geodar

& IVORY

calling

nice one, geoff

hootch

smart

interesting shot. smoking or non smoking. well done. geoff

54 going on for 30 geoff

you can pick up some good, interesting books at the mo, more when the sales start. these are quick rough snaps of the ones i'm on about. the pages are from the insect one. geoff

hi, regards your bug book on your xmas wish list, i bought an insect book at borders (closed now but you should be able to pick it up at any discount book type store. it was £5 down to £2.99, covers everything from butterflies, moths, dragon & damselflies, flies, bees etc, beetles and loads more, full photograph colour pictures so you can easely identify them. A CONCISE GUIDE TO INSECTS by PARRAGON I also managed to get by the same publisher one on wildlife of the british isles & rock & minerals. collins do a cheapish nature guide on various things, i got butterflies & moths of britain & europe for a few quid. bought them as they were good books at a cheap price and as i don't use them all the time just for reference when i shoot something a bit out of norm that i see. hope this is of some help. geoff

i use basic white card, print the photo's (6x4) off on epson glossy photo paper, using photo setting on the printer. i tried straight printing onto the card but found the prints a bit dull and boring, using the photo paper brings the prints out as they should be and makes the card look more special and personal, also it gives a more professional finish. using a template you can print your wording/verses etc onto the basic card then attach the print to it using sticky fixers giving it a 3D effect as the card is now raised from the card. geoff ps, i'm selective with the white card as some are not as white as others and the not so white card makes the final product a little dull/dirty looking. might try using black card depending on the image, it may look a little strange as a Christmas card, but i tend to look for something different now and again, as you have seen from some of my pictures. when i get round to it i'll post some of the results.

& NUT

It's that time of year when i think about the Christmas cards. I make my own but as i send only a selected few to close friends i restrict them to around ten, they are a little expensive to make due to ink, photo paper, card, fixers, envelopes, but i think they add a nice personel touch. I normaly do the standard snowy/wintery scenes or robins, however this year i think i will do something different. Haven't decided on which ones to do but i'll have a look when i have more time. Here are some i have sent in the past. geoff

band

surprises

you can take your time and think about where you would like to go Lee annie - priced iceland a couple of years ago, have to go to scotland or london and it was going to cost almost £500 for a three day trip, so was put off a bit. i see they are doing a three night overstay for £300 now but still have to get to the same places and it is very expensive over there. i think norway may be one of the best places to do the northern lights richard, but i think you can get some good shots up in scotland which may be cheaper. seen some stunning shots of northern canada, that would have been my second choice denis. geoff

after reading kobione's hot.HOT weather forecast post and how they have to prepare against fire, and the posts of the flooding in this country. it came into my mind as to which country i would like to visit and to take photos, not for a holiday, but as a photography session. i have always wanted to visit iceland (not the shop before you say something), the volcanos, scenery, rocks, people, buildings etc, etc. so where would you like to visit and what would you like to shoot? geoff

strength

mix n match, get most of mine from car boot sales, various sizes, cheap and once given a good clean mostly top notch. geoff

well done, would have been one of my choices for this week. geoff

just what i was going to say geoff

what about trying a fabric shop/market stall, pay for only the amount you want + 3" to make a loop at one end to hang it up, you could also get the exact (or nearest to) colour you want. geoff

Hi Alan, I use a Nissin speedlite Di622, cheaper than the canon, however i was thinking of getting another one and have noticed that the price has gone up quite a bit over the last couple of years. It has ttl, 6 power levels and can act as a slave flash. I bought a Nissin hotshose connector from 7dayshop. i have not had any problems with it, but does take longer to charge when the batteries are running low. I use rechargable when doing indoor/table top shots but always carry 2x4 duracels when doing weddings etc. geoff

mat

(fabric) softner

went along to be presented with the framed print from age uk (north east) on monday night. photo was in a clip frame which is not a problem as i can put it in a better one. also got a calendar with all the chosen images. some were good, some were ok and others i wouldn't have voted for as some which didn't make it i thought should have. they had 49 entries from people aged 8-92, i thought this wasn't bad as it wasn't greatly advertised, i only found out with a couple of weeks to go and that was by accident. waiting to hear what they are doing about next year. they intend to re-print all the images and put them on display throughout the region. i think they missed an opportunity for some advertising on their site, the age uk magazine or in the local press as they didn't have an official photographer there to record the night. they could have had a good piece with some stories about how and when the shots were taken, as it was their first venture into producing a calendar to help raise money for the organisation. geoff