JPEGmini Pro To The Rescue

There are five splendid reasons to use JPEGmini Pro. Before we get into those, though, I wanted to introduce you to Mitch Schneider, Director of Marketing for the slick and useful application.

Mitch and I ran into each other at the Photo Plus Expo in New York City. It's an annual event, and the trade show floor is packed with vendors and photographers from all over the world.

Having heard of JPEGmini Pro from a couple of photographer friends, I was intrigued to find out more. So, I stood a the JPEGmini booth and watched Mitch and his colleague patiently describe their software and demonstrate how quickly it minimized file sizes, and also how efficiently it did it without any perceptible loss of the quality of the final images.

My ears perked up as Mitch spoke because for years Photoshop had a “save as web” option and when Adobe released Photoshop CC, that option just disappeared. I missed that because creating web versions of my 20mb files was a quick two-step process. Now with it gone, it was just too laborious – I had to set the resolution and then manually open, crop and then save the images. One by one. Blech! Perhaps I was doing it all wrong. In any case, it was eating away at my productivity.

As a hopeful alternative, I even looked at Dr. Russell Brown's scripts, panels and actions, but for whatever reason, I simply couldn't get those to work on my system. I desperately needed a way to scale down the photographs quickly and optimize them for the web.

When I first heard about JPEGmini and the JPEGmini Pro option, I was genuinely hopeful that it would speed up my workflow. And it has. Remarkably so, with a few additional benefits that I didn't expect!

The Interview

A few weeks back, Mitch agreed to be interviewed online to chat about JPEGmini and JPEGmini Pro. He was just as excited as I was with the new Photoshop extension that allows photographers to export out their photographs directly from Photoshop CC.

My “save for web” option was essentially back!

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/275133383″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

A Personal Example

A few months back, I upgraded to a Nikon D750. The RAW file sizes are humongous. Try 27.5 megabytes on for size! The high resolution JPEG's are approximately 14 megabytes.

Imagine if you had to upload 500 or 800 of those to ShootProof? [Affiliate Link] It would take you forever. And frankly, juggling family and professional life, who has time to baby those files like that?

So, that's why I lean on JPEGmini Pro now. If I have a batch of five or more photographs to process, they are enhanced in Photoshop and saved to a special folder. I simply drag and drop the files into JPEGmini Pro and it does its magic.

It can either save over the original files (I recommend making a copy of your files just for safety's sake) or you can have those images sent to a new folder, directing the application to constrict the photograph's width or height in the process.

Quality & Quantity

When a couple I photographed in Connecticut ordered a 20″x30″ canvas print for their home in North Carolina, I attempted to send a 14 megabyte file to Pixel2Canvas. Their online system, however, only accepts files that are 10 megabytes in size or smaller. JPEGmini Pro to the rescue!

I dropped my file into the application and it generated a 7.5 megabyte file – essentially a 47% reduction in file size – for production. And yes, I couldn't see any loss of quality and the client was thrilled with the final results.

Still not convinced? I ran into this video that shows a graphic artist who is printing large photographs for a photographer client of his. Clearly the graphic artist is stumped by how indistinguishable the regular JPEG file and the JPEGmini files are!

5 Reasons To Use JPEGmini Pro

Ok, let's get into the five reasons JPEGmini Pro is a no-brainer for any photographer.

1) Save Space

Thousands of photographs that take up space in your hard drives right now could take up even less space if you ran them through JPEGmini or JPEGmini Pro. The larger your JPG files, the greater the need you have to shrink them down. Imagine you could reduce your hard drive needs by 47%. Space saved is money saved.

2) Save Time

Do I have to tell you that uploading a 20 megabyte file takes longer than a 5 megabyte file? The time you save is money made.

3) SEO Benefits

Search engines are assigning a higher rank to those websites that load faster. If you have photographs on your site and they are 200 kilobytes or more, they are slowing your site down. Run your photographs through this app, shrink them down in file size and then upload them to your website. You'll see the difference and so will Google!

4) Extensions For Photoshop & Lightroom

Each of us has our own workflow and style. Some of us like to save full resolution JPEGs to a folder, copy the folder and then drag the files into JPEGmini Pro. Others, would prefer to send those files directly from Photoshop or Lightroom. And now you can! The company announced easy-to-install extensions into Photoshop or Lightroom that will give you direct access to JPEGmini. This again saves time (and money) in my opinion. This option is only available if you buy JPEGmini Pro, though.

5) The $99 Price

On the heels of their announcement about the Photoshop and Lightroom extensions, Beamr, JPEGmini's parent company also announced a price reduction to $99 for JPEGmini Pro. So, the price is right, right now. But this is for a limited time only.

JPEGmini or JPEGmini Pro?

