Absolute Ramblings

...

2008-11-29T16:24:00.001Z

..., originally uploaded by sam_samantha.

2008-09-26T00:46:00.001+01:00

Keep me caged..., originally uploaded by gtvone.

every now and then, the beast comes out.

elinchrom rangers, a dark park and a crazy mate and this is what happens.

What makes YOU a "Pro photographer"

2008-09-24T12:08:00.008+01:00

I've been into photography for a few years now and can take an "OK" shot... I'm right into dark portraits now and that's not everyones cup of tea, but hey... Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I've seen some "photographers" that make me cringe, displaying work thet "only a mother could love" and calling themselves "professional photographers"... I answered this question a little while back on DPS and I think I've changed my opinion now...

"Back then" I thought that it was fair to say that anyone that was using a camera and producing photos was a photographer, but now I think I'd change my opinion to "Anyone that produces photos of a quality relevant to the job they're doing"... What the hell do I mean? Well, If you're shooting a wedding, you're shooting one of the more important days of the couples life, so, it needs to be "as good as they can get"... They've hired you to capture that day - to "immortalise it in image" if you will... So, if you can't do that, don't say you can - don't charge a grand and deliver shots that my unborn child could take... (that kid will have a camera as soon as it can hold one) That's just dissapointing for the couple, demeaning for you and just horrible.

"How do you know when you're ready?" Well, what?...Rerady to go out and take photos as a "professional" ...Only you can know, you have to be totally comfortable with your camera, you have to know how to use your lights / flash units and you have to have a good level of "understanding what the client wants" ... Some wedding photographer websites that I have visited in thinking about this blog have been tragic... Seven partial sets of photos from different weddings, different people and the same photos all the way through... Nothing taking into account the different personalities of the couples, just "yes, would you stand here and do this" please... "Reading from a script wedding photography"... Sure, it's right for some people, but ugh...

"So, what makes you a professional?" Charging? Do you charge for your work? Have you done a set of portraits for someone and been paid for it? How much did you charge? Do you have business cards? A website?... See, I don't think it's down to much of this... If you're A photographer with a certain level of proficiency and that you're employed in some form or other to produce pleasing results for someone, or for yourself as an artist, using the photographic format then I'd almost certainly say you could call yourself a professional.

But really, does it matter?... What's your opinion? Are you a PRO?... Are you an amateur?

Sime

Canon 5D Mk II - Video, Gimmick?...

2008-09-23T08:19:00.004+01:00

I don't think there is anything to say other than "I don't think so"

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2086

This video was shot with a pre-production Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR. The files used to create this video were not manipulated in any way, only re-compressed for ¼ resolution display on our website. To view Vincent Laforet’s comments and behind-the-scenes video on the making of REVERIE, please visit his blog: blog.vincentlaforet.com

EF Lenses used in the making of REVERIE:
FD 7.5mm f/5.6 (converted to EF mount)
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
EF 135mm f/2L USM
EF 200mm f/1.8L USM
EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM
EF 500mm f/4L IS USM
TS-E 24mm f/3.5L
TS-E 45mm f/2.8

http://www.vincentlaforet.com/

Samsung Omnia SGH-i900 Review

2008-09-22T15:29:00.004+01:00

Real World review...

Yep, the new Samsung Omnia, It has all the bells and whistles one could want! Quad Band, Auto Focus, FIVE MEGAPIXELS!... All of that and HSDPA (Fast Internet where available)

It is a "trying hard to look like an iPhone" shaped / looking device, a bit thinner and a lot cheaper looking... I don't have an iPhone and I'll more than likely not get one, but this ain't even close.

Windows mobile 6.WHATEVER.O ... Office mobile, Push email, Web browsing with tabs, An alarm clock (that failed to wake me up twice!)

Samsung tout it as the "Truly all in one" device... "A truly all in one phone" That's what it says on the box. It has a touch screen, Wi-Fi, FM Radio...

