At Home with Tech

June 1, 2025

Four Ways to Showcase your Best Family Photos on your Phone

***Are you able to call up any family photo you want on your smartphone? If not, it may be time to update your photo-archiving plan. Here’s what I did.***

Our teenage son asked me a question during dinner last week that I had a difficult time answering. He asked if I could show him some pictures from when he was younger. Pictures of when he was younger?!

I had thousands of photos… tens of thousands from the past fifteen years! But where were they? Could I immediately call up any of these pictures that best represented his earlier years?

Could I Meet the Moment?
Sure, I could flip though endless photos living in my iPhone. But that would take too long. I started sweating.

For years, I’d been dutifully curating my family’s photos on my Mac using Adobe Lightroom Classic, but when I received this simple photo request, I wasn’t ready for it.

I took a breath. He kept eating. The opportunity was about to pass. Then, I pulled out my iPhone, opened Apple’s Photos app and quickly went… to my shared albums.

A Shared Photo Album Saves the Day
And yes, there it was… the photo album I had created years ago and shared with my wife that collected some of our Lester adventures. I opened it up, pulled up my chair next to my son and began displaying a few fun pictures from his elementary school years. He smiled, and after a few minutes, we agreed to look at more another time.

After he left, I exhaled.

Whoa! That was a definite dad moment. And I almost blew it.

Set Up Cloud-Based Photo Albums with Easy Mobile Access
Afterwards, I thought about our exchange and wondered why I had been caught so off guard with this simple request. I’ve spent hundreds of hours working on our family photos over the years. My challenge was more about my phone having easy access to my curated photos from my multiple cameras.

So, I decided it was time for a little review of my existing photo archiving process and how to give myself better mobile access.

The obvious way to handle this need is to create cloud-based photos folders/galleries that you can easily view with phone apps. There are plenty of way to do this. But you’ve just got to maintain your plan and keep your albums up to date.

#1
Apple’s Photos App
For an iPhone user, Apple’s Photos app is the built-in solution. The only limitation to shared albums is the pictures are organized in the order you load them in, not in the chronological order of the photos’ time stamp.

A regular (non-shared) album that you set up just for yourself to sync with your iPhone will order the photos in the correct time sequence.

#2
Amazon Photos
Back in 2019, I started using Amazon Photos for my cloud photo archive. The big draw was it was free with unlimited storage of full-res photos… included in the cost of my Amazon Prime membership.

It has an app for my iPhone, and yes, I use it (though I didn’t have a photo album set up with my son’s pics).

The one problem with Amazon Photos is I do worry that one day, Amazon will abandon its interest in photos. And then… poof?

#3
SmugMug
So, I looked for a company with a more photo-centric raison d’être. And I decided to go with SmugMug. I’ve been curating my best photos with this platform across the past few years.

Also with unlimited, full-res photo uploads, SmugMug has become the platform for my official family archive. But I’m being very ‘precious’ about which photos live there. I think about my SmugMug galleries as an archive that will be handed to the next generation. And I do pay $200+/year to maintain this current strategy.

Yes, of course, I have photos of my son in my SmugMug account, and yes, I have the SmugMug app on my iPhone for immediate access. But I’ve intentionally restricted the photos of my son to ones that more reflect his life’s milestones for future generations to see. (I’m still fine tuning this theoretical goal.)

So, SmugMug is missing a bunch of the fun photos that I’d otherwise want to share with my son today.

#4
Lightroom’s Mobile App
And then it hit me… All the above solutions require me to export selected, edited photos out of Adobe Lightroom Classic’s ecosystem.

What I had missed was never setting up a syncing solution directly to Lightroom’s Mobile app. I suddenly realized that was the obvious hole in my photo-archiving plan.

Oops.

Of course, I already have a great photo collection of our son in Lightroom Classic. So, I loaded the Lightroom app onto my iPhone. Then, with one click, I synced the collection to my iPhone.

Well, that was an easy fix.

I’m now prepared for my next dinner with my son.

Don’t Fall Behind
It’s important to never let up on any photo archiving strategy. You can see I’ve worked with several solutions over the years. (Part of that is intentional to help protect against unexpected digital-file loss.)

Good photo organization takes a life-long commitment.

If you can’t immediately access the photo you want on your phone, it’s a clue there’s more work to do.

Is your phone ready for your next dinner?

May 25, 2025

Why Andor’s Success Makes Rogue One a Better Star Wars’ Movie

I never liked “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Back in 2016, this movie seemingly broke all the rules of traditional Star Wars’ storytelling. It changed the narrative on what it was to be a rebel hero. It was dark. It was bleak. It was depressing. This was not the Star Wars’ movie I wanted.

The truth is I wasn’t ready. A lot of fans weren’t. I couldn’t handle a gritty expansion outside the cozy cocoon of Force-fueled characters.

When the “Andor” prequel series came out in 2022, I first rolled my eyes. What was the point? We knew how it all ends. How can you build a successful prequel based on that?

Well, I could not have been more wrong.

Put “Andor” at the Top of your Disney+ Streaming Cue
“Andor” is arguably the best Star Wars’ vehicle out there. Certainly, the best series. It’s mature. It’s thought provoking. It’s jarring. It’s not really Star Wars as we know the nine core movies. It’s more… Star Wars-adjacent.

And if you don’t already know the premise… it focuses on the early years of the rebel alliance that lead up to “Rogue One” and then the original “Star Wars: A New Hope.”

Headed up by actor Diego Luna, “Andor’s” entire cast is fantastic. Luna plays spy Cassian Andor who is recruited to join the rebellion after a series of encounters with the evil empire. All the characters are properly developed, both the rebels’ and those serving the soul-crushing dark side. That’s because this well-written series takes its time to do exactly that.

