Adobe Iceland Adventure: Practical Non-Lesson #5

Reykjavik: Friday night's wrap-up party at the Apple store was a smashing success, just like the rest of the adventure. For me, the story of Iceland's Petar Jonasson, one of the 150 or so attendee's, highlights the evening, and epitomizes the entire week.

The story goes like this: Earlier in the day, George Jardine, Adobe Lightroom's evangelist and midwife, and I walked into the Apple store to make sure everything was set for the evening event. As we checked out the stunningly beautiful facilities an older, heavy-set man walked into the store. He saw George and a smile as big as the midnight sun spread across his face. He walked up to us and grabbed George's hand and said in a very heavily accented English, "Mr Lightroom! " He'd recognized George's face from various digital photography forums on the internet.

It turns out Mr. Jonasson had an adventure of his own to relate. He had received an email invitation from Steingrimur Arnason, the store's manager and our gracious host, and immediately set out alone from his home in the Husavik, a small fishing village seven hours away by car from Reykjavik, famous for whale watching. Driving with the determination of a pilgrim, Jonasson scaled the Kinnarfjoll mountains and crossed the entire breath of Iceland, along the way battling rain and bad roads and exploding volcanoes and suicidal sheep bent on destroying his car. Ok, I'm embellishing a little...but if you've ever driven Iceland roads you know how treacherous they can be.

After hearing Jonasson's impressive story and also learning he was a serious photographer in his own right, I watched as Jonasson leaned toward George, and said solemnly, "You know, I like the thinking behind Adobe Lightroom". George, who has worked tirelessly for years on the Lightroom project (back to when it was known to only a few as Shadowland), turned misty eyed. As Jonasson walked away, vowing to see us later in the evening, George told me he wished Mark Hamburg, the visionary leader and inspiration behind the Lightroom project, had been there to hear the sincere remark.

Later that evening, as the Jonasson's story spread among the crowd, everyone from the Lightroom team handed a grateful Jonasson signed prints we'd made during the week on the Epson 2400 printers. He clutched them as if they were gold and seemed like a man who'd died and went to heaven. He extended us all an invitation to visit him in Husavik, and we all agreed that next summer would be a good time to see him again.( Husavik has a Fosshotel, one of this years sponsors, so it's a very real possibility.)

On Saturday, the team flies home. I'll post a wrap up blog shortly and Derrick will post more web gallery photos as well.

PS. The adventure opened with the drama of Michael Reichmann and Chris Sanderson's circuitous flight to Iceland. Well, it ends on more drama. Reichmann collapsed just before the Friday night party. He spent all day Saturday in a Reykjavik hospital where extensive testing determined he was ok, just exhausted and battered from a grueling week of 14 hour drives and sleepless nights. We were all relieved and wish him a speedy recovery. Personally, I'm very grateful for everything Reichmann did to make this adventure happen, and his tireless efforts while he was here.