Christmas is over for another year

Well I had a very nice Christmas this year, we all went to my Mum's for Christmas day, and as my brother wasn't involved in cooking the Turkey all went well. Perhaps I should explain, my brother doesn't have a great track record when it comes to Christmas dinners. Over the years he's had a gas cut (not his fault really) he's forgotten to thaw the Turkey out first, then there was the time he was out Christmas morning trying to buy his Turkey.... etc etc.

It will be 2009 soon, we are getting closer to the 2012 Olympics, I can't help wondering how it will all end, will it even be ready? Will we send the same old names and faces yet again, will Paula Radcliffe even make the start of the marathon this time never mind the finish (will she use the same excuse "I was just using this Olympics as a training run for the next one" LOL!) Come on guys lets face it, she's had her day now, time for someone fit to have a go. Even Eddie the Eagle did better, at least he finished his events even if he did come last, ok he wasn't the greatest skier in the world, but my goodness he had guts! Wayne

Merry Christmas everyone

Well I got my twenty quid back from Orange (eventually) although it shouldn't have been as difficult as it was, considering it was their mistake in the first place. A big thank you to the guys in Phones for you in Swansea for getting it sorted in the end! (can't recommend them enough, they spent around 2 hours on the phone to orange getting things sorted out for me, well done guys)

I'm still feeling lousy, this flu bugs really nasty, it hits heck out of you, no wonder the hospitals are full of it's victims, I have been grim for over a week.

I'm going to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas holiday, and best wises for the New Year, have a good time and as they used to say on Hill street blues "Hey lets be careful out there" Good luck and God bless you all. Wayne

PS heres todays pic, and yes it's "the man in the red suit!"

Orange rip off

I bought an Orange moble phone on friday and got ripped off for £20, as this could well happen to you as well take heed!
It works like this, if you buy a pay as you go Orange moble and want to keep your old number, what orange do is to add the top up you have to buy at the same time as the new handset (no option here) to the new number , not to your current number, they then delete the new number (and your top up) they will then tell you theres no trace of the money and that it's your fault for deleting the new number, although you have no control over this part. This seems to be a fairly common scam as far as I'm able to find out, my advise, don't use orange! Wayne

Christmas is coming

Well it's not far off now, another week and it's all be over, although I have hardly started.
I'm currently dying of flu, feeling really ill to be honest, (apparently the hospitals are full all over Wales from the suffers with complications), trouble is I haven't really started my Christmas shopping yet, and I can't see me being up and about for a few days yet, so it's going to be a bit hectic when I am feeling better.
News, Adobe has released Lightroom 2.2 update, just a few fixes and new camera support, they have also launched configurator which is a new product giving users the option of customising the user interface in Photoshop CS4, this looks interesting, but I'm not sure how much advantage it will be in the real world, time will tell.
As I'm feeling to unwell to mess about uploading images, I'll put in my wish list instead.
Nikon sb 800 flash
Nikon D3x camera
Canon 50D camera
Damm good flu cure! Till next time Wayne

Busy week again

Well it's been another busy week for yours truly! The weather here in Wales has turned quite cold and chilly the last week so it's wrap up and stay warm.

On to the pics, yes it's the eagerly awaited next instalment of how not to do it!

In the first of our pictures, I'm not sure where to start, the groom has his eyes shut, the exposures wrong, and I'm really not sure about the pose, it sort of reminds me of the gorilla in Bristol zoo. In our second pic, our intrepid photographer has tried to capture the ambiance of the church (and failed) sadly flash wasn't the best lighting option here, neither was putting the camera on the floor, lets be honest tripods arn't that expensive . In our last image for today, we have a colour cast, but a bigger problem (pardon the pun) when shooting a "larger" lady shooting upwards from a low angle probably isn't the most flattering, still as a plus at least she doesn't look like a gorilla! More pics soon. Enjoy. Wayne

Adobe photoshop CS4

Heres a brief look at the new interface of Photoshop CS4. Personally I'm not really totally convinced it's better than CS3, the new content aware scaling is good but I don't like the interface, and I really hate the changed shortcuts and the tabs windows.
The bad news is Adobes just laid off 600 people so maybe backing up your pics in adobes DNG format may not be very forward thinking, if Adobe go belly up nobody else is much bothered about supporting DNG so you could be stuck if you havent kept all your original RAW files as well, you did keep them didn't you?.... no honestly you did really............
Wayne

It was only a winters day..........

