Category: Photography

Deploying Photo Mechanic with Munki

Kevin M. Cox May 30, 2024 No Comments

Earlier this year Camera Bits consolidated the different Photo Mechanic (PM) versions into a single “All-in-One” download.

The cataloging feature of Photo Mechanic Plus is now simply activated (or not) by the license used to activate the application. (This is exactly how Microsoft handles Office for Mac.)

There are now subscriptions as well as perpetual licenses available which all use the same download.

Thankfully the ability to programmatically activate and deactivate is still there so only a few changes are needed in our Munki scripts.

Read on for the required changes…

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PocketWizard firmware updates, Sony cameras and remote triggers

Kevin M. Cox June 4, 2023 No Comments

PocketWizard users looking to update their radios to the latest E Release firmware now have to pick between two versions; one for use with Sony Alpha mirrorless cameras and one for everyone else.

While this might seem straight forward, I quickly learned this isn’t the case if you shoot Sony and use custom trigger buttons to fire remote cameras.

Read on for the details…

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Sony Alpha, PocketWizard and remote cameras

Kevin M. Cox December 27, 2021 No Comments

Remote cameras mounted inside third at Minute Maid Park for ALDS Game 1.

Mirrorless cameras are the future and will eventually replace DSLRs. Like many photographers, I have started testing various mirrorless models for eventual use at the newspaper.

While differences and changes are to be expected, one thing in particular caught me by surprise when I setup a remote camera for my first test of the Sony A1 at the American League Division Series earlier this year.

Read on for the details…

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MacAdmins Podcast, Episode 240

Kevin M. Cox November 1, 2021 No Comments

A few months ago I was invited to be a guest on the MacAdmins Podcast to talk with the crew about Apple Business Manager. I’ve been listening to “the pod” for years so I was honored to be asked.

October is busy with playoff baseball but the scheduling worked out and we recorded on the ALCS travel day after Game 2. So of course we talked about baseball photography a little as well.

It was my first time as a podcast guest but Tom, Charles and Marcus made it easy plus James did a great job editing out my flubs!

macOS Monterey was released between when we recorded and when it published this morning, so some of the new features we talk about as “coming soon” are now available. MacAdmins finally have the ability to add off-the-shelf Macs purchased at retail into ABM using the new Configurator for iOS app!

Hopefully we answered some questions, shed some light on potential pitfalls and provided helpful information for anyone who uses ABM or needs to set it up for the first time.

If you don’t already subscribe to the podcast head on over to the site to listen:
MacAdmins Podcast, Episode 240: Kevin M. Cox on AxM

Baseball photography laptop stand

Kevin M. Cox July 4, 2021 No Comments

Shooting from the stands in an empty stadium during the 2020 COVID season was a unique experience.

I photograph a lot of Major League Baseball. The continually changing restrictions due to COVID-19 means we have been positioned in many different places at Minute Maid Park during the past two seasons.

Professional baseball photographers shoot, edit and transmit in a continuous cycle during the game; taking advantage of any slow down in play to catch up on the previous inning. This requires keeping our laptops close by as we are shooting the game.

I am frequently asked about the stand I use to hold my laptop for in-game editing so I decided to compile the details for easy sharing. Keep reading if you are interested.

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Deploying Photo Mechanic 6 with Munki

Kevin M. Cox January 9, 2020 3 Comments

Photo Mechanic 6 (PM), released last year, is a major overall to the venerable software used by photojournalists worldwide. It is now 64-bit for compatibility with macOS Catalina and includes a number of other changes from PM5.

Thankfully the ability to programmatically activate and deactivate is still there so only a few changes are needed in our Munki scripts.

What follows is basically the same as my post from last year, Deploying Photo Mechanic 5 with Munki, without all the background details, so read on if you want to see the changes needed to the scripts.

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Deploying Photo Mechanic 5 with Munki

Kevin M. Cox February 25, 2019 1 Comment

Photo Mechanic 5 Photo Mechanic (PM) has long been the software of choice for photojournalists worldwide. It has unrivaled speed for downloading, sorting and captioning images on deadline. I have been using PM for almost 17 years and it is an essential part in the workflow of our photographers here at the newspaper.

As our staff has grown so has the need to automate installations of software. In the past we simply emailed the registration information for PM to staff as needed. Of course this is an awful practice in regards to securing our paid licenses.

Thankfully we can programmatically activate and deactivate Photo Mechanic when employees install or uninstall the program via Managed Software Center (MSC). Read on for the details.

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Lexar Workflow card reader speed tests

Kevin M. Cox June 22, 2016 No Comments

The “deep hibernation” of Rob Galbraith’s Digital Photography Insights website, including his CF/SD/XQD Performance Database, in 2012 left a huge void in the resources available to photojournalists. For as long as I can remember that was the definitive reference when trying to find the fastest flash cards and readers for use by working photojournalists and sports photographers.

I used to love spending time talking with other photographers on the Galbraith forums and comparing the data compiled by Rob and his team. We purchased the Lexar Professional Workflow system here at the newspaper this year and in the spirit of those old times I decided to test out the speeds when connecting it in the various configurations available. Read on if you’re interested in the results.

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