Spring is here and finally starting to see the warmer weather.

It’s time to clean-up the workspace and put way the winter clothes.

Part of that is cleaning the area around the keyboard, monitors, and general workspace.

You need a strong vacuum, that has attachments for specific jobs.

The HOTO Handheld vacuum cleaner, steps in as a modular vacuum with a great design, and a variety of attachments.

Now if you are anything like me, you may have a snack, or even a meal by your workstation.

Yep, crumbs.

There is a wand that you can add a brush for the keyboard, plus the area around the computer (see the Mac Pro post). Take off the brush and you have a great crevice vac for those tight areas.

For a fast area clean-up there is also a grooming brush head for the pet hairs.

Plus, as right size handheld vacuum, you can also use it with those vacuum clothing storage bags for stashing the winter clothes, or compacting your clothes for travel, they don’t come with those bags, so here is a link to check it out.

I do this every year, and it is such a pain to drag out the apt vacuum and handling the huge hose to vacuum seal the bags. And because of the size, easy to pack in your suitcase.

The dust cup is washable so money savings there. Now is the time to clean up your camera bags as well.

You know you should!

With the summer coming, this also comes with an attachment included for inflating things like pool toys!

Only downside is because of the size, the charge lasts a max of 30 min.

Back to cleaning.

It’s the screens.

Always keep your monitors calibrated!! Not just for Spring but I do it every month. The Spyder X Pro calibration device from Datacolor, ensures that the 2 monitors I use, are not only matching, nut calibrated correctly for exporting the files. Especially important if you are printing or giving files to a publisher.

Monitors, for the errant sneeze, that splash (back to the eating part) and of course, your phone and tablet. And TV!

I know you wash your hands all the time, however, the screen you touch can be nasty. For real. You may not see it, but it’s there.

Bring out the Whoosh! It’s the best screen cleaner I’ve found and have been using it for years. Comes is a variety of sizes, from backpack small to desktop container all with spray, and refillable. And comes with a perfect special cloth to wipe away the dirt.

And give that desk a good wipe down. Just because.

For SSD/HD drive cleanup I use Clean My Mac, which has a bunch of tool in the program to keep your computer running smooth.

And for cloud storage , it’s BackBlaze for me because with 4 RAIDS and numerous single drives, I back up EVERYTHING to the cloud! I have about 26TB stored on the cloud.

Their support was impeccable, and I get a weekly update on status of all the drives being backed up.

One other thing I do, not just in Spring, but on a regular basis is format my media cards and save assets on my portable SSDs to a RAID and then to the cloud, reclaiming all that space.

you know how to do that, right?

Next up is : Camera Bags!

Almost 20 years ago I started a series called “What’s In The Bag” highlighting working photographers about what they carry.

Here Katy Winn from one of the first:

Maybe it’s time for me to do one.

It changes per assignment, so it could be a mult-parter

My favorite iPhone Video app just got an upgrade!

Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3 Features

• Camera control and monitoring with companion app for Apple Watch.
• Support for ATEM camera control with Blackmagic Camera ProDock.
• Support for Blackmagic Focus and Zoom Demands with Blackmagic Camera ProDock.
• Support for full screen portrait mode HDMI output.
• Front camera now supports portrait and landscape without rotation for iPhone 17.
• Support for ProRes RAW stabilization in iOS 26.1 and above.
• General performance and stability improvements.

Availability and Price

Blackmagic Camera for iOS 3.3 is available now as a free download from the Apple App Store.

The Blackmagic Camera Apple Watch companion app lets customers remotely control and monitor their iPhone from almost anywhere on set or on location. It’s perfect for situations where an iPhone is mounted out of reach or in a position where physically touching it would cause camera shake. Setup is easy as all customers need to do is install the companion app through the Watch app on their iPhone. Then from their wrist, customers can monitor framing and audio levels, start and stop recording and adjust key settings including exposure, focus and LUTs. Customers can even change lenses and control zoom! It’s a simple way to control and monitor Blackmagic Camera without ever needing to touch the iPhone!