I wondered that too. If I had continued using my Nikon D700, I am sure JPEGmini would have sufficed. But with the Nikon D750, the file sizes are so much bigger that I had no choice but to lean on JPEGmini Pro. That's one factor in choosing between the two options.

JPEGmini Pro as I mentioned above is now only $99 (regularly $149), whereas JPEGmini is $19.99. So, if your budget is tight, you may have to make some hard choices between the two options.

One of the five reasons should have included – speed – because JPEGmini Pro is some eight times faster than JPEGmini. It's just the way the application uses the core engines in your computer to make that magic happen.

Ok, I know making a decision sometimes can be challenging. That's why when I started to poke around this app, I downloaded the free trial to see how it worked. I suggest you do the same. Give it a try to see how much space and time you can save. I believe there is a limit of 10 photographs you can process per day. But the free trial is limited by how large your files are to begin with, so take that into consideration.

So, are you ready to give JPEGmini or JPEGmini Pro a spin?

We Are All Connected

Kristin Chalmers, a editorial and portrait photographer based in Boston is a dynamo. Going from Philadelphia to Boston to Los Angeles and then back to Boston, she has used her resources and her skills to pivot when necessary.

Well, this summer, she “took a minute” and did just that.

What began on a whim, as a photography light test during a block party, is now a major portrait project for the Beantown photographer.

The Genesis Of The Portrait Project

A quieter than usual season got her thinking about all the political barbs one sees or hears about now on the daily news or social media. Perhaps out of a sense of frustration and a pinch of hope she embarked on her photography project, Out Of Many, One.

In of or her recent posts, Kristin says this about her portrait project:

Children have a perception of the world that’s different than adults. They are not hindered by the experiences and prejudices that we gain as we grow up, and are able to look past the differences that divide us. Every child, no matter what they look like or what country their ancestors came from were adopted into the American heritage when they were born. This project strives to dissolve barriers and bring us back together into the wonderful melting pot that is America. Through these portraits, we strive to show that physical characteristics, or names, do not define us as a nation. All of these children identify as Americans.

The Interview

Like other photographers, Kristin's passion and drive to make this photography project happen caught my attention and I had to speak with her:

Out Of Many, One … Portfolio

Kristin Chalmers has been on a tear. Here are 52 portraits for you to check out:

Want Your Child To Participate?

From Kristin:

“I am looking for children to be photographed and included in this campaign to show we are all multi-ethnic and American. If you are interested in having your child or children be a part of the #OutofMany1project, follow my Facebook Page and be on the lookout for a scheduled portrait session in your town soon.”

As she says in the video interview above, she will be in Philadelphia, on August 5th. The folks at WeWork are offering her a space to photograph children from and around Philadelphia. As I hear of more information, I will be sure to update this post with it.

Meanwhile, check out and LIKE her Facebook page for this project, Out Of Many, One. Find a way to support Kristin to make this project sing.

If you have any contacts at The White House, let them know of Kristin's desire to photograph Sasha and Malia Obama. Yes, it would be wonderful to be a part of this portrait project.

Want More Inspiration?

Kristin mentioned John Cena's recent AdCouncil video. If you haven't seen it, check it out below:

And a recent video by momondo, a unique travel company, showcases how connected we all are:

If you feel the words and actions in recent months has left you frustrated, lean into this blog post and watch the interview with Kristin again. Take into account what John Cena's message is. And lastly, think beyond your borders. You simply never know how intertwined our lives are.

Here's to connecting, building bridges and peace.

The Dream

Sephi Bergerson, a photographer originally from Tel Aviv, Israel and now living in Goa has some big dreams indeed.

After starting from scratch some 15 years ago, Sephi, no stranger to adventure and to live a fully immersive life, is set to launch India's first wedding photography festival. Sephi is well-known documentary wedding photographer in his own right, publishing what I consider one of the best books on the subject: Behind The Indian Veil.

Now with help from some very talented wedding photographers, Sephi has envisioned a gathering for photographers in picturesque Goa. Silk Inspire will be held October 4th through 7th – four days of fantastic presentations and fun activities at each day's end.

What is Silk Photos

Silk Photos describes itself as follows:

We represent a select group of talented wedding photographers, both stills, and motion, specializing in Indian weddings and destination wedding photography in India, and around the globe.

The Interview

So, what can you expect at Silk Inspire? I sat down with Sephi to talk about his plans for the festival, how it came about, why it was necessary to launch this now and where he hopes to take it in the future.

The Invitation To Attend

If you are in India, and you are a wedding photographer, registering for this wedding photography festival is a no-brainer! You must go. The place is right, the timing is right and the price is very right.

If you live outside the country, let me tell you that October in India is a wonderful time. I have friends who say they always want to go to India, so this is a great opportunity to not only learn from some of the best in the industry, but also travel through the country.

