Ingredients for great images: Nikon D90 with Nifty-Fifty, Mac, Aperture and your vision.
Well considered article on the implications of Apple's shuttering (pun intended) of Aperture, an app I use almost every day.
My take: if iWork and FCPX are any indications, we'll see a transition period where the new Photos app won't match the features of Aperture. After a few updates, we'll have a product that may still lack some of Aperture's features, but will provide a better overall experience. I, for one, look forward to better integration with iCloud if it improves the client review/approval process. My video work has really taken off with the new Final Cut Pro X and Motion, so I'm very optimistic about Photos.
Sidebar: I have a soft spot for Aperture. While working for Apple, I was responsible for marketing Aperture to the education community in Hawaii. In 2008 we brought one of our media specialists to Hawaii, along with Bill Frakes, a legend in the sports photography arena, to demonstrate Aperture at events around Honolulu. Most Apple Account Executives may have a rudimentary understanding of Apple's software, but few are intimate with the software, especially the professional apps. Running the Aperture Tour really piqued my interest, and spending time with Bill inspired me to improve my photography and learn Aperture.
Through Aperture, I reconnected with my long-time passion for visual communications, something I largely shelved for almost two decades as I focused on my career in I.T.
Aperture made it easy to organize thousands of photos, helping me see what I was doing right and where I could improve. I learned how to quickly identify compositional and lighting problems as well as what camera settings worked and what didn't - reviewing failed shots along with camera metadata was my key to understanding the system. The fluidity with which I could import, organize and analyze my photos allowed me to iterate and iterate over and over again. Over time, Aperture provided even more powerful tools for post-production - I began to see the world through the lens, sensor and Aperture continuum.
With growing confidence, Kristina and I took on more challenging assignments, with weddings being one of the toughest gigs in photography. So, in a way, Aperture was partly responsible for my leaving Apple - the tools helped me become a better visual storyteller and inspired me to find more opportunities to combine art and technology to serve client needs.
While initially disappointed by the demise of Aperture, I am reminded of the potential that new products offer. Fingers crossed that Photos takes my work to the next level!