14 Ways an iPad Will Help a Photographer Save Time and Stay Focused on Taking Pictures

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Your Digital Assistant.

Think of an iPad as your digital assistant; it doesn’t talk back or needs to be fed. It’s so small and lightweight that it is an excellent traveling companion, since it is easier to pack and carry than a laptop. It also has adequate battery life (10 hours for the iPad 2), with a small, flexible re-charger (for wherever AC wall outlets are limited).

Review Photos on a Good Quality Screen.

The iPad’s 9.7-inch, LED-backlit, glossy widescreen has 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch. You’ll easily identify motion blur and focus problems.

Educational Resource.

Use the iPad as an e-reader to view educational videos and books, so you can improve your photographic skills wherever you may be shooting.

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Apps to Check Weather Conditions at Shooting Locations.

Use apps, such as Weatherbug and MyRadar, for the most current weather forecasts before leaving for a shoot or traveling between locations. The Sunlight app will help you know when the light is best for the kind of photo you’ve planned.

Digital Portfolio.

Take your portfolio with you to client meetings, so he or she doesn’t have to fumble with a browser looking for your Web site. The iPad’s 178-degree viewing angle allows you to share your work with a group of people, or even those across the room.

An Incredible Number of Low-Cost, Downloadable Apps.

With 65,000 apps and counting, you can choose an app that helps you achieve your exact photographic vision or photo business goal.

The Protective and Convenient Smart Cover.

For the iPad 2, Apple also introduced the Smart Cover. It’s a better alternative than the hefty cases that third-party manufacturers offered for the original iPad. Two aluminum hinges with very strong magnets holds the case shut. The cover is “smart” because additional magnets are capable of noticing when the cover is open or shut, allowing the iPad 2 to wake or sleep, automatically. The Smart Cover also becomes a convenient stand when rolled.

Moving Photos From Your Camera to an iPad.

It’s easy to back up photos from your camera’s memory cards using the iPad Camera Connection Kit. It links your camera and iPad via USB cable or directly from the memory card (SD cards, specifically). 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.

Editing on an iPad.

There are many editing software options for the iPad. 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.

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 simple 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 of 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 on location or 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 will be safer and you will be less stressed.

Of the various methods you can use, emailing directly from the Photos app is probably the best choice. It’s less complicated than the copy-and-paste-into-an email method. You can also use the iPad app, FTP On The Go PRO, Dropbox, MobileMe’s gallery or the Photo transfer app (WiFi only).

Full HDMI AV Output.

With the use of the optional dock cable, you can view and share any content on the iPad’s screen on a TV with a standard HDMI connection.

Chat with Clients, Assistants and Other Photographers.

The iPad 2 has the updated iOS 4.3 operating system and two embedded video cameras. You can communicate with anyone face-to-face with FaceTime, or switch to the rear camera to show your location.

Optional 3G Cellular Data Connections.

Connect to the Internet with the iPad 2 3G-compatible model. There are no long-term contracts with either carrier, AT&T or Verizon.

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