Some replies I received on twitter today caused me to think about people’s motivation for blogging - or at that, content creation as a whole.

There are those that drink the kool-aid, and buy the “$100 000 a month in 30 days” books and have dreams of rich and fame. They buy all the resources, and are convinced they could become millionaires in the first few months of blogging. They dream of the wealth, the popularity, and the glory of getting rich quick with blogging.

On the other side of the spectrum are the humble bloggers. They are the ones that constantly pump out great content. Their blogs - no matter the topic - have a voice to them. A voice that defines them. A voice that lures me, as a reader, in. A voice that make me want to read more. A voice that brings a smile to my face whenever I see an update from their RSS feed.

Now, ask yourself, which one are you?

In all fairness, it is rare to find someone on either extreme. Often, it is more subtle. A blogger sees the money to be made, and becomes consumed by it. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that content producers should get paid for their work, but the problem begins when the focus shifts from the content to the money.

Trust me, motivation by fame, money, or power will affect your content. And not for the better.

Let’s go back to how this thought got planted in my head. It started with me reading Chris Bowler’s latest blog post - ‘On Deck’. He wrote about his goal to one day become a full-time blogger, making a living off his work. Why does he say he wants to do that?

“To be able to research, to write and to experiment with the things I’m excited and passionate about — sounds like a dream job to me.”

He goes on to mention how the only ads that he would want to adorn his site would be via The Deck because it doesn’t “detract from the content the reader sees, while rewarding the author for his/her time and efforts”.

Precisely!

Chris gets it. Blogging is not about cramming as many animated ads as possible on a page. It’s about the content. It’s about letting the content speak for itself. Content creation in any form is not easy, and the content creators have a right to make money from their work. But there is a big difference between making money for your work, and working for money.

And that is why I admire Chris. He found his passion. He has a goal. And he has now found a spot in my blogroll. I don’t think he’s “big headed” or conceited - on the contrary, much more humble than I could ever be.

Focus on the content. Keep at it, and you won’t be going anywhere other than onward, and upward.

Ever since Tommy Vallier’s “Living in the Cloud” talk at Podcamp Toronto this year, I’ve been pondering the idea of truly living in the cloud. In many ways, it is the ideal solution - being able to walk up to any computer in the world with an Internet connection, and access all of your data.

Of course, at this point in time, it is next to impossible to store 500GB+ of your data on a server in the cloud, and have sufficient download/upload speeds to be able to interact with your data at an acceptable rate.

But when I began to think about it, the majority of my most important data doesn’t take up much space at all. Almost all of the stuff I’m interacting with on a day-to-day basis can be done in the cloud. Email, RSS, contact information, calendars, web history, chats, login information, and documents all come to just under 5GBs, which can easily be stored online.

This isn’t new. Most of this stuff can be done online right now through services like Netvibes, or Google Apps. With online apps like Gmail, Google Reader, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Meebo, you can access and use your data online. Unfortunately, with all the Web 2.0 services out there, no one has got it right. Sure there are a ton of webapps out there, but they are never as good as the desktop alternative.

My Mac has a consistent user experience. I’m able to navigate via keyboard shortcuts that are standard across multiple applications, and I’m able to use the full power of my computer to create a beautiful user interface. Working in the cloud just doesn’t have the Great Moments by Design that are found in so many desktop applications.

Why in Google Docs does it replace my context menu, and force me to click a button at the bottom of the screen to preform spell check. Why do I have to think about how to create a new group in Google Reader? In many ways, going from a desktop user interface to a web app is on par to going back to a Windows 98 style interface. Sure there are the exceptions to the rules, but generally, web apps are a downgrade from the desktop experience (the very reason I’m writing this post in MarsEdit as opposed to the Wordpress admin panel).

A step back

We’re living in a time where computers are powerful enough to create beautiful user interfaces that enrich the experience of interacting with an app. But instead, it seems that we have taken a step back. The Internet has wooed us to a place where we will put up with slow, laggy, and weak applications just for the sake of “living in the cloud”.

Whenever I use webapps, I feel like I am just getting by. There are no “ah ha” moments of greatness where you know in your heart-of-hearts that the developer spend hours working on a seemingly insignificant feature in order to enrich your experience.

Am I willing to give my seamless desktop experience just so I can live in the cloud?

