It wasn’t.  And this is a short tale of the process of the transition for me.

The first question is “why?” – and the answer is simple.  I was *really* honked off at Adobe – who just 14 months after my purchase of Photoshop CS3, released Photoshop CS4.  In the meantime, I had replaced my Canon 40D with a 7D, and because CS3 was no longer the latest and greatest, Adobe refused to update the CS3 RAW processor to enable it to read the 7D’s RAW files.

Adobe’s response is essentially “You bought a new camera?  Tough luck.  Upgrade to CS4″.  And looking backward, it appears that this is Adobe’s modus operandi – an upgrade every 18 months or so.

Sure, I could have processed my RAW files with Adobe’s DNG converter and saved them in that format and then worked on them in CS3, but that forces a whole new layer into my workflow – and it’s completely unnecessary.  Unless you want to force your customers into an expensive upgrade.

So that brought me to the door of the Apple store, where I was greeted by a bright and shiny salesperson (though I’m sure they have a more low-key name for them), who let me talk myself away from Adobe’s abuses into the gentle arms of Apple and their Aperture program – one with a long track record of free updates to support new cameras.  And I have to admit that the 24″ iMac was awfully nice to look at!

If Apple is a master of anything, it’s marketing,  No pressure sales.  Plenty of people to answer questions.  And the hardware is drop-dead gorgeous.  (Though I am definitely not sold on the iPad – a solution in search of a problem.)

Now I’ve used Macs – though it was back around 1985.  But as I recalled, they were pretty simple.  Funny how age and recollection combine to make a toxic stew of memory errors…

Let’s just say that the transition wasn’t all that I expected.   You’re not really supposed to go looking for your documents and then using them to launch the application. You’re supposed to find documents from inside the application.  And of course, closing the last open document doesn’t close an application as you would naturally expect.  You have to take the extra step of closing the application too.

After importing my images into Aperture, I discovered that it hadn’t been working on the images stored on my external hard drive – it had copied everything onto the iMac’s internal hard drive, quickly filling it to levels that had the computer announcing it’s impending demise!

After a few speedbumps like these, I was really thinking about crawling back to Adobe with my tail between my legs.  Perhaps they would forgive my infidelity – my brief fling with Apple.  I even upgraded my PC to prepare for the transition back.  But I decided to give Apple just one more shot before I walked away.

I’m glad I did.  After making an investment of time in watching more of the Apple tutorials and some cash watching Aperture tutorials at www.lynda.com, I’ve made peace with Apple and the iMac.

I’ve now moved my entire digital workflow to Aperture 3 and have been so happy with it that I picked up a nice new 17″ MacBook Pro to go along with it.  And by storing my digital library on an external FireWire 800 drive, I can work on my images on either computer – wherever I am.  (I’m sure you noticed that this validates *my* way of storing files!)

So I finally get to wave a hearty farewell (and a “get lost!”) to Adobe and their forced-upgrade antics.  It’s a lousy way to treat a customer and I’m just one of those guys who likes to vote with my feet.

Sure, CS5 has been announced, and it boasts a lot of new features that sound tempting.  But since I’m not big into compositing my images, I’ll sit back and process my work in Aperture 3, secure in the knowledge that another camera upgrade won’t force me into CS6.

So hello Apple.  And Adobe – see ya later.  Maybe I’ll be back again someday.  If you behave yourselves.

Every year, the topic comes up. Should I carry my gear on the airplane, check it with luggage or ship it to myself?

I’m a fan of the latter.

Shipping your equipment reduces your stress and your workload.

But it comes at a price. And whether it’s worth it is a strictly personal decision. For me, it is!

But there are some important things you should know before you make the decision to place your mission-critical camera gear in the tender loving care of UPS or FedEx. Here are some things to consider…

1. When you decide to ship your equipment *insure it*.

I went through PPA (Professional Photographers of America) because they were over $200 less than my commercial liability carrier, and because they will insure for full replacement value – not depreciated value.

2. Be sure you have a complete inventory, including serial numbers so you can claim all losses if the unthinkable happens.

3. If you want to ship your gear, ground is MUCH cheaper than air. Leave enough time to get your gear to its destination at least one business day early. If something goes wrong with UPS or FedEx shipping, that one extra day gives you a much better chance of getting your gear on time.

4. If you insure your gear with the shipping store, make sure that the insurance goes through the carrier, not through an outside insurance company. Outside insurance carriers seem to play “gotcha”, looking for every reason to deny a claim.

And insure your gear for FULL VALUE. Otherwise you will incur a co-insurance penalty. It’s too long to explain here, but it will result in a drastically lower settlement in the event of damage or loss.