With 8gb internal memory out of the box, you can load some songs on, some videos even - And it plays them well. It sounds good through headphones...

It works fine as a phone, despite the fact that when I transferred all of my contacts across it wouldn't dial anything with a "+" in front of the number for some reason...

Well, all of these "draw cards" you would think that it'd be a no brainer! - Go out and get one kind of review... not so!

I HATE IT... Windows devices just don't get it... You can have ALL the bells and whistles you like, but if the interface of the phone is such that anyone with fingers even slightly thicker than the provided "pointer wand" can't press any of the on screen buttons, then what's the point.

Seriously, despite its shiny case and glimmering screen, I nearly chucked it out of the car window... And, add to that battery performance... My blackberry will last a full day (7am to 7pm) using the GPS / Google maps / GPRS all day... The Omnia lasted about 5 hours until it turned itself off and refused to come back on (saw me lost in the middle of country england!)

Get an iPhone, Get a Blackberry Bold (oh yes! - review coming soon) ....Just don't get a Samsung Omnia... "A truly useless phone"

Sime

Henry Rollins

2008-09-19T18:15:00.001+01:00

Henry Rollins at Indigo, London, originally uploaded by gtvone.

I never realised that Henry was in "Forgets name of movie"

"Never get involved with something that you can't walk away from in thirty seconds flat"

Henry Rollins at Indigo @ o2

Got a couple of quesions this morning...

2008-09-19T08:54:00.002+01:00

Today I want to run three simple questions by you, I'd like three answers - simple answers.

Where do you see your photography a year from now?
What would you mostly like to improve?
If you had to choose one style of photography and not do anything other than that, for the remains of your professional life, what style would it be?

Three simple questions... Give me your answers - in depth, short, whatever... post them in your comments.

Sime

BlogWorld Expo, Planes and Terminal Five

2008-09-18T17:09:00.003+01:00

Blogworld Expo, I'm not sure what they do there, those special folk that take blogging so very very seriously! But Seriously ...as Phil once said... The statistics on the webpage for the event are quite hard to argue with...

* Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog. * More than 147 million Americans use the Internet. * Over 57 million Americns read blogs. * 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog. * 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years. * 9% of internet users say they have created blogs . * 6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog . * Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs . * over 120 thousand blogs are created every day . * There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day . * 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs . * 37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 or 2006 . * 51% of blog readers shop online . * Blog readers average 23 hours online each week .

http://www.b5media.com/ Are a sponsor of this years event, of which my bro inlaw is a part - you can find more about him here http://www.problogger.net/ his name's Darren Rowse.. He's one of those folks that takes blogging seriously, and well he should - it's his job!..

Scotland, Glasgow to be precise... or, to be more precise, here....

Canon EOS 5D Mark II: 21MP and 1080p Video

2008-09-17T07:59:00.012+01:00

Pre-Photokina 2008: After a week of teaser ads Canon has finally revealed the successor to the lovely EOS 5D, the world's first 'compact' full frame digital SLR. The EOS 5D Mark II boasts a new 21MP CMOS sensor, an expanded ISO range of 50-25,600 and a shed load of improvements and new features including full 1080p HD movie recording, live view, 3.0" 920k dot LCD, DIGIC IV processor, increased battery capacity and sensor dust reduction.

PRE-ORDER YOURS AT WAREHOUSE EXPRESS TODAY

OK, SO, you can record 1080p video, and take stills at the same time!?... That really is wild...

Anyone up for a trip to the states?... (see prices below!)

UPDATE: Body-only prices: US: $ 2,699, EU: € 2,499, UK: £ 2,299

Other improvements to the Mark II include a sharp jump from 12.8 to 22 megapixels, plus the inclusion of a Digic 4 processor that allows captures of 3.9 images per second at the highest resolution. To complement its video capture, the camera will have a built in microphone for mono audio recording but will have an audio input to attach microphones. The DSLR will have an HDMI out as simple digital connection for playing back pictures and video on HDTV

So, It's finally happened... Canon have only gone and done it!...

