Showing my Dad (Jesse) how I can blog on my iPhone. I just love tech! Shoot him over my itinerary and a link to this blog - works like a charm. Wordpress on the iPhone rocks!

Here’s the scenario, you’ve been out shooting at a remote location or maybe just around town and now your ready to get your photos processed and online. But wait, you also need to Geotag all those photos so everyone can see where you were. Best thing of all about geotagging, you won’t forget where you’ve been (something that happens to many of us raised in the 70’s).

For most of us, the standard way to Geotag is getting our shots onto a location map via Zooomr, GoogleMaps, GoogleEarth, Flicker and other more intricate ways. The problem is it requires hours of searching for each location and dropping batches of photos or for those with a lot of time on their hands, dropping each photo onto the exact spot you took the picture(s)

Well for me, I barely have enough time to shoot and process my pictures as it is. So, I started searching the internet, reading articles and talking to pink elephants (oops your not supposed to know that). I came to the conclusion that most of the automatic ways (shooting with a GPS attached to your camera and info being placed directly into the EXIF of the picture) are at least $300 - $500. I’m not cheap but I knew there must be a more economical way and there is.

By getting a GPS logger ($150 for name brands and under $100 for the unit I’m using) to record your tracks, you can easily download that data and create a datalog file (GPX works great). Then all that is left is getting your photos onto your computer, drop your photos (RAW or JPEG - Yes this solution works with RAW!) and data into a Geotag matching software and it’s done - Yeah I know, I get a little excited when things work with RAW. This is the best solution I’ve found yet to Geotag my RAW pictures.

But you ask where are the details RandyMan? If you made it through all my babble, then you deserve to get the cake and eat it to —->

RAW or JPEG - This writing is mostly for those shooting in RAW and on a Mac - For those shooting in JPEG and on a PC - the solution comes pre-packed with any decent GPS.

In a discussion I had with Thomas Hawk and others, the main concern is how well the GPS picks up the satellite signals. The Qstar BT-1000 has 51 Channels (that’s an ability to pick up 51 satellites!) A High Standards for most GPS’s are around 32 channels.

• Mac Users: You do need windows to get the data out of this GPS - But this GPS rocks!! I get connection inside my house! - Another Solution would be to buy a GPS that is compatible with HoudaGEO.
• PC Users: For JPEG shooting - all software needed comes with the GPS.

1. Get yourself a GPS Data Logger - I bought the “Qstarz BT-Q1000” $99.95 . This one is bluetooth and doubles as a Navigation device to use with my laptop, PDA or any bluetooth Navigation program. This comes with a Window base application to set your logger defaults and retrieve the data. (Sorry Mac guys - need to install Parallels or run bootcamp). There are many to choose from Garmin, Magellan, Wintec, but I’ve heard great stuff about this Qstarz and I’ve yet to have an issue with it. -Here’s an Assortment of GPS’s to check out.
2. Download HoudaGEO for the Mac - Demo is limited and full version is $40. (only problem is that HoudaGEO doesn’t have a driver to recognize Qstarz yet - you could get a Garmin for $150)
3. Turn your GPS on at the beggining of your adventure, put it in your pocket or backpack (I had this thing in my glove compartment without any issues) and when your finished turn it off. (Special note: Using it inside of a building can cause issues).
4. Plug your GPS via USB into your computer and turn it on (switch to log if required) and start up the GPS Software that came with the device. In my case it’s “Travel RecorderV3″ works better then V4. Press the “Connect” button.
5. Press “Download” data from the GPS. All your logs are now viewable - depending how long you had it on, it could be excessive (don’t worry) - The Qstarz BT-Q1000 can track up to 200,000 waypoints. That means in a period of 24 hours you can set this thing to record your position every 2.3 seconds. WOW!!
6. Save data as a GPX file. (I put it into the folder of the shots it belongs to, but it doesn’t matter - you just need to know where the file resides).
7. Now go into your Mac environment and open HoudaGEO. Select the photos that you want to Geotag and simply drag them into HoudaGEO.
8. Next, click on the icon for downloading file and find your GPX file. Now like magic it matches the time of the photo with the time in the GPS Logger and instantly all pictures are Geotagged.
9. Last part - Click “Write to EXIF” and you’re done . . now all your RAW files (or JPEGS) are Geotagged!! YEAH!

