Lea & Lens

I’m on my third Apple computer. The first was an iMac, which at the time (2011), seemed like the most high tech thing in the world to me. When I desired a little more portability a few years later, I switched to the MacBook Air. Why not both? Well, as with most technology in my life, I always need to sell the one to fund the other.

That laptop served me well for several years but I eventually outgrew it, base model that it was, pushing its storage and processing capabilities more and more with each software update. So, I bought another one with better specs a few years ago. After deciding to retire from professional photography, I found myself increasingly wanting to simplify and edit on the go. Unfortunately, my iPad Mini wasn’t up to the task.

Enter the iPad Pro.

I never thought I would love a device this much. It’s so much more capable than my Mini. And in fact, it has as much internal storage as my MacBook Air. Combined with the Apple Pencil, it is a very intuitive experience to both write and edit images. I’m currently writing this post with the Apple Pencil as if it’s a regular notebook. It occasionally has trouble reading my handwriting, but overall it’s easy and effortless. I can’t write as fast as I can type, but maybe this is a good opportunity to improve my penmanship. Not to mention the benefit of the slower, more focused approach. Plus, I feel a little bit like Harry Potter writing in Tom Riddle’s diary as my writing magically transforms to digital font.

I actually have a pretty hard time with change. I tend to steer clear of it, preferring instead the safety of the familiar. I’ve come to see it as a character flaw. After all, change is really the only constant thing we can count on. I know I need to make my peace with it. Let’s call this a beginning.

So, now you know I love my new iPad Pro and you’ve likely guessed from the title of this post what mobile editing program I’ve paired it with. I’m reminded of that time I wrote a blog post about my quest to quit Adobe. I really was serious at the time. Adobe as a company really rubbed me the wrong way, especially after I tried the Creative Cloud subscription model and in so doing, permanently lost access to my previously purchased standalone version of Lightroom 6. (I still really feel there should be a disclaimer about that before you pull the trigger the on the plan).

But despite all that, my search for a comparable option always left me a bit deflated. I could make other things work, but nothing was ever really on par with Adobe’s offerings. There was always some aspect of Lightroom I was missing. That said, I toughed it out, refusing to cave. That is, until I got the iPad Pro and decided to turn my entire workflow mobile. Capture One (my laptop editing software) doesn’t have a mobile editing solution. Guess who does?

So, I guess I find myself coming full circle, now a subscriber of Adobe (though not the full CC option). I still have mixed feelings about the whole thing. Maybe it’s just evidence of my inability to easily accept change. Or maybe Adobe really is the best option. Either way, we do have a decade long history and that’s not easy to ignore. Maybe it’s like an unhealthy relationship you keep coming back to, hoping things will be different this time around. Maybe they will.

One can only hope.