My Sunset Mantra

Of course cameras and lenses are important.. 

I spend a lot of time debating among my options. This optic or that? Can I get away with just primes or do I need a zoom? Which body is the best choice? These are the questions I ask while packing my bag.

But once those issues have been addressed, I think about food. That's right, I make sure I save a bit of space saved for snacks.

Why?

Because one of the things that can cut a good shoot short is hunger. Has this thought ever gone through your head?

"I think I got that sunset. I'm hungry. I'm going to pack up and get some dinner."

As we all know, sunsets, and just about any other subject in nature, can surprise us. We think we got the best shot, only to discover a better image was waiting for us 10 minutes later.

And what's the primary reason I've left too soon?

Hunger.

Makes me feel like a wimp to admit it. 

That's why I always remember to have a Clif bar stashed in my camera bag. I'll never again fall prey to a growling stomach.

My sunset mantra: Relax. Chew slowly. Get the shot.

-Derrick

Bags, Bags, Bags

I was laughing at myself the other morning while writing the post, Best Bag for You - Backpack, Shoulder, or Sling? for the The Digital Story.

Why? Well, it's like this corny joke my Dad always threw out at the holidays. As the desserts were being prepared, my Mom would ask, "Ron, what do you want, pumpkin pie or apple?" Every time over the course of my childhood my father would answer the same: "Yes."

That's also my answer to the question of which camera bag do I want. 

How can you choose just one? It's like having just one lens or favorite movie or... or... pie!

Now granted, because of my work with Lowepro, I have more camera bags than the average photographer. And over the course of the year, I use most of them.

Backpacks for long trips, short trips, hiking. Shoulder bags for the city, the beach, and for squishing flat in my suitcase for use in a far away land. Sling bags for... well, OK, not so much sling bags. Some people think they're the best of both worlds (shoulder and backpack); I think not. 

One of the designers at Lowepro teasingly called me a bag whore. I thought that was a little strong. 

But I didn't deny it.

-Derrick

Mobile Backup Round 2

With the demise of Everpix, I had to find a new cloud backup service for the images that run through my iPhone and iPad.

You'll notice that I write "run through" instead of "captured with." That's because even though I take a lot of pictures with my iPhone, I push many more through my mobile devices on their way to Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter.

I need a system that captures and makes available all of that content. To be honest, those images are the best representation of my daily life.

I have a good straight backup plan now. (half of the backup/share equation) Every picture from my mobile devices goes into Photo Stream, which is then automatically archived by iPhoto.  That library of Jpegs is now up to 36 GBs. Amazing isn't it?

The reason why I need to augment that system is because Photo Stream only holds 1,000 photos. And I can't "see into" my iPhoto library when I'm away from the computer... which is a lot.

So I need a place in the cloud that holds more content, and is viewable on any device that I use from any location. That was the role of Everpix. It's now the role of Loom.

Loom has many of the key functions that I liked about Everpix, except for the daily flashback email. (I really miss those!) So far my testing has gone well.

Loom has a good interface for the Mac, and the iOS apps function well too. I like the ability to organize into Albums. Over time, this makes finding specific photos easier.

I've started out 2014 using Loom as my cloud storage for my mobile images. So far, so good.

-Derrick

Inspirational Slogan Goes Here

I saw a shirt in the Nike store that read: "Inspirational Slogan Goes Here."

How cool is that? Especially coming from the folks who created one of my favorite campaigns, Just Do It. I like that approach.

I used to spend far more time courting customers than I do now. The process, then, seemed backwards to me. I'd say what I thought I could accomplish, and they would respond with some sort of opinion. Maybe if things sounded just right, they'd hire me. But usually not.

These days, I follow my interests. If there's a product or brand that appeals to me, I learn more about it. I might publish an article or include them as a topic on the podcast. I rarely approach them beforehand. I don't ask for support or permission. I just do it.

Then one morning, I'll open my email, and there might be a note from one of these entities inquiring about collaboration. It happens all the time. Lowepro contacted me through Facebook. Apple asked for a meeting after I returned from Iceland. c't Digital Photography sent me an email. Olympus invited me to shoot at the US Open Tennis event.

In each case, we got to know each other for a bit. Then we figured out how to work together.

Social media allows for this type of business practice. Word gets around, especially if it's informative and positive.

Following my passion supplies the necessary energy.

I'm in my 50s, and I feel like I'm just getting started. Why? Because I don't waste my time trying to talk people into things. I just do what I think is right. And somehow, it all works out.

-Derrick

This Could Change Our World

I didn't think much about 3D printing when I first saw it.

I thought it was interesting, but didn't grasp the impact it's going to have. At CES, there were models selling for around $500, with very professional units just around 2 grand. I saw sculptures, representations of people, and just about anything else you could think of.

But the light didn't really go on until I returned home and read about the Lux DIY medium format camera designed by Kevin Kadooka. What Kevin has done is create a lovely, functional film camera, with its components output by a 3D printer (sans electronics and the lens). 

Kevin is making the plans available to anyone who wants them, so you can build your own Lux with the electronics and 3D files openly available.

Think about this for a minute. It's print on demand for objects. You could design anything, produce the 3D printing files, share them or sell them, and then others could create those objects at home.

I'm not sure how this is going to play out. But I think the boundaries are still beyond my view. And I'm sure that 3D printing is going to change a number of things in our world.

-Derrick