Sample Images from Canon Japan
Sample Movies from Canon Japan

Press Release

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 17 September 2008: Canon announces the full frame, 21.1 Megapixel EOS 5D Mark II: the first EOS with full High Definition video capability.

Compact, lightweight with environmental protection, EOS 5D successor boasts a newly designed Canon CMOS sensor, with ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 for shooting in near dark conditions. The new DIGIC 4 processor combines with the improved CMOS sensor to deliver medium format territory image quality at 3.9 frames per second, for up to 310 frames.

Triggered from Live View Mode, HD video capture allows users to shoot uninterrupted at full 1080 resolution at 30fps – for amazing quality footage with outstanding levels of detail and realism.

The integration of HD movie capability into a high-end 21.1 Megapixel camera opens a multitude of new possibilities for photojournalists and news photographers. With its full frame CMOS sensor and outstanding ISO performance, the EOS 5D Mark II will appeal to any photographer in search of the finest camera equipment available – from studio and wedding to nature and travel photographers.
Other improvements to the EOS 5D include

Addition of Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System, with a new Fluorine coating on the low-pass filter
Larger 3.0” Clear View LCD with VGA resolution, a 170° angle of view and anti-reflective coatings
Improved menu system including Quick Control Screen for more direct access to common settings
Automatic peripheral illumination correction, utilising detailed EF lens information to optimise JPEG images straight out of the camera
Magnesium alloy construction with additional environmental protection
UDMA memory card compatibility.

“Professional photojournalists and wedding photographers already choose the EOS 5D for its discrete size and outstanding image quality,” said Mogens Jensen, head of Canon Consumer Imaging. “The addition of HD movie recording opens a new chapter for EOS. It creates new possibilities for EOS photographers to capture and share their stories and to stay relevant in a rapidly changing digital landscape.”

Key Specifications:

New 21.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with improved EOS Integrated Cleaning System (E.I.C.S.)
New Full HD 1080 resolution movie recording
3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
High performance DIGIC 4 providing superb image quality
Maximum 310 large JPEG images in a single burst with a UDMA card
3.0” VGA (920k dots) Clear View LCD
ISO 100-6400 (expansion from 50 up to 25,600)
9 AF points + 6 Assist AF points

Additional information

New CMOS sensor
The EOS 5D Mark II’s newly designed full frame 21.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor features ISO sensitivity from 100-6400, expandable to 50, 12,800 and 25,600. Large 6.4µm2 pixels have been redesigned to capture more light and yield a better signal to noise ratio to ensure lower noise images throughout the ISO range. The full frame sensor has the same dimensions as a frame of 35mm film. This means that wide-angle lenses stay wide, without the change in angle of view associated with smaller sensor cameras. As well as benefiting from finer control over depth of field, photographers moving up to the EOS 5D Mark II’s full frame format will find the newly designed wide, bright 98% coverage viewfinder on a joy to work with.

New DIGIC 4 processor
A new DIGIC 4 processor combined with 14-bit analogue to digital conversion provides smooth gradations in mono-tonal areas such as skies, and highly accurate colour rendition. As well as HD movie shooting, DIGIC 4’s high speed provides for long uninterrupted continuous bursts of large JPEGs, near-instant start-up times and immediate and fast review after shooting. DIGIC 4 also provides for improved noise reduction algorithms, complementing the already low noise images from the EOS 5D Mark II’s CMOS sensor.

HD video capture
The EOS 5D Mark II is Canon’s first D-SLR to incorporate full HD 1920x1080 video capture. Once filming is started from Live View mode, photographers can fire off either single of continuous stills, with video capture continuing after the final frame is captured.

See everything
A new 3.0” VGA resolution LCD provides a wide 170º angle-of-view, providing plenty of clarity for accurate focus checks in playback. The screen brightness can automatically adjust to suit viewing conditions, extending battery life in low light and improving viewing in bright conditions. A new dedicated Live View button switches modes to display a real-time image on the LCD. This allows EOS 5D Mark II photographers to enjoy simplified shooting from awkward angles. Simple connection to a PC provides easy remote shooting.

