Technology Trials and Triumphs!

 Today is October 14th and Windows 10 is coming to an end. I have met my deadline and gotten my new computer system up and running, but definitely not without some pain! There is a part of me that wants to pull the covers over my head every time some new issue comes up but I have learned a LOT while fixing the problems. 

First of all, I have a cozy and reasonably organized work space in the room next to my studio. I have a new desk under the skylight, so I can see the sky while I work. It gives me great light during the day, but I have to use some additional light for Zoom calls because, when the sun goes behind a cloud, the light changes completely! I set up some old studio lights, bare bulbs, pointing at the sloping white ceiling. They are working well. Behind me, I have some Ikea cabinets which hide the mess but also cause me to open all the doors trying to remember where I put things. It makes a nice background for the Zoom calls. 

The next major task was copying some 4TB of files on to an 8TB solid state hard drive which is slightly smaller than a business card! I keep it plugged in whenever my laptop is on the desk. Linking my Lightroom Catalog to the new location has been time consuming, to say the least, but it has given me the chance to organize my images in a more logical way. Problems encountered along the way had me learning how to move my Lightroom catalog to a new location and how to dismember a phantom OneDrive account that Microsoft installed without my permission!

Some problems were not solvable. My scanner (on the right in the picture) which I bought new in January, proved to be a model first produced in 2009. Epson has since discontinued it and did not think it necessary to provide authentic Windows 11 drivers. So I have reconnected it to my old desktop and I will have to scan from there. Apparently, flat-bed scanners are dinosaurs and there are no new models available to replace my much-loved V600.

Technology is transient. Nothing is built to last, because it will soon be replaced by the next great new thing. However, we should not be so quick to discard older technology! Remember the film camera? Once digital cameras had well and truly taken over, photographers began to lust after analog. There is a thriving film photography community and a certain snob value to taking pictures without instant gratification. Speaking of instant gratification, Polaroid cameras are back after some entrepreneur started remaking the film. They dubbed their company "The Impossible Project" and it's success meant that fans could continue to use their vintage Polaroid cameras. Here is a trailer for a movie that was made about this project.

My photography has been fully digital since 2001 but I love print and believe that a photograph enables us to freeze time and hold a memory in our hand. More and more clients are agreeing with me as they bring me their precious old prints to restore! Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, some entrepreneur will start making flat-bed scanners again!