Some people say that no good deed goes unpunished. I say every problem is an opportunity to grow. I guess it all depends on if you look at the glass as half empty or half full.

Right smack in the middle of moving in to the studio, my PC decided to commit suicide. Images and data were safe, everything is backed up, but oh, how inconvenient! Truthfully, if it had to happen, this is the best season, business wise. I had all but 2 clients wrapped up for the Holidays, and just a few sessions to do in the month of December, none of them needing prints until after the Holidays. So, I limped through the 2 clients that still hadn't finalized their Holiday orders by utilizing a crummy laptop and relying on my wonderful local lab to aide me where I had fallen short.

Then...on to making a purchasing decision. To stay PC or go MAC, this was the dilemma. For years I had been wanting to switch to a MAC, but there was no reason to justify the purchase until now. The problem with going MAC is that I have a ton of expensive software, all windows based. Not to mention I had a pretty solid workflow set up. If I went PC, all of my software would still be usable, and my externals would be plug and play. If I went MAC, I would need to repurchase necessary software for the MAC.

Decisions, decisions.

Asking for opinions on this is like asking the masses if I should cut my hair. 50/50 either way. Most people presented valid arguments in support of their preference. So, it was my decision, alone, to make.

I went MAC.

I won't tell you here how much I love my iMac, or all the reasons why, but I am very happy that I switched. The initial investment was pricey, and then purchasing necessary software was expensive, as well. I am holding off purchasing any software that I don't absolutely *have* to have right now. There are a few PC only programs that I miss a good deal, but I am confident that I can find a MAC equivalent or better, if I am patient and continue searching.

Now, the learning curve begins...all the while business must go on. Conducting it on a 27 inch screen has a way of making the transition a bit less painful.

Candace Lemarr is contributing articles to www.zone-10.com on the continuing efforts to convert this space into an effective studio as well as writing other articles about the business of photography. She is based in Grand Junction, Colorado.