No.

Everyone has tried to create a beautiful, “web 2.0″ app that stores all my valuable data on the cloud. Google, Netvibes, Meebo, Facebook, Del.icio.us, Flickr, Apple, Youtube. But no one has got it. No one understands what living in the cloud is truly about. It is not web apps vs. desktop apps. It’s the convergence of the desktop and the Internet to create a rich application that interacts with the Internet through a fluid, intuitive, desktop UI.

Desktop apps + the Internet

Now, if only someone would take all the valuable hours they spend coding for the web, and create a native application that automatically interacts with the Internet in the background in order to send and retrieve data for you. It makes perfect sense. Why download a slow and laggy UI from the Internet when there is limited bandwidth? Simply use a desktop app for the UI, and only use the Internet as a backend to upload and download pure data.

There are already very functional apps that do this. MarsEdit is a perfect example. It integrates seamlessly with Wordpress, Blogger, and most other blogging platforms to create a one-stop location for all your blogs. You can write posts and save drafts offline while you are on a plane or in a car (obviously not when driving). The same concept is used with desktop IM and Mail clients. Having email that I can drag and drop into folders, and that is indexed with Spotlight provides me with a lot more flexibility than using the web.

A perfect application is not one that solely lives on the Internet or the desktop, but uses the interaction of both to create the best experience for the user.

Over the last few months, photography has become my passion. There is something about photography that relaxes and excites me. There is a certain thrill that I get when taking pictures that cannot be expressed with words.

Many people have asked me how they can get started with photography. Honestly, I have no idea. I learned most of what I know about photography from Google University. Like many things in life, there is no simple “1, 2, 3″ answer. There is no “become an ace photographer in 30 days” formula (at least that I know of).

Despite this, I have decided to write an introduction for those looking to get into photography as a light past-time, or even as a future career. I wanted to write this a) so that people will know what they are getting into, and b) so that they don’t make the same mistakes I did.

If the word “photography” even remotely interests you, print this post out and take it with you everywhere. To work. To school. To bed. Heck, even laminate it and take it into the shower. Drill these concepts into your head, and they will feel as natural to you as brushing your teeth (I’m under the assumption that all readers of my blog brush their teeth).

The best place to start is at the beginning.

The basics

Like any other creative medium, on the most basic of levels, photography is about telling a story. You have to have something you want to say - something you want to express. Your camera is the tool that you use to express it. Sometimes the best pictures aren’t the ones that follow all the rules. The best pictures most often the ones that break the rules and stand out. They are the ones that set your photography apart from the status quo.

Just like blogging, your photography must develop a voice of it’s own. The expression, “a picture is worth a thousand words” is truer than ever. It is your job to take those words and turn them into a voice. Develop a unique style for your photography. Despite the temptation, don’t try to copy someone else’s style (I’m speaking from personal experience here). Create photos that you personally are completely satisfied with, and let them speak for themselves.

When choosing a camera, the most important thing is not the features or the brand or the reviews. The most important thing is that you will bring your camera with you everywhere. Most of the time, my best shots aren’t the ones I went out specifically to shoot. Usually, they were taken in the spur of the moment that I just happened to have my camera by my side. There have been many of times that I missed great shots because I didn’t have my camera with me. When picking the “best camera” for you, remember, isn’t necessarily the one with the most megapixels or features. The best camera for you is the one that you are going to carry with you all the time. I’m a fan of (small) DSLRs, as they give you a lot of control while being fairly portable. Plus, you can expand to them, buy lenses, and “grow into” your camera.

A great way to start learning photography is to buy an entry-level DSLR. Currently, I’m using a Nikon D40x, and have been been as of late December. It is my first DSLR, and has served me well over the months. The comparable camera from Canon is the Digital Rebel XTi. Since then, the Nikon has been replaced by the D60, and the Canon by the Rebel XSi.

Personally, I’m a big fan of Nikon, and like their variety of lenses. Having a universal SD card in my camera that I can easily slide into the card reader in my computer, the family P&S camera, and the even the Wii, is magical. Plus, to put it bluntly, Nikon has far better design and ergonomics than the competition. Picture quality between cameras is similar across the line. When it comes down to it though, you have to go into your local camera store and try them out for yourself. Features and specs aside, choose the camera that feels right for you. Where the buttons are located can make the difference between a great shot, and a missed opportunity.

