pay off my credit card debt by March of 2020.  I don’t want to be in Ottawa anymore.  I totally miss being out in Calgary and the mountains.  It’s such a different lifestyle out there then it is here in boring Ontario.  

DJI Mavic Air

So now that I’ve got the perfect camera setup for me with the Sony RX100 Mark VII, I’m looking at getting an upgraded drone.  I currently have the DJI Spark.  It’s an ok drone.  It’s really a starter drone that you can learn on.  It shoots 1080p video at 30fps and it only does JPEG photography.  I shoot all my photos in the RAW format for greater control.  I also want to start doing 4K footage from a drone.

I have been watching a lot of aerial shots of the Rocky Mountains on YouTube.  Before I go out west for good, I want to get a better drone.  I have decided on the DJI Mavic Air.  If you like some of my photography, please purchase a print at my print site by going to josefpittner.photos. That would be greatly appreciated.

I made a mistake

When I got the Sony RX100 Mark VII a few weeks back, I ordered the mic which I thought was correct.  It was not.  Found the correct one, purchased it yesterday and it arrived  today.  Thank you Amazon Prime.  Will be sending the incorrect one back on Monday.  The new Mic works wonders.  :)

I miss the Rockies

I miss the mountains.  I was in Calgary, Alberta back in 2017 for work for the National Energy Board.  Came back in July 2017 and since then I've had a need to go back.  I miss the mountains.  I miss the lakes.  I miss the rivers.  I miss the forests.  I miss the mountains.

Yes, I'd miss stuff in Ottawa.  Friends and stuff.  Going to Parc Omega occasionally.  I think I've only been there a few times this year.  It's basically gotten to the point where it's unphotographable with all the fencing and the new design of the park.

I need to be out west.  Like yesterday.

I don't like being in front of a camera

I really don't like being in front of the camera lens.  I really don't.  I'm very self conscious.  I don't like the sound of my voice, let alone how I look.  I'm 43 years old.  I should not be this self conscious.  Especially in 2019.  I'm not a high school teenager anymore.  I went out today to do a video blog today for YouTube.  Unfortunately the little mic I bought off Amazon was the wrong one so no audio at all.  First world problems.  Ordered the correct one when I got home.  Should be here tomorrow.  Thanks free Amazon Prime.  😇

Patreon

Signed up to Patreon here.

Photo sales suck

Last month I only sold two footage clips for a whopping $79.20 and photo sales were a measly $41.62.  August sucked and September is looking like it's not getting any better.  This makes me hesitant to go out full time to be a full-time photographer.  I have 15,258 photos and 1,544 footage clips on Shutterstock.  On Pond5, I have 1528 clips and 2024 photos.  On Storyblocks, I have 2,148 items from photos and video clips.

I have a really, really strong urge to do the travelling photographer bug.  I've had it since about 2014.  I really, really want to do it but I have a fear of not being able to support the travel.  I want to travel full time in my 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport AWD SUV.  I want to do it in Canada and the United States full time.  I'm going to have a hard time in the States because of not having a work visa or a green card.  I will have to do a lot of research on how people support themselves on the road while travelling.  

If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

I forgot I have a...

...DJI Spark drone that I can fly.  Time to go out and fly the drone.  Take some ariel shots and some ariel footage.  I haven't flown the drone in months.  I think it's time.

Fireworks with the Sony RX100 Mark VII

Used some Sony software to edit these shots of the fireworks I took on August 21, 2019 with the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I've uploaded them to all my portfolios such as Shutterstock, Pond5 and Storyblocks.  Hopefully they'll be approved soon and will be available for sale.  It was windy that night so all the fireworks were being blown to our left.  It added to the perspective for sure.

Finally pushed over the edge

I have been pushed over the edge.  I've been pushed to do the photography full time now.  After 19 years of doing the I.T. career thing, I'm done with it.  It no longer makes me happy.  Actually, I haven't been happy with it for about 4 years now.  

