Photography Tip—Why It May Be Time To Add an iPad to Your Travel Gear, Part 2

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What self-respecting digital photographer would leave his or her camera and other gear at home when traveling or on vacation? Sure, there are times when it may not be appropriate to pack your camera, such as a business trip; but you certainly bought your camera to take pictures of your travels. Of course, you need lenses and filters, and maybe a tripod and a separate flash unit. You may also find it very smart to include a digital assistant in the form of Apple’s iPad. This two-part PhotographyTalk.com article explains the photographic functions an iPad provides, many of which you may need while traveling. Read Part 1for the first tips.

Transferring photos from an iPad to a computer

The exact process will depend on the type of computer and software you use to edit your photos. For instance, the combination of a Mac computer and Aperture is as simply as connecting the iPad to your computer as you would your camera, synching it with iTunes and importing your images into Aperture. For PCs, it’s Windows and Windows Photo Gallery (Vista or Windows 7), or your specific combination a scanner and Camera Wizard.

Offsite backup with an iPad

You may copy the images from your camera’s memory cards to an iPad, but that is not complete security, especially when you’re traveling. Undoubtedly, you will carry your camera and iPad together, which makes it rather easy for both to be affected by weather, accidents and theft. When you know how to backup photos from an iPad to offsite storage, they are safe and you are less stressed during your travels.

This process can be a bit challenging, since it is more difficult to move content from an iPad to another device (except a computer, as described above). An iPad doesn’t connect to a flash or USB drive, so the only solution is wireless transfer. Any, or all, of the following methods may work for you.

  • Email directly from the Photos app.
  • Copy and paste images from the Photos app to an email.
  • FTP, with the iPad app, FTP On The Go PRO.
  • Dropbox.
  • MobileMe’s gallery.
  • Photo transfer app (WiFi only).

Remember, the photos you manage on an iPad are of a reduced size. The various methods above will transfer various file types; some full-size RAW files, some a smaller JPG file, and even others a smaller image of the original JPG. Of the methods above, emailing directly from the Photos app is probably the best choice. It’s less complicated than the copy-and-paste-into-an email method. Another important tip is that WiFi transfer is significantly faster than 3G.

Apple made the iPad with a vast array of capabilities to serve many needs; and one of those is being a worthy asset when you travel with your camera. An iPad may not yet have the reliability and security to assist a pro during a client shoot, but it will do the job for a wide range of photographers, from the beginner to the hobbyist to the serious artist.

Learn how to master an iPad with these tips: Click Here!

Read these PhotographyTalk.com articles for more information about traveling and photography.