Interesting to watch the year draw to a close over my photo database for 2018.
Some birds that previously we’ve spent lots of time with are missing. Red-capped, Flame and Eastern Yellow Robins, Black-shouldered Kites, Some such as Purple-crowned Lorikeets have been a feature. We are still hopeful of finding nesting Sacred Kingfishers but time, as they say is running out.
The other thing that has been challenging me the past few months is the need to change my DAM software. Long time readers will know I’ve been committed to Aperture 3 for such a long time, but like wooden wagon wheels, and last night’s pizza, it has all moved on. The big deal in town of course is Lightroom, and I have to say I just can’t get with the interface. Cluttery and trying to do all things at once, and demanding a straightforward approach, no rating, adjusting, tagging and cropping as Aperture allowed with minimum of fuss.
Which has left me meddling with AP3’s replacement “Photos App”. And it would work for me, but I have no real control of the output and being the pedantic sort that I am, that is enough for me to not settle. So the search goes on. But enough of the mundane.
Flickr of course is another of my major outputs, and at the moment it too is in the throes of change. So how that will impact my needs, and of those folk that I regularly follow will also be work in progress for 2019. Then there is everybody’s favourite Facebook or Instagram. The first bores me, the second seems to treat images as adjunct to a post, and I really like to have the image as the Champion of the moment.
Here is an Eastern Yellow Robin, got all excited out at Eynesbury a few weeks back when we found the pair, and they were nurturing a couple of young birds. But, we didn’t have time to build up a context or relationship for them, and so like always, they are now impossible to relocate. Been that sort of a year.
Hope your own planning for you vision of the birdlife in your life is progressing to the new year. It should be exciting however it goes.
Good luck, and may the new year bring wonderful subjects to your lens.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
Thanks for sharing your images and experiences with us on Flickr and here. They are a source of great enjoyment, and the subject of great admiration of your skill and patience. Best wishes to you and Dorothy for Christmas and the New Year.
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Some interesting musings, David. It has been a year of hit and miss as far as birds are concerned. As it is said ‘some days were diamonds and some stones’. Today was a fabulous day! All the birds were out to play along Hoppers Lane/Sneydes Rd. Yet recent walks there have produced very little.
Processing software is a challenge at times, I have a few programs on board, often because a program does one thing well. Generally I don’t do a lot of processing but find the Canon Suite of programs very useful and I do use photoshop a bit. I find Lightroom difficult at times, the process just doesn’t seem to flow for me. It will be interesting to see the result of the changes at Flickr. Hopefully the bugs will disappear as more of Flickr is moved to the new servers.
Wishing you and Dorothy a Happy Christmas and a wonderful year ahead.
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We’ve often remarked, if you were just starting out in birding or bird photography this past year, you’d be thinking of switching to golf or ice hockey as the results have just not been there —for us.
I do use Bridge as I like the image display and the latest ACDSEE for mac looks a treat. But, I really don’t like some of the way the features are displayed, oh well.
I can wrangle Lr, and I’ve used Photoshop since the days of Barney Scanner, (there, that’s something for Google University to explain 🙂 )
Usually I can get it right in camera, so I don’t do a lot of pp. And I do shoot a lot of JPEG, so Photos App appeals. But like all things, I just need to pick a tool and get on with it.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, hope 2019 is a ripper year photographically and personally.
Keep the vision.
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What a year it’s been. For me the work has been terrible but somehow made it through. Thanks so much for sharing your insights and thoughts on so many images. I’ve really appreciated that. And following your wonderful work. May you find many more awesome feather moments in 2019! ps I switched to LR a couple of years ago. Most daunting was the migration and, I guess, getting to grips with the basics. Gets smooth enough with time. Probably needs more CPU than Aperture, though…
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G,day Derek, likewise been a pleasure to see your photos, and to share you photojournies. Looking forward in anticipation for 2019.
Yep, I complain and procrastinate with Lr, but its just a tool. A very clever tool indeed. I just like the simplicity of Photos app, but in the end, I just want somewhere I can search for my shot of a Rainbow Lorikeet or what ever. As with cameras and lenses ,the next big new kid on the block is always alluring.
Good luck in the new year
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Hi Dave. Thank you for constantly inspiring me to go out and watch these beautiful bird. It wasn’t a good year for me this year. I haven’t had the strength to lift the camera and point it at birds. I use ACD for my editing. It has a lot of the same functions that you find in lightroom and photoshop, but it has a much simpler menu and lets you process one bit at a time.
I hope you find something suitable for your needs. Merry Christmas to you and your lovely wife. I’m sure I will see you on a riverbank somewhere next year. Nina
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Hi Nina,
Glad to hear from you. Sorry to learn its been a tough year health wise. I’m also getting emails from Nev again, and trying to keep a flow of comments going. We aren’t going to Ballarat at the moment as number 2 daughter has moved on.
I’ve used ACD since its very beginning back when we used to use it for quick demos of those strange digital K****K cameras 🙂
My needs are pretty simple these days, don’t need to do a lot of post, if its not good, i just delete and hope for a better day.
Trust the new year is a better one for you and you are able to find some great shots for the camera. All the best
DJ
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