Transform the iPhone into a powerful studio camera with remote camera control! When Blackmagic Camera ProDock is connected to ATEM Mini, video, tally and camera control are sent over a single HDMI cable, so there’s no complex setup. Customers can adjust camera settings such as white balance, ISO and shutter remotely, as well as trigger recording, all from ATEM Software Control. Plus customers can adjust focus and zoom! There’s even a DaVinci primary color corrector built in so customers can go beyond simple camera color balance, allowing precise camera matching and creative digital film looks during live production. For advanced use, customers can even add a dedicated ATEM Micro Camera Control panel!

The optional zoom and focus demands can be added to give customers broadcast style lens control with Blackmagic Camera! The focus and zoom demands have USB-C connections so they can easily connect to Blackmagic Camera ProDock. Each zoom and focus demand has 2 USB-C ports, so customers can daisy chain them, then connect them to the ProDock with a single USB connection. The design has an incredibly precise feel and gives customers very fine lens control, allowing customers to frame and adjust the lens without taking their hands off the tripod handles. The buttons can be customized so customers can assign different camera functions to them! Plus, hardware is included for mounting the focus and zoom demand onto tripod handles.

“We really want to help everyone use their iPhones in professional productions and to come up with new ways that the iPhone can be used,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “The Apple Watch companion app does that because it means you can mount an iPhone anywhere and still have full control of it from your wrist. But the most exciting feature is the brand new support for ATEM camera control and the Blackmagic Zoom Demand and the Focus Demand. This means you can use the iPhone as a studio camera while holding onto the tripod handles to focus and zoom. It’s a real studio camera and it’s a lot of fun!”

It’s true; up until recently my main computer was a Mac Pro circa 2013, affectionally known as the “Trash Can”

Of course, never say that to an Apple employee!

To be fair it was serving me well.

1TB SSD, 64 GB RAM. Unfortunately, the OS could not upgrade past 12.6.

I was missing out on so many upgrades and super new innovations.

As a photographer, videographer, techie, and yes, reviewer, it became a major impediment.

After a lot of research, I knew that a Mac Pro “cheese grater” was way outta my price range, the best option revealed itself.

Immediately my OS went to 26.3.1!!

As a sealed unit, there was not a way to do upgrades down the road in a physical sense, so I did order up the upgrades I needed.

The main deal was the updated apps and the speed with the new M$ chip. I know M5 is probably right around the corner, but I had to make a move.

There was a fly in the ointment: the Mac Pro used Thunderbolt 2 and now the Mac Studio used USB-C. And not just regular USB -C but USB-C 5!

Previously, I used an OWC dock to give me many more ports and capability

Still needed extra ports. I use 3 RAIDs, and multiple external drives.

New cable purchases were then needed, but they didn’t take care of the problem. Because of the newer ports, it wasn’t just a matter of the ends on the cables, I needed a newer dock.

Enter the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Dock!

An honest lifesaver!

All of the sudden, all of my RAIDs were being read, the 2 Dell monitors I use were being seen.

The RAIDS I use are an OWC 4 Slot, and 2 Wiebetech (no longer made) 2 slot, 4 other drives.

Not only did I get additional ports with the latest speeds, it also has and SD and Micro SD card readers built in.

Yep, the micro-SD is perfect for my DJI gear, like the Osmo Pocket 3, Action cams, and drones!

Plus, I did add on a powered hub, from my last set-up, but I think that is due for an upgrade shortly as well.

With a footprint just a little over a third of the footprint of the Mac Studio, it sits happily on top.

BTW, I also connect the super fast OWC CFExpress B card reader, coupled with the OWC media card

The next step was backing up everything to the cloud and my new backup plan is with BackBlaze. Sure, it took a loooong time to get the 27TB backed up from the old MacPro.

Once the speedy Mac Studio M4 was set-up, the transfer of license and additional files was fast.

The support from the folks at BackBlaze was exceptional. Personable, specific, and solved all issues with fast replies. Yes, even spoke to a tech on the phone in the beginning.

C’mon-  this was a major upgrade with all that material, and I wanted to make sure all was backed-up.

It is set to continuously send to the cloud as new files are added, which is daily.

The full upgrade was relatively painless.

Apple OS Tahoe 26.3.1 new features are very helpful.

The new features in the apps, especially in Adobe, were major upgrades.

Sure, I had to get new passwords for some programs, especially Microsoft Office.

Now that the full upgrade is complete, I wonder why it took me so long!

Oh, money. That’s right!

