One of the reasons behind getting my Mac was for my digital photos. I was told that iPhoto was the way to organise and view my photos and that Google's Picasa had been based on iPhoto, meaning it must be good.
Sadly Picasa trumps iPhoto on pretty much every count, bar the touch-up feature and sharpen slider that Picasa doesn't have. But frankly these sacrafices are little compared to the anoyances faced with iPhoto.
It simply doesn't handle the job anyway near as well as Picasa. For a start when you order your photos chronologically, the last photo of each folder is presented first. Which means you scroll backwards from the end of the shoot to the beggining (or elsewise you have to have the most recent photo set at the bottom of the window).
But most anoying is the fact that any tweak you make actually alters the file rather than a layer like in Picasa. A backup of the original is made which means a doubling of the disk space used, great.
So dear Google, can you please give us a mac version of Picasa, we need it.
desprinisity - the level of someones desperateness.
Firework Displays
It's getting towards bonfire night which means that there are firework shows on aplenty. This year I'm going to watch the University display that I've always missed before. And as ever I'll be taking along my camera to capture some, hopefully, great shots. The question is how to take them.
Bournemouth 04
Two years ago I went down to Bournemouth and caught some great shots from a tripod, experimenting with leaving the shutter open and repeatedly uncovering the lenses. That worked well and generated some lovely trailing shots.
Tripod shot 1
Tripod shot 2
Winchester 05
Last year I went to the Winchester Firework Display after a hillwalking daywalk from Shawford to Winchester. Having been walking meant I didn't have my tripod, but the following are a couple of samples from the evening. I was actually very pleased with what I got and rather like the freeze frame approach to fireworks.
Hand held shot 1
Hand held shot 2
But what about this year? Well sadly my tripod broke this summer so the decision is partly made for me, but the question is how to get a new take on these standard shots. It will depend on the style of the fireworks themselves - the big bang ones really require a longer exposure caught from a tripod to capture the expanding trail. Whereas displays with more frequent smaller intricate fireworks (my preference, though technically less 'impressive') probably work better with short speed shots.
I'll post up some of the best over the weekend.
Bournemouth 04
Two years ago I went down to Bournemouth and caught some great shots from a tripod, experimenting with leaving the shutter open and repeatedly uncovering the lenses. That worked well and generated some lovely trailing shots.
Tripod shot 1
Tripod shot 2
Winchester 05
Last year I went to the Winchester Firework Display after a hillwalking daywalk from Shawford to Winchester. Having been walking meant I didn't have my tripod, but the following are a couple of samples from the evening. I was actually very pleased with what I got and rather like the freeze frame approach to fireworks.
Hand held shot 1
Hand held shot 2
But what about this year? Well sadly my tripod broke this summer so the decision is partly made for me, but the question is how to get a new take on these standard shots. It will depend on the style of the fireworks themselves - the big bang ones really require a longer exposure caught from a tripod to capture the expanding trail. Whereas displays with more frequent smaller intricate fireworks (my preference, though technically less 'impressive') probably work better with short speed shots.
I'll post up some of the best over the weekend.
SUHC Trip to Yorkshire
Last weekend the Soton Uni Hillwalking Club took a trip to the Yorkshire Dales, to a little place called Chapel-le-Dale for a weekend walking in the dales. Sadly Saturday was washed out completely, and while my group managed the assent of Ingleborough, the cold and rain defeated us forcing us to descend back to camp.
Sunday, meanwhile, made up for it entirely (to be honest I quite enjoyed the difficulty of Saturday's extreme weather walk). The weather was simply glorious, with a warm sun beating down on us making my groups trek from Chapel-le-Dale to Ingleton over the southern flanks of Whernside an utter delight. Not only did the walk make the whole trip worthwhile, but afforded me a wealth of photographic opportunities. Here are some of my finest fruits pretty much straight out of the camera.
My hillwalking group on the horizon
Boulders probably left by glaciation make magnificent monuments
Some rather interesting patterns in the foam on the creak
Sunday, meanwhile, made up for it entirely (to be honest I quite enjoyed the difficulty of Saturday's extreme weather walk). The weather was simply glorious, with a warm sun beating down on us making my groups trek from Chapel-le-Dale to Ingleton over the southern flanks of Whernside an utter delight. Not only did the walk make the whole trip worthwhile, but afforded me a wealth of photographic opportunities. Here are some of my finest fruits pretty much straight out of the camera.
My hillwalking group on the horizon
Boulders probably left by glaciation make magnificent monuments
Some rather interesting patterns in the foam on the creak
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