Camera iPad Workflow

This is a vital little piece of kit for me connecting my SD card to my iPad.

I am pretty much focused on creating photo workflows that bypass the desktop and utilise the iPad at the moment. In the past I have had a few issues with this especially when in post process or edit mode because the iPad tended to crash. Also a lot of photo editing apps on the iPad do bits of the process but not as much as I wanted. I found this chopping and changing between apps very clunky, which is not to say they weren't good more that they weren't quite right for me.

I use Aperture on my Macs which is a great piece of kit but at times feels a little like overkill. I also have this ambition to be able to capture a series of shots, connect my SD card and then edit in my armchair on the iPad and then share via either my Tumblr, Flickr, FB or Blip. I then sync the iPad back into Aperture later and do a back up on an external HD. This means I am more mobile and can operate more remotely, say on a train returning from shooting somewhere.

Well that ambition seems to be developing. I am now travelling very light and am not tied to either a desktop or MacBook.

There are two bits of software I use all the time on the iPad that satisfy my needs.

I do post editing in Photogene. It occasionally crashes but less so than most and to be honest I don't know a photo editing iPad app, especially if it is dealing in curves etc, that doesn't. Photogene, like Aperture, is non-destructive. The support is also excellent and they encourage users to help them with the development via forums. The entry level is very rich but if you upgrade to Pro for a few quid more then all sorts of even richer features open up. The Presets for example enable you to do quick refining of pictures. If I had one request it would be for batch processing. A lot of the time I'd like to return from a day out with the family and whilst I am putting a brew and leave 10-20 shots be refined via a Preset batch process.

I can do a basic set of uploads to all of my platforms using Photogene but if I want to do say batch editing, set creation etc in my Flickr then I use FlickrStackr. I really like Flickr and although it has it's critics it has some great features and a nice community share feel. From FlickrStackr I can share in to all of my other platforms and also add to my 500px stream. The downside of FlickrStackr is that the GPS editing is a little fiddly for those of us who are still in love with our old D40's et al.

Update 15 Sept > Photogene have just announced, amongst other things, a batch geo-tagging capability :-)

I had my doubts about the new iPad but the processor seems a lot more robust and it is increasingly being used as my work (the thing that pays for my iPad) involves doing a lot of one to one web demonstrations. It's perfect for when sat in a cafe or at a clients site.

But most of all I am enjoying the experimenting with photo workflows and seeing what works.

If you have any suggests or adds regarding your workflows I'd love to hear them.