Precision focus and metering
A 9-point auto focus system is supported by 6 additional invisible Assist AF points, located inside the spot-metering circle to optimise subject tracking performance in AI SERVO AF mode. For accurate exposure readings in tricky lighting conditions, the spot metering circle covers just 3.5% of the frame.

Control
The EOS 5D Mark II’s redesigned menu system includes a new Quick Control screen, for instant access to the most commonly changed settings. A new Creative Auto mode allows photographers to cede control of key settings to the camera, while retaining control over creative variables such background blur, drive mode and image brightness. Custom user settings allow photographers to switch between two completely different camera setups. This is ideal for changing quickly between two different environments, such as switching from working inside a church without flash to outdoors with fill-flash at a wedding.

Accessories
Shooting flexibility is enhanced with a range of new accessories. Shooting capacity can be extended with either the high capacity 1800mAh lithium-ion Battery Pack LP-E6, or Battery Grip BG-E6.

A new optional Wireless File Transmitter –
the WFT-E4 – offers external HDD and GPS compatibility along with ability to transmit images direct to computer or FTP server, or operate the camera wirelessly. Both the BG-E6 and WFT-E4 feature a vertical orientation shutter release and other key controls for comfortable portraiture work, with a substantial grip to help balance the camera when used with long lenses.

Lexar release updated Platinum II range...

2008-09-16T15:39:00.002+01:00

16gb of pure goodness from Lexar...

The press release is below, I like the bit about capturing 6hrs of HD video, what are you saying Lexar? That all the new release DSLR's will have HD Video functions!?.. hmmm...

Increased Capacity of Lexar Platinum II Memory Cards Enhances Experience for Value-Conscious Video and Photo Enthusiasts

New 16GB Secure Digital High Capacity and CompactFlash Memory Cards Enhance Video- and Photo-Capturing Capabilities of Flash-Based Digital Cameras, Camcorders and Digital SLRs

Fremont, CA, September 16, 2008 -- Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, announced today that the company has further increased the capacity of its widely popular Platinum II flash memory card line by introducing a Platinum II 60x 16GB Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) card and Platinum II 80x 16GB CompactFlash® (CF) card. The new, high-capacity cards give value-conscious video and photo enthusiasts the ability to shoot longer and faster, while taking advantage of new higher-resolution and high-definition digital camcorders, digital SLRs and point-and-shoot cameras. When used with many of today's popular flash-based digital camcorders, the Platinum II 16GB memory cards allow up to six hours of 1080 high-definition video recording. The Platinum II SDHC memory card is speed-rated at 60x, capable of a minimum sustained write speed of 9MB per second, while the Platinum II CF memory card is speed-rated at 80x, which represents a minimum sustained write speed of 12MB per second. The high-speed cards provide faster transfers of high-resolution video and photos, as well as large audio and digital multimedia files.

"With the rapid increase in camera resolutions now exceeding 10 megapixels resulting in larger image file sizes from newer digital cameras, flash-enabled digital camcorders, and digital SLRs, consumers need a higher-speed, higher-capacity memory card to ensure optimal performance while shooting," said Manisha Sharma, director of product marketing, Lexar. "The new Lexar Platinum II 16GB cards provide the quality and dependability that customers expect from Lexar, with the increased capacity required to record and shoot longer."

The new Lexar Platinum II SDHC and CF cards include a limited lifetime warranty and valuable image-related software—the full version of Lexar Image Rescue™ 3, Lexar's award-winning image recovery software, and a six-month trial of Corel® Painter™ Essentials 4. The Lexar Platinum II 16GB SDHC and CF memory cards will be available in September.

