New laptop. No Adobe products whatsoever.

 So I got a new Dell XPS 17" 9700 Windows 10 Pro based laptop.  The laptop has an Intel i7-10750H CPU clocked at 2.60GHz which goes up to 5.0GHz I believe.  I got RAM maxed out at 64GB which runs at 2966MHz which is fast but it's not the fastest out there.  It still beats the RAM that Apple puts in its MacBook Pro laptops.  I maxed out the hard drive specs as well going with the 2TB of storage.  The nice thing about this laptop is that it takes 2 internal NVME m.2 SSD drives.  I have one on order coming in this Tuesday.  I also bought two Samsung portable SSD T5 accounts.  They're both 2TB SSD drives and are awfully quick.  The 4K 17" laptop is spectacular. 

I got the laptop for editing photos and videos that I submit to micro stock agencies.  I tested out Adobe Lightroom CC yesterday and the computer almost caught fire because the fans were working so hard and fast, the laptop nearly elevated itself.  I have the Affinity suite of software installed on my new laptop.  No issues whatsoever.  The computer is very silent.  The fans don't turn on and the computer doesn't want to melt away from the heat.

Adobe needs to completely rewrite its software.  And I mean all of the software.  For the system to ramp up like that where the fans are at 100% is unacceptable.  I tried editing photos in Lightroom CC and it was such an awful experience.  Affinity Photo is so much better.  I also purchased the Luminar Suite of photo editing apps and they run silent as well without the fans ramping up.  I haven't tried editing any video yet as I need to go shoot some footage.  I use Wondershare Filmora Pro to edit videos.  I will be testing that over the weekend.

Overall I'd give this laptop a 10/10 on performance.  The laptop also looks and feels fantastic.  I don't think I'd be going back to an Apple laptop or desktop for a while. 

Shutterstock is bad for your photography business

 

Yes.  You read that right.  Shutterstock is dead.  Whoever uploads to the site is a total moron.  Why would you upload your images or videos to a site that pays you pennies on the dollar?  I sell my photography and videos on various sites including 123RF, Adobe Stock, Bigstock, Canstock, Deposit Photos, Dreamstime, Pond5, and Storyblock.  I also sell on Fine Art America and Redbubble along with my own website.  All of my sites outsell Shutterstock.  I sell one photo on Canstock for 25 cents to several dollars and still outsell Shutterstock.  I so far have sold 18 photos on Shutterstock this month for a grand total of $4.24.  On Canstock, I’ve sold 2 photos this month for roughly $17.  Tell me how Shutterstock is better than any other site?  They’ve almost won the race to the bottom but iStock beat them to eat several years ago when they started selling our photos for $0.10 a photo and even less.  I closed my iStock account in 2019.  I still get sales for a whopping $0.07, $0.08 and $0.09 a piece.  December of 2020, I got a $75 sale of a picture on Shutterstock and that was the biggest sale I got there since January of 2020.  

Dealing with companies like iStock and Shutterstock is just not worth the time.  It’s actually insulting.  I look at the comments sections of Shutterstock and people get butt hurt if Shutterstrock doesn’t approve their photos.  Why would you even bother uploading anything to Shutterstock or iStock when they’ll sell your photos for $0.10 a photo and $0.24 for a 4K video clip?  Why?  Why would you do that to yourself?  Why do that to your business?  

Even if you’re uploading shots you took with your Android or iPhone?  It’s just not worth it.  Shutterstock and iStock have killed the microstock photography business.  Stop supporting them if you’re a photographer/videographer or a buyer!!!!  Just stop!!!!

More Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max photography

 

So that fiancée and I decided to go for a drive down to Brockville, ON this past weekend.  It’s one of our favourite places to go as the city is small and it has a lot of parks.  Brockville, ON is located on the St. Lawrence Seaway.  Across the river is New York State which you can see in the above photo.  I keep using the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with 512GB internal hard drive.

I edit all my photography on the 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  Apple is supposed to come out with a brand new iPad Pro this year.  Hopefully it’ll come out in March.  I’m thinking of upgrading the iPad Pro since my current iPad Pro is 3 years old now.  I upgrade my equipment every 3 years with the exception of the iPhone which is every 2 years.  But I think I’ll be keeping the iPhone 12 Pro Max for 3-4 years.  We shall see what Apple does.  If they release a new iPad Pro this year.  I prefer the 12.9” version.  I’ll probably get the 12.9” version with the 1TB hard drive.

Costco + Social Distancing = Not gonna happen

Went to pick up some meds at Costco yesterday.  Small business’ are closed due to Covid.  But pack a Costco with a 1000+ people and it’s fine.  What could possibly go wrong?  

