I met Sam at about11 o'clock in the morning right outside the Selby Library in Sarasota. He was in good light, smoking a cigarette, and on break from working at a sushi and hibachi grill immediately across the street. Sam was very pleasant and let me to photograph him quickly, as he had to get back to work. He didn't mind me getting a few shots of him smoking a cigarette, which many strangers eschew. Like so many, Sam did not to take a card or want a copy of this picture.

This was a sentinel encounter for me, as my workflow has been forever changed. My normal procedure was to write notes in a moleskine notebook immediately after photographing a stranger. When I later review the notes, they are invariably too sketchy and cryptic, and often I cannot read my own writing.

Last week, another photographer saw me struggling with the notebook and asked why I did not dictate. I had avoided using a recorder, as I would just have to make notes later. But my friend had noticed that I had an Android smartphone. So he suggested including the information in the body of an e-mail message.

Well, DUH!

Of course! So after I photographed Sam, I composed an e-mail message on the phone, sending it to myself. I typed ‘Sam’ in the subject line and then used the voice function of the phone to dictate my write-up on the spot. When I got home, I copied and pasted the message into this post, did a little editing, and all is well.

Life is good! Thanks, Mike. :-)

Bob