Lexar will be displaying the Platinum II SDHC and CF cards at Photokina 2008 at stand F022 E023 in hall 04.1

Photokina 2008

2008-09-16T12:54:00.004+01:00

Photokina, the show at which manufacturers have released some very exciting things going back thirty years now... (Since May 1950) is back on this September the 23rd to the 28th and we hope to see some pretty cool things being announced! The last show in 2006 had about 170k people through the doors, this one should be no different! I'd love to go actually... infact, why don't I?...

Well, I could save myself a couple of hundred pounds and stay home and watch it on the web.. Great idea!!... The more I save, the more chance I have of getting hold of the new Canon 5xxx series camera. Great!...

So, what do we expect from Photokina this year?... I guess more about the all large sensor mirrorless that a couple of companies have been going on about... (this from dpreview)

Olympus and Panasonic have announced a new, mirrorless format / lens mount based on (and compatible with) Four Thirds. The Micro Four Thirds system uses the same sensor size (18 x 13.5 mm) ....more

You can jump on the RSS train for the new products announced in the run up to, or during Photokina here

That's QUITE enough about Photokina....

So, I've been reading about my flashes and trying to learn more about using them... I have found lots of good lighting resources and am looking at buying a book reccomended to me by Sybren called The Moment It Clicks by Joe McNally

Has anyone else got this book / read it?... It seems like a good one from the little video review I saw...

So, after Disco~Stu mentioned yesterday "No, dude... Wireless"... I think I'm about to order some of the wireless guys from Alien Bee... CyberSync units... You can check 'em out here I've emailed for a price to ship me some to London... innit!

Watch this space.

Meanwhile, Have an Apple

Photography Monthly | Oct 2008

2008-09-15T17:29:00.007+01:00

My monthly round-up of the Photography Monthly for October 2006.

10 Techniques for shooting buildings in 28 locations around the UK
Sub £400 DSLRS from Olympus, Nikon and Sony
How to capture "magic" shots of mushrooms... erm?
Using photoshop to master MONO

and..

Create a website in minutes (I'll be reading that!!)
So, that's the front cover, let's have a look inside and see what they've got!...

Featured Photographers this month include;
Domenico Gargarella
Adam Duckworth
Matt Stansfield
Elizabeth May - What an outstanding young photographer! Wins my "You rock!" award! for this month. (Photo Above! Website here )

The Canon EOS 50D and the Nikon D90 Break cover.... Incidentally, Nikon also released their range topping P6000 at a hefty £430, but, it does have GPS built in... erm...

Tamron have kicked the MegaZoom Tamron 18-270mm zoom out of their doors, ready for sale... 15x zoom, should be interesting for those of you that like Tamron stuff.

LaCie, err.. yeah, personally, I will not touch LaCie, but some people like it... Nothing like over priced, underspecced drives to screw your day... But, anyway... They've released a new little big disk with a 1tb capacity... Go buy one, ruin your life...

The "Shooting Structural Splendor" section of the mag is pretty darn good with some great tips on making your shots of dodgy old buildings look a hell of a lot better. check that out, it's great.

There's a good little piece on "Cloning out rubbish" and another daft tutorial on HD flipping R... I'm so over HDR, sorry...

The next piece I really enjoyed, it's about shooting people in public by Simon Armstrong... So many of these types of pieces are all about "Oh, don't shoot kids, don't do this, don't do that"..His just says, yeah - shoot what you like, be setup and prepared to shoot (he gives you his basic setup for some street shooting) and don't be a weirdo basically... really cool piece

The next story was about football (Sorry Alex) I flipped straight past it... football, ugh....!!

Wills piece on conversion from Colour to B+W is a great little write up, well worth a read. I use B+W conversions a whole lot, but after reading this piece may start to approach them differently... It does very much rest on how I'm feeling as to what I'll do with a photo once I've taken it.. dark, light, b+w.... yeah, well... good piece Will

Then it's on to the testing.... Kicking it off is the Fujifilm S100FS ...this little piece has a camera prize attached to it, if you can answer one simple question...

q: In 35mm terms, how far does the S100FS' zoom lens extend? (400mm folks) You can text your answers to 83426 Start your text with "FUJI" followed by your answer, full name and address...(it'll cost you £1 plus the text...)