5. Track your shipment early in the process. The faster you can jump on a shipping problem the better your chance of getting it fixed in time to save your shoot.

6. Put padlocks on your bag.

7. Use either FedEx or UPS. Avoid the Post Office like the plague. I have seen too many incidents where things like Certified and Return Receipt have failed due to USPS error. And I can’t remember where I read it, but I have seen that the Post Office denies something like 87% of insurance claims. I just don’t feel like I can count on that insurance.

UPS has special handling for items that are shipped via Next Day Air with a value claimed at or above $5000.00.

Such items get special segregated handling and kid-glove treatment. But the air shipping is really expensive.

I ship mine by ground.

I ship my gear in a Seahorse case (similar to Pelican). Whatever you use, plan on it getting dropped from 6′ onto a concrete floor. Pad it to that standard and you’ll be fine. And I’m pleased to report that the luxury of traveling without bags is well worth the price. It’s really great not to have to feel like a beast of burden when you’re going through the airport.

So that’s my take on the issue of shipping your camera equipment.

Do it wrong and you’ll be cleaning up the mess for a long time to come.

Do it right and you’ll find it to be a luxury that is worth every cent!

Suddenly, we’re faced with a multitude of files, stored in different location, all with similar file names assigned by the camera.  And I bet if you look closely, you’ll even find those dreaded DUPLICATE file names.

The answer is proper organization.   And it starts with a “naming convention”.

There is no “right” way to name your files, but you need to pick a system for names and then stick to it.  Doing so will allow you to find your files more easily.  Properly done, you’ll know the subject of the image without having to open it.

But even more important, you avoid the dreaded name collision.

A name collision is created when two files have the same name, and there is a very real potential for one of them to be inadvertently deleted.  This happens when you transfer your files from the camera into a folder where an identical named file already resides.   Normally, your computer asks you if you want to replace the older with the newer, and if you reflexively answer “yes”, the older file is permanently overwritten.

Here’s my naming convention:  date-text-ser#

So if I was doing a Bald Eagle shoot on January 9th, 2010, I would import my files using Photoshop (other programs with renaming capabilities include Aperture & Picasa) and batch rename them in this format: 010910eagle0001.cr2  (replace cr2 with jpg if your shooting jpg).  010910 is the date, eagle is the subject, 0001 is the serial number and cr2 is the type of file (Canon’s RAW format).

Those renamed files are sent to a folder called “birds” that is lives in my “nature & wildlife” directory.  Any images that meet my standards for portfolio work are copied (not moved) into the “bird” folder inside another directory called “portfolio”.

My folder structure is organized by subject – nature & wildlife, portrait, commercial, weddings & events, airshows, etc.

So there you have it.  A simple naming convention that will allow you to keep you photos organized, searchable and will avoid duplicates.

For more information, visit http://www.macphersonstudios.com

My plan for this blog is to share some of my favorite photography tips, equipment, locations and techniques.  And occasionally talk about my classes, tours and workshops.

There’s really nothing I enjoy more than sharing my love of photography with others.  There’s something unexplainable – something magic – about being behind the viewfinder as the  sun rises over Scituate Harbor’s lighthouse.  Or tracking a pair of Snowy Egrets through a big telephoto as they land.  Or shooting a the Osprey as they fish in Maine.

And the first tip I’ll share about shooting wildlife is PATIENCE.

One of my favorite winter activities is to chase Snowy Owls at Plum Island and Salisbury Reservation in northern Massachusetts.  These are an absolutely beautiful bird!  And last year, I made about 15 trips hunting for them, each time driving almost 2 hours each way, lugging about 40 pounds worth of camera gear.  Most of those trips were unsuccessful – no Snowys.

Salisbury Reservation, 2/2009 - (C) MacPherson Studios

The camera was a Canon 40D.  The lens was my favorite piece of glass – my 600mm f4 L IS.  The camera, tripod, gimbal mount and lens weigh in at a backbreaking 22 pounds.

But patience and persistence paid off!  I found this guy after about 2 hours of searching, and then stalked him for 45 minutes, working my way closer and closer.  10 steps and shoot.  10 more and shoot.  By the time I got this close, I had been out in that arctic weather for 3 hours and was well and truly frozen.  But it was really worth it!

So if you want to shoot wildlife, be prepared to spend enormous amounts of time and effort – often in difficult conditions – and to come away empty handed.  But if you do it often enough, be prepared to get LUCKY!

My basic premise is that if you want to shoot wildlife and you don’t come home hungry, tired, banged up, frozen / sunburned and broke, you’re not doing it right.  There are some exceptions, but not that many – it’s hard work!

But the rewards are tremendous!