Name:
Russell Heimlich
Location:
Washington, DC
Where can we find you on social media?
On Twitter and Instagram
How did you hear about Narrative and how long have you been using your Clip?
I heard about the Narrative Clip back when it was a Kickstarter project. I’ve been wearing my Clip for the past year ever since I got it.
How often do you use your Clip and in what settings?
I wear my Clip during my morning commute and when I go out. It’s best when you go on vacation or anything breaking from my normal day to day routine.
Please explain your decision behind getting a Narrative Clip?
I knew I wanted it as soon as I heard about it. The concept of a wearable camera that is there to take photos during your day is really interesting. I tried to do something similar to the Narrative Clip for my wedding day in 2009 by putting my Nexus One cell phone in my jacket pocket, propping it up from the bottom with a piece of foam. https://www.flickr.com/
Describe what draws you to this kind of technology:
My grandmother had Alzheimers and I saw first hand how fragile the human memory is. Recording the everyday mundane details of my life to go back and review them as always intrigued me as I’ve gotten older. I don’t know if it will ever become essential but I would like to think it will be nice to have when I’m older and the world is completely different as we know it today.
How do you wear/use the camera?
I usually wear it clipped to the collar of my t-shirt. In the winter time I’ll wear it clipped on to my beanie while I walk to work. If I’m driving on a long road trip, I’ll clip it to a parking pass hanging from my rear view mirror. It’s easy to Clip anywhere and I like to mix it up every now and then.
What’s the most surprising and/or interesting photo you’ve gotten so far?
My favorite photos are usually just random scenes that you would never think to have a camera out snapping away photos. Like on our trip to Puerto Rico I captured this:
and waiting in line to get balloons from a party store I like weird stuff like that. 
Do you have any stories around how people react to the Clip?
Most everyone asks “What is that thing you’re wearing?” thinking it’s a GPS tracking device. When I tell them it’s a wearable camera they are surprised and a little sheepish. But the people who seem to have the harshest reaction are the ones who keep asking me about the pictures it’s taken the next time I see them. They seem to warm to the idea after a little while.
What is best moment you’ve captured with the Narrative Clip and why?
My favorite Narrative Clip photo comes from my friends wedding in Puerto Rico. I was already taking pictures with my bigger DSLR but I really liked this one that came during a pause from shooting. I was amazed with the composition and the pure chance of getting such a photo without even thinking about it.
This is a photo of what I looked like that day wearing the clip on my suit.
How do you remember to wear it? Do you have any specific triggers set up that help you remember to wear your Clip?
Wearing my Narrative Clip is part of my “grab the important things before going out” routine: keys, wallet, cell phone, Narrative Clip. It’s become such a routine I forget it’s there except when I go to a public restroom. Now it’s muscle memory to take it off, slide it into my pocket, and put it back on again when I’m done.
What’s a feature(s) you’d really like to see added to the Narrative service in the future?
I would love to showcase and archive my starred photos somewhere online so I can browse through it from wherever I am. At a basic level, a simple API that I could query and republish them on my own photo site. The best option would be if Narrative did this kind of like an Instagram profile. Right now, I only share my really, really top photos from my Narrative Clip through Instagram and it takes a lot of time to share one every now and then.
Anything else you’d like to add or other Clip photos you’d like to share?
I love my Narrative Clip. It’s such a great little camera always there recording my day. The only way it could be better is if there was some way it could see what my eyes see and move with my head. The next big challenge will be searching through your amassed photos 🙂
