OK - so version 4 has only just come out and there are some new pretty cool features.

But it is missing one killer piece of functionality  - a need to rethink the idea that I always carry all of my data with me - read on ...

  Lightroom 4 features that are important to me 

• The awesome update to the highlight and shadow algorithms
  Am seriously looking at going over some old shots for this one. While in-camera is always best every bit helps and I want to see how it changes things 
• The upgrade to the adjustment bush
  This enhancement takes the flexiblity and the power of this tool to a whole new level ... again removing the further need for diving out to photoshop for finetuning
• Enhanced books and slideshows
  Useful but not a high priority but certainly saves the need to install more software and widgets to create these occasionally useful renderings of images
• Emailing from within Lightroom
  Doh ... version 4 !! ... seriously it took this long - well at least it's here 

Lightroom 4 features that are not important to me

• Improved video editing
  Because I don't ... and am not remotely interested at this point in time (and for the next forseeable few years)
• Soft-proofing
  I don't really know what it is. Okay I get the theory but I don't currently print and currently have a great contact for the prints that I do. I sort of leave this hard work to him (yes I do pay him for it) 

... and unlike Canon and their cameras and bodies who seem to think 30%-40% price hikes are going to be met with open arms - this version of Lightroom is 50% cheaper than its predecessors. 

To me this last is the deal-clincher and it is the final and important straw when asked 'What editing tool should I get ...' results in an instant response of Adobe Lightroom.

But what's missing ?

Now this is a hard one sometimes as it always seems like a constant whinge trail there is one key flaw in the product.

It isn't mobile.

Yeah there are a bunch of people who will explain how portable it is by following the simple series of 53 steps to move libraries, catalogues and images to another computer as well as the wealth of YouTube videos and blog posts that document and demonstrate how easy all of these steps are ... BUT ... its not easy ... its not intuitive ... and disaster looms if you get it wrong.

so finally - A mobile workflow for Lightroom 5 - 
(... or what it should be anyway ...)

• Load the photos from camera onto iPad
  You can do this today but it would be easier if there was a card reader inside the iPad itself - so this is not up to Adobe ... but the rest is
• Preliminary edit and categorisation of photos on the iPad
  This would be easier than a laptop and for short photography expeditions is ideal. You could easily do the categorisations, keywording, file renaming and high level edits. The current tools and systems fall short here - its a good start but this is really what is needed and within immediate reach
• Ability to transfer images, ratings, filenames and keywords readymade onto the laptop
  This needs to be seemless and complete. Getting these onto the laptop quickly and easily then allows you to focus on any fine editing work you need to do. The current clunky import / export features of catalogs and files within LR do not help here
• Easy Catalog transport from laptops to home drive system
  Download from laptop to central server at home. Ability to select images for mobile editing and synchronisation when back in contact with the main computer or library
• Finally the ability to take select images onto the iPad and the laptop from time to time to edit manage and synchronise back 

So here it is - the killer feature for Lightroom 5 - mobility across tablet, laptop and home disk arrays.

Down at Echo Beach in Canggu, Bali. Sunset on 30th December 2011. Watching the surfers surf the end of the year away happily grabbing the few last waves of 2011. 

The good 'ole 100-400mm lens having to check the lighting constantly as it quickly got darker - trying to keep the shutter speed as high as possible.

Check out the full stream here on Flickr.

   

This Sunday involved getting out the strobes, lightboxes and trusty onOne software on the iPad. I had reviewed this in an earlier blogpost and again it came to the rescue in getting the lighting right and previewing the shots.

After a shopping spree the day before, and all the great summer fruit that is now here on the shelves from down-under (including some of the best nectarines I have had in over a decade) it was out with my two trusty flash units to try some food photography. 

Inspiration came from Nicole S. Young (Nicolesy) - author of Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots and (micro)STOCK: From Passion to Paycheck. Links to these can be found on her blog.

I have put the best shots up on the select project gallery here. On editing the images it also becomes clear that a single image can create many moods with different crops.

There is still plenty of room for improvement but it was good to try and prove the fact that backlighting food is always a must and use of softboxes to ensure a directioned but soft light was key to preventing harsh lightspots on the shiny fruit.

It was a grey drizzly day which helped keep the ambient light consistent and soft so I wasn't fighting harsh shadows on the display table.

In the meantime I have put the best of the best up here on 500px. While Flickr will still hold a large number of my general shots, I am aiming to use 500px to host the ongoing best works over time.

I spent a weekend in Hanoi in early August. Hanoi still remains an awesome city in my eyes and the few days I spent there and the people I met who helped me around - Mrs Kieu Phuong (a wonderful local guide) and Ngo Vi Phong (a fellow photographer) - were wonderful people who I hope I continue to meet every time I go.

Just outside of Hanoi are small villages specialising in hat making, frames for tables, lights and birdcages, as well as noodles !!

Hanoi is unpretentious, warm and friendly which I think is representative of the modern Vietnam.

My main portfolio is here @ 500px - a new website for real images above and beyond the happy snaps of Flickr and Facebook.