Oh yeah, the photo was shot with the iPhone camera app.  ProRaw was used of course.  Not much was edited.  Just used Pixelmator Photo on it 2018 iPad Pro.

IOS 14.3 and ProRaw photography

 

Cold and windy outside.  High of just minus thirteen degrees Celsius today.  Took a few quick shots of the Air and Space museum located in Ottawa today.  I used the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max using iOS 14.3.  This is the baked in app on the iPhone.  Shot with the Camera app using the ProRaw option.   Absolutely love doing photography just with the iPhone.  No lugging around a camera body and huge lens.  The ability to shoot in Raw natively in the Camera app on the iPhone is very freeing.  Today was windy and cold.  Lasted maybe a few minutes outside.

All I need now for my landscape photography is my iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPad Pro.

It has started

 

So yesterday I grabbed my tripod and my newly acquired Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB of internal storage and went out for a short photo walk.  I photographed the Parliament buildings, the Supreme Court of Canada building and the National Arts Centre.  On my way back to the parking garage, I caught the above shot.  The building is part of the World Exchange Plaza located in downtown Ottawa.  Yesterday was a cool and brisk day.  I think the high was around -4 degrees Celsius with some wind.  I am totally impressed with the quality of the camera on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.  The HDR photos and video are simply stunning.  This photo was taken at about 3:30pm with a setting sun in the west.  I think today is supposed to be the same in the afternoon so I’ll just go around the Ottawa downtown core and just do some handheld photography with the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The video sizes are simply immense coming from the iPhone 12 Pro Max.  On Saturday, the fiancee and I went up for drive up to the Ottawa Valley.  I decided to use the Filmic Pro app on my iPhone and do a whole video of driving from Arnprior to Ottawa.  The 50 or so minute drive was about a 50GB file.  This is the reason I got the 512GB storage option on the iPhone.  It also took a while to Airdrop the file from the iPhone to my iPad Pro.  The iPad Pro handled the 50GB HDR video file a champ.  It’s on my YouTube channel if you want to check it out.  Here is the link.

The malls are empty

 I’ve been picking up accessories for my new Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max this past week.  I’ve gone to one of the larger malls located in the west end of Ottawa this past week.  The mall is 90% empty.  There is maybe 10% of the people that are typically there.  It’s still a few weeks before Christmas but this particular mall and all the other malls in Ottawa are typically full of people.  But this year, all the malls are void of people.  You had a few thousand people in the malls at this time last year.  This year, it’s less than a few hundred.  There is hardly anyone there.  I went to this particular mall around 3:30pm on a Wednesday and Thursday night and it’s empty.  No one is doing any in person shopping.  The Apple store located in this mall is pretty empty.  You have maybe 20 employees if that and you got people lining up outside because they have one or two people at a time.

The rona virus is making people miserable and mean.  I think this is another reason I want to get out of Ottawa and Canada actually.  They say Canadians are nice and all, but in fact they are the complete and total opposite.  Just mean, grumpy a-holes for the most part.

On a brighter note, the above shot was taken with my new Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the ultra wide lens.  For me now, there is no point in carrying around my Canon PowerShot G7X Mark III or my Sony a7R Mark II.  I don’t think I’ll be using my camcorders either.  Next week, I’ll have more time after work to do some more photography and testing out the new iPhone for photography and videography.  I fortunately have the last two weeks of December off because the department is really slow and there aren’t that many people at work anyways.  Actually there aren’t any people in my building at work at all.  There are more security and cleaning staff than actual government employees.  

My fiancee and I are going to the Greater Toronto Area during Christmas to visit my fiancees sister.  So the iPhone 12 Pro Max (512GB storage edition) will be coming with me.  I think we’ll be hanging around Niagara Falls and the downtown core.  I’ll take my Sony a7R Mark II with me just in case.  It’s still a good camera for night time photography because of the full frame sensor.  We shall see.

So just one more thing

 

So I have one more thing to pick up today at the Apple store at the Bayshore shopping centre.  It’s the Apple wireless charger for my Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB internal storage option.  Then off to do photography with just the iPhone 12 Pro Max.  

With the iPhone, my photography style will change I think.  I’m going to be going more stealth mode inside shopping malls and office buildings.  Hopefully, if they get approved on Adobe Stock (probably not), they’ll start selling.  Those pesky property releases are a pain in the butt.  

