iPad – Uses and abuses…

I’ve been looking at the iPad for a while now, having got over the “what’s the point of that” stage that affected me and so many of my colleagues too.

The more I thought about this little device, the more useful it seemed. I had only to open my mind to it’s possibilities.

Here is a summary of my thoughts thus far…

Mobile portfolio
This first one is perhaps the most obvious of them all. As a photographer, the iPad offers a great alternative to a laptop. It’s faster and slicker than my current laptop and significantly lighter too.

When I visit a client the bulk and weight savings alone pay dividends. I’m normally already laden with sample albums and prints so taking along a laptop isn’t really a viable option. Besides, it is vitally important to look at the client and establish eye contact and with a vdu around I find it too much of a distraction.

Wouldn’t the same be true of the iPad? In short, no. The idea is to hand it to the client and let them flip through the images.

On a client visit, the iPad’s role is simply to provide “wow” factor. And that, dear reader, is something it is quite good at.

Proofing
This is another great use. Images rendered out for the iPad’s screen look phenomenal. It’s a great showcase for a client’s images.

Wedding Album
I often get asked for images on DVD but I’m not keen to deliver them on this medium. It isn’t that I have a major objection to this, but rather that it is very difficult to make it look professional. I cannot imagine anything worse than handing over a DVD with a handwritten label. It isn’t something the client would expect with the price I’m charging and I’ve no desire to enter the race to the bottom with so many others. True there are other solutions but they all incur a time or cost penalty and no matter which way you dress it up, a DVD will always be a DVD.

The iPad wedding album is a great solution to the electronic image client. They receive an iPad with the images pre-loaded together with a set of watermarked thumbnails and a backup copy on USB flash drive.

It also provides the “wow” factor too. Imagine the impression the bride will make when showing her friends and family her wedding images on this magic little device. The friends will remember it too, and they are my future clients.

Tear sheets
I use tear sheets a lot when researching images, styles, lighting and poses for a shoot. The iPad, to me, offers a great alternative to paper tear sheets that I can easily bring with me to discuss ideas with the model or even show them the type of shot I’m looking to create.

My portfolio
This one I have to admit I’m in two minds about.

Whilst the iPad is a great way to show off your images, the expectation amongst some clients is that they will see my book. Emphasis on the book. Traditionally this would be a leather bound portfolio album of the accustomed size with a specific number of images. Many bookers are used to seeing work in this format so the iPad solution may not be well received in this setting. Nevertheless, it is worth persevering and I have a workaround for that.

This could be an overuse or even an abuse of the iPad in the present day. You don’t get the same tangible feeling with the iPad as you do a professionally produced and bound album but times will change.