Make Money with the Apple iPad

What is the Apple iPad. Apple describes it as a magical and revolutionary device, at an unbelievable price. Well, what does that really mean. Before it’s launch, there were a great many people who said that it would be a flop. Many companies had tried to make a “tablet” style computer device before, and failed. Many of the so called experts said that they did not believe that Apple could come in and make a similar device, and have it be a success. These so called experts used the ill fated Apple Newton ( one of the first hand held, portable, touch screen computing devices ever made) as an example of how Apple would fail with the iPad. Of course, this argument fails to consider how much of a technological leap the Newton made for its day. It may have been a commercial failure, but it was a technological leap, way ahead of anything available at the time.

Well, in less than 28 days, the Apple iPad has been a resounding success. In fact, it is estimated that Apple has sold more iPads than similar products combined in the last decade. So the question is, why. What has Apple done that has made the difference?

The answer is simple and yet complex. The simple answer is that Apple has done what they always do. Made the complex simple. In this case, they have taken the tried and true operating system from the iPhone/iPod Touch, and extended it into the iPad.

For many users, browsing the Web and checking emails is the main task for their computers, and this can easily be done on the iPad, with much greater ease and speed. And with it’s light weight and portability, and the built in Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity, these tasks can be done wherever you are.

But the Apple iPad is so much more. It is an extremely capable and professional device. Apple has shown how capable with the introduction of a suite of applications for creating slide shows, spreadsheets and page design. The Apple iPad is also an amazing presentation device. Show your sales pitch, annual report or just a bunch of personal photos, on it’s beautiful big screen.

By designing its own chip technology inside the iPad, Apple has been able to design a device that has exceeded the expectations of many of the industry’s experts. The iPad contains a very fast processor, designated the Apple A4 chip. This chip design has enabled the iPad to perform at extremely fast speeds, making the iPad very intuitive in operation. When you do something on the iPad, it responds instantly, making the experience very fulfilling.

And the user experience is what Apple is all about. When you use an Apple product, you can see why the design team, and the CEO (Steve Jobs), are so particular about even the smallest of details. And as a user, when you use Apple products, it just makes sense that they work the way they do.

The Apple iPad will again, revolutionize the mobile computing industry. Developers are already creating some of the most amazing programs for the iPad. Where previously, an investment of several thousand dollars may have been required to perform certain tasks, the iPad enables the same productivity or better, for just a few dollars. You can visit my blog to see some pictures of the iPad and how it could be used as a picture presentation device. Imaging, being able to show big beautiful colorful pictures to friends and family, wherever you go. Or to be ready to make a sales pitch, get directions or make reservations at a nearby restaurant. Yes, the Apple iPad truly is a Magical and Revolutionary Device.

Making Money in Hard Times

This is the final image after editing with Adobe Photoshop. The original image is below. Also, I have included some enlarged detail images for reference.



We are currently in an economic depression. Many people are being laid off and losing their jobs and their income. It is very difficult for most people to continue to pay the bills and the mortgage when this happens. Having a part time hobby with which you can make a part time or even full time income if necessary, can be the difference between making ends meet or filing for bankruptcy.

You can make a good income with wedding photography. It can be a very lucrative part time of full time option. In the United State alone, wedding photography is approximately a $5 Billion per year industry. That's a sizable market. And with some know how and a decent digital camera, you can be a part of this industry. I have designed a course that includes everything you need, including business forms, technical discussions, sample ads and business cards, and even tips on using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple's Aperture. You can see more information and order at my blog or website.

Using Adobe Photoshop will be essential to making a good income with photography as many of the photos you take will require some kind of manipulation, even if it is just a small brightness or contrast adjustment. However, if you can master some of the trickier tools, you will be able to create some stunning photos. You will also be able to contract to other studios for work. Mastering Photoshop is still something that not everyone can do. But id you enjoy creating images on the computer, then you can could be in great demand by others looking for help.

On my blog, you will see images of a cabin in the snow country of Arizona. The client wanted an image that they could frame and put on the wall. They were very proud of their cabin, but to make a really good image required some extensive Photoshop work. The main tool I used was the Clone tool. I think that the Clone tool and the Pen tool are the two most powerful tools in Photoshop. If you master these tools, you will be able to create some really great images.

As you will see, by astute use of the Clone tool, the overhead power lines were eliminated, so we have a nice clear view of the beautiful blue sky. Next, we smoothes out the snow covered road, and deleted the car by Cloning the snow over the car. Next, the sidewalk was smoothed out and the footprints were removed. Then, some Cloning of the snow on the roof to make the roof line look better. Finally, judicious use of the curves and a selection on the cabin itself, brought the warmth and texture of the wood walls to life. These kinds of techniques will enable you to earn money, even in a down economy. Just be sure to practice as often as you can.

One of the first questions I am asked when shooting with a digital camera (after the "which camera do you use, question), is, what format should I shoot? Tiff, High Res. JPEG, RAW etc. And the answer is very simple. RAW! There is NO other option. And you need to make sure that you are using the highest resolution (mega pixels) available on your camera.

You should only be using a digital SLR (DSLR) camera, with the most powerful (expensive) flash you can afford, available for your system. When you shoot a wedding, you will need to use flash for basically every shot you take. Indoors and out, even in bright sunlight. The flash will light dark subjects inside and when you are outside, it will fill in the shadows of your subject, and make the resulting photos look their best.