I am also hoping iOS 14.3 comes out soon as well.  Can’t wait for the ProRaw option on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.  Raw files allow you to better edit your photography.  Gives you more options to edit your photography.  I’m hoping Apple Photos will be updated to handle the ProRaw files on my 2018 Apple iPad Pro.  

2021 has to be much better than 2020.  2020 is total gong show.  This year has totally sucked travel wise, freedom wise and every other thing.

iPhone photography. Just iPhone photography

 

I am thinking of selling off all my photography gear like my Sony a7R Mark II, my Sony FDR AX-53B, Canon Vixia G50 and my Canon Powershot G7X Mark III.  I haven't touched any of them in weeks since I don't like to carry so much equipment with me.

When Apple release iOS 14.3, all Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max shooters will be able to shoot in Raw mode.  That is a huge improvement for iPhone photography.  I do mainly landscape photography right now along with cityscapes.  I hardly do any night time photography or early morning photography.  The iPhone 12 Pro Max has excellent lenses on the phone and they're only to get better.  I have enough storage on the phone and the iPad Pro that it won't be a hinderance at all.  I have the phone with me all the time.  I don't carry around the big cameras.  

I don't do photography people or animals.  I don't do any studio work.  Mostly I am outside in nature.  It will also help with the minimalism type of life style I'm developing.  By spring of next year I want to be out in western Canada and away from the miserable and bleak landscape of Ottawa and eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

I've noticed with the iPhone 12 Pro Max I hardly use the battery.   I use maybe 30% of the battery with all day use listening to music, checking emails and watching YouTube videos.  I am so engrained in the Apple eco-system, it's hard for me to leave.  My current 2018 Apple iPad Pro with the 512GH internal hard drive and the 12.9" screen is a fantastic complement to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

I want to start creating more and more YouTube videos to sell my existing photography on the various micro stock sites and my own site.  The iPhone 12 Pro Max will definitely be useful for that.

Finally got everything I need

 So I got the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB of internal storage which is more than enough to shoot 4K/60FPS video.  It's also more than enough to do a lot of photography with the phone.  Yesterday I bought the Apple 12 Pro Max Clear case with Magsafe.  This case allows me to connect my external Shure MV88 microphone without any obstruction.  

The bad thing over the last couple of weeks is that the weather here in Ottawa has been a total crapshoot.  It's either raining or snowing.  It's been cloudy for pretty much everyday for the past month or so.  I think we've had maybe one or two somewhat sunny days here since October.  Up until 2 weeks ago, we had what's called a Bermuda warm front come through Ottawa so we had several nice warm days.  Now, not so much.  It's been just above 32 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and below freezing at night.  

When I leave for work at 7am, it's dark and when I go home at 4pm it's dark.  I hardly take breaks and my lunch is short.  So getting out do do any photography during the day is pretty much non existent.    I am not making any excuses but I've been off work since April 1st till the end of October.  So I kinda value my job for the income.  I'm going to do more photography now and I'll be doing YouTube videos as well.

iOS 14.2 is pretty solid and stable.  Just waiting for iOS 14.3 to come out as the native camera app will be able to support proRAW natively on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.  Currently I am using Camera+ 2 as my main photography app.  For video, I'm using the Filmic app.  All are pretty easy and functional apps to use on the iPhone.

Everything is edited on my 2018 Apple iPad Pro with the 12.9" screen and 512GB worth of storage.  Plus I have 4TB of iCloud storage which is pretty sweet.  This is the whole reason I cannot or will not leave the Apple eco-system.  I'm just too far ingrained and used to the Apple eco-system.  I just want to go out and shoot with the iPhone.  

I really want to go shooting with the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

really want to go do some photography and capture some footage with the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.  I ordered the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max on November 15, 2020 and got it on November 28, 2020.  It was supposed to take 3-4 weeks to get to me.  Luckily I got it in 2 weeks as I was able to pick it up at the FedEx depot near the Ottawa International Airport.  Didn’t get a chance to go yesterday as I was at my parents place for dinner as they are flying into Florida this coming Wednesday.  Today is Monday and I’m stuck inside a boardroom all day at work.  From the looks of the weather radar, it’s raining pretty hard outside.  I usually get out of work between 2 and 4.  The weather is gonna suck for the rest of the day as it’s supposed to rain pretty much all day.  I have plans to use the iPhone 12 Pro Max as my primary device for photos and videos.

I might actually just go home and shoot a talking head type video.  I do not like doing the talking head videos.  I’d rather be behind the camera.  Actually after work, I have to go to one of the two Apple stores here in Ottawa and see what I can get for my old Apple iPhone 8+.  Probably not gonna get a whole lot for it from Apple.  Probably about $210 or so.  That should get me a few things on an Apple gift card.  I need a new case where the bezel is free so I can connect my mic properly.