Back in October of 2010, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer.  That was a shock.  I had my first surgery in November 2010.  I had my surgery on a Wednesday.  The following day, I got a phone call from the agency that I was working for at the time that my employer no longer needed my services.  A few years later, I came to find out my boss, whom I worked for for 2.5+ years thought I did nothing anyways.  Her words.  Why keep me for 2.5+ years if I did nothing?  Had my second surgery in August of 2011 because the cancer had come back into my lymph nodes behind my stomach.  I was on the table for 9 hours being dissected like a pig.  I was told to basically stay home from November 2010 to September 2011 when I was going through the cancer battle.  

From April 2010 to May 2012, I was taking photography classes at Algonquin College.  From November 2010 to September 2011, I was battling cancer, chemotherapy and finally my 9 hour surgery.  I missed once class during this time.  The only reason I didn't go to that class was because I was stuck in a hospital bed.  I was in the hospital for 5 days.  I hated those 5 days with a passion.  I could not even wipe my own ass because I was being pumped with pain drugs.  They finally let me go because I could finally take a crap.  It took me three or four weeks to recover at home.  My license was suspended and my then wife had to go to work.  I was basically stuck at home alone with my dog which wasn't that bad having a perfect golden retriever at home with me.

All through that one year, the only thing that kept me was my photography and my dog.  My soon to be ex-wife was a complete bitch.  So was her mother.  Come 2015, I finally got a divorce.  Best thing ever.  Through cancer and my divorce, photography kept me going.  I miss my dog too.  

I am having a really hard time in 2019 again.  The last couple of contracts have been a farce.  Basically I come to do a certain job and it's the polar opposite of what I'm supposed to be doing.  The people I worked with were uncaring, unsympathetic bleep bleeps.  Keeping it PG here.  I'm basically done with the whole I.T. thing in Ottawa.

The only good thing about doing the I.T. thing is that in 2017, just as I was starting to date my current girlfriend, I got a short contract in Calgary, Alberta for 4 months.  That is when I fell in love with Calgary, Alberta and the mountains.  Since then, I've been wanting, needing to go back.  I can't stand it here in Ottawa anymore.  The weather and people suck.  No one will give you a chance.  You need to have 5-10 years experience before you're given a chance to prove yourself.  Even with nineteen years worth of experience in I.T, I have either too much or too little experience in doing something.

I really want and need to move out west to Calgary or somewhere close to Calgary and do landscape, nature, wildlife photography full-time.  I know it's going to be hard.  It's going to mean long hours but I've been through worse.  Damn, I beat cancer.  If cancer can't stop me, nothing else will.

If you're a photographer out in Alberta and you need help, hit me up.  Message me through the blog here or email me at joe @ joeknows.photos.  I'm a good guy.  My photography is pretty good I think.  It could always be better.  I could always sell more on Shutterstock, Pond5 or Storybooks.  I'm a good guy and a hard worker.  Just don't screw with me.  I hold grudges.  For a long, long time.  LOL

Apple and Microsoft need updates

Both Microsoft and Apple need to release their Digital Raw updates to support new cameras that have come out onto the market in the last month or so.  Apple is hopefully releasing their new iPadOS, their iPad Pro centric OS in the next two weeks.  I have the new Sony RX100 Mark VII camera and I can't use any of the pictures yet because they're not supported in any of the software such as Apple Photos on the iPad Pro or ON1 Photo RAW 19.5 running on Windows.  I've had the camera for 2.5 weeks now and it's basically unusable for me on the iPad Pro.  I can grab the videos from the RX100 VII and import them into Wondershare's Filmora 9.  I really just want to actually start using the camera at 100% of its capabilities  Hopefully all the necessary updates will be released in the next couple of weeks.