Share ‘em

If you really want to learn photography, you are going to need to get a second opinion. And a third. And a fourth. Get Flickr. It is the de facto photo/video sharing site on the Internet. Pony up the $25 for a year-long membership that allows you to upload and store an unlimited number of photos. Add friends, comment on people’s photos, and become part of the community.

Flickr is the number one best way to learn photography, and is how I’ve learned the most. I usually browse through people’s photos, see one I like, say to myself “how did he/she do that?” and then click the “More Properties” button on the photo. This lets you see exactly how the photo was taken, and the settings that were used. This is the best way to learn, especially if you understand what all the numbers mean.

The technicals

Now for the fun part - the technicals. I’ll give you a run through of three main elements of photography. These three things create the “triangle” of exposure. Think of exposure as exactly that. It is the amount of light that comes into contact with your camera’s sensor. The higher the exposure, the brighter the image.

There are three settings on your camera that will affect the exposure. They are called Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO.

Shutter Speed is the amount of time your sensor is exposed to light. The longer you open the shutter, the more light enters your camera, the brighter you picture is going to be. Typically, shutter speeds are labeled in fractions. Common shutter speeds are 1/125 or 1/250 of a second. These are for daylight shots where you have a lot of light coming into your camera. When there is a lot of light, your sensor doesn’t have to be open for long, and can open for a very short amount of time. This will create a fast shutter speed. If it’s open for too long, your image will be over exposed and pure white.

When you are indoors and in a low light situation, you have to slow your shutter speed to 1/60 or even 1/20 of the second. The challenge is that a slower shutter speed will produce more camera shake and blur. If your shutter is open for an entire second, chances are your image will be become blurry because your hands will not be able to hold still that long. You may get photos like this.

But shutter speed is just one third of the equation. Next is the Aperture, which is how wide your shutter opens. Think of it this way: the lower the number, the wider your shutter will open, and the more light will enter into your camera. The higher the number, the narrower your shutter, and less light that enters your camera. These numbers are expressed in f/stops. A lower number is better for indoor photography because it lets a lot of light in. These Apertures are usually f/5.6, f/3.5, or even f/2.8. For outdoor, daylight photography, you can set a higher Aperture like f/8, f/11, or f/22. This will barely open your camera’s shutter, and will let less light in.

Aperture does more than that though. It also changes what we call the ‘DOF’ or Depth of Field. The lower the f/number, the wider the lens opens, the narrower the DOF. A narrow DOF means that there is a very small area in focus. If you want the background of a shot blurred out, you need to lower the Aperture (f/3.5). If you want a wider area in focus (a landscape shot, for example), you will need a higher f/stop (f/22). Note: Your lens will determine your Aperture range. All lenses can open up to f/22, but different lenses open wider. More expensive lenses may open all the way up to f/2.2 or even f/1.4. The kit lens that comes with most entry-level DSLRs opens up to f/3.5.

The final element of exposure is ISO. The ISO is the sensitivity of your camera to light. ISOs generally range from 100 all the way up to 1600. Increments include 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive your camera will be to light, and the brighter the image will be. In daylight, you would generally use an ISO of 100 or 200 because there is a lot of natural light. Indoors, however, there is a lot less light (if you are not using a flash), so you can dial your ISO up to 400 or even 800 to allow more light into your picture.

But of course, there’s a catch. The problem with high ISOs (usually 800 or 1600) is that they add a lot of noise to your images. Try to stay away from anything over 800, or even 400, as they make your pictures look grainy. Some cameras are pretty good at handling this, and can shoot up to 6400 ISO with hardly any grain, but they are in the $5000 price range.

Now, it is important to understand that none of these elements can be adjusted without affecting the other. They are all connected. That is why we call them a “triangle”. Your camera will always try to expose your picture properly, but you need to know what settings to change in order to get what you want.

Let’s say you are outside, shooting at ISO 200 at an Aperture of f/8. In order to expose your photo properly, your camera will choose a shutter speed of 1/250 of a second. These are fairly easy conditions to shoot in, as the shutter speed is very fast. You then decide to take a portrait of a person, and wish to blur the background. You have to open your Aperture wider (by lowering the number) to f/5.6. This will let more light into your camera. Your camera will detect this, and speed up your shutter to 1/500 in order to compensate.

