Dear members: I am shocked as I have just found out about Bruce Fraser's passing this last Saturday. Bruce had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer several months ago and still attempted to fight the disease by undergoing chemotherapy but the disease was in its advanced stages. Bruce was an industry leader and made great contributions to digital photography as well as digital imaging in general. I am extremely sad with this horrible news and although I didn't know him personally, I have lost a close friend as his books and his teachings have inspired me to become a better photographer. Very sad news. Joseph Chamberlain ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following is the news posted by Adobe's John Nack on his Blog page about Bruce's passing: December 17, 2006 In Memoriam: Bruce Fraser I'm terribly sorry to relay the news that our dear friend Bruce Fraser passed away yesterday. His friend Stephen Johnson says that Bruce was resting in his own bed, surrounded by people that loved him. It was a very peaceful passing. It remains awfully rough for those left behind. I'm not sure what to say, and I know that others will write better, deeper remembrances than this one. Bruce's work touched untold thousands of people, whether directly through his teaching and writing, or indirectly through his guidance of Adobe, Epson, and other companies towards better, smarter solutions. The outpouring of well wishes in response to news of Bruce's illness only hints at the reserve of goodwill and gratitude that so many feel towards him. As one of those many beneficiaries, I can share a few thoughts. Many of the merits of Camera Raw owe a debt to Bruce. The move from ACR 2.0 to 3.0 was a huge one, filled with twists, turns, and tradeoffs. Bruce was among a handful of folks to whom I could drop a line at nearly any hour, asking for guidance. Back would come a deep, thoughtful, often impassioned reply, making his arguments plain. We'd often disagree, but that's part of what made the dialog fun and valuable. No matter how well Bruce got on personally with many folks at Adobe, I never had to worry that we'd get a free pass on anything. I will always, always be grateful for that. This whole past product cycle, we've felt Bruce's absence as he battled his illness. Any number of times I thought of him and wished we could duke it out about favorite topics--DNG, Camera Raw editing JPEGs, color management for the Web, and so much more. I write this through a shifting blur of emotions--anger and sorrow at the loss, sympathy for Bruce's wife and loved ones, gratitude to have known him, relief that he is now at peace. A tribute to Bruce's life and work is planned for Macworld, to be held Macworld on Janurary 10th, 2007. PhotoshopNews will post more details as they become available. Posted by John Nack at 12:04 PM on December 17, 2006
