Mac Setup: The Desk of a Professional Panographer
This featured Mac setup John L., a professional panographer who has a great workstation complete with a furry visitor / assistant to keep the desk cozy. Let’s learn a bit more about the hardware and software that gets put to use:
What hardware is in your setup?
- Mac Pro (2013 model)
- Mac Pro (2010 model)
- HP Windows 7 PC (for non-Apple work)
- 30″ NEC Spectraview 3090 Display
- Dual Apple Cinema Displays
- GTX screen for the Windows PC
- Apple Keyboard
For storage, there are numerous hard disks mounted as needed in Freecom drive bays, one for images (2.14 TB) and one for video (0.75 TB).
What do you use your setup for?
As an experienced panographer – hobby and commercial – I have a large catalogue of panoramic photography & a growing one from a recent venture into video. The setup is used for image and video editing, web development, and writing.
For printing I use an Epson Stylus Pro 7800 Photo Wide-Format Printer
and an HP Officejet for text.
What are some of your most used or essential apps?
My most used apps are Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge, Audition and Premiere for editing, and BBEdit, PTGui & KRPano for pano work for web.
One of my more recent favorite apps is Raw Right Away for instant image viewing.
Do you have any tips or advice to share with OSXDaily?
When you can afford it, get good quality gear – purchase of a wide format printer is high but running costs are far lower than those for a cheap printer which lasts only a short time…
The new Mac Pro is VERY fast. Large Images that took a coffee break or longer to process are now done before I can leave my desk.
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Now it’s your turn! If you have an interesting Mac setup you want to have featured, answer a few questions, take a few high quality pictures, and send it on in… or if you’re not quite ready to share your own workstation, feel free to browse through the many highlighted desks and setups we’ve featured before.
I read that as “professional pornographer” :)
What model of iCat do you have…?
I’m a cat lover too, and I must say I miss a feline presence at the moment. Your picture made me smile fondly.
Thanks!
I am guessing that his iCat is Burmese.
Meow! Left ear please. Ahhhh, now the right. Ahhhhh. Ok, now under the chin. Ahhhh. Don’t touch my tail!
Hi Kristof
The screens to user distance is about 24″. No pains in this neck other than those caused by our new Tory government!
If anyone would like to see the set-up in its untidy context:
http://john-law.net/old-projects/loft/
JL
I appreciate this is a real desk, and I like the pal hanging on the desk too. My dog and cat join me in my office frequently at home, they are the morale support, lol.
I think I see a Mac mini sitting under the Cinema Display on the left as well..
John Robinson, yes of course there is demand for professional photography. You may be surprised there are professional athletes too, who are paid to play a game!
I am surprised there is a demand for photographs montaged. Anyone can do it if you have an app like Photoshop. Is there some market I’ve never heard of?
Plus he also prints them. Not everyone has a large format printer sitting in their garage.
Two Mac Pros?? Wow that has got to be great. I hope they start regularly updating the new Mac Pro, it’s such a cool Mac.
And love the cat. My cat does the same thing, he keeps me company while I work. I like to call him boss cat, he makes sure I am getting work done.
#caturday
Nice setup! Mac Pro must indeed be a blessing to work with.
One question though.
It seems to me as if the distance from where you sit to the screens is rather small, especially for 24-30″ screens. Don’t you get neck pains?
I work with 2 24″ monitors myself and my viewing distance is more like double of this. I would image the 30″ monitor on the right would definitely give me problems with my neck.
@kristoff, I too had noticed the same neck ache and neck pains thing with my Mac setup (MacBook Pro with external 27″ display), so here’s what I have come up with as a solution:
– Use a MacBook Pro monitor stand so that it rises about 6 to 8″ off the desk
– Put a shelf or books under the external 27″ display to raise it about 6-8″ off the desk as well
Basically you want to be able to draw a straight line directly across to the top of your monitor from your eyes, that’s how you know you have a good ergonomic setup. If your neck is tilted down or to the side, it’s only a matter of time before your neck gets the ache and that translates to your shoulders, back, posture, and even can cause tension headaches as the muscles in your neck pull on your skull!
This is a nice desk, but yes I would raise the displays up a little if it were me, put them all on a shelf (like a board with a few books underneath it, that works very well) and I bet you will feel better using the Mac!
Lifting the displays indeed is a good idea, hadn’t thought of that.
For me, the problem really was that I was just way too close to the monitors. I had to really constantly move head to read. Moving them back really solved it, however I am thinking of raising them now you suggested it.
I would definitely recommend raising the monitors on your Mac a bit so that your neck does not crane or bend down, it makes a big difference in your long term comfort. Many trips to chiropractors nowadays are due to poor posture related to desk arrangements and display height, it’s the kind of thing where it won’t bug you until suddenly it does, and you’ll wake up with a terrible crick in the neck that takes a lot of adjustment, heat, ice, and work to resolve. Take it from me, I’ve gone through this a few times and it’s very uncomfortable! The solution and prevention is easy: raise your Mac and your computer screens, it’s an easy fix. My monitor is raised on three books with a small shelf atop them, for example.