A very important point to remember when you photograph the bride, is to make sure that there is lots of detail in the brides dress. With digital cameras, the sensor cannot record as wide a range of light to dark as with traditional film cameras, and whites in particular, can be very challenging to record with detail. This is where you need to be able to balance the flash with the available light to get acceptable results. Otherwise, you may have some angry people calling you after the event. And you cannot arrange a do-over for a wedding, it is a one shot deal. So, make sure you do lots of practice before your first real, paying event. A good way to practice is to have you wife/girlfriend/kids dress up in white clothes and take lots of shots and note the settings you need to get detail in the dress, and good even skin tones on the brides face.

Photos of kids at the wedding can help make you a lot of extra money. Whenever possible, set up the kids in the bridal party by themselves. These kinds of photos will sell to the parents, the bride and groom and many other family members, especially the grandparents. Part of your job is to not just take good photos, but to take photos that will sell and keep you in a job and allow you to buy more equipment as you need it. You should always take individual shots of each kid and have the parents help to get them comfortable so you can get some good shots. Always try to choose an interesting background where possible. In order to focus attention on the kids (refer to the photo on my blog, listed at the end of this article) and not the background, I have made a selection around the kids in Adobe Photoshop, and darkened the background a little, so the kids will stand out and be the center of attention in the photo.

7 critical steps for good photography

In this post, I will concentrate on just one of the things I have mentioned in previous posts, and that is the Memory Card you use to capture your images.

In the old days, there really was not much to be concerned about when it came to taking photos of family and friends, special events or creative photos, such as landscapes etc. You went to the drug store and bought a roll of film, either 24 or 36 exposures, popped it in the camera, and started firing away. At the end of the roll, you took the film out and returned it to the drug store to be processed. In a day or two, or in more recent times, an hour or two, you came back and picked up all your beautiful prints. These were ready to show everyone who would look at you beautiful new photos. There was not much guess work, you just made a choice on the number of photos you wanted to take, and the speed of the film, whether you were taking pictures outside in bright light, or inside say, at a reception.

In those days, losing a roll of film, either because you misplaced it, or the drug store screwed up on the processing, was not always too big of a deal, as you usually had several more rolls of film with other photos to choose from. But in this digital age, just one memory card can store hundreds of photos, even thousands if you shoot in low resolution mode. So, if you lose a memory card, it can be a really, really big deal. That’s why it is important with digital, to have a special case to store your memory cards, to help avoid losing one.

One of the biggest problems though, is, unlike film, memory cards can be very sensitive to the way they are treated, and hence it is very easy to accidentally lose a lot of photos. In this article I will try to spell out some of the precautions you need to take to avoid problems.

Step 1. Always try to purchase a good quality card, from a camera store if possible. The staff at the camera store will usually always be able to offer good advice and a quality card for your camera. A good quality card can sometimes cost a little more, and I am talking about just a few dollars more, than a cheap budget card from the drug store. Sometimes, the drug store card may be ok, but I think it is always prudent to make sure you have a quality product, one that you can get advice about from an expert, and where you will not have any problems returning the card if you have to for any reason.

Step 2. The first thing you need to do when you purchase a new memory card, is to format the card in your camera. This step is crucial. Digital cameras are not all the same, and the card can cause problems, even if you format the card on your computer, instead of the camera. If the card does not format, or you get errors when the camera tries to format the card, then you need to return it immediately to the store for a replacement. Note that not all cards are compatible with all digital cameras. Most of the low end and even high end compacts, have an upper limit as to the memory size of the card that can be used.

Step 3. Never take the card out of the camera while the camera is still writing the file to the memory card. Often, people will take a photo and then almost immediately take the card out of the camera. This can easily corrupt the card and make it impossible to get the images off the card into the computer. If you need to take the card out after taking a shot, just wait for several seconds to make sure the file has been written completely to that card, I usually suggest about 20-30 seconds. This should ensure that the file is safe and sound on the card.

Step 4. Never take your memory card and put it into another camera without formatting the card on the new camera. This means of course, that you need to back up all the files on the card, then put the card into the other camera and format the card before using. As I mentioned earlier, not all digital cameras are the same, and the way they write the files to the card can be different enough that you will corrupt the card and make it impossible to recover the files you already had on the card.

Step 5. Try to keep the contacts of the memory card protected from the elements and any dirt or grease. If the contacts become oxidized or too dirty to work effectively, then you will not be able to record the photos you think you are taking. This can be very embarrassing later when everyone wants to see the results.

Step 6. Always make sure that the camera batteries are charged enough so that the camera can write the files to the card correctly. If the camera battery dies during the process of writing the file, you will lose the file and possibly all the files on the card at the time of the problem.

Step 7. As a precaution, you can purchase software specifically designed to recover images from memory cards. This software is quite inexpensive, and may come in very handy if ever needed.

I have used many memory cards, but have yet to have a problem with one. I have met other photographers who have had problems, but those problems fell under one of the steps above. I think the most common problems are due to that photographer not formatting the memory cards before each shoot. Always back up the card before any shoot, then format in the camera. This will usually avoid problems or at least allow you to detect a problem before any serious damage is done.

If you are interested in making money with your digital camera, please visit my website for everything you need to start your own photography studio. If you have any questions, you may email me at tomjackson@howtoshootweddings.net