Photography equipment

Throughout the past decade or so, I’ve used various photography equipment to take various photos,  If you look at my Shutterstock portfolio, you will not be able to tell what camera body and lens took what photo or piece of footage.  Camera equipment is now ubiquitous.  I’ve been photographing the world around me for over 10 years now.  I’ve used various camera bodies and lenses from various manufacturers such as Sony and Canon.  The best camera I’ve ever used is the one I carry with me all the time.  No it’s not an Apple or a Samsung phone.  Although I’ve used them for some of my micro stock agency work and I’ve sold a few iPhone photos, the majority of my photos have come from a DSLR or the Sony RX100 line of cameras.  Back in 2017, when I was in Calgary for an I.T contract, I sold all my Canon DSLR equipment and went fully Sony Hybrid cameras. Particularly the Sony RX10 Mark II.  I did not want to lug around 25-30 pounds of equipment on my back while on a 20km hike through the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

It’s not the equipment you use.  Equipment gets upgraded by manufacturers monthly who come out with new features in their cameras.  Through out my 10 plus years of being in the industry, I’ve gone from the Canon Rebel line of cameras to full frame Canon bodies and Canon f2.8 lenses to just using a Sony RX100 Mark VI point and shoot camera.  Yes, the Sony RX100 VI and VII cost $1600 Canadian.  I fell victim to the “I have to have the latest and greatest” philosophy to compete with the neighbour.  I’ve had other photographers come up to my while I’m shooting with just the Sony RX100 Mark VI and tell me that I absolutely need this camera body with this lens combination to get the perfect shot.  They tell me the Sony RX100 VII is not a real camera because it can’t do this like their “pro” camera.  If you think you’re pro because you have this camera/lens combination, you are not a pro.  You’re just some guy or girl who has this camera/lens combination.  I’ve seen photographers run circles around other photographers with an Apple iPhone while these pro photographers use a 45 megapixel body with a 200-600MM lens that cost $14,000.  

A camera is just a tool like a hammer or saw.  It’s the person using that tool that makes the difference.  Always has been.  Always will be.  If you go to my Shutterstock portfolio, you will not be able to distinguish what camera and lens combo shot what photo.  And in the end, you won’t care.  As of right now, I have 15,255 photos and 1,544 clips on my Shutterstock portfolio.  All shot with different equipment.  If you’re looking for a photographer right now and they tell you that they have the latest and greatest equipment, tell them it doesn’t matter what they have.  Ask them if they know how to use it.  You’re hiring the photographer, not the equipment.

Pixelmator Pro for the Apple iPad Pro

Pixelmator Pro for the Apple iPad Pro is an amazing piece of software.  You can pretty much do everything you want in the app.  I removed a few unwanted objects in this photo and edited a few other settings such as Brightness, colour correction, contrast, dark and light points and saturation.  It’s an amazing piece of an app.  I can edit a photo in a minute and a half and have it come out the way I want.  I love shooting with my Sony RX100 Mark VI and then editing everything on my Apple iPad Pro.

Tall Boats Festival in Brockville, Ontario with the Sony RX100 Mark VI

The girlfriend, her niece and the niece’s son and I went down to see the Tall Ships in Brockville, Ontario today just for the day.  I took my Sony RX100 Mark VI with me.  I didn’t take the Sony RX100 Mark VII with me because Apple has not upgraded the RAW portion of iOS yet so don’t have access to the RAW files through iOS 12 yet.  Probably will be there with iPadOS which should come out in the next three weeks.

Shot this photo at f9, ISO100 at roughly 1/100th of a second.  Edited in Pixelmator Pro on the 2018 Apple iPad Pro with the 512GB hard drive and 12.9” screen.  Just a fantastic combination for me.  Photos are sharp and colour accurate which is all I ask for.  Cropped this photo a bit considering there was a lot of the St. Lawerence Seaway underneath the boat.  It was a good time.

I think it’s time

Over the past year, I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos on photography, travel photography etc.  I’m so wanting to do it.  Just go out and travel full time with just my cameras and document my life on YouTube.  The only thing I fear is a lack of income.  I make ok money selling my stuff on places like Shutterstock, Pond5 and Storyblocks.  But not enough to make car payments, insurance, buy gas, upkeep on the vehicle.  The thing that makes me want to do it is when I was out west in Calgary for 4 months back in 2017.  I want to do photography and shoot videos full time.  I don’t want a boss.  I want to be boss.  I hate working in a cubicle dealing with office politics, the pettiness and the other BS that comes with office jobs.  Especially here in Ottawa being a government town, it’s just a hundred times worse because Ottawa is a politics town since it’s the capital of Canada.

