The Winner Is…

Ladies and gents, we have a winner!

From the comment contest last week, the winner it none other than Richard Hales – a.k.a. #4 from the Random Number Generator:

Easy Release Winner

Congrats to Richard, and thanks to the folks from Easy Release for their contribution – if you could get in touch with me via email Richard, I’ll connect you both to arrange distribution of the license or discount code for iTunes.  Thanks to all for their participation!

Did you miss the comment contest?

On Wednesday I put out a review on some very cool software that is available for both Apple and Android devices – Easy Release, which lets you take digital model and property releases out with you in the field and people can sign the release right on your mobile device, using only their finger!  You can also email the release to yourself and the model as PDF files too!  It’s pretty slick, and while you have likely read the review, perhaps you missed that there is a comment contest going on to win the app for your own phone/device!  Priced at $10, and you can win it for free, just by throwing a comment up in the post!

Live Learning Webinar

In other news, the next Live Learning Webinar that Kerry Garrison and I are heading up for the folks over at Nations Photo Lab is ready for registration.  We can take up to 100 registrations for this event.  It sold out fast last time, and we expect things to go quick for this one too.  Sign up here:  http://livelearninglab.eventbrite.com For the inaugural one we covered some great stuff on Lightroom, and this go around, we’ll be talking ‘Shop (as in Photoshop)!  It’s only for an hour and it’s completely free!, thanks to the sponsorship of Nations Photo Lab!

Last Chance Sale on 49 Photo Tips, Vols 1 and 2

This weekend is also the last weekend before the 49 Photo Tips books are pulled from the eJunkie store to be completely revamped for an entirely new product line, so get ’em while you can!  The laundry list of tips (49 Photo Tips, Volume 1) is only $2.99 and the full color photo-included list (Volume 2) is only $7.99.  Get them both and save $5  (that’s nearly 50% off…) using the coupon code FINAL !

That’s it for the Friday Freebies (and discounts) for this week.  Be sure to get your own comments in for a chance to win!  Gotta be “in it to win it”!  Happy shooting and see you back here next week!

Software Review: Easy Release! App on iTunes!

Easy Release! is designed as a model release application that lets you get model release signatures straight from your smart phone (either Android based or iPhone based, which in and of itself is pretty cool!). Some of the cooler features of the app include:

  • Includes two standard model and property releases, which are accepted by both Getty and Alamy
  • You can add your own custom releases afterward (albeit a bit clunky)
  • You can personalize the releases to include your own information including company, your name, email, phone, contact information, and even a thumbnail photo of the person for whom the release is prepared
  • You can email the release via PDF to yourself, your client, or both – all within the app
  • You can add models, properties, etc. to your contact list (or build from there)

Having said the best features of the app, it kind of needs a few minor improvements though.  In the next version, let me import pre-made release forms for specific purposes.   While Getty and Alamy outlet acceptance is huge, there are other custom needs like TFCD and TFP that would be tedious to type out into the custom function area.  Let me use a PDF of my own creation and add a signature field at the end for models to sign.  Some photographers already have custom ones on file from their attornys (yes, I have a few) that are already created in PDF, and that import function would make this just about a perfect app!  The interface for building one internally is a bit clunky, and this would make things a lot easier.

In order to appeal to a broader market, lower the price a little…$10 is a bit much for an app that only has two forms.  Right now the appeal is there for those who do only model and property shoots, but the app marketplace seems to average around $5 for a high end app, so $10 is a little pricey.  (It’s not insanely overpriced – after all I did buy this app, but I would have liked to see it lower)  Yes, I know the ROI is lower initially, but you’d likely get more buyers from a lower price.  $4.99 is about the max I’d think apps would go for unless they were super powerful or utilitarian.  If the standard model releases covered more situations, then sure, but more and more, releases for things like TFP, exchange of services, and other variations are becoming the norm, not the “old fashioned” model releases, and the price is just a smidge high for my liking.  Different strokes and tolerances for sure, so some may find this completely reasonable, while others may find the price something of a barrier.

Here’s my screen captures from installing it on my iPod:

For those that are interested in getting a copy of this app – I did contact the developers, and they were generous enough to donate a license for some lucky reader – so, here’s the deal:

Share your own thoughts on the app here in the comments below and at the end of the week – some lucky reader (as determined from the Random Number Generator, based on comment #) will win a license key for this app!   Thanks to the developers for their generous donation, and thanks to everyone who takes the time to comment.  Oh yeah, try to provide at least some value from your own comments as that is what makes dialogs fun in the first place!  I’ll announce the winner Saturday on Twitter (you are following me on Twitter, aren’t yo?) and again here on the blog on Monday!  Good luck all, and thanks again to the folks at Easy Release!

Making the Switch…

We’ve all heard the stories of people switching vendors.  Scott Bourne was noted for his switch from Canon to Nikon.  Friends and family often talking about switching from Ford to Chevy, or from Coke to Pepsi, and even *gasp* switching from PC to Mac.  As I find myself moving more and more toward Apple products I contemplated making another switch – from Verizon to AT&T.  You see, my contract with Verizon was due to expire soon, and I would then have the choice (and choice is a good thing) to move however I want.  For me it was a tough decision for a number of reasons:

Pros

  • Many of my friends in both IT and the creative fields own iPhones…and not being able to do some things with my phone that they could do was aggravating.
  • I also did not enjoy having to walk around with two devices – my 1990’s flip phone and my iTouch.  I wanted to unify everything under one umbrella

Cons

  • However, getting the iPhone meant going to AT&T.  I’ve had Verizon service for many years now, and while talking to any support staff anywhere is not my cup of tea, Verizon has rarely given me any reason to call.  From what I understand of previous experience with AT&T, there are often reasons to call…
  • I know this was covered just yesterday on the blog, but the lack of Flash support on Apple products is troublesome.  While I understand that things change – I need a new phone now.  Given Apple’s “heel digging” on this subject, and the impending release of Flash support in conjunction with Google (Adobe and Google working together..wow!) made the Android OS a palatable option.  Plus, HTML5 is readily going to be accessible under both if it ever becomes finalized (you know it’s just a specification right now…right?)

I was also a little less than enamored with the public image Apple has had recently what with the whole fiasco of the thundering police in the case of the iPhone 4 beta product that they wanted back (see video here about it).  That compiled with the fact that Apple has admitted that they changed their SDK to specifically exclude developers from using Adobe products when working on iPhone development.  This is like telling a photographer to only use a Canon or one particular set of cameras to take pictures.  That was the icing on the cake for me.  The end result?  I got a Droid!

I’ve already set up a website where I am sharing my experiences with the Droid so far – mostly it’s been pics (kind of an abbreviated 365 project).  Feel free to stop by the site where I am trying to post a photo a day from the Droid.  It’s at www.mydroidpics.com.  I’ll also probably start throwing in a few commentary type posts periodically about new apps and features as I discover them…

So, I’ve made the switch.  From flip phone to smart phone!  And the solution for me was:

THE MOTOROLA DROID!

Motorola Droid

What kind of phone are you using?  Is it a smart phone?  Is it a Droid or an iPhone?  What things do you like/dislike about it?  Sound off in the comments – I’d love to hear what others are thinking about the smart phone fad!  Have a great weekend and keep on shooting!