Windows drag n drop Batch Image Metadata Updates

Batch modifying the exif metadata on your images (NEF, DNGs, jpegs ....) in Windows can be a little painful. Exiftool is a great tool that can perform the metadata updates but most would associate this with command line updates.

With Windows, there exists a neat tick with batch files that you can drag and drop files onto batch file under Windows explorer and the batch file will accept them as arguments. For example, to set the lens information on any exiftool support file, create the following .bat file and then drag and drop your files!

@echo off FOR %%i IN (%*) DO exiftool -overwrite_original -Lens="Nikkor 20mm f/3.5 AI" -MaxApertureValue="3.5" -FocalLength="20" %%i pause

What's preventing spindown of disks on RPI?

I have a RPi3 with an external USB hardddisk attached which appeared to be not to be spinning down although the setup (via hdparm was correct. But how to determine what was the cause of activity to the disk?

Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AI-S Disassembly

The Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AI-S is a lens from the late 70s but shares its optical formula with its predecesors (pre-AI and AI) and successor (AF-D). The AI-S is also quite common and as such appears on ebay frequently in various conditions.



The 24mm f/2.8 AI-S lens is reasonably simple to disassemble and teardown with the only complication being the CRC unit at the rear.

Upgrading an Ancient FC14 to Fedora 24

Having successfully completed a recent Fedora 23 installation to an aging netbook, I started to grow frustrated with my ~6 year old aging Fedora Core 14 installation from 2010. The annoyances I faced with my 2010 desktop installation was the lack of upgrade paths for many of the useful daily software components and the aging desktop environment.

With the ease and painless install of Fedora 23, I wondered if the FC14 system could also be easily replaced. Obviously there were some complications.

Custom gdk_pixbuf_loader to handle embedded RAW preview images

The Gtk/Gnome subsystem provides the basis for many of the popular (along with KDE) window managers on Linux. One of the areas of the current gtk subsystem that handles image formats can be extended if needed via gdk_pixbuf_loaders. By implementing and installing a newer loader for your image format, the current image viewers such as eog (Eye of Gnome) will seamlessly display these images.

The standard installation of loaders on Fedora 23 does not provide a suitable image loader for RAW files...

Fedora 23 / Aircrack on HP Mini 210 3025sa

Working with airmon-ng on Fedora 23 running on HP Mini 210 3025sa with an Atheros AR9285 wifi card using stock kernel ath9k module.

Photo/Media backup on the move - a Linux Netbook Solution

I was looking for a small solution that can be used to back up photos/media whilst traveling, but most solutions require a computer - whilst there are solutions that are essentially a harddisk wrapped in h/w with an SD or CF slot that perform basic backup. These solutions however are relatively expensive (200GBP + range) and they are providing limited functionality. Other options would be simply to buy more CF/SD cards but I've always found these to be a waste since they become redundant with the next camera upgrade.

Therefore, the realistic option was to look at a laptop... but new lightweight laptops are expensive. However there was a market segment in ~2009-2012 that may fit the requirements: netbooks. Netbooks were a range of small/lightweight and inexpensive laptop that filled a market that has since been dominated by the popularity of iPad and other tablets. The netbooks were relatively small but under powered laptops with a generation of mobile processors (typically, the Intel Atom) that was designed, seemingly, for internet access and minor word processing/office tasks - as such netbooks were usually installed with Windows XP or a slimmed down version of Windows7 (called 'Starter') although some Linux variants were shipped by manufacturers.


So the hunt was on - and after some initial considerations (keyboard layout - where's the pipe key?!?) the HP Mini 210-3025sa was the one I targeted on eBay at the time.

Fedora 23 (Mate-Compiz) on HP Mini 210 3025sa Netbook

The HP 210-3025 was sold as a 2011/2012 netbook with a 64bit Intel Atom n570 dual core 1.67Ghz chip with hyper threading, pre installed with Windows 7 Starter and a 250Gb internal 2.5" disk (with a standard 9.5mm height rather than the slimmer 7mm) and 1GB RAM - the machine was equipped with a Wireless adaptor, a 10/100Mbit ethernet, 3x USB 2.0 ports and an internal SDxC reader. The screen is 10.1" with a 1024x600 resolution and weighing in at 1.04kg (machine only) with a 0.305kg charger - the battery was 0.310kg so a minimum weight of 1.44kg.

The HP boots from the 64bit live images with no issues and we find:

Keeping your Head(shot) in (Lens) Perspective

Perspective distortion is an optical phenomenon that can be described as an illusion that occurs when using different focal lengths (wide vs telephoto) that warps the apparent distance relationship between objects close to the camera and objects in the background. Lens perspective, and therefore focal length, has subtle (and sometimes less so) impact on headshots.

CNX2 WB Correction Confusions

^{[ These are notes for my WB hacking with CNX2 - it's not meant to be a WB tutorial ]}

Still trying to get to grips with CNX2 white balancing for skin tones. I understand that skin tones should result in R>G>B, with a ratio of [ 1 | 0.85 | 0.75 ] being 'reasonable'.


^{red top | blue bottom | neutral third left}

However, most skin tone tutorials refer to corrections in CYMK but CNX2 gives us RAW development corrections with red-blue values only, although it does give us colour balance corrections with CYMK in the adjustment section.

What are the problems with performing development WB corrections with red and blue only?

Single/Double/Close In Diffuse Action

Lighting shiny products and options: bounce-style softbox (Westcott Apollo) vs straight through softbox (Ezybox)




Vanilla modifier vs extra diffusion vs vanilla modifier close in.

Cumulative Key and Fill

^{fill only | key only | key and fill}

Maths seems to rule the world and normally in a complex way. These are notes to allow us to approximate the final exposure based on an overlapping key and fill light.

Love that Magick

There is nothing like a good trick and ImageMagick (IM) has plenty of them - if you need a command line swiss knife image toolset then this is it.

Look closer: The Man. that is older than AI

I don't shoot your traditional macros: I tend to shoot people although I do shoot products occasionally, but never enough to justify a dedicated macro lens. Not until a recent discovery, a Micro Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 AI.

Embedded in RAW

One of the most common debates (ignoring brand wars) in the hobbyist/amateur camera world is whether one should shoot RAW or jpeg (or RAW/jpeg with varying degrees of jpeg quality). For me the decision is easy: shoot RAW.

Virtual Nerd'ing

[ non-geeks need to look away - notes about virtualisation on Linux ]



Years before I became a photo nerd, I was already a computer nerd with C/C++ and UNIX being favourite no-girlfriend past-times. Roll forward the years and now I can both.

Trap Focus: Shutter de-coupled, AF-ON and Fluxing

Hidding in a bush/behind the garbage waiting for something to come into view/focus and immediately want your Nikon to snap it? Trap focus is your friend. Along with the bugs/rats that are in your hidding place.

PocketWizards: Triggering a Remote Camera

This is one of those things that I always have to think twice before getting right, but this is how to remotely trigger your camera AND your lights which are attached to your Pocket Wizards PlusII units.

Prints: Holding on to the Physical - RAW workflow

Whilst all my photography has been limited to digital, there has always never been anything that compares to holding a physical (RGB) print. However, ensuring that your images are printed correctly needs careful attention and involves dealing with colour space/profiles and generating a final print in the print lab's required PPI.

Numbers: Show Me the Numbers..

I like numbers. Good numbers, like 8, and it's just so that I should get to know some more numbers when using my flashes/light modifiers.