photography weekender...

This weekend I had the pleasure of taking some photographs of a couple of my friends. It was a chance for me to get my studio equipment out and finally get some good use out of it before things start moving forward for America.

We all had a great time and everyone, especially my models, seemed to have a great time.

I have tried a few different types of finishes here from soft, glamour focus to textures.

So without further ado, I would like to say thank you to Jacek, Martyna, Iliya and Agata.

looks a bit fishy...

I thought I would take the time to share some knowledge. I came across the idea on Flickr and I thought it was so good that everyone that is interested in photography, in any way, should know about it.

So is to my....how to make a fish eye lens for only £10 (excluding cost of camera)

Step one...

Get yourself down to your local DIY store and purchase the following items:

Packet of adhesive Blu Tack
A peepy eye hole for a front door (offically called a door viewer...boring)


Step two...

Tear off two small pieces of Blu Tack and apply it to the viewing end of the peepy eye hole.


Step three...

Carefully apply the peepy eye hole, using the Blu Tack, over the camera lens taking care to get it as near to the centre as possible.


Step four...

Press firmly to make sure it's secure and it should look something like this.


Step five...

Set your camera to full optical zoom which will elimate the view of the actual tube through the eyepiece. It should look something like this on your cameras viewing screen.


Step six...

Get out there and take some pictures. It really does create a great effect and if you download and run it through this brilliant Polariod creating software you get great images like the examples below.

ENJOY!!!

discovering cambridge...

Few cities can take the breath away quite like Cambridge. It’s not just its tightly packed core of exquisite architecture, or even the mind-boggling mass of brain power that has passed through its world-famous university, but also it’s the sensation of drowning in history, tradition and quirky ritual that only seems to deepen the more you discover. But so too there is plentiful opportunity to come up for air, relaxing in the manicured college gardens, punting along the beautiful river ‘backs’ and roaming the lush water meadows that run out of the city.

And of course Cambridge is no mere repository of history and charm, it is very much a living city; its narrow streets are alive with the click and whirr of cyclists. The river is clogged with red-faced rowers, drifting punts and on occasion floundering freshmen. College porters still potter around in bowler hats, while gowned students wine and dine in cavernous medieval halls. Historic pubs echo with the same equal mix of intellectual banter and rowdy merrymaking that they have for centuries past. And a new generation of designer boutiques, coffee houses and slick nightlife venues is finding its niche in among the intriguing passageways and medieval doorways of the old town.

Here is to my first ever visit...

last light...

last light..., originally uploaded by Ian N.

So I have found out that Flickr has a ' blog this ' feature which allows you to post your photographs directly to your blog as you upload them to your photostream.

This is me trying it out. If you are reading this....guess what, it worked!!

To all my readers out there on the blue marble, thank you for stopping by.

PS3 nightmare...

Ian is not a happy man. Now, to a lot of you this may seem stupid or you may even think I am quite the sad individual.

I was talking to my American girl tonight and we were discussing what I will be taking over in October when the subject of my PS3 came up. You see, I love my PS3, I love gaming, although I don't play as often as I would like, only really on a weekend and I love my Blu-Ray movies too.

Where is all this going? Well, it turns out after a bit of inter-web surfing that my PS3, being a UK PAL version, will not be compatible with a USA NTSC TV!! Which means that I am going to have to sell it. Which really pisses me off!!!

Now, I am sure that after I have simmered down a while it will not seem as bad but that was the one thing that I was taking with me. Now, when I go, I will have nothing that is mine and I hate the idea of that. I have been down that road before, as my best friend Marc will tell you and it was not a pleasant place. I know that it was a completely different circumstance and everybody is different, but one can not help but think about it. It's not comparing, it's just remember past experiences and trying to learn from them.

So now I am left with some options which are as follows:

1: sell the ps3 with controllers as a separate item
2: sell the all 14 games as separate items
3: sell the ps3, controllers and 14 games all together
or
4: sell the 1080p 32" flat screen HDTV, PS3, controllers and 14 games as an ultimate package

What would you do? All ideas welcome!!

Here is to being PISSED OFF!!

BLEUGH!!!!

a flickr of frustration...

Now, you all know that I am a huge fan of Flickr. I use it often enough. It's a great way to get your photography out into the world and in front of, quite literally, millions of people.

However, it does have it's draw backs.

I am a huge contributor to many groups on Flickr. Groups are a great way to get your work showcased and in front of people and there are hundreds and thousands of them to choose from. Some give you great hits and others do not. It's all a game of trial and error finding the right ones.

I do have one, very big frustration with some groups. Many of them have a Post 1/Comment (insert number here) rule to them. Now, there are some which ask you to comment on only 1 photo per entry photograph but there are some that ask for 5 or more awards/comments to be given. Which may seem fine and reasonable, but when they tell you that if you do not comment/award other peoples photographs you will be banned and blocked from the group, it becomes unreasonable.

I am a member of a couple of groups like this because I get great hits on my work but sometimes, when I post and then look through the said group to comment/award other people on their photography, there is just nothing that captures my interest. And this is where the problem lays....you find yourself commenting on any old photograph, whether you like it or not, just so you don't get booted from the group.

To me, this is unfair on those people that you are commenting on. You are not giving genuine feedback but merely saving your own arse. I would hate to think that people are commenting on my photography just because they have to.

Comments and awards should be optional with a 'recommended' participation level not a demanded one.

(my latest flickr entry - blinding)

it's for the bold...

Contrary to what the cynics say, distance is not for the fearful, it’s for the bold.

It’s for those who are willing to spend a lot of time apart in exchange for a little time with the one they adore.

It’s for those knowing a good thing when they see it, even if they don’t see it nearly enough.