The Mac Pro, which is still working great will be for sale with all the Thunderbolt 2 cables.

And recent news from Apple said they are not introducing a new Mac Pro after the 2023 model!

Onwards!

I have been a huge fan of the DJI Mic 2 for a variety of reasons. 32bit float, recording onto the transmitter as a back-up, ability to add a lavalier mic.

And you will see that infamous fuzzy cat on top of the mics in many many vids.  Like all gear, the right tool for the right situation.

To be honest, on my last coverage of a few art fairs, the ubiquitous mic, was starting to annoy me. And when I wanted to get some audio from those being interviewed, it became a real eye catcher, in the wrong way. Don’t need the logos

As I sometimes struggle with getting a high quality compact system of doing interviews and overviews, the gear has been changing, and evolving.

I recently picked up the Hollyland Lark M2S system, with the most discreet Bluetooth mic system.

This compact system had the right elements: the kit has a USB-C receiver to plug into the phone, or Osmo Pocket 3, and you get a receiver for your camera as well complete with all the needed cables.

To be clear, when speed is the mandate, this tiny mic system is perfect. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of their other mics, but it is the right tool for the job.

Plus, when putting out time sensitive content that honestly has a certain short shelf life, recording on the phone , editing in CapCut, and posting, this is a tool that fits my needs.

In a previous post, I wrote about recording Pro Res Raw on the iPhone, and this set-up works great for that as well.

You still need an external SSD to capture those large files, and here is the rig I came up with:

Planck 2 TB SSD

Planck Creator hub

Ulanzi magsafe with a ¼-20 7 Cold Shoe

BlackMagic Camera App

And of course, the Hollyland Lark M2S

As you can see, the whole rig can be built, sit in your bag, and be ready to go in an instant

The pairing on the Lark M2S is immediate and visually cues you to the connection.

Blue is ready, and green means it’s live.

The reason all these parts were chosen was the design of each element, and the way it all integrated.

Fast, small, and quality.

Now, one part that is still to be worked out is a battery to keep the phone charged.

I do have one from a Anker that is slim enough to fit in the spring-loaded part of the Ulanzi and can plug into the Planck hub. looking for a battery that can fit on the magsafe mount.

All in all, very happy with this rig.

Check out the video and let me know what you think!

And here is a video using the Lark MS2 in a real world situation.

Yep, the straps that you all know from Peak Design have those now classic Anchors that lock and keep you strap secure to your camera, are adding a new product into the line-up.

They have now brought out a line of Mobile Straps that are geared more to the point and shoot and mobile market. There is a general spec chart at the end of the post so you can see if your camera will work.

Built around a brand new intuitive and very secure Micro Anchor™ connection system, these straps are quick-adjusting, low profile, comfy, and durable.

Here is a video walking you through it all.

These straps are compatible with any Peak Design phone case, including the Apple iPhone 17 case, and with the included adapter, any third-party case. So, if you want to carry your phone with a strap, or even with their mobile cuff, which is a smaller version, you are covered.

One of the dual straps also has a carabiner with 3 connectors so you can add whatever configuration you want to a shoulder carry set-up.

The Micro Anchor™ quality is solid and the rope braids are as well. Admittedly, the anchors on the orginal are easier to get in and out, although the tight fit on these made them feel more secure.

Personally, I’m using the mobile cuff on my Fuji X-100V, as a wrist strap or a cuff are my fave carry modes for cameras.

My Fuji feels like an extension of me, and the cuff puts the camera in my hand always at the ready.

Here are the 3 versions:

And the prices with details:

• Mobile Crossbody Multi-Strap ($59.95)
  • A versatile strap that securely carries your phone, keys, and small essentials with quick, tangle-free Micro Anchor™ connections and a durable adjustable rope

• Mobile Crossbody Strap ($49.95)
  • A sleek 2-point carry collusion
  • Offers secure, tangle-free convenience with the intuitive Micro Anchor™ system and an ultra-comfortable adjustable rope

• Mobile Cuff ($29.95)
  • A simple, durable wrist strap that provides secure, drop-proof carry for your phone, camera, or small device
  • Features effortless Micro Anchor™ attachment, a self-cinching hardware, and ultra-durable woven rope

With spring on the way, it’s time for fresh start and an upgrade!