The Instructors

Here is who will be teaching at Silk Inspire: India's First Wedding Photography Festival –

Check out each of their websites to learn more about them individually:
Apresh Chavda, Christophe Vieseux, Franck Boutonnet, Joseph Radhik, Mahesh Shantaram, Sephi Bergerson, Susana Barberá, Two Mann Studios

If our schedules permit it, I hope to sit down with each of them to find out a little bit more about them and why being at India's first wedding photography festival is so important for them.

In this guest post Vrutika Doshi, a wedding photographer based in Mumbai, India, describes her trip to the Himalayas. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

I believe that nature has a lot to tell us all. It gives us different ways to see life. A photographer's eye always puts things in perspective as never seen before. And the wedding photographer that I am always see the colors and candidness of life in an artistic way. Nature presents the best candidness available in life with a lot of surprises hidden in it.

The Chadar Trek

Getting to Chadar was one such accidental surprise. Even though I have been for a couple of treks in India, I had never thought I would go for a trek to a place with temperatures of -25 to -30 degrees. I had seen the beauty of Tons Valley and the Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, and experienced the silence and splendor of Pangarchulla in Uttaranchal before treading on the frozen river paths of the Zanzkar Valley in Ladakh, famously known as the Chadar Trek.

It was planned for a small group of 10 people, but ended up with 16 people in the Trek. The majestic views of the icy Himalayan peaks from the flight from Bombay to Leh was a sight to behold. If you ever travel to Leh, make sure to book a window seat which is on your left hand side. I got goose bumps at the nostalgic thought that these mountains were going to be my home again for the next 10 days and the temperature was going to be minus all the time through all the days of my stay.

Flying Into Leh

We were welcomed at the Leh airport by the spectacular sight of mountains all around us. We made sure our jackets were handy and got them out as soon as we landed in Leh.

We caught glimpses of the city of Leh on our way to the hotel. Two days of stay at Leh had been planned before the Trek started so that we could acclimatize to the temperature and the thin air (only 50% oxygen content). The acclimatization at Leh forms an essential part of the itinerary to able to complete the trek at Chadar successfully.

After getting some rest, we went to the market to try some local food. As we got out, we realised that most of the shops, homes and other places in the city were shut. We were told that people locked their houses and migrated to warmer villages for the winters.

A visit to the Theksey Palace in Leh was planned for the morning of the next day. Peace and serenity was all that one felt at this place. Standing at a considerable height, this monastic palace gives lots of opportunities for stunning photographs of parts of the city of Leh. We drove around to other parts of Leh to capture scenic photographs of the streams, river, mountains, trees and the golden mud homes of the people of this region.

At the end of the day, the entire group sat together to discuss a few important things about the trek, which was to commence the next day. We were briefed about the day to day schedule of the entire trek, and given some updates on the weather conditions by the organizer.

The First Day

We were ready by 7am the next day, pumped up and energetic, to achieve a goal that seemed as great as traveling to space. We were to drive to Chilling, which was the starting point of the Trek, in a mini-van. On the 3 1/2 hour journey, we halted at the spot where the Zanskar river and Indus River meet. The colors of the two rivers were distinctly different and as they merged, they turned into a third colour which was as fresh as the original ones. Further along the way we stopped again as there was a landslide on the narrow mountain road we were traveling on.

Our trek finally began with a minor delay of an hour. We were dropped off at the end of the motor-able part of the road along the mountain face. We climbed down the slope, walking on narrow ledges and rocky surfaces and finally made our first step on the frozen river in the valley.

We adapted slowly to walking on ice, trying to avoid a fall. The view of the frozen river was splendid. The ice sheet was about 4ft to 6ft in depth.

Our porters name was Tsanzin, as was the case with most porters there. One shout of the name and there will be 10 Tsanzins standing in front of you. The name is very common for porters in Leh. Our Tsanzin lead the trail and we would follow him in a line.

One of the trek members fell in the icy water while he was deviating to take another path. The dare-devil that he was, he enjoyed the fall and jumped into the icy river water again on the last day of the trek, even though it is highly discouraged. Some friends posed lying down completely on ice for photographs, while others were content taking normal pictures.

Since it was our first day on Chadar, we walked just about 3 kilometres. We already had traveled from Leh to Chilling by car so we cut it short for that day. Our kitchen staff had prepared some snacks and Kahwa tea for us, which is the speciality of Leh. The day was spent getting to know each other in the group and discussing the possible difficulties in the trek ahead.

Low Temperatures

Sleeping in tents in -25 degrees on the first night in Chadar is an experience that cannot be expressed in words. I was shivering like hell most of the night, tucked inside two sleeping bags. Don’t know if it was a dream or reality, but got some rest to start up for the next day.

