I often lament what I think is the biggest downside of the digital photography era: the disappearance of the physical print. So often our photos live only on our phones and our social media profiles, and they never get printed and stuck on refrigerators and desks and walls. While the advent of digital cameras saw a major decline in printing, maybe the advent of smartphone photography will actually provide for a resurgence in printing. After all, the smartphone's connectivity makes it easy to snap a photo and, with the push of a button, have actual physical prints delivered to your door. The DPReview Connect blog published a breakdown of the best apps for printing smartphone photos straight from your camera. There are plenty of options available for both iOS and the Android platform, and they have some fairly distinctive features too, so check out the reviews and find the right service for you.

 http://connect.dpreview.com/post/2495582313/best-apps-for-printing-your-photos

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I'm a big believer in the power of photographic simplicity, especially when it comes to lighting technique. Some of the best portraits I've ever made have happened outside of the studio, in nice soft open shade or overcast light. And for those, I find that pretty much all I need is a camera with a long lens and a simple little reflector. The reflector is huge as a tool for filling in shadows that still occur, even on a soft lit day, deep in the eyes, under the nose and under the chin. The reflector is a powerful tool that's pretty easy and affordable, so that's why I'm keen on pointing out this article from DPS about how to wield a reflector for creating beautiful soft light portraits on cloudy days. The examples are simple and wonderful, and illustrate the power of this great technique.
Photograph by Sylvain Latouche. 

 http://digital-photography-school.com/portraits-on-an-overcast-day-use-a-reflector

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The Atlantic's In Focus blog is a tremendous resource for appreciating fine photojournalism. And that's exactly what you can do with this tremendous post about photographer David Guttenfelder. I was unfamiliar with his name, but had definitely seen some of his amazing work. Guttenfelder just won the 2013 Infinity Awards from the International Center of Photography. He is currently the Chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, and he's stationed in North Korea—delivering a rare glimpse inside the country. He shows the propaganda, sure, but he also shows the beautiful mundanity of real life—each are equally fascinating and important. The interview at the In Focus blog is, in my opinion, absolutely one of the most important videos you can watch about a contemporary photojournalist.

 http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/05/a-talk-with-ap-photographer-david-guttenfelder/100508/

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The term "genius" gets thrown around pretty freely… which means I don't feel too bad for doing it again right now. I'm going to call myself a genius for this brilliantly simple idea. I recently had a photographer friend shoot a job for a good client of mine while I was out of town. My friend didn't need his CompactFlash card back immediately, so he asked me to just pop it in the mail. I don't know about you, but I've never kept the little plastic storage case that every media card comes in, so I needed to think of an easy way to protect the card and allow it to fit easily in a normal business envelope. So I cut a piece of quarter-inch corrugated cardboard to fit the envelope, and then notched out an area where the CF card would fit perfectly. I taped it in place, and voila. I had protection for the card while maintaining the ability a smooth envelope that would travel easily through the Postal Service's machinery. And it only takes a single First Class stamp to send it. Genius, if I do say so myself.

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