Then we head into some images submitted via the forums, you can sign up to the forums by heading over to www.photographymonthly.com and clicking on the forums link... I'm a member, I should spend more time there, but, you all know where my heart is... (can you say DPS)

The current "photographers guide" is workflow, you can read about "creating a slideshow" or indeed setting up a website... very handy!

Reviews:
Cameras
Nikons , Sony and Olympus all have cameras on review this week - check them out.

Will tests some lenses, the Tokina AT-X Pro DX 16-50mm f2.8, the Tamron SP AF 70-200mm f2.8 (Di LD - IF - Macro) (Does that have enough letters in its name for ya?!) As well as a Sigma 150-500mm APO DG OS f5.6-6.3 and then there are ome tripods to choose from... The Giotto MTL 8351B the Slik Pro 713EZ... a Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 and the Velbon Sherpa Pro CF-537...A sturdy lot, I'm sure you'll agree!

There's a buyers guide to Photobooks.... with no real "yeah, we'd suggest this one" and then pages of advertising, as ever... Some q+a tucked in the back and then an add for www.clikpic.com which I'm off to have a look at now...

Hope this wrap up was helpful! go buy the magazine, it's a ripper!

Sime

ManFlu, life and the universe...

2008-09-15T14:48:00.003+01:00

CHECK OUT MY REVIEW ON DPS OF PHOTONOSE

I've just spent £16 on a packet of Day+Night nurse, two boxes of Nurofen+ and a coffee... I went to meet some friends on Saturday for a quick coffee, his wife had flu and has had it for a week, I think I caught it... all in that short space of time and no, I didn't kiss her!... So, I've never had flu where I'm kept awake all night because my throat is so sore, bit odd really.

In other news, my xray came back (of my back) and I'm fine, that's good...

DPS is my main squeeze right now, that and the remainder of my threesixtyfive, I've decided to stick most of my efforts in at work and get on with that - so that's a load off.

DPS, it's about 22000 people all wanting to either learn, impart or make up knowledge based around photography, which as you'll all know is my "hobby" I don't know that you could call it a hobby anymore, but, well... that's really what it is until I actually make any money from it.

I have a few loose ideas about making money from Photography, but they're all so very low yeild... we shall see I guess.

I'm after a stand, a brolly and some bits and pieces for my flash setup... I'm thinking of getting the following - unless someone would suggest otherwise....

CalumetPhoto - London

1 x Calumet umbrella adapter with hot shoe
1 x Calumet HotShoe to Pc adapter
1 x Calumet 10' Light Stand
1 x Calumet 45" umbrella silver / white with removeable black cover
1 x 5mtr PC sync extension cable - Lydia at Calumet is calling me back...

So, I think this will work, for now... It all adds up to about £100... that will work for now... I guess...

Means I can get both speedlights off camera, using one for subject and one for background etc.. Should be fun!... Now I just need a background... Black sheet? Thoughts?

Need to rest, laters...

Sime

Would you like fries with that? : Nikon D90 video

2008-09-14T19:14:00.001+01:00

COMING TO YOU LIVE FROM DPS

So, Video on a REAL* camera! Who would have thought? I heard it and was horrified, the thought of our PURIST stills cameras having video introduced to them, sure, I have an Ixus 960 and it has a fun video mode that means I can take it to the snow for example and film myself jumping out of trees on skis... But, for my dSLR to have video... unheard of!.. Soon the Hasseblad will be shooting HD movies!.. So, anyway... I wanted to know more and have since seen a couple of examples of the movies that you could take with, say, a Nikon D90....

What Nikon Say:
[B]D-Movie Mode[/B][B]—Cinematic 24fps HD with sound:[/B] Record cinematic-quality movie clips at up to 720p HD (1280 x 720 pixels) in Motion JPEG format, enhanced by NIKKOR interchangeable lens quality and versatility..