I've been only shooting with the iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB)

 The weather has been miserable here in Ottawa for the past 2 weeks or so.  We've gotten another dump of snow this week. I haven't touched my Sony a7R Mark II or any of my camcorders in about 2 weeks.  I've been using my Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) for all of my photography in the past two weeks.  I carry my iPhone with me everywhere I go.  I use to obviously keep contact with my family, my fiancee and work.  I'm currently listening to some music via my phone and my brand new AirPods Pro earphones.  That is another story for another day.  I don't know yet how I feel about the AirPods Pro.  They sound great in the ear.  The noise cancellation is fantastically amazing.  But back to photography.

There are multiple reasons why I upgraded to the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB of internal storage.  First, is the storage.  My current phone has on 64GB of internal storage.  For a Pro designated phone, it should come with a minimum of 256GB of storage and have the options of 512GB and 1TB of storage.  My new phone will have 512GB of storage which is enough storage to store all my music, documents, photos and videos that I plan on shooting.  Eventually I will run out of space on my phone, iPad and iCloud.  But not if I manage the storage with some logical thought.  For vlogs, I'm going to be deleting whatever footage I get after the vlog is updated to YouTube.  I will also be uploading the B roll to Pond5 or Adobe Stock for sale, if they get accepted.  

The phone will shoot 4K/60fps video.  On my current phone, I'd shoot for 30 minutes and I'd run out of storage.  Yes 30 minutes is a long time for video but when you don't have access to Wi-Fi or external storage, 30 minutes is not a long time.  512GB should be good enough to get the shot or video.  I'll be editing everything on my 2018 Apple iPad Pro with 512GB of storage.

I've been looking at videos of Apples own M1 based laptops and computers.  They seem to be very impressive.  Even the Macbook Air.  I want portability and all day battery life.  I get that with my current iPad Pro and I'll get it with the new iPhone 12 Pro Max.  

I think within the next 2-3 iterations of the iPhone, most DSLR and Point and Shoot cameras will be obsolete.  Most Point and Shoot cameras are obsolete now.  Along with P&S cameras, most camcorders are obsolete for public consumption.  99% of kids and adults have either an iPhone or an Android phone.  The phone operating system and hardware will just keep getting better and better.  As a photographer myself, I keep changing equipment every couple of years.  My current equipment will stay with me for quite a while I think just because it's so capable to meet my needs as a photographer and videographer.  

The iPhone 12 Pro Max with iOS 14.3 will give me the ability to shoot in ProRaw which will give me 25MB files.  That's more than enough information in the photo to play around with.  I just wish the phone came with a 70-200MM type lens for those close up shots.  Eventually I think Apple will be able to do that through software and hardware.  By then, mirrorless and DSLR cameras will not be needed and everyone will just carry around a phone with them.  

You can pretty much do 99% of stuff you need to do on a phone and a tablet.  Soon you'll be able to properly code on an iPad.  Laptops and desktops will eventually not be needed and everyone will be walking around with just a phone and iPad type tablet.  With 5G added to all new devices, we won't even need Wi-FI.  That's if the data plans increase and prices continue to fall.  Unless you're in Canada where cell phone plans continue to increase in price.

It is time for some minimalism

 

I don't photograph weddings.  I don't photograph people.  I tend to just photograph the world around me.  Cityscapes, landscapes, wild life.  Anything but people in general.  I'm usually in bed by 10pm.  Up in the morning at around 6am.  I have not touched my Sony a7R Mark II in weeks.  I have not touched my Sony or Canon camcorders in much longer.  Not that I have lost my interest or love with photography.  I've been back to work now for several weeks now.  It's just hard to bring all that equipment with you all the time.  I've ordered the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB of storage.  I literally bring my phone with me everywhere.  It's either in my pocket, my hand or right beside me.  I think the iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB of storage will be the right device for me.

I need a severe location change.  I am so unhappy here in Ottawa.  Not that Ottawa isn't a great city.  It is.  It's very beautiful here in the summer and winter.  You can be in the country within half an hours drive in any direction.  There's a lot to do if you have a family.  I've been here for 37 years.  I've done all there is to do in Ottawa.  I've photographed most of it.  I've seen it all.  I need a location change.  I need to move out west to Calgary or even further west.  But east of British Columbia.  B.C is very expensive.  And as nice as B.C is in pictures, the people are not for me.  Not that I'm not a people person, I would rather just be by myself with my camera out in the mountains or by a lake in the mountains.