You can also see my second choice set here at Flickr. 

Enjoy - and if you get the chance - spend a few days in and around Hanoi - you wont be disappointed.

I do recommend Oriental Bridge for guides for novices in the area.

The bonus appeared to be a bright clear sky and an emerging sunset that bordered on spectacular. After firing off a few test shots I settled down to try and get the intense pattern of light with the aircraft wing neatly silhouetted on the left hand side of the shot.

Lesson learnt - dont leave the camera in the overhead compartment and get a window seat !!

Next - The Gear. With the studio providing all of the lighting control all I really needed was the camera and some music. But I had a new gadget up my sleeve. I wanted to get an idea how the iPad could be used to help manage the shoot.

The conclusion - WOW !!!

onOne Software has a couple of apps for the iPhone and iPad. DSLR Camera Remote HD for the iPad is not cheap but boy does it make a difference to the simple dynamic of the shoot itself.

Here are the main benefits

This is what you can do -

• Fire the shutter release
• Control and change the camera settings
• Get a full size image review and zoom in and out using iPad finger touch movements
• Quickly review recent shots
• Do all of this without being tied down by a cable.

Firstly controlling all of the settings on your camera from the application means walk away and maintain full control and view of what's happening.

This means whack the camera on a tripod. Get your test subject or model to stand on the designated spot. Set up the basic composition and start the magic.

I was now able to walk around the studio and change light intensities and camera settings constantly firing off test shots and reviewing each without having to run either back to the camera or to the laptop itself - this is sheer genius !!

Having a friend assisting meant he was able to accompany me around and help me by freeing me up to change the lights, offer advice and trigger shots and show me the on the spot previews while I was wrestling with light stands and studio strobes.

Secondly you now have this full 9" screen that feels great and is so easy to use

The preview screen allows very quick zoom in using the normal finger touch movements. In a studio (and any other shoot) with my highly valuable assistant, comments like "You didn't quite get the eyes in focus on that one" provided quick feedback enabling me to constantly check my settings and quickly adjust my composition or camera to help out.

Also this nice big screen with it's touch interface meant that while reviewing shots and lighting, adjusting the camera became very easy. Controls are adjusted by simply touching ISO, aperture, shutter speed settings and using the simple dropdown lists to select the new value.

The Technical Logistics

Before you start you need 2 things.

1. One of onOne's iPad or iPhone apps from their website
2. The onOne server software running on a computer - this is a free download

Setting up

Connect both devices to the network
Your iPad and your computer must be connected to the same wifi network. This can be an existing network or you can have your laptop broadcast it's own network directly and connect the iPad to that.

Physically connect your camera to the computer and start the server
You attach your camera with a USB cable to the laptop. I have an 8 metre cable for this purpose.
Turn your camera on and start up the server on the laptop. A little window comes up telling you it has started, gives you an ip address and acknowledges your camera.

Start up your onOne remote app
Start the app on the phone or iPad. It will look for a server on the network. When it finds it you just select it and you are off and running.

There are some extra options about saving files on the server as well as the remote device and you may want to play around with these settings to get the best result that suits you.

And finally the results

Photoshoot credits

Model: Prathabini
Make-up: Hari
2nd Photographer: Stuart Main

This means that even though shooting straight up in to the sky there is enough details in the buildings to capture both the building face that is in a noon shade as well as the sky and clouds such as this shot on the right.

Much of the year in Singapore the sky is a light grey or hazy white. Being close to the equator getting strong blue skies is always a challenge. The atmosphere is thick, there is often a haze from the ocean, the humidity as well as a reasonable amount of general pollution in the air.

The other weekend when I was out doing some construction themed shots I was blessed by good colour in the sky. With the sun also nice and high in the sky the shadows were not too stong.

So how does this help.

In this case I was able to put the sun behind a cloud and get the reflection off the side of a building. By bumping up the shutter speed metered off the sky directly I was guaranteed to get good definition in the sky itself.

This left the building face a little dark. Now normally we might reach for an HDR technique to bring back some of the range, however in this shot, I was able to simply reach for the fill flash slider to add a bit of light into the darker (but not completely blacked out) shadows, giving me a good tonal range, maintaining definition, and not unimportantly, only taking a couple of seconds to complete the final processing tweaks.

In the case of the 2 shots below I was able to put the sun behind the cab of the crane and get a good upward perspective shot. A nice 1 stop under exposure on the meter indicated the perfect exposure to bring out the detail in the sky.

Again a good touch on the fill light exposure slider (44) in Lightroom quickly brings back sufficient detail in the foreground to finish an interesting exposure. The camera was set to capture the colour in the sky leaving the foreground a little too dark for interest but a quick tweak on the fill light adjuster rather than several minutes it may take using HDR processing provides a perfect end product.

So consider this next time the light is overhead and strong. Shoot up and meter off the sky to bring out the full detail and sky richness. You may want to bracket -1 0 +1 to make sure one of the exposures is spot on. Use the fill light adjustment to make any tweaks to bring out the detail in the shadows. Note: this technique will not work if the shadows are a deep black rather than just darker tonal shades.