HoudaGEO will also let you:

• Export directly into GoogleEarth - Drive to Work - You need Google Earth for this link to open properly. - Download Here -Don’t pay any attention to the shots - They’re bad, I know - But it worked perfectly! (within 5-10 feet of where I took the shot)
  
• Save KMZ or KML file (This is a file you can send to your friends with tracking info and Pictures)
• Upload into Flickr.

This process takes about 5 - 10 minutes tops to do about 350 photos. The only way to shorten this time is to get a GPS that is compatible with HoudaGEO as stated early, but no guarantees on how strong of a signal you’ll receive with the satellites.

In a nutshell - I do not want to fork up extra $’s for something that will get better with time or at least until I see a 16GB Compact card that doubles as a GPS. The future does look promising - Check out this cool new device: ATA Photo Finder - it came out the end of last year, but I have no idea how well it tracks.

If you have any other work flows and/or GPS’s that work good for you - share the knowledge and leave a comment.

Hopes this helps out some of you.

Assemblywomen Audra Strickland

Audra Strickland was first elected to serve in the State Assembly representing the 37th Assembly District in 2004. She received overwhelming approval and support from her community, she was subsequently reelected in 2006. Before being elected into office, Audra Strickland taught junior high school students American history and Language Arts. Although deeply committed to educating our children, anyone who has worked with Audra knows she has a strong passion for public policy.

Audra Strickland earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Irvine. Shortly after graduating, she gained considerable legislative experience working in our State Capitol for several legislators including Assembly Members Bill Campbell, Chuck Poochigian, and former Speaker Curt Pringle.

As a member of the Assembly, Audra Strickland’s legislative priorities include measures to address the state’s economy, tax relief for California’s families, public safety and improving education. Major legislation introduced by Assemblywoman Strickland includes eliminating the state’s unfair double tax on gasoline, reducing property taxes for homeowners, limiting the ability for state politicians to increase college tuition, and strengthening punishments for sexual predators.

As our voice in the Capitol and at the request of local elected officials and community members, Assemblywoman Strickland authored legislation to strengthen punishments for unlicensed drivers, improve traffic safety on Highway 118, protect the safety and cleanliness of our water resources, strengthen laws that prohibit weapons to be brought onto our school campuses, eliminate the statute of limitation to prosecute sexual predators and change the way property taxes are assessed on affordable housing to make it more fair to homeowners.

Early in her legislative career, Assemblywoman Strickland was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly to serve on the Little Hoover Commission, the state’s premiere fiscal and government efficiency oversight agency. As a good government proponent, Audra Strickland authored the first ever state measure to provide civil penalties to state government officials who knowingly lie to mislead the public on official state reports.

Audra is also involved with a variety of local organizations and causes, from a cancer awareness effort to a battered women’s support organization. In 2002, her dedication to her community was recognized by her appointment to the Ventura County Board of Education and receipt of the Teacher of the Year award from the Ventura County Republican Women’s Federated. More recently, she has been named Legislator of the Year by the Young Republican Federation of California.

Assemblywoman Audra Strickland represents the 37th Assembly District, including the communities of Acton, Agua Dulce, Camarillo, Canoga Park, Castaic, Chatsworth, Fillmore, Los Angeles, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Oak View, Ojai, Piru, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Somis, Thousand Oaks, and West Hills.

Audra is an inspiration to all people who have had the opportunity to work or to be lead by her. The path this strong Californian is paving for our state has only just begun. This is one women to keep your eyes and your votes on. I’m sure we will see many great things from this Californian voice in the Senate.