Tomorrow I want to get new tires for my vehicle since I need them badly before winter comes.  I bought an air mattress and a couple of sleeping bags thinking this summer I’d be doing more camping on weekends.  Instead I do nothing except go to church on Sunday because the girlfriend enjoys doing that.  I totally feel left out.  I think it’s time to make a whole bunch of changes in my life.  I’m getting up there in age.  I’ll be 44 in about 3 weeks and I feel like life is just passing me by.

My Sony RX100 Mark VII is almost setup.  I’m getting my Lensmate attachment today along with a whole bunch of filters.  Now I just need Apple to hurry up and release the Photo Raw updates so I can actually use the Sony RX100 Mark VII with my 2018 Apple iPad 12.9” and I can ditch all the laptops that I’m currently using

I have a question for anyone reading this and doing the full time travel thing.  Where do you get your income?  YouTube, Shutterstock, an online store, working temp jobs somewhere for a week or so and then leaving?  I am so open to suggestions.  Please let me know.

My new Sony setup for everything

My new vlogging, footage and photography setup consistes of a Saramonic SmartMic, Sony GPVPT1 Grip trip and the Sony RX100 Mark VII.  I'm in no need of a full frame DSLR or any DSLR camera.  The thing that changed my mind was when I was out in Calgary, Alberta back in 2017.  I was in the mountains carrying three camera bodies with three different lenses.  I also had a camcorder with me.  It was about 30 pounds of equipment on my back. 

About 4 years ago, I had enough Aeroplan loyalty points to get a Sony RX100 Mark II point and shoot camera. It was a great little camera.  I thought I would use it for street photography when I was in the city.  At the time I didn't think it was capable of doing much of anything.  It didn't shoot 4K video.  The photos were really good.  The tech in the camera was good for 2015.  

Fast forward to 2019.  I'm using just the Sony RX100 Mark VII for pretty much everything as far as photography goes.  With the f2.8-4.5 24-200MM lens, I can go and photography anything, anywhere without being noticed.  I've shot fireworks with the Sony RX100 Mark VI at ISO 100 f9 and roughly 24MM aperture.  I don't get any noise in the photos.  They're super sharp and the colour is awesome.  I have to say that it's not as good as Canon's colour science but with a firmware update or two, it will be.

A few years back, I didn't do footage.  Hated it.  Than for poops and giggles I shot some footage of a coyote at Parc Omega and uploaded it to Shutterstock., Pond5 and Storyblocks.  It sold within two weeks on Shutterstock for $120 and I was hooked on shooting footage.  With my recent experience with working for the government, I sense it's futile to try and get any more contracts with the agencies to try and get in with the government.  My past three contracts have been an utter disaster.  From being mismanaged, lied to about my job description, I've pretty much given up on working for the government.

Once Apple iPadOS comes out I can ditch the Windows 10 laptop and just work off the 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  Apple hasn't updated it's RAW photo software yet so that I can work on the Sony RX100 Mark VII photos.  You cannot import the footage from the Sony RX100 Mark VII to the iPad Pro.  Can't stand Apple for that.  Apple finally listened to its customers and we'll be able to transfer RAW photos and footage files directly to an external hard drive.  We'll have mouse support as well which is going to be awesome.

I am honestly really sick of working for the government doing the I.T thing.  I'm just not enjoying it.  I'm 43 years old and not living the life I want.  I hate where I live.  By that, I mean the province.  Not the apartment.  I love my girlfriend to bits.  I would rather live the nomadic life doing the photography thing.  You know, shooting landscape and real wild life photos.  I think by this time next year, we'll be out in Calgary doing something completely different.  Or at least I will be.