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Posts Tagged ‘Productive’

Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

08 Jul

The post Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Synology NAS storage

Messy People Have More Creative And Productive Minds, Science Says

While science may well say this, I’ve got to admit after deciding that I had ‘no room to swing a cat’ with my stuff everywhere, that I’ve taken some time during this COVID-19 lock-in to plan and execute my office clean-up! Along with that office clean up, I’ve reorganized my external storage, my raw image archiving, and my general day-to-day workflow, and I wanted to share that process with you.

Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

I’ve been using a large external ‘DAS’ for a good while – a raid array (external disk) with a Thunderbolt 3 connection. Without spending a shed-load of cash on a very expensive cable, I wasn’t able to get it a suitable distance away from my workspace.

So, all of those pretty glowing blue lights and the accompanying whir of drives had to be right beside me. Not necessarily a terrible thing – it’s a very well behaved Raid array – however, it wasn’t very quiet. And, it was kinda ugly in my new small, streamlined office.

Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

I had the idea to ‘kill the clutter’ and switch to a complete NAS (Network Attached Storage) setup with a single direct attached drive at the back of my iMac. Then I tucked the second NAS away in my “server room” (a cupboard in the corner of my office with some powerpoints and a Cat6 patch panel).

This would move the big whirring, glowing drive out of my office space and tuck my main image archiving server away, out of sight.

I also added a second monitor to my setup, a stunning 27″ EIZO. I highly recommend checking them out! It’s very easy on the eye.

Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

So I loaded six of my regular-flavor hard disks into the Synology DS1618, the 6tb WD Red disks – the same drives I have in all of my Synology NAS gear.

Setting the NAS up using Synology’s SHR (Synology Hybrid Raid) and splitting my data across the drives for some hardware failure redundancy, is a very simple process I’ve written about here. My workflow with the second NAS has changed considerably and, after a month or so of testing, is working exactly as I’d like it to.

Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

Now when I import from an SD card, I import directly into my external USB-C disk (Invariably, a G-Technology 4-8TB) and at the same time import to my backup location which is an identical library on the freshly installed Synology DS1618, where previously I’d import to the blue whirring beast (It was a Promise R8, an amazing unit, but just not what I wanted in my new space) and the USB-C drive. Over Cat6 the import of RAW files to my NAS doesn’t register as taking too long and hasn’t bothered me once. 

Now, when I import from an SD card, I import directly into my external USB-C disk (invariably, a G-Technology 4-8TB) and to my backup location – an identical library on the freshly installed Synology DS1618. Previously I’d import to the USB-C drive and the blue whirring beast (a Promise R8. An amazing unit, but just not what I wanted in my new space). Over Cat6, the import of RAW files to my NAS doesn’t register as taking too long and hasn’t bothered me once.

Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

Indirect benefits of the NAS running DSM as a second image storage location are, I can put any RAW files (or all of them), after conversion by the NAS, into a piece of Synology software called “PhotoStation.” This automagically creates good-looking web albums and can group and organize your photos in many ways. In this modern age of never printing anything and having dinner-table arguments discussions about ‘never seeing any of the photos we take’ is a very good thing!

The other main reason for the setup change is that I consult and, from time to time, have people into my home office to chat. Having my servers out and about, with cables hanging around to trip people over, was not a good look! Now, with everything tucked away, there’s no fear of that happening! I also spend a lot of time in my office, and I like to enjoy the space, so I am very happy with the transformation!

Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive

Since we talked last about storage, backups and NAS, my home/office internet has joined the (almost) 20th century in the form of 100Mb NBN. This means that my digital delivery to clients directly from my NAS is MUCH faster. I’m able to share albums and full-res finished images directly from my Disk Station, all from the privacy of my cupboard! 

In closing, the process of de-cluttering your workspace is really very simple these days and can be quite cathartic! A small to medium-sized Synology NAS tucked away in your cupboard, and you’re good to go. 

Together, Synology and WD provided the equipment for this test setup, but the opinions expressed are my own. 

Have you got a storage set-up you’d like to share? Please let us know in the comments section.

The post Synology NAS – Transforming Your Workspace to be More Productive appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.


