Old Dog

For the last two months, I've been learning a new photo management app: Capture One Pro 9. I'd love to report that it's been a breeze. But it hasn't.

I still remember that feeling when I first launched the software. You probably know this one too. I found myself staring at the screen, eyes squinting a bit, trying to decipher what exactly all of those icons meant.

My hands were paralyzed. I had no idea where to start, what to do. I numbly clicked on something that looked vaguely familiar. Nothing happened. So I tried something else and the screen changed to a view even less familiar. I quickly quit and stepped back from the computer. It was like I had been shocked.

Learning new software is hell. Learning really complicated applications is Dante's Hell. 

I didn't want to do it. I procrastinated by opening my camera bag and pulling out the new OM-D. It felt so good in my hands, so comforting. I knew how to operate it. The controls were familiar.

After a while with the camera, I regained some confidence. I approached the computer again, moving cautiously, like a lost child in a shopping mall. But no one was there to rescue me.

Fast forward eight weeks. My photo library in Capture One is now very organized. I'm importing, rating, and editing with relative ease. It's like the second week in a new apartment. I basically know where everything is, but I'm not sure yet where everything will be. That will take time. Some trial and error is required.

I'm pretty spry for an old dog. I feel like I'm 30. Many say that I act younger than that. Still trying to figure out if that's a complement or not.

Regardless,  I'm closing out 2015 learning a new trick. And it's a biggie. Proving once again that we can always acquire new skills... 

once we're exhausted every other possibility.

-Derrick