I came across this newfangled device the other week and did a double-take - a serious tool for pole-aerial-photography that would actually improve my workflow? Possibly…

The PiXel LV-W1 is basically made up of two components, the transmitter and the receiver, with a few cords in between. The transmitter hooks up to your DSLR and shoots its live-view image over to the receiver via the 2.4 GHz spectrum, at which point you compose your shot and remotely trigger the shutter. All of this can be done up to 80 meters (262 feet) away, but I doubt that would necessary for PAP. It should be noted that you do need a camera that supports live-view and has a shutter release input to use this device, as that's how you get the video feed to the receiver and trigger the shutter.

Personally, I see a great deal of potential in a gadget like this, especially for pole-aerial-photography. Being able to see exactly what your camera sees when it's 15, 20, even 30 feet up in the air would be incredible - it takes the 'guess-and-check' approach out of the equation. Sure, there are solutions out there now that allow you to achieve similar results, but none of them have the range, the live-view feed, the 3" screen, the shutter release, and the rechargeable battery - unless you build it yourself, of course.

Update: Michael James of the hdriblog.com has directed us to a few other products that accomplish this task in a similar manner. Each is unique in how they do it, so be sure to check them out and pick the one that fits your workflow best.

Here's a rundown of the specs:

• LV-W1 image transmit is using 2.4GHz frequency channel, 3 specific channels.
• Shutter control is using 433MHz frequency channel (available to use another frequency channel). 3 specific channels.
• Operating distance range is up to 80M.
• The display is protected by coating; it’s not easy to get scratch.
• 3inch TFT display, adjustable the brightness .
• Resolution: 960 X 240
• 3.7V 1200mAh lithium battery. Working hour: Transmitter --- 8 hours or above.              Receiver ---   5hours or above.
• The receiver is usable to connect the camera directly, just like CT-122. Use VD-936 (optional) to connect and transfer the live view to PC.
• Compatible for camera which included AV Output and shutter release socket.
• Charging method: via charger or USB cable for charging  the battery inside the device.

You can check out the PiXel LV-W1 here and purchase one here.

I just posted the inaugural critique episode and wanted to a) give a brief overview of what the critiques are all about, and b) show you how to participate.

In essence, these are critiques in reverse: you are critiquing your own work. Either on a shoot you've done way-back, or a shoot you've just completed - you'll show all of the photos of a specific room and talk about the best and worst aspects of each of them. By walking us through your experience, we'll all learn. Watch the podcast I'm talking about to see exactly what I'm talking about.

Participation Instructions:

1. Go to the 'Contact' section of the website
2. Tell me you're interested in participating in the critiques
3. I'll get back to you and we'll take it from there

It's really as simple as that.

If you're on the fence about participating in something like this, just keep it in the back of your mind on your next shoot - you may just find that you've captured and experienced something you want to share with the community.

Hey Everyone,

Head over to the Flickr Pool page to see the giant improvement in usability. Essentially, you don't have to head over to the Flickr page anymore to view the group's photos - it's embedded into the page for instant access. Here's the rundown of the features we now have, thanks for to Cooliris:

• Embedded interactive slideshow containing the group's work with automatic updates
• Displays title, photographer, and description when the user hovers over the image
• Ability to search for photos by title
• Keyboard navigation using the arrow keys
• A few others that aren't as noteworthy (presentation mode, embed elsewhere) but are still available

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far, keep up the great work.

I just stumbled across this a few minutes ago:

The one and only reason I thought it belonged here is due to the last technology preview the demonstration covers - improved warping. Currently, the warp tool in Photoshop is good - as long as you have patience. It appears that the new warp tool allows the user to anchor specific section of the image while warping the rest. That's a huge benefit for real estate photographers who need to correct those straight lines.

Here's the Aperture preset pack I mentioned in the podcast this week. Many thanks to MacCreate for making this great set of presets available to us so quickly.

Big day today - Aperture 3 is out! 

I'm a Lightroom user, but I'm willing to give it a try, considering the bazillion changes they made. The most notable improvements are:

• Adjustment Brush - you know, the one we've been enjoying in Lightroom for a while now
• Presets - finally
• Stills, Video, and Audio management - sounds incredibly useful with the fact that video on DSLR's are becoming a new standard
• Faces and Places - the same nifty stuff we've seen in iPhoto
• Slideshows - I think we all know what they are
• Photo Books - new sizes and now with the ability to send your books out to professional photo labs via plug-ins (now that's a welcome new feature!)
• Printing - lots of new printing options
• 64-bit - Under-the-hood improvement that should help with speed and access to RAM

Check out all of the improvements here.

