Bloody hard work!
Saturday, January 23rd 2010 @ 11:42 PM (not yet rated)
This writing business! I've been focused on a multi-section class on the entire process of creating and sustaining our digital photo collections, from uploading the images to our computers, setting up a structure of folders for our image files, choosing/using software for different tasks, and properly backing-up and Archiving all our images and data safely and (relatively) easily. It's a load!
The language of this can be odd to those just starting out, and even at times for those with some experience ... like me! So I knew I needed a section defining basic terms and concepts, and brief explanations of the main software and gear pieces that are needed or very useful in the steps we'll get to as we go along. By the time I "finished" this article/class section, it was nine (9!) pages in Word with narrow margins.
So it's been split into two sections, and may well go to three before it's finally published here. The other mentors and an acquintance or two have been sent "pre-release" copies of Section I so they can tell me if this section is near useable or plain absurd. Sort of a "pre-beta" release, so-to-speak. I'm hoping to FINALLY trot out this section later this week.
This first section under review is on the major concepts of image handling and the main software types used to accomplish those concepts. I give a brief explanation of each "item", and then expand that with a bit of working information. I don't expect that these sections will necessarily explain EVERYTHING about anything, but rather, that they will serve as a basis for giving you enough knowledge to understand the lessons to come in further classes and articles.
Peter Krogh's "Prime Directive" in his wonderful book, "The DAM Book, Second Edition" focuses his efforts into helping photographer's going from a less-perfect present to a more-perfect future with all our images and their data intact. It is a WONDERFUL summation of his work, and that of all of us trying to help our friends, peers, and students use, preserve and enhance our photographic collections.