I think after this contract is finished in March 2021, I'll head out west.  I don't mind doing the camping thing in the SUV for weeks at a time.  I just would need the Canada/U.S border to open up in the winter so I could go down to the States to do photography.

I think once I get the iPhone 12 Pro Max and start using it for my YouTube channel and if the channel grows as I hope it does, I can just live off the YouTube and photography money.  I don't do the donation thing.  I would rather people buy my photography and support me that way.  I want someone to get something of value instead of just giving me money.  I would rather live off my work than live off someone else's hard earned money.

The most popular iPhone in history

I have gone to two Rogers stores and a few Best Buy stores and they cannot keep the new 2020 Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB internal storage on their shelves.  This phone cost $1949 before taxes here in Canada.  It is the most expensive phone you can get off the shelf in the Apple line.  I ordered mine from the Rogers online store this past weekend and it said it would take 3 to 4 weeks for the phone to be delivered.  Since I don’t have any patience to wait 3-4 weeks, I thought I’d go take a look around the various Rogers and Best Buy stores to see if I could get one earlier.  Even during the epidemic, you cannot get a $1949 iPhone.  So I guess I’m going to have to wait for a bit for the phone.

I’ve been looking at YouTube videos of folks walking around making videos with the HDR and Dolby video turned on and it looks simply fantastic.  Just amazing quality of video that you can get out of a phone.  I’ll be patiently waiting for the ProRaw update in iOS 14.3.  Than the phone will be a literal photo and video beast.

I have something coming in 3-4 weeks

So I ordered the 2020 Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB internal hard drive.  When IOS 14.3 comes out and support ProRaw, I think I’ll pretty much drop all my other photography and videography gear and just use the iPhone and iPad Pro as my two main devices.  I shoot Raw photos on all my cameras.  The iPhone support 4K/60fps which is another reason I am getting the iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB SSD hard drive.  4K/60fps takes up a lot of space.  The 64GB iPhones fill up within half an hour with 4K/60fps data.  Now that the iPhone 12 Pro max will be able to shoot Raw natively in the Camera app, I won’t need my Canon point and shoot.  From the details I saw, the photo file size will be at about 25MB which is more than enough for photos to be uploaded to sites like Adobe, Shutterstock and other websites where you can sell your photography and videos.

I basically won’t need a physical laptop to edit my photography and videography.  I can use my 2018 Apple iPad Pro with the 512GB hard drive.  Three years ago, you couldn’t shoot and edit anything on an iPhone and iPad which would be usable.  But now, the hardware and software are so good and getting better, that a DSLR or a mirrorless camera are not needed.  Especially for YouTube or sites like Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Pond5 or any of the online photo and video selling sites.

I used to photography a lot of wildlife at Parc Omega.  I’ve been to Parc Omega maybe twice this year.  The reasons I don’t go anymore is the pricing to get in is just ridiculous.  Way too expensive.  The last time I went, there were more people than animals.  Parc Omega is far more commercial than an actual natural habitat right now.  It used to be good up until about 4-5 years ago.  It wasn’t that well known but at the same time it was.  Now it’s way over commercialized.  It’s not fun anymore.

I think in March or April of next year, I’ll end up moving to Calgary, Alberta.  Since I got back in July of 2017, I haven’t been the same.  I miss the mountains.  I mill the lakes.  I miss the fresh air.  I miss being out in actual nature by myself.  COVID-19 has definitely proven that I don’t want to be around 99% of the people on this planet.  I would rather be out on a hike somewhere with my camera, away from the majority of the people on this planet.  I think that’s why the iPhone 12 Pro Max with the 512GB of internal storage will be such a good device for me as a person and a photographer.  Shooting in ProRaw will help a lot.  It will have to get better throw as this will be first generation software on the camera.  Eventually, probably in the next year or so, it’ll get much better with software and hardware upgrades.  Apple by far is doing a much better job on its hardware and software than any other phone manufacturer.

I think the iPhone 12 Pro Max paired with the Peak Design aluminium travel tripod will make an awesome photographic tool to take amazing landscape shots out in Alberta and British Colombia.  Once the border opens up, I’ll be able to travel to the western United States.  All I’ll need with me as far as photography goes will be my phone, iPad Pro and my lightweight tripod.  I don’t take portraits, I don’t do weddings.  I just do landscape and cityscape photography.  With ProRes and ProRaw on the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the ability of the 2018 iPad Pro to edit ProRes and ProRaw files, I’ll be able to do a lot more photography in the future than I can right now.  I can be total stealth.