Yes, Cuba

On Jan. 17, I fly into Miami in preparation for a second flight to Havana.

Yes, Cuba.

I'm the Photo Guide for an 8-day field trip that includes Havana, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad. We'll be photographing Old Havana’s baroque and neoclassical architecture, its artists and businessmen, and the nightlife made famous by the Buena Vista Social Club.

I'm mentioning this now in case you've ever had designs on visiting Cuba. This field trip is organized by the same folks who I have worked with on many trips all over the world, including my recent photo shoot in Europe.

We'll have a professional bilingual Cuban guide; two tour managers, and myself. The overall group is limited to 26 participants. Once we land in Miami, transportation, housing, and meals are covered. They also arrange for our Cuban visa and health insurance.

If you're interested, you can find out more here.

It's going to be quite an adventure.

-DS

Board Shorts

Packing for Hawaii is the easiest job in the world.

I've had some complicated trips lately. My upcoming adventure to Maui won't be one of them. 

Three pairs of board shorts, 6 T-shirts, 2 button-up colorful Hawaiian shirts, 1 pair of long pants for the obligatory night out at a real restaurant, sun block, aloe, cap, shades, flippers, mask, and snorkel. It the only destination I know of where underwear is optional. (Seriously, who wears boxers in Hawaii?)

Even my technical gear is easier. No laptop. iPad mini, underwater compact camera, mirrorless camera, iPhone, headphones, and lots of music. 

I'll probably spend more time in the pool this year than the ocean. I'm looking forward to further mending my dislocated shoulder. Water seems like the perfect solution.

While in Maui, I'll be posting pictures and sharing anecdotes. But there won't be many travel tips this time around. In fact, there's only one travel tip I can think of: Whatever you do...

Don't miss the plane.

-Derrick

Crazy Intuition

Yesterday was unbelievable, and beyond just the news.

Yes, Apple officially announced that they would no longer be developing Aperture. That's a headline that certainly impacts me, and many in our community. But it's the way that it all unfolded that amazes me.

I woke up around 4 am. This has been my normal waking time since returning from London a few days ago. I stayed in bed for a bit thinking about the day ahead. I call this my checklist exercise.

Out of nowhere, two ideas came to me. First, I need to check-in with my contact at Apple. Don't know why; it's just time to do so. Second, I should write a note to my partner at lynda.com to start a discussion about the new Photos app that will be landing in early 2015. I'd been thinking about it since the WWDC keynote.

About 5 am, I wrote Jim at lynda saying that I'm excited about Photos and that I'd love to do some training on it. I mentioned that I'm going to call Apple later this morning to get the ball rolling. I asked, "Do you want to be in on this?"

Jim replied shortly thereafter, "Yes!"

Around 9am I called Apple. No answer, so I left a voicemail saying that I'd like to chat about photography. About 30 minutes later, I received a call from Apple PR. (Apple PR is the official voice and the safest way for everyone to communicate.)

"We have some background information for you and an official statement."

"Oh, OK."

"There will be no new development of Aperture."

"Oh. Looks like I should get a piece ready for Monday."

"You're probably going to want to post earlier than that."

"OH."

I quickly published the official statement on The Digital Story, then sent a note to Jim at lynda. The rest of the day was consumed with news around Aperture and iPhoto merging into the new Photos app. Friday is normally a slow news day. Not this week.

Hours earlier, at 4 am, I was simply collecting ideas for the day's ToDo list. I really had no measure of their weight. Consciously, I was totally clueless about the day ahead. Subconsciously? Who knows?

Crazy intuition.

-Derrick

My Old Passport

The dreaded month is almost here.

My passport expires in March, 2015. Soon I will have to start the process of applying for a new one.

I don't want to.

This passport has been with me to Mexico, South America, Canada, Iceland, Germany, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, China, Japan, and South Korea. It is filled with stamps and visas from all over the world.

When I enter customs, the official has to  flip pages to find an open spot for a new stamp. I like that. I like thinking about my visits to all of those places, the people I've met, and the photos I've taken.

This was the passport in my pocket when I stood at Ground Zero in Nagasaki and thought about all those lives. It was with me at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where I photographed the most impressive opening ceremonies I've ever seen. I had that same passport with me as we navigated the Panama Canal with only inches to spare on each side of the ship.

I don't want to give it up. I don't want a hole punched through my last decade. It should be allowed to live, just as the memories do that are associated with it.

My first stamp in the new passport will most likely be Havana, Cuba this coming January. Not a bad start. 

But I'd much prefer that Havana join my other adventures.

What a blessing it's been to meet all those people.

-Derrick

Nothing Better than When it Works

The suitcase is open on the floor with clothes ready to be washed.

I'm back.

I lost a jacket somewhere in Ireland and had to surrender my Swiss Army Knife at Heathrow. Other than that, the adventure was a smashing success.

My Aperture library has 2,337 new images. 251 of them are rated 3 Stars or better. Those are what I call the keepers. A dozen of them I'm hanging on to for contest entries or for possible publication. Those are the treasures.

There's no better feeling than when your plan works.

Most of the images were captured with the Olympus OM-D E-M10 that was packed in an Lowepro Dashpoint 30 and transported across Europe in the Walking Man Shoulder Bag. Many of my Instagram shots were published while riding buses to and from destinations.

The workflow was simple: photos were captured with the petite E-M10, wirelessly transferred to the iPhone 4S containing a SIMsmart card, edited in Instagram 6.0.1, then shared with my friends home and abroad.

The master files, which remained on the SD memory cards, are now sorted in my Aperture library. I'm viewing them at 100 percent on the Retina Display screen of my MacBook Pro. There's plenty of detail, contrast, and color. In years past, I would have been thrilled with photos like these captured with a camera of any size.

I did a lot of planning for this trip. I tested potential equipment configurations for weeks, making adjustments along the way, crossing my fingers that I would have the gear I needed. In the end, my plan paid off.

It's a great time to be a Nimble Photographer.

There's no going back.

-Derrick