As you can tell from just about every other photography-related blog/news site, Nikon announced these two beauty's pre-PMA today. There are a few reasons these lenses are significant:

• First, they're both designed for FX bodies - full-frame. Sure, you can use these lenses on DX bodies, but you won't get that ultra-wide 16mm, it'll be 24mm (16 x 1.5 = 24). There will always be a place for DX bodies and lenses (sports, wildlife, events that need long tele coverage) and I think it's safe to say that they'll be around for quite a while - at the same time, it appears that FX bodies and lenses are beginning to expand, for good reasons.
  
  
• Second, both lenses compliment Nikon's behemoth 14-24 mm f/2.8. The 16-35mm f/4 isn't as wide, but zooms in further - that can be especially useful in our line of work. The 24mm f/1.4 is a prime, meaning it's more than likely (there are no lens tests yet) going to deliver the sharpest image of them all at 24mm. 
  
  
• Third, since both lenses are built for FX bodies, it's a good chance we'll be seeing an updated Nikon full-frame body at PMA. Well, maybe I'm just wishing out loud…

First, I'm literally addicted to Google, so hear me out before you rush to judgement.

Here's the deal - Bing Maps rescued me twice to far this week, and it's only Tuesday. When I'm planning my daily travels out, I used to type in the listing's address into Google Maps, and if it wasn't listed, I would ask the agent for some more specific information about the location. Well, that got old pretty quickly - it's not because the specific address isn't listed, the entire street isn't listed on the map! So, I turned to Bing Maps - just to see if it was any more helpful - and boy was it ever.

I have no idea how either Google or Microsoft gets their mapping information, but I think Google needs to take a cue from Microsoft's playbook and update those streets. Thanks Bing Maps, keep up the good work. Google, you rock, just update those maps please.

Strictly Business is a blog by the ASMP, and they recently had an entry that caught my eye - it was asking the simple question, 'What is a Professional?'

Thomas Werner, the author of the entry, points out that maybe our opinions of ourselves are less important while the views of our clients are more important - they are employing you, after all. I hadn't really thought of it that way. It's a great point and shouldn't be overlooked.

Instead of boring you with my opinion (which I'm sure I'll talk about sometime on the podcast), I'll just link to the article. Check it out here. 

If you have questions, we have answers, suggestions, comments...or something along those lines. Larry Lorhman, the man behind PhotographyForRealEstate.net, and I will be starting an interview-style podcast, produced every few months, focused on answering your real estate photography questions (business, marketing, techniques, workflow, etc.).

What you'll do is follow this link and submit your questions. We'll review every question that comes in, and if selected, you'll join us for an audio recording session over Skype. Simple as that.

If you're interested, follow the link and submit those questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

This week's podcast was devoted to explaining the benefits of using a PogoPlug (plus a USB Hard Drive) as a server that would allow you to share photos with your clients - simple, easy, no learning curve, reliable, etc. The list goes on. Well, today my PogoPlug icon told me there was an update waiting, and guess what, this one brought the heat: Automated backups. Well, they all it 'Active Copy', but it's the same thing.

The three folders it offers by default are your pictures, music, and movies - although you are free to add any folder you want. This is a dream-come-true for someone who wants an additional level of backup and doesn't want to pay for a service like Carbonite. Don't get me wrong, I like Carbonite, but it's not for me, and it's also no their fault. The bottle-neck in off-site backup solutions is most often the ISP - they cap the maximum amount of data that can be uploaded per day. I found that I got about 3-4 GB/day uploaded successfully - not great seeing as how I added between 4-8 GB/day in photos. At that rate, I would never catch up. The PogoPlug backs-up through the LAN, so it doesn't need to go through the ISP, saving me from the same problem as off-site backup.

Keep up the good work CloudEngines.

If you're interested, check out the PogoPlug here.

Shooting on spec (on speculation) is a great way to get your foot in the door with any real estate agent and is often overlooked. What does shooting on spec mean anyway? It means that you're going to photograph a listing for an agent without the promise of being paid or contracted to do future work. Sounds like a bummer when it's phrased like that, but that's what it is - a calculated risk. Here's a more tangible example using specifics we can all relate to:

• Research a specific real estate agent and know their current (and past, if possible) listings
• Print out their listings straight from the MLS, most importantly, print out the photos of the property
• Schedule a meeting, make your pitch, explain your prices, then offer to shoot one of the many listings on spec
• If they like what they see, they can pay you for the photos
• If they really like what they see, they can hire you to shoot all of their listings
• You've likely just added a client and a good contact

By shooting an actual listing for an agent, you're combining your work with theirs and seeing if it's a good fit. The 'calculated risk' is a matter of time and energy, not money (if you already have equipment, that is). If the agent doesn't want the photos or your future services, the worst you've done is added to your portfolio and gained experience - not a loss in my book.