Crazy Intuition

Yesterday was unbelievable, and beyond just the news.

Yes, Apple officially announced that they would no longer be developing Aperture. That's a headline that certainly impacts me, and many in our community. But it's the way that it all unfolded that amazes me.

I woke up around 4 am. This has been my normal waking time since returning from London a few days ago. I stayed in bed for a bit thinking about the day ahead. I call this my checklist exercise.

Out of nowhere, two ideas came to me. First, I need to check-in with my contact at Apple. Don't know why; it's just time to do so. Second, I should write a note to my partner at lynda.com to start a discussion about the new Photos app that will be landing in early 2015. I'd been thinking about it since the WWDC keynote.

About 5 am, I wrote Jim at lynda saying that I'm excited about Photos and that I'd love to do some training on it. I mentioned that I'm going to call Apple later this morning to get the ball rolling. I asked, "Do you want to be in on this?"

Jim replied shortly thereafter, "Yes!"

Around 9am I called Apple. No answer, so I left a voicemail saying that I'd like to chat about photography. About 30 minutes later, I received a call from Apple PR. (Apple PR is the official voice and the safest way for everyone to communicate.)

"We have some background information for you and an official statement."

"Oh, OK."

"There will be no new development of Aperture."

"Oh. Looks like I should get a piece ready for Monday."

"You're probably going to want to post earlier than that."

"OH."

I quickly published the official statement on The Digital Story, then sent a note to Jim at lynda. The rest of the day was consumed with news around Aperture and iPhoto merging into the new Photos app. Friday is normally a slow news day. Not this week.

Hours earlier, at 4 am, I was simply collecting ideas for the day's ToDo list. I really had no measure of their weight. Consciously, I was totally clueless about the day ahead. Subconsciously? Who knows?

Crazy intuition.

-Derrick

My Old Passport

The dreaded month is almost here.

My passport expires in March, 2015. Soon I will have to start the process of applying for a new one.

I don't want to.

This passport has been with me to Mexico, South America, Canada, Iceland, Germany, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, China, Japan, and South Korea. It is filled with stamps and visas from all over the world.

When I enter customs, the official has to  flip pages to find an open spot for a new stamp. I like that. I like thinking about my visits to all of those places, the people I've met, and the photos I've taken.

This was the passport in my pocket when I stood at Ground Zero in Nagasaki and thought about all those lives. It was with me at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where I photographed the most impressive opening ceremonies I've ever seen. I had that same passport with me as we navigated the Panama Canal with only inches to spare on each side of the ship.

I don't want to give it up. I don't want a hole punched through my last decade. It should be allowed to live, just as the memories do that are associated with it.

My first stamp in the new passport will most likely be Havana, Cuba this coming January. Not a bad start. 

But I'd much prefer that Havana join my other adventures.

What a blessing it's been to meet all those people.

-Derrick

Nothing Better than When it Works

The suitcase is open on the floor with clothes ready to be washed.

I'm back.

I lost a jacket somewhere in Ireland and had to surrender my Swiss Army Knife at Heathrow. Other than that, the adventure was a smashing success.

My Aperture library has 2,337 new images. 251 of them are rated 3 Stars or better. Those are what I call the keepers. A dozen of them I'm hanging on to for contest entries or for possible publication. Those are the treasures.

There's no better feeling than when your plan works.

Most of the images were captured with the Olympus OM-D E-M10 that was packed in an Lowepro Dashpoint 30 and transported across Europe in the Walking Man Shoulder Bag. Many of my Instagram shots were published while riding buses to and from destinations.

The workflow was simple: photos were captured with the petite E-M10, wirelessly transferred to the iPhone 4S containing a SIMsmart card, edited in Instagram 6.0.1, then shared with my friends home and abroad.

The master files, which remained on the SD memory cards, are now sorted in my Aperture library. I'm viewing them at 100 percent on the Retina Display screen of my MacBook Pro. There's plenty of detail, contrast, and color. In years past, I would have been thrilled with photos like these captured with a camera of any size.

I did a lot of planning for this trip. I tested potential equipment configurations for weeks, making adjustments along the way, crossing my fingers that I would have the gear I needed. In the end, my plan paid off.

It's a great time to be a Nimble Photographer.

There's no going back.

-Derrick

The Other Paul

In 1963, Paul Berriff was a 16 year old kid with a Rollie camera and the ambition to be a professional photographer.

He talked his way into gaining access to a young Liverpool band in hopes of gaining media credentials. Over the next two years, Berriff captured a series of incredible, intimate portraits of John, Paul, George and Ringo. 

Not much was made of the pictures in the early 1960s. The negatives were stored in a tin box and forgotten about until their rediscovery in 2009. The best of those pictures are currently hanging in the Beatles Hidden Gallery in Liverpool. And if you ever have a chance to see them, do it.

At the time Berriff didn't know that the Beatles would become pop legends. But he did know they were popular enough in Liverpool to warrant attention. This is how some photographers become famous.

In his case, it's a combination of fearlessness, initiative, skill, and luck. We don't have any control over the fourth component, but the first three are often characteristics of successful artists. You could say the same about the Beatles, right?

My day in Liverpool was inspiring. The journey of the Beatles, Brian Epstein, and George Martin demonstrates how art and business can come together. 

I didn't discover the work of Paul Berriff until the end of the day. What a finishing touch. A 16 year old kid talks his way backstage, shoots existing light with Tri-X and a Rollie, and created some of the most memorable portraits of the Beatles that I've ever seen.

Two great stories.

One day in Liverpool.

-Derrick

Richie the Delivery Man

I met Richie about half way through my Americano at O'Briens.

My table was next to the window looking out on to the busy street. I saw his reflection in the glass as he approached the door. I couldn't believe my eyes.

He was balancing a square board on his head with eight loaves of bread on top. This is how Richie transported his merchandise from the truck. As soon as he crossed the threshold of O'Briens, he popped the board off his head and set it on a table.

"That's amazing," I said to him. The girl behind the counter smiled and said, "That's Richie."

"Can I take your photo?" I asked.

He popped the board back atop his head and asked, "Ready?"

I grabbed my compact Canon and quickly fired off one shot. I knew that's all I'd get. He set the bread back on the table.

The girl counted the loaves and signed Richie's pad.

He turned back to me. "Where you from?"

"Northern California."

"I met another American who liked to take pictures," Richie said as he walked over to my table. "We were talking and he told me he was looking for information about his father who lived here in Dublin."

I shifted my weight to get comfortable while maintaining eye contact.

"As it turned out, I had been given a picture of his father. I had never known who the gent was, but I liked the photo. But when his son told me his name, I knew I had heard it somewhere. I took the picture over to his hotel and gave it to him. He was so happy."

"What are the odds?" I asked.

"Yes, imagine that," Richie said.

He then turned on his heels and headed back to his truck.

"Thanks for the picture," I called out.

I paid for the coffee and left O'Briens. It was 10am.

And Richie had already made my day.

-Derrick