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How to Plan Your Year in Photography so You Can be More Productive

08 Jan

The post How to Plan Your Year in Photography so You Can be More Productive appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

plan-your-year-in-photography

It’s always good to have a plan. Having a structure to what you do in life leads to success, and this is also the case in photography. In this article, you’ll learn how to focus your attention on the things that will progress your photography. Read on and discover how best to plan your year in photography. It’s a simple process, and you’ll find when you have a plan those unexpected moments that make a great photo occur for you more often as well.

Plan-your-year-in-photography

Knowing seasonal flowers bloom can help a lot.

Look back to plan your year in photography

The very first thing you need to be doing ahead of planning your year in photography is to take a look at the past. This will help you in several ways, and these you’ll learn about now.

  • Avoid mistakes – Reviewing your work to see the things you did wrong means you can plan better for the future.
  • Return visit – It’s always good to plan a return visit, perhaps somewhere would look much better in the snow?
  • Improvements – Related to eliminating mistakes, but slightly different. In this case, when you learn a new photographic skill, this can be brought into your work.
  • Knowledge – Looking through all your work from the previous year will give you a lot of knowledge that you can then use in the planning phase for the upcoming year.
Plan-your-year-in-photography

It’s always worth a return visit, and the sun sets in a different position in the sky later in the year.

When is the best season?

One of the most important aspects of planning your year ahead is thinking about photographs that are seasonal. That doesn’t just relate to the changes in the season either. There can be other factors that can either make or break a photo when it’s taken at a specific time.

When you plan your year in photography, you’ll need to consider the following factors. Then make a plan to be at the correct location at the right time to take advantage of your planning.

  • Seasons – Spring and Autumn are perhaps the most popular seasons to photograph in, with fall leaves, and flower blossoms popular among photographers. Even in the tropics, the change from dry to wet season can have a dramatic impact on the type of photo you can take. Make sure you know when the monsoon season is!
  • The sun – Where the sun sets and rises changes throughout the year. This change is most dramatic the further away from the equator you are. Plan your photo so the sun is in exactly the right place within your frame. You can use a program like suncalc to do this. One of the most dramatic examples of this is when the sun shines down the blocks in New York during Manhattanhenge.
  • Milky way – As with the sun, the position of the milky way changes through the year. In the northern hemisphere, it begins the year as a pre-dawn photo and ends the year as an early evening photo. More than this, though, you need to think about the moon. The optimum time to photograph the milky way is during the new moon. So, you need to plan month-to-month to photograph the milky way.
Image: Knowing when festivals will be is important.

Knowing when festivals will be is important.

Which trip will you take?

Unless you’re very lucky, you’ll only be able to plan a few big trips away per year. You may not even be able to do that, but hopefully, you still have time to visit somewhere amazing that’s more local. The big question, however, is where to go, and when?

Where should you go?

The location you choose will very much depend on the type of photographer you are. Other factors, like the needs of your family, if this trip is a family vacation, also need to be thought of.

If you’re a landscape photographer, then visiting places with incredible landscapes will make a dream trip. That means countries like Iceland, New Zealand, or Vietnam might be top of your list.

On the other hand, if you enjoy street photography, then going to India, and the back streets of somewhere like Calcutta could be for you.

Think about how you want to add to your portfolio, and then plan your trip accordingly.

Image: Festivals offer unique moments that don’t present themselves at other times.

Festivals offer unique moments that don’t present themselves at other times.

When to go?

Now the next step is planning when to go. Making a trip somewhere is exciting. For some, it’s often once a year, so you’ll want to get this right. What factors will elevate your photography of a particular location above other peoples?

  • Seasons – Already mentioned, but worth mentioning again. A location can be transformed by fall tree colors. Your time in a location could equally be ruined by a constant monsoon deluge, and perhaps even flooding.
  • Festivals – When you choose a place to visit, do an additional search to see if there are any famous festivals. Festivals offer the chance to take photos that only happen during that festival, offering you the chance for more unique photos.
  • Tourists – Can you go at a time that avoids crowds of tourists? Admittedly if you’re photographing a festival, you’ll be surrounded by lots of tourists. However, at other times, it’s best to avoid peak times. It’s cheaper to travel, and you’ll have an easier time taking photos without crowds in them.
Image: This photo needed to be taken when high tide coincided with sunrise. Planning is needed for t...

This photo needed to be taken when high tide coincided with sunrise. Planning is needed for this.

Try something new

Every year it’s worth thinking about learning something new. What new photography technique or post-processing workflow will take your photography to the next level? Do you need to buy a course, or attend a workshop to realize this improvement? Here are just a few ideas you could try, if you haven’t done so already.

