Why I'm Crazy About B&W

I can't stop staring at a print that just emerged from the Epson R2400.

I only print B&W with the R2400. That's what it does best, and has done so for nearly 10 years.

Unlike color printing, that I usually get right on the first or second try, B&W requires more patience. Since all I have is composition and tonality, it takes me longer to find the beauty trapped inside that image.

So what is it about monochrome that drive me crazy?

It's the grays. Yes, we need the blacks for punch. And the whites provide the sparkle. But the gradation of middle tones is what I find mesmerizing. The contours of the face, neck, and arms, rendered in gentle variations of gray, remind me of a beautiful sculpture.

If you've never printed in B&W, here's my suggestion. Pull out 10 sheets of a bright white matte paper, such as Red River's Polar White. Choose your favorite portrait, and convert it to monochrome. Then use all 10 sheets to craft the best image you can.

Buy a nice frame for your 10th print. Make sure there's a light to shine on it.

And here's the best part: The location where you hang that print... 

will become your favorite wall in the house.

-Derrick

Loose Ends

The hardest part of technology is fitting the pieces together.

I'm most familiar with this problem as it relates to photography. We have all of these tools - a digital camera, smartphone, computer, tablet, software apps, external hard drives, Cloud storage - how do we get them to work together?

I'm thinking about this now because I've presented for three user groups in the last week. The topic has been "The Nimble Photographer." The message was that by becoming more efficient and connecting our tools, we can lighten our load and increase our enjoyment.

By way of example, here's a basic scenario: I have my Mac, iPhone, and iPad connected to iCloud (Apple's online storage and sharing service.) When I take a picture with any of these devices, it is copied to Photo Stream (the pictures part of iCloud). Those images are automatically backed up to the Cloud, and are available on any of my devices. 

For long term storage, my Photo Stream is backed up on to my Mac via iPhoto, which is also connected to this workflow. Once set up, I don't have to think about it. Everything just happens. 

I take a picture with the iPhone, it is backed up to the Cloud, which then sends it to my iPhoto library on the computer.

I talk about many other scenarios, also, using different hardware and software.  And the questions afterward tend to focus on how audience members can adapt these techniques to their own photography.

If you have loose ends in your photography workflow, now is a good time to tie them up. Because when you really think about it, we're not just talking about pictures here.

These are also our memories. Our history.

And they're worth protecting. 

-Derrick

What Happens When Plan B Fails?

Photographers tend to be organized creatures.

In part, this is necessary. If something exciting happens before our eyes, and our camera isn't where it's supposed to be, we miss the shot. Nothing makes a shooter more crazy.

But it doesn't stop there. What if I reach for my camera and it isn't working? Then I reach for my backup camera and still get the shot.

Ah Ha! Plan B: the photographer's best friend.

When I used to shoot weddings, I had two cameras, two flashes, two flash cables, and extra cards and batteries. I didn't want to be that photographer in a panic grabbing cameras from guests' hands because his went toes up. That's awkward.

But what happens when Plan B fails?

I still think of this special moment that I experienced at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. I had the entire place to myself. But the battery light on my camera began flashing. No problem. I had a backup set of cells.

What I failed to realize at the moment was that I had forgotten to charge my backup set, and they were drained also. Plan B failed.

This happens in life all the time. We try to cover all the details and devise alternatives for when things go wrong. And then those alternatives go wrong? There's no law that says having a backup plan will save you.

I didn't get any pictures that morning at the Lincoln Memorial. But I stayed for over an hour and was touched deeply. To this day I can still feel the moment.

When Plan B fails, we live with it. For reasons often unknown to us, some plans were never meant to be.

I know this now. Maybe if I had a working camera at the Lincoln Memorial, I would have missed the whole point of being there. I might not have read the entire Gettysburg Address or felt the coolness of the marble.

I might have come away with pictures, and nothing more. I learned an important lesson that day.

Never, ever, forget to charge your spare batteries.

-Derrick

On Phenomenon and Lens Flare

After college, my first full time reporting job was with a school of metaphysics.

The responsibilities included covering the various classes, putting together a monthly magazine, and serving as staff photographer. Since I had been shooting for years already, I was most excited about being the camera guy.

The school had an SLR with a kit zoom that I could use. It was fine, but I'm picky about my gear. So I opted for my Contax 139Q with three Zeiss lenses: 35mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.7, and 135mm f/2.8. I loved that camera and the images I could produce with it.

There were two co-founders for this operation. One, a photography enthusiast himself, loved my work. He used to tap on the darkroom door when I was printing and visit with me while the images came to life in the developing tray. 

He would say, "I love the blacks in your prints."

The other founder wasn't so much of a fan. She was more of the mystical type and believed that metaphysical phenomenon was part of daily life. Her favorite pictures weren't mine. Instead she loved streaks of white light cutting through the frame. For her, those images proved the presence of energy.

This all came to a head when they were planning a tour to Egypt. I had never traveled there, and so wanted to see the pyramids. I was left behind in favor of another who shot with an inexpensive point and shoot camera.

My inability to capture phenomenon cost me the trip of a lifetime. Actually, my lens shades and optics with Zeiss T* multicoating were the culprits. 

I learned two lessons that year. First, know your audience. And second:

The perfect shot isn't always the best one.

-Derrick

Two New Very Good Mobile Options

It's been a great week for mobile photographers.

First Adobe announced Lightroom Mobile. There are pros and cons around their choice for cloud syncing, but the fact of the matter is, Lightroom users now have a powerful version of Lightroom for their iPads.

Then Dropbox dropped Carousel on us. Again, some concern about how much this will actually cost heavy users. But if you're already a fan of Dropbox, you now have a terrific app to organize, view, and share all of the photos stashed in various folders.

Personally, I'm excited about both of these announcements. After initial testing, Lightroom Mobile and Carousel by Dropbox both performed well. Lots of thought and effort was poured in to these apps.

I'll be covering them both on Tuesday's TDS Podcast. It will be an informative and illuminating show. As a photographer, I'm quite pleased right now.

I wish we had more weeks like this.

-Derrick