Next Stop: New York

Fall brings shorter days, colorful trees, and my favorite US photography show: Photo Plus Expo.

This October event is particularly exciting for me this year because I'm working with an entirely new team. I'm attending press meetings as an editor for c't Digital Photography Magazine and as the evangelist for Rocky Nook Publishing. Two companies that I adore and am thrilled to be representing.

One of the things I'm working on right now is setting up a speaking schedule for meeting with my photographer friends in the c't/Rocky Nook booth.  If you're attending the show, please come by and say hello. I'll have a Nimble Photographer microfiber cloth on hand for you.

I want to meet you.

We'll also have issues of the magazine on hand. If you haven't seen c't Digital Photography in real life, you need to. It's beautiful, and it's unlike any other photo publication in North America. (We have a 20 percent discount going right now, btw.)

I'll also be speaking in the Panasonic booth on Saturday with my friend Frederick Van Johnson, and am on the presentation docket for lynda.com. Being so "on the go" brings out the Nimble Photographer in me.

I'm toying with the idea of packing only my iPad mini, the WD My Passport Wireless, and the Olympus OM-D E-M1 for my editorial work. That's right, no laptop. I'm testing this kit right now. It's so light and nimble. Everything fits easily in my Lowepro Urban Reporter 150. And I can carry it all day without fatigue.

I love fall.

New clients, new gear, new ways of working. Guess you could say that,

I'm turning over a new leaf.

-Derrick

Guess That's Why They Call Them Smartphones

I won't be purchasing an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. My 5S is only a year old and running just fine.

But I'm not disappointed. iOS 8 essentially gives me a new camera for my existing hardware.

Now, if photo gear manufacturers are still wondering why so many people are using their smartphones instead of dedicated compacts, this is a compelling reason. In addition to all of the other benefits - such as portability and connectivity - with a single firmware update, Apple has dramatically improved photography on my iPhone 5S.

For free.

On the camera side of the equation, I now have dynamic exposure compensation. All I have to do is slide my finger up or down on the screen to adjust the brightness. Other goodies were included too, such as time lapse and single-capture HDR.

Plus, the Photos App was overhauled. Once I take a picture, I can quickly edit with tools such as shadows and highlights, then share my image with the world.

Seems like camera manufacturers are just now understanding the power of a firmware update. Recently, the Olympus E-M1 and the Fujifilm X-T1 received solid upgrades this way. As a result, I'm experiencing that same warm, fuzzy feeling about my E-M1 that I have about my upgraded iPhone.

We've had digital cameras for a long time. Why so late to the firmware party? Why ignore the digital aspect of the camera?

Software updates seem so, well, intelligent.

Guess that's why they call them smartphones.

-Derrick

My Eyes are Bigger than My Credit Limit

One of the things that I liked about photo magazines was their prolific advertisements. Once a month an issue would arrive, filled with pictures of cameras and lenses and all sorts of interesting accessories.

I would examine each page carefully and figure out the items that I had to have. Sometimes I would revisit a favorite page a half a dozen times or so, and dream about how I would put this new must-have piece of equipment to use. 

I rarely bought anything. There just wasn't the budget for it. And as of the month wore on, I would gradually forget about the whole thing... until a new issue arrived. 

Now, it's like magazine day every day. 

I open my web browser and before me is an entire candy store of photo items to peruse. It's particularly bad right now because Photokina is still in full swing, and practically everyone is rolling out new gear.

Much of it I want. 

I took a quick tally today of the items on the my photography wish list, and it came out to about $4000. There's no way I have $4000 to spend. In fact, I just paid my quarterly taxes. I don't have $40 to spend.  

Once again, my eyes are bigger than my credit limit. 

But, just like that kid with a brand-new photo magazine... 

It doesn't hurt to look. 

-Derrick

How Photoshop Began

Back in 2000, I worked with the folks at Adobe to write an article titled, From Darkroom to Desktop - How Photoshop Came to Light.

It was one of the most popular posts I have ever published. I wrote about how Thomas Knoll began writing graphics subroutines on a Mac Plus in 1987. Then, how he started working with his brother John to create a program first called Display, then ImagePro. Two years later, in 1989, Adobe licensed the app that we know today as Photoshop.

The Knoll brothers represent cornerstones of digital photography. Thomas loved developing pictures in his dad's darkroom at home. John was attracted to personal computing from the very beginning. And they both had an appreciation for the intersection of these two disciplines.

If you like this kind of stuff, I've created a PDF titled, History of Photoshop and placed it as a digital download in the Nimble Store. There's no charge for it. I'm testing how this process works.

If you wish, you can help me. First, jump over to the Nimble Store. Then add the History of Photoshop to your cart and check out. A link to download the document will be sent to the email address that you used in your cart.

If you have time, please add a comment to this post about your shopping experience (and if you want, about the content itself). Or you can send me a private note via the Contact Form.

We're testing the next phase for the Nimble Store: digital downloads. There's going to be all sorts of good stuff in there. Some of it technical. But not all.

For example, in 2015, I will add a book to the catalog. Oddly enough, its title will be

The Nimble Photographer.

-Derrick

My Extra Layer of Security

Before digital cameras, casual photographers used Polaroids to shoot nude pictures.

They had to. Unless you had your own darkroom, it was difficult, and somewhat awkward, to find a commercial lab that would make prints of naked people. Now, all anyone has to do is point their smartphone at the subject, and tap. 

Very convenient.

Photography today is easier... and a bit more risky - especially the part about sharing the images. Doesn't seem like we have complete control over who can access our shots.

I used to send 4"x6" glossies to family and friends (to be clear, fully clothed pictures). I would order "double prints" so I would have enough to go around. I would organize the snapshots on the kitchen table, write the letter, address the envelope, determine the correct postage, and get it all to the mailbox before the postman arrived.

The process was a bit clunky, but relatively secure. Unless I had a rogue lab worker or incompetent mail handler, I was in good shape.

Today, I press a button to take a picture, then another to share it with the world - whoops, I mean my friend. Yes, there's risk associated with convenience. If someone really wants to get in my business, they probably can. 

Our house, computer, and cloud storage site can all be targets for those who think it's acceptable to take what isn't theirs. Does that mean we shouldn't use these services? I don't think so. 

But at least we can make it difficult to break in. Practice good password security, and hope for the best. And in my case, I have a little extra.

The pictures of me aren't as desirable as those of beautiful Hollywood actresses. A few more years and a couple pounds have become my outer layers of security.

I mean, really. Who's going to pay

to see those shots?

-Derrick