Even as day time temperatures are comfortable enough with the sun and all the body heat generated through the walk keeping you comfortable, the night chill gets into your bones, no matter how many layers you wear.

The next day we woke up at 5.30 am with the morning tea served in our tents. The next struggle was going in the open for defecating. I am not a person who usually cribs, but in the cold I was, as they say, shitting in my pants.

In the entire duration of the trek, our hands and feet were to be covered all the time to avoid any chances of frostbite. The extreme conditions are not hard to beat. With multiple layers and sensible trekking, the Chadar trek is not very difficult to complete. It requires mental preparation and a strong will. What sets it apart is its unique experience.

A Geographic Splendor

We caught our sticks to get to our next destination and started to walk after some good breakfast. There were meandering frozen paths and few broken ice paths. Walking step by step, you realize different meanings of silence. The sky there is perpetually bright blue in colour and the mountains form different textures at every turn.

Next, we came across a frozen waterfall. It was the first time I ever witnessed such a phenomenon and was hoping to see to bigger version of it ahead. I got some photographs of this art created by nature.

By now we had gotten used to the cold during the day. In the afternoon we would get our lunch, which was mostly packaged food items like Maggi noodles and pasta accompanied by snacks and sweets we carried from home. We caught some rest and got back on our feet again, ready to march on. Once we reached the site for camping for the day we got to our tents that the porters had set up for us. At night, the porters lit a bonfire for the group, which seemed a necessity rather than a celebration.

I would like to mention that the sincerity and dedication of the porter community on Chadar was absolutely astounding. Every time you pass them they will greet by saying ‘juh ley’ which means ‘hello’. They helped the trekkers, irrespective of which group they belonged to.

The night was a contrast black sheet of sky. The stars glittered and gleamed in heavy clusters. We gazed around the sky to catch a few shooting stars. The galaxy was before us in its flawless avatar. I set up my equipment to shoot star trails and got some splendid shots.

Wrapping Up The Trek

We covered up quite a few kilometers in the subsequent days, our schedule remaining similar. The frozen river and the magnificent gorges got more stunning in views, the deeper we trekked on Chadar. Ice crystals, frozen waterfalls, purple, green and yellow stones seen under clear sheets of the frozen river, extravagant mountain faces, and many natural wonders made up for most of the sights.

As a candid wedding photographer I thought to myself for this place to be just perfect for a pre-wedding shoot. I could imagine the portraits of a couple that could be shot here. The adrenaline they would be feeling combined with the natural beauty would produce the most amazing expressions.

On the 6th day of the trek we realized that the Chadar was broken. There was no way to go further till the Nerak village, which marked the last site on our itinerary. We were greatly disheartened by our luck, as we were not ready to let go of the idea of not completing our trek. But nature follows its own rules and we were forced to camp on a site much before Nerak. It was very disappointing, but we had to turn backwards for our return journey the next morning. That night we had a great time with our fellow trekkers around a raging bonfire and a few drinks, dances and stories.

Everything about the Chadar Trek is unique – the sights, temperature, environment, the frozen river, sledges, unusual camp sites, caves and the ever changing Chadar. So unique that it has to be experienced. Even though we never made it to Nerak, we ended up making some good friends and some great memories. But as grass is greener on the other side, I would surely make another trip and cross Nerak.

Beryl Ayn Young has just written her first children's book called “Phoebe The Photographer: Gets A Camera“.

When Beryl Ayn was 20 weeks into her first pregnancy, she lost the baby. Though she had initially planned to photograph her daughter, Beryl Ayn instead leaned on photography as a way to rediscover herself. She began a blog and started sharing her work. Soon she gained a following with other moms who sought her out for their own healing process.

As a teacher, Beryl Ayn embraced technology and taught as a school teacher. She now teaches moms the in's and outs of photography through her courses on her site.

Her experiences have helped her find the real reason moms take up photography and that is to have deeper connections with their children.

By writing Phoebe The Photographer: Gets A Camera, Beryl Ayn hopes to inspire a love of photography in children early on in their development and give moms who also pursue photography a clear path to connecting with their little ones.

The book's message, about empowerment and resilience for girls and women, is rooted in the idea that we don't always get what we want. It took her nearly three years to find an illustrator and when that business connection failed her, she set the project aside only to take it up a few months later.

I spoke with Beryl Ayn about the process of writing this book. Here is our short conversation:

Some of the other challenges Beryl Ayn faced were finding the right language to use, defining the length of the book and figuring out the book's target audience.

Beryl Ayn has curated a recent blog post on her site called “41 Experts And Creatives Reveal Their 3 Best Tips To Make Photography Fun For Kids“. I was honored to be asked to contribute to this project. Read what I had to say on the topic!

If you have kids who are between the ages of 3 and 8, this would make for a perfect gift to them. So, buy the book right now.