So -

My wife purchased a 3g iPad for me for my birthday back in May. This was an unsolicited/unrequested gift - we'd only briefly spoken of the machine's potential for a photographer, but I honestly hadn't really researched it that closely, and I generally don't chase after new technology as a first adopter - well, that changed when she gave me the gift.

Since then I've downloaded the apps I think I'll need, and have had the opportunity to use it in client meetings, and in the field in a journalistic situation.

I am *very* impressed.

I haven't yet used it to download or edit photos - though I could see a situation where that could happen. But more on that in a bit.

First - client meeting.

I was able to hand the client the iPad, and they could slide through the images, open-pinching for more detail so they had a true sense of the quality of my work. We then went to an app that let us get a look at the sun's position in the sky at future date and at a potential shoot location. Very useful for us, and very impressive to the client - they were immediately sold on working with me for their project, and I've more work with them in the future (architectural firm - hurrah me).

Now - in the field:

I was returning from the veterinarian office with my pooch and only a couple miles from home when all hell started breaking loose around me. Suddenly there were cops zooming all over hell; it was as if the police were fire ants, and someone had poked a stick in their mound. As I approached my house, the police heli showed up, and started circling about 1/4 mile away. I offloaded the pooch, grabbed 2 cameras, the iPad and my cell phone, and hit the door.

I pulled into a church parking lot that seemed the center of attention, got out, and began to work. Immediately was able to snag a couple of interviews with witnesses - there'd been a bank robbery not far away, and a deputy sheriff had been shot during a chase. The chase ended up a half a block away in a hail of gunfire, which my witness had heard. I was able to get the interviews with the iPad in 2 key keystrokes.

I moved up to a second floor balcony where I had a great position on the manhunt that was underway. The police were pushing through a stand of woods next to a greenbelt/flood plain.

Then I emailed friends with media contacts here. They put me on to a couple they had, and off we went.

I was able to get google earth coordinates, street names, everything you'd need to fill out cutlines for the images.

I would also have been able, if I'd had the camera connection kit, to send in the photos from location.

Later, I had the only photograph of the remaining (living) suspect being loaded into a police cruiser.

All the outlets were interested - none ended up using any of it tho, as the deputy that was shot was only grazed and was going to be fine. Yeah - in other words it wasn't a story unless the deputy had been badly wounded. Amazing.

Anyway, the paper ran the crappy shots their dispatched stringer got - and I got nothing, but I learned a TON that day about the potential of the iPad, and I am *very* impressed.

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or These are non-cropped - just FYI - just so you have a sense of what was shot there.

Thought my experience might be useful to you all.

Kendal

Killer Jay!  

I didn't know about the contract app - thanks a ton for that!

You might want to look at the LightTrac app - perfect for planning a shoot (sun location proggie I spoke of above)

Thanks again -

KL

Olle Bulder wrote on 06/29/10 at 3:58pm:



Insane good.  

Really.

KL

ugh - that's ugly stuff there David.

Hate to hear the the QC isn't up to par with their stuff.

That said, my iPad has (so far) functioned flawlessly (knocking self on head to simulate a knock on wood)

Truth be told, the whole Mac-religion thing has always bothered me - even when I've owned mac and integrated 'em into a Unix business environment. But - there is a time and place for everything, and I think now is the time for these notepad systems.

I expect more and more content in print to migrate towards an electronic medium. In fact, and article I wrote and shot for Kayak Angler is coming out this month, and will be available for the iPad. I can't wait to show potential clients (if it's any good that is)  

Kendal

if you could load some limited software on the iPad id likely buy for use as a portable photo manager/limited editor. Instead will wait to see what comes out down the road.

As for Apple. iPhones, iPads etc are gadgets, they come and go.
Im now on a Mac and while it's taking some getting used to it kicks windows butt (imo). Ive long since gotten sick of windows. Hemmed and hawwed over going mac for a long time. Don't know why I waited so long.

Bugger.

#1 son wants an ipad..

Instant karma for rubbishing the brand ?  

John Bennett wrote on 07/02/10 at 1:00pm:


But you can John.    There's plenty of photo software available for it - oh, and it'll load raw files too.

Just sayin' (in case you didn't know)  

KL

That surprises me Kendal. A couple guys at work picked one up right away and had them in the office. Right away I thought about photo tank uses and started picking their brains. Neither felt it could do the job nor did they know if you could DL the images from a camera to the Ipad. Both said they could only transfer from a pc.

interesting.

I just got one last week as a very unexpected gift.  Last week, I was a subscriber to two daily print newspapers.  No more.  I am now an online subscriber to one and dropped the other.  These things will have a big impact on media delivery.

Kendal Larson wrote on 07/04/10 at 1:22pm:

I do the same  The camera kit was hard to get here in UT, but we have one in the office when I want to use it.  

John Bennett wrote on 07/02/10 at 1:00pm:


This is true to many people using Windows. They just don't know what there are missing, yet they still hang on to Windows with judgments based on 'hear say' which are crap.

High price (which is VERY relative) is probably the single most used argument yet they have no problem fetching out a $600 rod or reel?...  

I just installed the SmugMug photo App on mine.  While I only use it for my own personal files and am strictly a hobbyist, I can imagine that this would be an excellent way for a pro to show his or her portfolio to a client.  At least from my limited perspective, it is the best method I have ever encountered for viewing a set of photos; much better than any of the web sites I have seen.  Flicking through images with my finger tip is a better experience than "clicking" them, and perhaps a better experience than paging through printed images.  From a client perspective, the tool is a 10 (or maybe an 11).

On the downside, the Smugmug app still seems to be "buggy" (if that is a word).  Once I started using it, I decided to make some additional galleries from photos that had been stored in a generic "other" file.  While it worked fine in my main smugmug account, I had to re-load the app to get my changes recognized.

Non-photo related, but relevant to media -- the Wall Street Journal charges MORE for a subscription through the IPad App than they do for any other format.  In fact, it costs more than receiving delivery and the regular on-line version combined.  That chaps me a bit.

I also bought the Otter Box ("Defender" series, the more rugged of the two models).  I give that a thumbs up, as well.  it seems kid proof; it should be more than adequate for the field.