5 Things I Like about Photos for OS X June 7, 2016 – Posted in: Photography – Tags: ,

Even though I’m pro and take-on business assignments, photography is my hobby too. I love taking pictures of family, friends, vacation, events, and special occasions. Photos for OS X provides me with a cloud-connected environment to manage and edit my personal shots. Those images, in a lot ways, mean more to me than the RAW files I captured for a client.

Aside from being surprisingly powerful, Photos is easy. It takes care of my images so I can focus on enjoying the moment. How it accomplishes this is a big part of its appeal. And I thought you might be interested in five of the features that make Photos for OS X the clear choice for my hobby photography.

Automatic Backup – Every shot that I take with my iPhone, or that I add to the Photos environment, is automatically backed up via iCloud. I love this feature. It’s interesting because I spend a lot of time archiving my professional images. But for my hobby, I don’t even have to think about it.

Instant Sharing – Once an image enters my Photos environment, it’s available on all of my Macs and iOS devices. So if I take an iPhone shot, but I want to play with it using Photos’ editing tools, I don’t have to transfer the image to my computer. I just open up the laptop and it’s there waiting for me.

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Editing Extensions – Yes I can adjust my pictures with the default set of tools included in Photos. But the Editing Extensions take this ability to a whole new level. Using software such as Tonality or Pixelmator Retouch, I can work on specific areas of the image, add layers, and take advantage of a seemingly endless array of filters and effects… all while staying the the Photos environment.

Books, Prints, and Cards – Digital photos are convenient, but making a fine art card, hardcover book, or 13″x19″ print is art. All of these tools are built into Photos and are designed so I can create output easily and with flair.

Geotagging – Not only does Photos recognize the location information recorded with my iPhone, but it allows me to add geo-data in the app for those shots that don’t have tags. This added dimension is particularly important for family vacations and exploring the world at large.

Based on my conversations with many other photographers, a lot of folks don’t realize just how powerful Photos is. To help with that, I’ve written The Apple Photos Book for Photographers. And you can get it now for only $15 using coupon code APPLE15 at checkout.

I like having my personal life separate from my work. And using Photos for OS X reminds me of how much I love photography, and the joy it brings me when spending time with family and friends.

Derrick Story is the author of The Apple Photos Book for Photographers.