What Canon say:
Well, nothing, but the rumours are starting to fall into line around a 1020p video mode (amongst other awesome specs) with the new 5X series...

So, what do you all think of VIDEO on a dSLR?... (I've dropped a link to the D90 video below)

Keep these cameras on the down low...

2008-09-14T13:59:00.002+01:00

Chase and his crew of merry men, and women, test the new Nikon D90... I first heard "Video on a DSLR" and though, no, that's just silly... But being able to control Aperture and shoot in 720P through a real lens... that is bloody cool, If I may be so bold as to say....

http://www.chasejarvis.com/

Sunday Afternoons...

2008-09-14T12:30:00.002+01:00

Made it out of the house, not feeling tops, caught Jodi's cold I think?...

I am in "my" seat in my local starbucks... I have a Venti Latte and a piece of blueberry cheesecake.

Mostly when sitting in *bucks I people watch and write stuff... Like now...

So, we have, to my left... two guys, one wearing a shirt four sizes too small, a huge stomach and a missing hairbrush (like I can talk!) his mate, wearing leather, I suspect partners meeting on the sly. Then there's green man, wearing his lovely green jumper, listening to music (or the news?) and eating a pannini... (spelling police?) Pimlico plumbers take up two seats, those lads i'd hazard a guess have been in building sorting out just why there is no hot water... I looked up again and they're gone!... (ghosts?) There's an attractive'ish brunette sitting in the window who has just been joined by bald man... he's a nice loking bloke though... bald or not... mr. blue t-shirt ran out the door and yelled bye!.. nearly knocked over the midget in denim that was walking in... she's now leaning against the counter... she really doesn't look like she needs to order food... Hey, I'm just saying it as I see it... There are a spanish couple standing dangerously close to one another... A hot blonde has just entered, the place turns to watch her - ok, well, the men turn to watch her. She's wearing a floral number, has a black bag and a newspaper... cute.. she looks like she runs - her legs are huge, like.. too huge... The midget has come to stand near me, I'm trapped in my corner.. the midget and then the try-hard spy, waiting for their coffee. The blonde hands over money and speaks french to the attendant... the attendant who is Polish, loks at her quizzically. She's now standing near me waiting... they all come over here.

She's gone, along with the midget, the fat man in the small shirt and the leatherman...

Ten, the Pearljam album from 1991? - How good is it... I mean, I listen to it now and it still rocks my frickin world.... Jeremy spoke in class today.... oow oow oow oow oow ow ow...try to forget this, try to erase this... from the blackboard....

The man in the small shirt had a bling watch on... it was horrible

ANyboDy like motorX?

2008-09-14T11:58:00.000+01:00

Sunday Mornings....

2008-09-14T10:09:00.003+01:00

I HAVE TWO FOLLOWERS! - We could start a ...hmm.. I don't know? A club!... no, ok...

one sec, coffee required.

Milk stocks depleted... I'm in a quandary... The blocks hot water has gone bye byes... The milk can be obtained at a shop, downstairs, but, I need a shower and don't feel like facing the world without coffee or a shower. Maybe I could find the number for the store and lower a basket out the window?

Maybe not...

Canon continue to reveal more and more about the "next generation" of digital cameras... come on 5DxMark2SLASH7D_or_3DxII... yeah, got all that?....

I'm going to have a cold shower... I've been using the shower in a lot of photos recently. Not in a WHOA MAN, THERE'S YOUR BITS... kind of way, just.... using water and light... and stuff...

I reviewed some software the other day, Photonose it's called... You can read the review on DPS (soon) or, if you can't wait, on reviews of everything...

Really need that coffee... It's like a fight with myself, sit here and write down some thoughts or go sort out a coffee...

Well, I don't call this "ramblings" for nothing...

