Virtual Closet Cleaning

In the analog days, I would pass the time on cold December days by pulling everything out from under the bed and in the closet, then organizing it.

My primary focus then were envelopes and envelopes of 4x6 prints and plastic boxes filled with slides. My goal was to get those pictures in some sort of order so I could find what I was looking for when needed.

These days, I only make big prints, and I don't shoot slides. But I still have lots of pictures to organize at the end of the year. Now my closet is a computer.

Seems like every year I have a slightly different system. My Flash Drive MacBook Pro has influenced the organization for 2013. Since it doesn't hold a year's worth of images, I make seasonal libraries, such as Winter 1, Spring 1, Spring 2, Summer, Fall, etc. 

I backup those libraries weekly on to my Drobo 5D. When the computer gets full, I remove a seasonal library and start a new one. But in the end, I want all of that content that's stored in those various libraries integrated into my master Aperture catalog, that also lives on the Drobo. It's like a giant shoe box with tabs.

So now, that's how I spend my Decembers. I merge all of those seasonal libraries into the master catalog, then back everything up to another set of hard drives that I store off site.

The cool thing about closet cleaning in the technology age is that I can watch football while doing it.

I love modern times...

-Derrick

Big Prints

When I print, I like to make it an event. A big deal.

I get out all of my paper, I fire up the printer, and I decide which images I'm going to enlarge. I don't like little prints very much. I never know what to do with them. I prefer big images that I can hang on the wall or hold in my hand and really see what's going on.

Through printing, I learned something about myself concerning photography. I discovered that I like to make the world bigger with my pictures. That's why I don't care for little prints very much. In my eyes, I see life in its grandeur.  I want to use my camera to convey that feeling, not diminish it.

In the film days, my printmaking device was called an enlarger. I loved that! Maybe I should call my Epson an inkjet enlarger. It's not very catchy, but you get the point.

The bottom line is… it's a big world out there. And for me, it looks so much better at 13" x 19" or even 16" x 20".  My devices may be getting smaller, but certainly not the images they produce.

-Derrick

Never Underestimate the Value of Doing Laundry

Yes, of course, there are the obvious benefits of getting your laundry done.

But I think we sometimes underestimate its more subtle attributes. I mention this because I can do laundry at work. It's true. My studio has a washing machine and dryer. The short story on this situation is that I bought and converted a townhouse in to a workplace. It's one of the best business moves I've made.

But back to laundry.

Here's the thing. I don't think we allow enough time to think about stuff. The need to "do" trumps the desire to think.

"Honey, what did you do today at work?"

"I thought about stuff."

"That's nice sweetie."

Instead, it's far more impressive to rattle off a list of accomplishments that generated revenue. And this is where laundry comes in. Well, actually, laundry, mowing the lawn, sorting bills, vacuuming the carpet, you know... those kind of things.

They are mundane tasks that allow us to think about projects, goals, new ventures. Yet they're still a reasonable checklist item.

"Yes, today, I did a photo shoot, paid the bills, and made a dent in my laundry."

"Good job, sweetie!"

You see what I mean. Two of those items bought me enough time to figure out a new workshop that I want to offer in 2014.

That's why I never underestimate the value of doing laundry.

-Derrick

What's in your bag, Derrick Story?

Once again I sailed through security at Oracle Arena with the Walking Man Shoulder Bag and just my essential gear. Everything in the bag is easy to see and inspect, so there's no wasted time or awkward moments upon entry.

What's cool about last night's game is that Frederick Van Johnson met me at the arena with his new Google Glass. He wanted to test the video recording capability of the wearable device, so we decided to make a video about what's in my bag.

This was quite a test for Google Glass. Oracle was loud, the lighting was not optimal in the stands, and quarters were tight. We shot it anyway. 

So here's the movie, What's in your bag, Derrick Story?

Hope you enjoy seeing the Google Glass experiment, and how I pack as a spectator at sporting events.

-Derrick

Size Does Matter

Tonight I'm meeting my friend Frederick Van Johnson at Oracle Arena to watch the Golden State Warriors play the Toronto Raptors. We have great seats, Row 16, so it's a tempting photo shoot as well as an exciting sporting event.

Based on the nerve-wracking trial that Mikkel Aaland endured a couple weeks ago where he had to check his backpack of expensive Nikon gear, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss cameras with Frederick before the event.

This is a situation where mirrorless cameras are so handy. It's not so much that the bodies are smaller. There's no real rule limiting how big your camera is. It's the size of the lens that's important. You can't bring glass longer that 3" into the arena unless you have a media pass.

My Olympus 75mm f/1.8 is exactly 3" long. That gives me an effective reach of 150mm with a very fast aperture. Frederick is bringing his Panasonic Lumix GX7. I have so wanted to shoot with that camera.  (I invited him to the game before I knew he had this cool camera.)

We'll get all of this great gear through security because it's small. After that, it's game time. When you're a photographer and a spectator, size does matter. There's not getting around it.

-Derrick