They spent a ton of money on this series, and every dollar shows. It’s as cinematic as any of the movies.

Why my Family hasn’t Watched “Rogue One” Yet
For the past two and a half years, I’ve successfully delayed a “Rogue One” screening for our 15-year-old son until after the conclusion of “Andor.”

Why?

I didn’t want his enjoyment of “Andor’s” two seasons to be marred by the knowledge of what happens next. (He agreed to my subtle but clear warning that we should wait.)

I worried that he would have that same pit in his stomach as I’ve been carrying about for the past several years.

Throughout the many cliffhangers of “Andor’s” season two, both my son and wife (she hasn’t seen “Rogue One” either) repeatedly asked me about the movie. My only response was simply, “I’m not talking about “Rogue One.” (It became a recurring joke.)

Frankly, I’d been dreading watching the final two episodes of “Andor,” because I thought I knew what would happen to many of the characters.

Wrong again.

Why “Andor’s” Finale is So Good
“Andor” creator Tony Gilroy gave us (minor spoiler alert) an uplifting and satisfying finale that entirely sticks this series’ landing. And it happily broke an unwritten rule that if you don’t see a character in the future story, that spells doom for them today. There are, in fact, other ways to disappear into a galaxy far, far away.

Just as importantly, both seasons of “Andor” provide the necessary backstory to better enjoy “Rogue One.”

The idea of any rebel alliance can’t be a two-sentence plot point. This one really needed two seasons to fully set up the context and conflict of “Star Wars.”

And with that knowledge, rewatching “Rogue One” will be an entirely different experience.

“Andor” Makes “Rogue One” Better
I’m glad I delayed “Rogue One” in the Lester household for as long as I did. But now, I realize it was never about ruining “Andor” for our son. (I think that’s probably faulty parent logic.)

Waiting for “Andor” to wrap simply makes “Rogue One” a better movie to watch.

It’s Finally Time for “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
MCU fans often talk the proper order to screen Marvel movies. With “Andor’s” conclusion, I feel the entirety of Gilroy’s work from “Andor” through to “Rogue One” is now required viewing ahead of “Star Wars: A New Hope” (for anyone who’s may have avoided this movie since 1977).

Next up for our Lester movie night at home: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

We’re finally ready. And it’s going to be good!

Thank you, “Andor.”

May 18, 2025

Why I Bought a Broken Tripod at an Artists’ Open House Event

My mother lived in the Bridgeport area when she was growing up. She eventually left Connecticut and headed to her life in New York City where she would meet my father. And the rest is Lester history.

My identity is that of a New Yorker, who now resides in Connecticut, but it’s not lost on me that half of my family’s history hails back to Bridgeport.

Today, Bridgeport hosts thriving artist communities. One place you can find that community is in the American Fabrics Arts Building where artists rent their studios. And a couple times a year, there’s the AmFab open studios event where many of the artists display and sell their paintings and art.

My wife and I often enjoy going for a couple hours. And we did just that this past weekend.

Walking through the Early 20th Century
This time, I found myself particularly attracted to the old building itself. It’s a converted mill originally designed for lace manufacturing in the early 20th century. So, I decided to take a few pictures as we walked about.

2008 Movie Set
Did you know that scenes from the 2008 film “Righteous Kill” with Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino were filmed here? You can see how these two hallway doors were modified for the movie.

A Camera Tripod with No Name
As we continued our exploration, I turned a corner. Off to the left, I spotted a few old camera tripods on a platform. They first seemed part of an art installation, but as I walked closer, I realized they were all for sale.

One tripod spoke to me. It was a professional model with a spreader on the legs and nice fluid ball head.

I pulled it down and tested it out. It had a few cobwebs attached to its frame but was otherwise in good shape. The big drawback was this tripod was missing its quick-release plate that you would need to attach a camera onto it. So, I would have to buy that elsewhere.

But I couldn’t figure out the manufacturer, and the seller didn’t know either. That would require more research. (It’s odd that there wasn’t a company name branded onto the frame.)

So, for the moment, it was an unusable tripod. Not quite broken, but useless for now.

Second Life?
I own a couple of lighter tripods for my timelapses and videos, but this one was beefier. I could use it.

The price: $20.

Hmmm… That’s certainly a great price. (Tripods like this one start in the hundreds and go up from there.) But there’s a good reason for this ‘bargain.’ It would need some additional, unknown spend.

What were the odds that I would eventually find a solution?
Maybe 50/50.

But I bought it anyway. I wasn’t initially sure why.

One Person’s Trash is Another Person’s Treasure
Then, I carried this mystery tripod over my shoulder as my wife and I walked about the artists’ studios a little longer. I couldn’t be happier.

I can’t paint. I have no idea how to sculpt, and I don’t draw. But I can snap a photo or two, and I’m working on evolving my timelapse videos.

As I passed by more artists in their studios, nobody batted an eye. It was as if everyone carried a hulking tripod about their day. And then it struck me. It was so obvious.

A brush and paint can take many forms. This tripod was waiting for me. The universe had offered me a tool to practice more of my own art.My creative spirit was energized. Not bad for a couple hours on a weekend.

Unexpected Saturday Afternoon

My wife and I left the AmFab studios, and as we drove out of Bridgeport, I reflected on this place where my family’s history still remains mostly unknown to me. But that’s another story.

For now, I felt entirely grateful. And yes, it’s time to get to work fixing my new tripod. If anybody recognizes the manufacturer, please let me know!

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