Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large. 

Downsizing on screen real-estate

For the longest time, I’ve only edited photographs on large screens, and by large screens, I mean monitors above 24 inches. It just seemed natural, you know? To have the largest canvas possible, so I can see more of the image in detail, like an architect and his drafting table. Besides, with modern cameras capable of outputting super high resolutions (my trusty Sony A7R2 does 42 megapixels), a screen of commensurate size seems almost prerequisite.

Naturally, I never quite understood how some photographers are able to do editing work solely on their laptops. Isn’t it all a bit cramped? You’d have to hide all the ancillary controls just to get the image to appear large enough, and at the proper 1:1 view, it’s way too zoomed in because the screen simply don’t have enough resolution to show more. I’ve owned many laptops of varying sizes, and as much as possible I avoided editing pictures on them, and instead waited until I get home in front of the 30-inch monitor, or what was the 27-inch iMac.

Indeed, the iMac is no more, due to life circumstances. I now have a 15-inch Macbook Pro as my sole computing device, which means I have no other choice but to run Lightroom and Photoshop on it. Perhaps its the bias of having dropped over $2,000 on the laptop, but I have to say it’s been quite okay doing photo work on essentially half the screen real-estate I used to have. The biggest reason for this is most the latest laptops have intensely high resolution displays, so the issue of not being able to see enough of a photography is mitigated. With the Macbook Pro, I still have to hide all the controls in Lightroom, but once having done so, there’s sufficient space.

Another benefit of sizing down on the screen, one that I hadn’t realize, is the increase in speed. With far fewer pixels to draw compared to the 5K display of the iMac, the graphic system is less taxed on the Macbook Pro. Therefore, making adjustments to a photo returns a more immediate response; there’s no longer that slight pause before the picture reflects the change I just made. It’s a pleasant and welcomed surprise, because more so than screen real-estate, speed is the ultimate productivity assistance.

All things being equal, though, I think I’d still prefer having a large screen. That said, it’s reassuring that doing photo work on a laptop is not the penalty box I’d thought it would be; it’s rather great.

The legendary Shinkansen bullet train.

Going to stay in my lane

I spent much of the weekend putting together some GoPro footage I took way back during the Colorado trip - in addition to watching World Cup games of course. It was nothing elaborate: just stringing disparate videos together using iMovie into one cohesive timeline, with the appropriate transitions and captions. As someone who is decidedly on the still photography side of things it’s always fun exercise to dabble in moving photos. 

Suffice it to say I won’t be quitting my “day-job”. Video editing is obviously immensely time consuming and while the artistry involved is a natural extension of photography there’s many more dimension to juggle simultaneously - sound editing might be an entirely different art in it of itself. The amount of time spent on production and the resulting output length of the video is heavily skewed towards the former. 

Not to say I don’t enjoy video production, and given enough time investment I’m confident I can become decent at it. At the present however I think I shall as the kids say these days 'stick to my lane' and keep to still photography. I’ve still got much to do in that arena, plus I won’t ever “pivot to video”: written words and beautiful images are my passion.

Besides, it was superbly difficult to concurrently take pictures and film during the Colorado trip. At every place of interest I first took photos with my camera and then repeat with the GoPro for video. I’d nary the time savor the breathtaking views, which ultimately defeats the purpose of traveling in the first place. This is why I haven’t done video since traveling to Denver. 

Photo-journalism is more my speed anyways. 

The first-generation Honda Fit was a great car at the tail-end of Honda's golden era. 

The first-generation Honda Fit was a great car at the tail-end of Honda's golden era.