Then, you decide to shoot some indoor shots. If you try shooting at ISO 200 at f/5.6 inside, with low light, your camera will need to let more light into the camera and will slow the shutter speed to 1/15. This is too slow, and will introduce camera shake into your pictures. Subjects won’t freeze when you take pictures - they’ll blur. In order to help raise the shutter speed, you can turn the ISO up to 400 (hardly any noise here), and open the Aperture even wider to f/3.5. This might raise your shutter speed to 1/60 which is the minimum you should take pictures at with a normal lens.

As you can see, everything in photography is connected. Over time, you will learn how to use these elements to create photos that tell your stories. Changing settings will become second nature, and you will be free to imagine, dream, and create.

Welcome to the wonderful world of photography.

One of the problems with web apps is they get updated on the server end. The user has no choice to “upgrade” to the new features or hold back - you’re upgraded whether you like it or not. This becomes particularly difficult when you have many different kinds of users using a popular service.

The news is out. Flickr now does video. The last 18 hours have been a buzz with tweets and blog posts regarding the new feature. Pro photographers are outraged that Flickr is not “remaining true to the photograph”. Some are disappointed over the implementation - having 150MB and a 90 second limitations. I understand where that frustration is coming from. It’s hard to watch one of your favourite social networks go through a change. After taking some time to look at it over the past few hours, I for one am very impressed over the implementation.

Before we go any further, let’s make something clear.

It’s not a Youtube competitor. If you want an alternative to Youtube, use services like Vimeo, Viddler, or BlipTV. These services have much less restrictive limitations. You can upload HD footage, and not be worried about the duration.

Part of the problem is in the way it was covered by the media. Really, it should not even be called Flickr video. It should be called Flickr with video. Their focus is still the same - photos. Video is simply meant to compliment the photos. As I think back to many of the photos I’ve uploaded to Flickr from concerts and events, I imagine how some video could have helped to compliment the pictures. With the increase in the number of consumer cameras and cell phones that take video, it is a surprise Flickr hasn’t done this so this sooner.

Flickr isn’t “caving into the pressure” and “abandoning true photography”. If we thought like that, we’d all still be using film. No, Flickr is merely expanding the definition of what photography is, by adding another element - video.

Why 90 seconds?

Undoubtedly, the most complained about limitation of this new service is the 90 second time limit. Actually, the change to 90 seconds was a last minute decision as revealed by Paul Stamatiou who was one of the few early beta testers. Originally, the time limit was set to 60 seconds.

The million dollar question is why?

For the same reason that I love Twitter. There is a certain value in brevity that can not be defined easily. The major problem with videos on Youtube is that there is no editing. People just ramble on and on. Twitter is different though. You only have 140 characters to get your point across. You only mention the most important things and cut out the garbage.

Inevitably, the same thing will happen with Flickr. It will not become a place for video shows or music videos. Instead, it will become a place that, much like twitter, where you are free to express yourself and what you are doing visually. Before, you could only do this through photos. Now, you have photos and video.

I’m sure there will still be those who hate the idea of having video mixed with their photos on Flickr, and will somehow find a way to blame this on Microsoft. But I, for one, am excited about Flickr video, and cannot wait for it to come to devices like the AppleTV and the iPhone.

Good job on this one Flickr.

If you’ve been tuned in to my twitter stream over the last week or so, no doubt you’ve heard about the video I’ve been making for my youth group’s video contest. This has been the first project that I used Final Cut Express for, and now, I can easily say that Final Cut has changed the way I edit.

It isn’t one of those apps, like Aperture, that just feels right. In fact, when you begin to use it, it feels awkward. Adding clips, creating keyframes, and preforming edits are all confusing at first. However, after spending a couple hours experimenting and clicking buttons, everything comes together in a quirky sort of way. Almost like Photoshop or Illustrator’s interfaces. Far from seamless, but they work once you become accustomed to them.

After much filming, thinking, editing, and (waiting while) rendering, the video is finished, and has been submitted for the contest. I will find out the winners on April 27th. So without further ado, the feature presentation:

Now that I’ve used it, I can’t help but dream about a complete redesign of Final Cut from the ground up. Written in Cocoa, and sporting a fresh Aperture-like interface. I’m excited just thinking about it.