Shower (COLD) taken... Threesixtyfive (340!) Done

Must be starbucks o'clock...

threehundredandthirtyeight

2008-09-13T01:47:00.001+01:00

threehundredandthirtyeight, originally uploaded by gtvone.

you can't wash stuff away... it just has to go away... you can stand under a shower for ages, it doesn't help.

especially if you've stood in oil based paint, right?...

but that's not what I mean, is it...

*poke*

Teasing me... CANON FIVE SERIES 5Dx

2008-09-09T12:29:00.001+01:00

I posted, Canon listened... THE NEW CANON 5 SERIES COMETH?

HERE and HERE

Fibre broadband could cost £24.5bn

2008-09-09T10:23:00.001+01:00

The cost of supplying super-fast broadband across the nation by installing fibre to the home could total at least £24.5bn, according to industry body the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG).

The latest estimates for a national fibre network are much higher than previous unofficial BT figures, which put the price as low as £15bn....[cont]

I think Australia still has "can and string" communication....

Connelly...

2008-09-09T00:26:00.002+01:00

Look, I don't really even know Connelly, but that's the best bit... He's an amazing bloke. You need to hear his stuff....

Battleships rocks my world... You gotta hear this live...more powerful than...

lots of stuff...

BLOG

MYSPACE

YOUTUBE

Don't care how... just listen to him... see him live... really...

Sink all your battleships, to keep me from drownin'.... you...

Down where I cannot follow...

2008-09-08T10:47:00.004+01:00

Monday again, doesn't Monday come around with such speed these days?

So, as I understand it, there are two giants - one Scottish, One Irish... They say that they can beat the other in a fight (for world giant domination?) and agree to build a bridge between Nth Ireland and Scotland... The bridge built, they start walking out to meet each other (12miles) ...as the Irish giant spies the Scottish giant and noting just how much bigger he is, The Irish giant runs back to his wife who builds him a big bassinet (What the!) puts him in it in big babies clothes etc. The Scottish giant rolls up and seeing how big the baby is, immediately thinks - wow, the father must be huge and legs it back to Scotland, tearing up the causeway as he goes... This causeway is the Irish end

Post causeway, we're en route to some castle named Dunluce, The Macdonalds once inhabited it... Then one night during a storm, the kitchen fell off the cliff with cooks and dinner still in it... the woman owner moved into town to be closer to the shops... (The little black spot is actually a plane!)

Yeah, so, well... Northern Ireland was ace, we stayed in a basic but comfortable b+b in Glenariff with a great host! Did a 12.9k trek on day two, that was OK... (I have physio at 0830 tomorrow!) through / around / up the valley, more commonly known as a Dell??... Urm, isn't that a comp...yeah, you know what I mean...

Anyway...

The ideal photo library : Does it exist?

2008-09-03T16:28:00.002+01:00

So, I'm primarily a MAC user at home, a PC user at work - which doesn't matter now as Lightroom is both pc and mac... But, I have a partner who is PC, which is fine, but, she wants access to my full photo library from the last seven years - no problem, over a hundred thousand images, but that's fine - plenty of disk.

The problems start when I decide I don't want her accessing my main library (The working copy) as A: most of it is in "RAW" format, and B: I don't want any edits deleted etc (Library damage by a ...non user, if you know what I mean) ...SO, I need a solution

I have my MacBook Pro that I cart around everywhere, I use this to ingest my files straight from my CF cards, through lightroom, onto my G-Raid Mini 1tb... I have a 1.5tb G-Raid that I use to backup both my MacBook and my G-Raid Mini - so, that's all fine... BUT... I've purchased a 500gb Western Digital My Book 500GB drive for Michelle, but, somehow I have to get the library to replicate onto her drive so that she sees the same photos and the same Lightroom library without her touching mine...

That said, I don't have a "network" as such but, could do I guess...

Thoughts?...

Canon releases the 5DXs*

2008-09-02T19:00:00.003+01:00

21mp
Dual digic4
Full Sensor
CF or SD
7Fps for 70 Raw images
HDMI out
1020p HD Video capture
£1599.00

Available from October 2008 at a store nowhere* near you!