After the Rain

I noticed the light changing in the south window - a new color on the fringe of my computer screen.

The rain had stopped for the first time in two days. I can't remember the last time we had consecutive storms. For the better part of the workday, the light was steely blue - but now, some warmth.

I needed break anyway. It was 4:30 pm, and I hadn't even stopped during lunch. But it was raining then. Now it's calm. I could hear the tires on the wet street as I stood on the front porch in my socks. (Yes, definitely some color in the sky.) It was time for a walk.

I put the compact Canon S110 in my back pocket, laced up my red and gray Nikes, and locked the door behind me. The clouds in the west parted slightly. A streak of orange leaked out, but too many buildings to see much more.

I walked faster. Maybe down the street there was a clearing.

A few hundred yards away, I saw a woman standing in her front yard holding up a smartphone. That's promising. I walked faster.

And there it was. The opening, the colors, the perfect moment to shoot a sunset. 

Some photographers say that sunsets are trivial shots. That we shouldn't even bother. Nope. I love sunsets. And if I have a camera with me, I'm going to take a picture. 

I held the Canon up to the sky. The colors were perfect. In just those few moments my day became spectacular.

I'm so lucky. The minute clouds part, I have the freedom to open my door and leave. And the best time to do that

is after the rain.

-Derrick

 

How I Prepare for Travel

I have a big adventure to Cuba this coming January, and a few shorter business trips before then. I'm preparing for them right now.

I embrace the "dry run" school of thought for packing. It's my belief that we cannot conceptualize everything we need (and just as importantly, don't need) without physically trying things out first.

My preliminary kit for Cuba includes:

That bag is packed now. I carry it back and forth to work everyday, and it will accompany me on two business trips between now and Cuba. 

During that time, I will determine if the backpack is too heavy, if there's gear that I'm not using, are their additional lenses I should add, and am I self-sufficient?

I could not answer those questions properly the night before the flight to Havana.

I need to know now.

And that's how I prepare for travel.

-Derrick

 

Chasing Down Kids

There's another class of Nimble Photography that I rarely discuss: parents photographing young children.

These intrepid souls are perfect candidates for a life of nimbleosity. They already have to schlep more stuff than they ever imagined possible - bags full of snacks, water, extra clothes, books, toys... and things I don't even remember anymore.

And the irony is, even with all of this gear, parents have to move fast.

It's like watching basketball on TV. You don't realize how swiftly players move until you stand court side at an actual game. It's the same with children. Look away for 5 seconds, and they are disappearing on a distant horizon. You have no choice but to hobble after them.

When we're not wrangling, cajoling, or admonishing, we want to photograph these dear angels. That's what parents do. And pushing beyond the smartphone snapshot requires a little practice and some decent gear.

In my opinion, most compact cameras react slower than the children we're pursuing. On the other hand, DSLRs don't fit in backpacks already stuffed with granola bars and jackets.

I think the preferred tool for chasing down kids is a good mirrorless camera. Maybe a Panasonic Lumix GX7 Micro Four Thirds camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. That tilting electronic viewfinder could come in handy for knee-level kindergarteners.

What I'm driving at is this: I want to officially welcome parents to our world of traveling light with lots of might.

I know you're a bit tired right now. But trust me, you'll feel better

in 20 years or so.

Derrick

Traveling Light with Lots of Might

The first four lines of the Happy Wanderer song go like this:

I love to go a-wandering, 
Along the mountain track, 
And as I go, I love to sing, 
My knapsack on my back. 

Part of the reason why our wanderer was so happy was most likely because all he or she had in their knapsack was a lunch and light jacket. Clearly this tune was composed long before the Nikon F SLR. (...by Florenz Friedrich Sigismund in the early 1800s, actually.)

And thanks to advances in technology and design, the Happy Wanderer these days can pack a high-performance imaging device capable of producing mural-sized prints. Many of the new cameras released this Fall affirm that we can travel light with lots of might.

This is top of mind for me right now because I'm putting together holiday gift guides for publication. As I review new cameras such as the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100 and the Canon PowerShot G7 X, I'm impressed with how much capability can be packed into a case that weighs less than a pound.

It's the return of the Happy Wanderer.

Except now when he walks through the front door,

he comes back with not only a tune in his heart,

but an SD card full of memories.

-Derrick

 

The Pounding of the Drum

It's my last morning in Manhattan. I'm ready to go.

For me, New York City has one thing in common with Las Vegas. When it's good, it's great. When it's time to leave, I can't get out of town fast enough. 

Guess I'm more country than I realized. 

I'm writing this on my iPad in the Tick Tock restaurant on 8th Ave and 34th St. I need the chatter of a hundred voices to help me write. Everyone is talking, but there are no words. It's a soft blanket of sound.  It's heaven.

In my room on the 20th floor, all I can hear is endless drumming and chanting. Word is the Dali Lama is coming. I like the Dalai Lama. In fact, I think he's incredible. But it's difficult to collect my thoughts against a chorus of which I am not a participant. 

Boom, boom, boom. Boom, boom, boom. 

It's the city. You have to be tolerant. You need to creatively solve the problem. 

There's no tapping the culprit on the shoulder and politely asking, "Can you keep it down? I'm trying to write."  It doesn't work that way. The noise is too big.

Boom, boom, boom. Boom, boom, boom.

For many seekers, the Dalai Lama is their guiding light. 

For me, these 100 souls in the Tick Tock, 

are my saviors. 

-Derrick