  • Light painting – The world of light painting is huge. Get a tripod, and try out some of the night time fun yourself!
  • Infra-red – The easiest way to get started with this is through using an IR filter. If you really love it then convert your camera for specific IR use.
  • Lensball – Lensballs have become much more prevalent in recent years. Have you tried this interesting form of photography yet?
  • Digital blending – The best post-processing technique to take your landscape photography to the next level.
  • Cloning – Get creative and try cloning multiple objects into the same photo.
Plan-your-year-in-photography

Cloning yourself into photographs multiple times can be fun.

Make a monthly calendar

Now you know what you want to achieve in your photography, it’s time to lay it all out in an organized way. That means using a calendar, so you can clearly see where things fit in your plan for the year.

If you plan to have a project such as the 52-week project, then this would be a great time to lay everything down in terms of what you’re photographing from week to week.

The spring and autumn seasons can be short in terms of peak conditions, so also plan for that when you’ll be out photographing in the best locations.

Image: It’s time to plan your year ahead, and make sure you don’t miss those fall photos...

It’s time to plan your year ahead, and make sure you don’t miss those fall photos!

How will you plan your year in photography?

Whether you’re a generally organized person or not, a plan is always a good idea.

How do you go about planning your year in photography? Are there any tips you would share that will help other members of this community?

Perhaps it involves committing to a photography project of some description. Here at digital photography school, we’d love to get your feedback, together with any photos you have taken in the last year or plan to take this year.

The post How to Plan Your Year in Photography so You Can be More Productive appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.


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PlantLab: Urban Farms 40 Times More Productive than Open Fields

03 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

indoor farm vertical design

A Dutch firm on the cutting edge of indoor agriculture estimates that producing food for the entire world could take place in a space far smaller than the area occupied by Holland, using just 10% of the water needed by traditional farms. The proposal is not without precedent – Japan already has one prototype urban farm that is 100 times more productive than farmers’ fields.

indoor farm red light

indoor farm closeup

Noting that the vast majority of people will live in cities in the coming decades, PlantLab suggests a solution that involves using existing basements and purpose-built structures for our future food production. This means less energy, space, time and water than conventional methods.

indoor farm hallways

indoor farm plant lab

Urban farming in controlled environments lets growers take full advantage of variables like custom lighting, using far-red LED lamps that reduce moisture requirements for plants. Naturally, interior spaces are also free from the uncontrolled variables of weather and pests as well, increasingly reliability.

indoor urban agriculture industry

indoor farm vertical buildings

Automatic systems can optimize yields based on crop types, making indoor farms more effective than greenhouses and far more productive than fields. The ever-increasing efficiency and lowering costs of LEDs mean this method will only become more viable over time.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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World’s Largest Indoor Farm is 100 Times More Productive

12 Jan

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

indoor farm japan interior

The statistics for this incredibly successful indoor farming endeavor in Japan are staggering: 25,000 square feet producing 10,000 heads of lettuce per day (100 times more per square foot than traditional methods) with 40% less power, 80% less food waste and 99% less water usage than outdoor fields.

indoor factory lettuce farm

indoor farm high yield

Customized LED lighting developed with GE helps plants grow up to two and half times faster, one of the many innovations employed in this enterprise by Shigeharu Shimamura, the man who helped turn a former semiconductor factory into the planet’s biggest interior factory farm.

worlds largest indoor farm

Shimamura has shortened the cycle of days and nights in this artificial environment, growing food faster, while optimizing temperature, lighting and humidity and maximizing vertical square footage in this vast interior space (about half the size of a football field).

indoor future led farming

With a long-standing passion for produce production, he “got the idea for his indoor farm as a teenager, when he visited a ‘vegetable factory’ at the Expo ’85 world’s fair in Tsukuba, Japan. He went on to study plant physiology at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, and in 2004 started an indoor farming company called Mirai, which in Japanese means ‘future.’”

indoor farm interview detail

The beauty of this development lies partly in its versatility – since it deals in climate-controlled spaces and replicable conditions, a solution of this sort can be deployed anywhere in the world to address food shortages of the present and future. Saving space, indoor vertical farms are also good candidates for local food production in crowded and high-cost urban areas around the globe. Aforementioned strides in waste and power reduction also make these techniques and approaches far more sustainable and cost-efficient.

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