It’s safe to assume that most digital photographers bring their camera and other gear whenever they travel, on business or pleasure. Those with laptops are apt to include them among the luggage, as devices to review, upload and send photos, and even do a bit of editing. (Don’t let your significant other catch you, however, if you are on vacation!) The downsides of a laptop are its size and weight; and you may have to carry two of them, since some employers don’t allow their employees to use company laptops for personal purposes. An iPad could be the solution.

An iPad is, of course, smaller and lighter than a laptop; it’s easier to pack and carry; and should help make the security process quicker at an airport. Of equal importance is that an iPad has the specs and can accomplish the same tasks that most photographers need on the road.

• Back up photos from a camera’s memory cards.
• Review photos on a good quality screen, so motion blur and focus problems can be identified.
• Adequate battery life, with a small, flexible re-charger (for wherever AC wall outlets are limited).
• Upload important photos to an offsite back-up system via WiFi or 3G-cell connection.

Moving Photos From Your Camera to an iPad

The process of copying your images to an iPad is quite easy.

1.     Purchase an iPad Camera Connection Kit.

2.     Connect your camera and iPad via USB cable or directly from the memory card (SD cards specifically).

3.     Photos are loaded into the iPad’s Photos application. After repeated connections, and while the memory card still contains images, Photos app will give you the option to import photos that it has noticed as duplicates.

The only limitation to this process is that Photos app stores all your imported pictures in the “All Imported” album. There is no function to create Albums / Events to categorize your photos further. That’s a task you can only complete with your primary computer.

Managing Images on an iPad

An iPad is quite versatile when it comes to how it easy it is to manage various image file types, including RAW files from a DSLR or JPG and AVI files from a compact camera. Because MAC OS is compatible with all RAW formats, except the most recent, it’s unnecessary to shoot RAW+JPG, which is also acceptable. With those broad capabilities, the iPad is an excellent device for previewing your travel photos, as you travel. Since its screen displays images at a good resolution, you’ll easily see any problems or issues, so you can re-shoot a picture that may not be exactly sharp, for example.

Editing on an iPad

There are many editing software options for the iPad; however, they don’t compare to Lightroom, Aperture or Photoshop, since an iPad’s slower processor limits what you can do, and how quickly. An iPad edits the embedded JPG in a RAW image, not the complete RAW image. Not only will your edits be saved as JPGs too, but also your edited images will be smaller compared to the RAW images. Edited photos are placed in the “Saved Photos” folder instead of “All Imported.”

Read Part 2 of this PhotographyTalk.com article for more tips about using an iPad during your vacation or travels.

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