It's Like Porn, Isn't It?

I was looking at some very alluring pictures online last night.

Beautiful curves, silky textures, all perfectly lit.

The Canon GX 1 Mark II, Panasonic GH4, Olympus OM-D E-M10, Sony a6000, Sigma DP2 Quattro... and that's just this week's new offerings. It goes on from there.

I love the camera that I have now. It's attractive and takes very good care of me. And if it wasn't for the Internet, I wouldn't even know about these other temptations.

So here's the way I deal with it. This is fantasy.

I can think about buying the new Canon, Sony, Sigma. I then imagine myself on a rugged cliff overlooking the churning ocean thrashing against weathered rocks just below a thin line of fog that's perfectly lit.

The shutter clicks on my Canon, Sony, Sigma. And I capture the perfect exposure. The image is purchased by Canon, Sony Sigma and featured on a giant banner that hangs over the entry of Jacob Javits Center in New York for Photo Plus Expo 2014.

Whoa, I need a break from this.

I'm going to go spend time with my family.

I'm so lucky to have them.

-Derrick

Taking Things Apart

When I was growing up, an ongoing point of contention between my father and I had to do with my passion for taking things apart.

Everything was fair game: bicycles, power tools, lighting fixtures, discarded appliances - if it had screws, it was eligible for surgery.

His complaint was that I never put things back together. I told him that wasn't the point.

I didn't take things apart to fix them. I wanted to see what was inside. And to this day, the operating room is open for business.

Before I throw something away that no longer works, I want to see what's inside. For example, I've had an old battery-powered lightbox for years. I never really liked it because it was dim. That defeated the purpose in my mind. It was time to go.

So I got out the screwdrivers and dissected that old dimbox. The first thing I discovered was a wimpy fluorescent bulb. That figures. 

But it had this amazing rectangular reflector coated with a dimpled aluminum surface. Wow! This baby could bounce light. I fashioned a stand for it out of some other discarded pieces, and I'm using this reflector for my product photography. It's amazing.

I wanted to call my dad and let him know that once again my knack for taking things apart had paid off. Most folks would have just chucked the whole thing in the trash.

I didn't call. I know what his response would have been. "Great, but I still haven't found those vice-grips you lost."

Oh yeah, that was the other point of contention.

-Derrick

Paper or PDF?

I've always loved magazines.

As a kid, I wanted to shoot for LIFE. As an adult, I've subscribed to Pop Photo, Time, and countless others. Currently, my iPad mini has subs for these very same publications.

But I like paper too. And that's where things get messy.

We're in a publishing transition right now, and many publications still aren't quite as good electronically as they are on paper. A perfect example is one of my new gigs, c't Digital Photography Magazine. On paper: fantastic! Their iPad app c't Photo: not as strong.

Since I get both the paper and digital versions of c't with a subscription, I read the paper copy first, then recycle, then use the electronic version as my reference library. This is a major improvement over stacks of magazines in the corner of the office. But it still feels like an hybrid approach.

I'm curious. How do you tackle this? Are you paper only, PDF only, or a combination of the two?

I know there'll be a day when this conversation is as antiquated as a Kodak Brownie film camera. But right now, it's real.

The only thing that hasn't changed is my love for magazines.

-Derrick

The Really Big Show

50 years ago today, Ed Sullivan introduced America to the best rock band of all time.

I've been watching the celebration, and more importantly, listening to it, on CBS as the Grammys present a tribute to the Beatles.

I was six years old when the Big Show aired. I had no idea of the moments that lie ahead. I learned to play the guitar.  I played bass in a band called Section 8. I was there when Steve Jobs introduced the iPod to the world. I gave Stewart Copeland a PowerBook with GarageBand on it. I enjoy music every day. 

Watching Ringo and Paul singing together on stage tonight made me smile. Along with George and John, they created such a beautiful thing. Ripples in a pond that still shimmer today.

If you've ever wondered why the Nimble Photographer has a bounce in his step. Now you know why.

Feb. 9, 1964

-Derrick

Try Again

Much of what I do fails.

Over the years, I've learned this is the nature of work. I have ideas; others have theirs. I filter out the best, give them a go, and see what happens. I'm blown away by how many don't pan out.

So I try again.

It's interesting that I'm thinking about this at the start of the Olympics. Every one of those athletes who marched out on to the world stage has failed. Many times.

Ultimately, a few triumph. Everyone else tries again.

This is the process of almost everything we do. We should be comfortable with it. But the need to produce results adds pressure, and it often gets in the way.

We all have our theories about the source of this pressure. Technology is to blame. People are greedy. My boss is an idiot. But these are interchangeable parts. If your boss gets transferred, another idiot will surface somewhere else.

Even though I'm saying this to me, I thought you might want to hear it too. Setbacks are built in to the system. They're the building blocks of success.

I'm sure you had at least one crappy day this week. I did too.

Go home, hug your kids, kiss your partner, pet the cat, sleep it off. Then tomorrow, try again.

That's how we succeed.

-Derrick