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Turning a spare PC into a big photo archive with ACDSee PSU 2026 & open source software

In this project, I am going over the process of scanning my entire photo and video archive, which sits at around 22 Terabytes, using ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2026.  ACDSee has sent me codes for this program in the past, but they have no relation to this specific project. I was simply curious to see how the AI keywords and face detection features would function when processing and using a large archive. As it turns out, it was quite the process getting this working and fulling scanning my ~22TB archive. My local setup using a small dedicated monitor to check the server computer locally. My goal here was to create a client-server environment. Rather than running this compute heavy process on my main computer, I wanted to offload the work to a separate machine with one of my archive copies attached. Obviously, scanning this volume of data takes a long time, so separating it from my main computer seemed like the best approach. The Software Setup: TightVNC and Remote Ripple To make ...

Autumn Photo Walk with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II and Sigma 16mm f1.4

I went on a photo walk at a beautiful Japanese styled garden with a Canon EOS M6 Mark II and the Sigma 16mm f1.4 lens. It's worth noting that this equipment is now discontinued, but you can likely find it used. Sadly, the EF-M mount has been phased out. This photo walk was recorded in 2022 and has been on my work drive since then so I wanted to do something with it. Check out the video on YouTube: The silver Canon EOS M6 Mark II & Sigma 16mm lens. I was using the silver version of the M6 Mark II. I won't go into a ton of detail about the camera itself in this article, but I will focus more on the lens. Camera Settings I also had two Canon M50 cameras at the time which worked well with the Sigma lens. For this photo walk, I used aperture priority with a minimum shutter speed of 1/60th of a second and a maximum ISO of 3200. I also had video stabilization on for the few clips I recorded (they are in the linked video). Since this camera doesn't have sensor-based stabilizati...

Product photography of a Hanji Leather Pen Case

I was recently sent a Hanji leather pen case from an ad agency that wanted me to do something with it. What better way to feature a product like this than to do a full product photography shoot? In this article, I'll walk you through the entire process, from the equipment I used to the various scenes I set up and the challenges throughout the process. Check out the video on YouTube: The  Hanji leather pen case. The product itself is a very nice roll-up style case. On the inside, it has two different areas for pens or pencils with protective flaps at the top. There's also a zippered pouch for other small items. To keep it closed, a long leather strap wraps around the case. My goal for the photoshoot was to feature all these different aspects in the final photos. The pen case is opened. The Equipment Equipment being used for this photoshoot. Here’s the equipment I used for this photoshoot. These are B&H affiliate links. I earn from qualifying purchases! Nikon Z5 camera Nikon ...

Polaroid Now+ Generation 3 Instant Camera Overview

I was sent the Polaroid Now+ Generation 3 instant camera in a coral color. They had sent the camera and two cartridges of photos with no expectation of any content being produced. In this article, I'll be sharing my experience with it over a few days of use.  Check out the full video on YouTube: I also have a live stream where I unbox and try out the camera for the first time.   For those unfamiliar with instant cameras, the process is simple: you buy the film, and the film itself becomes the photo. It develops right after you take the picture, ejects from the camera, and in about 10 to 15 minutes, you have a physical photograph to enjoy. The Now+ Generation 3 is compatible with both Polaroid 600 and i-Type film. Throughout this review, I'll show you some of the shots I took both outdoors and indoors. One of my long time viewers had mentioned in the initial live stream that the 600 film has an integrated battery and it's meant for the older Polaroid cameras, so for this ca...