Video: The Other Format

For those of us who have been still photographers our entire lives, video feels like that odd friend that comes home with your son. Intriguing, maybe. Comfortable, not so much.

Video for still shooters is a byproduct of the digital age. Prior to the new millennium, you bought a film camera or a movie camera. Now, they're rolled up into one.

And so the pressure mounts to learn frame rate, mic patterns, and an entirely new workflow. Plus those files... they're some damned big.

Yet, nearly every client I have in the corporate world wants video as well as stills. And the balance of formats is tipping in that direction. Thanks to the intelligence of our smartphone cameras, customers don't value professional still photography as they did a decade ago. But professional video, well there's still some mystery there.

"Do you shoot video as well?"

"I do, short form pieces, 3 minutes or less."

"Great!"

I'm thinking about this because I'm heading down to San Jose tomorrow for a job that involves frame rate and shotgun mics. I'm fine tuning the audio settings today because it's an interview piece, and I want it to sound really good, but also somewhat spontaneous and natural. In other words, no lapel mics.

I'll probably shoot only a few stills the entire day. Otherwise it's me and movie mode.

It's like my son took off for an errand and left his odd friend at the house for me to entertain. I feel a little awkward. 

I was never very good at small talk.

-Derrick

The Nimble Photographer Workshop

I have this idea that I've been working on, and I want to pass it by you. It's called The Nimble Photographer Workshop.

I tested the concept in Chicago last week. And to be honest, it was a big hit. So now I'm thinking about the next phase. And that's where you come in.

Here's the concept. The Nimble Photographer Workshop is a one day event for up to 20 people. The location could be anywhere. I would work with a host who lives locally and who would help me with the logistics. The host would be compensated by free admission and a gratuity.

I would fly in the day before the workshop and coordinate with the host about the last minute details, lead the event the next day, then fly out that night.

The cost for each participant would be $199. And we would have a blast. I think this would be particularly good for camera clubs and other groups who share a passion for nimbleosity.

If you would like to be a host for such an event, send me mail, or use the Contact Form on this site. And let's take this show on the road.

-Derrick

Duck In Out of the Sun

Nothing was really going right. I was standing somewhere on Wabash Ave. without having captured a single image. Not one picture in 45 minutes of walking.

I decided to change lenses. The 14-42mm that I removed from the camera jumped out of my hand, landed on its side with a thud, and rolled down the sidewalk 15 feet before bouncing off the foot of a homeless man.

Stunned, I just stared at him for a minute. He looked down at the lens on the sidewalk, then raised his head and looked back at me. I walked over to him, smiled, and picked it up. After a quick inspection as I strolled away, I didn't see any cracks in the glass. Amazingly, it seemed OK.

But still no pictures.

I walked another couple blocks without even bothering to take the camera out of my bag. Then it hit me. Just sit down for a moment and watch.

I found a tall, concrete planter just off the sidewalk, and took a seat. My feet swung freely like a little boy waiting for a ride. I began to feel better. People walked by without a glance. But I was watching them. I started to see things. I was feeling like myself again.

I'm amused by my tendency to keep pushing when clearly no progress is being made. What I really need to do is hit the reset button. Relax for a moment. Take a deep breath. Observe. Doing so seems to balance me. Why do I forget that?

I was just about ready to resume my walk when it started to rain. The drops fell gently, and they were warm. I was fine. I pulled out the baseball cap I had stashed in my camera bag, and went to work.

Over the next hour I shot nearly 200 images. Some of them I like a lot. The combination of refueling my energy and seeing the reflections of historic Chicago in asphalt puddles inspired me.

After a while, the rain stopped and the sun shone brightly. "Damn," I thought. It was time to duck in to a restaurant for a bite to eat. 

I know that seems backwards. Most city people retreat from the rain. That is, unless they're photographers.

I'll take it easy for now, then be back at twilight.

-Derrick

A Moment of Truth for Photos

Next Monday, Apple will kick off their World Wide Developers Conference with a keynote address. It's always a big deal. Even though the conference itself is for developers, the keynote is for everyone.

Those 2 hours on center stage lay out the road map for the remainder of the year, and well into 2017. Most folks will be anxious to hear about hardware revelations, such as the new Macs, iPhones, and watches. Others will be curious about the evolution of the Mac operating system and iOS.

I too am interested in all of those things. But I have one additional item on my list: will there be any news about Photos for OS X?

To this point, Apple has had a pass on Photos, as they should. In part, because they've handled the transition from Aperture and iPhoto well. We can still run those legacy apps on the latest operating system. That's a nice touch and greatly appreciated.

But before too long, that will no longer be the case. There will come a day when the latest OS won't support Apple's former imaging apps. And if that day is when Mac OS X 10.12 is announced, then Photos should be ready for prime time.

Don't get me wrong. The current version of Photos for OS X is good... for a V. 1.5 app. I think back to the first year with iPhoto and Aperture. They weren't perfect either. It takes time to polish software. But now, as we're moving to Photos 2.0, we should have a better idea about where this app is going.

In all honesty, I don't know if the next version of Photos even warrants a keynote timeslot. Maybe not. I may have to comb through the press releases to find the information that I'm looking for. But when I do, I'll report back to you.

Because what Apple decides to do, or not to do, will tell us a lot about their vision for managing pictures on Mac hardware.

-Derrick

More than a New Bag

As I think back, it was about 7 years ago that I was a Think Tank affiliate. Their offices were right down the street, and they were starting to get some traction in the photo industry thanks to their serious-shooter-focused bags. I liked their stuff, and their attitude.

Just as we were getting some momentum working together, Lowepro contacted me and offered me a contract to be their photography evangelist. I had published some reviews about their gear, and I had a good working relationship with them. They liked how I handled myself online, and thought that I would be a good fit for them. They were right.

A contract is a wonderful thing when you're an independent. I quickly notified my friends at Think Tank and told them about the offer. They understood completely and wished me good luck.

You probably know the next part of the story. With Lowepro, I traveled all over the U.S., and to Germany twice. At the highpoint of our relationship, I was involved with design decisions and sat in on high level meetings. It was a great run.

Then the bottom fell out of their bottom line. A sequence of top level management changes left me, and many others, out on the curb.

Since then, I haven't really struck up any new relationships for carrying solutions. (That's a term that Lowepro used. It always made me smile.)

That is, until the other day. Brian from Think Tank contacted me through theAnalogstory (of all places). We agreed to have coffee and catch up. The meeting was terrific.

Essentially, we picked up where we left off years ago. At one point he commented, "I appreciated how you handled things back when you were offered the gig with Lowepro." I told him thanks for saying so.

After the meeting, I was thinking about life as an independent. There are all of these relationships to consider. It's not like working for one company and having your allegiance focused there. It's more complicated than that.

And one of those relationships that I have is with you. Just like I chose to let Brian know years ago that I had a new gig with Lowepro, I need to let you know that I'm working with Think Tank again. It's not a job, but we're going to help one another.

As a result, you'll be hearing more about Think Tank Photo. They're a good company. You're part of a good community. And once again, I'm right in the middle of a lot of goodness.

Oh, and I have a couple new bags too. More on that later.

-Derrick