iPhone 14: ProRaw and 48MP images vs Lightroom

Some folks think that because when a 48 MP DNG is loaded into Lightroom, and it’s all extremely dark, that’s because it’s underexposed. Nope. The image is dark because raw images are 1.0 gamma aka “linear gamma”. In other words, there’s nothing wrong with the DNG; it’s supposed to look like that. Here’s how to […]

ProCamera vs 48MB ProRaw on iPhone 14

At least in my own experience, the online instructions for ProCamera to enable and shoot 48MB ProRaw images are incorrect. Here is what finally worked for me: In the settings:Max capture quality MUST be either natural or highM&SI quality  mode MUST be either highly detailed or natural – Quality setting cannot be either of the unprocessed options […]

How to reset your internet connection

Hard to say how many people this will apply to, but it’s 100% for me. I have cable internet from Xfinity (aka Comcast). Mine is a two-piece setup: a modem and a wifi/router.I have my own Bitsurfr DOCIS 3.1 modem and an Archer AX90 (TP-Link 6600) wifi 6 router. To reset my system properly AND […]

M1 problems : part two, with the solution.

Those of you who know me, know that I’ve spent the last 44 years working with Apple products. I was the first third-party developer they ever hired, back in 1978, when one loaded programs from a cassette tape recorder. It has been a long journey, if not a bit strange, but here I am. I […]

M1 Mac external drive write is WAY TOO SLOW

So, you’ve got a new M1 Mac, and a nice fast NMVe in an external Thunderbolt 4 enclosure, and you’re only getting 640MB/s write speed? WAAAAAY TOOOO SLOOOOOW!!! That was the issue that just took me three days and $220 to resolve. (Turns out I didn’t need to spend the $220, either…) The issue: I […]

Website copyrights – the actual truth

At the start of each year, a vast amount of misinformation starts rolling about the “font of all wisdom” (aka “internet”) about copyrights. In particular, lots of folks change the copyright date on their websites. Actually, that’s not-a-thing, and is just security theater. Specifically, the US Copyright office does not accept website copyrights, (although some […]

8K video changes still photography forever

I’m said this before, but I think it’s worth repeating as 8K video is on the verge of ubiquity: it will change still photography and traditional photography skills forever. An 8K video image is 7680 by 4320. That’s a 33 megapixel image. It completely does away with the skill needed to press the shutter button […]

copyrights for one and all!

Right up front: if you have a copyright issue, get a lawyer. You may think copyright is simple, but you’re wrong. If it were simple, there would not be a lot of very rich copyright lawyers, eh? As a creator, you automatically have a copyright once your expression is in tangible form. That won’t do […]

Backups with APFS & Catalina, Big Sur and Monterey

Some anecdotal bits. Backups with Catalina, Big Sur and now Monterey ain’t the beast they used to be. APFS, amoung other things (like any-volume, any-time) also create a hidden partition for your OS. This is mostly for security, but for whatever reason, it’s there. In a normal sense of “backup” you cannot back it up, […]

Alexa keeps dropping my wifi switches

“Your switch isn’t responding. Please check its power and wifi connection.” ARRGGGHHHH!!! I spent month trying to resolve this. There is all kinds of voodoo on the web, but here’s what worked for me.   1) Find the least used channel from 1, 6 and 11 in your 2.4 settings. Use that channel.  (6 is usually […]