It was only a winters day..... Don't panic! fortunately for you Blogger doesn't support my singing.

So whats been happening with me? well fairly busy as usual, I have been helping a mate out for the last couple of weeks (he's in the USA, lucky devil) so it meant a few late nights, and a few skids on Friday night, the roads were a bit dodgy, nothing serious, but you could feel it getting a bit light on the steering now and again off the beaten track.

Today I have a sick child to care for, my youngest Sam's home with a bad chest (nasty cough) luckily for me the eldest was home as well in the afternoon as he has exams, this meant I could escape with the camera for an hour to go up over the mountain by my house, hence the title of today's images, it was frosty and cold but sunny, great to get out, I seem to have been stuck in a lot lately.

COMING SOON. Waynes how not to take pictures a new installment!!!

Rubbish week!

Well what a rotten week! It's been one thing after another going wrong. My moble phone has been playing up for ages (I'm doomed with the bloody things)

A friend gave me her old one a few months back, but it was on a different network so I had to have it "chipped" to work (you can't just unlock it, that would be too simple!) That lasted a fair while then it point blank refused to see my sim card, I asked it nicely, I pleaded with it, I even threatened it to no avail. Next I scrounged a newish one, that didn't last the day before the contacts to the sim card fell off (while I was putting the card in....) I reverted to my even older one for a day or so before realising I'd only stopped using it because I didn't recieve any calls on it. Then there was the one that I couldn't hear the person speaking, that didn't last long either..... All in all I'd be better off with two cans and a long piece of string!

On top of that this weekend a large chunk of one of my back teeth "vanished" while I was eating a sweet, leaving me with mild toothache untill today when I could see my dentist for a rebuild job. Around the same time my watch also stopped (no I didn't eat it as well !!) I'm hoping it's just the battery but who knows.

On to todays image, after a few hours sitting in the dentist reading eighteen year old national geographic magizines (where do they get them from, they weren't there last time I went?) I though a wander with a camera was in order, I didn't go far, it was very cold and I didn't want to get the cold air in my repaired tooth till it set properly.

a B+W from a colour shot on a Canon converted in photoshop CS4. Wayne

Photoshop CS4 is out now, my first impressions are mixed, I don't like the changed (yet again) interface, it's similar to CS3 but different. I don't like the fact they have removed picture package, the extract filter and pattern maker (why what was the point?) I don't like the fact they seem to be leaning heavily towards 3D, we don't all work for Pixar animation.
I really do like the content aware scaling, (sort of intelligent free transform) this has a lot of potential for photographers. I do like ACR 5.1 (the camera raw plug-in) this has local ajustment brushes and gradients like Lightroom 2.0, I don't like the fact the ACR still has noise reduction added even when the sliders are at zero (why have a zero then if your still reducing noise by default?)
I really don't like the price, especially the fact that here in the UK if your buying the full CS4 suite it's cheaper to fly to New York stay in a hotel and fly back with it and still save around £600! What a RIP OFF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wayne

Well I have been busy again! and an interesting week or so.

Last week one of my wiper blades decided to part company with me, it was duly replaced, this week the other obviously feeling left out in the attention stakes decided to follow it brother to wherever knackered wiper blades go to die. I mention this because when I went to replace this one I discovered to my supprise theres two different size blades on my car.

For reasons unknowen Renault fit a longer blade on the drivers side. Luckly for me the lady in the shop knew this and was able to point me away from an 18 inch to the 20 inch blade I needed.

Today was another spending day, my bathroom sink U bend started leaking...... well not exactly started on it's own it had help from me. The u bend been getting blocked up so wally here decides to remove it and fix it, trouble is I forgot the golden rule of plumbing! (yes get a real plumber) anyway to cut a long wet story short always replace the rubber seals when you remove a pipe.

On to the image. a recent B+W of mumbles. Wayne

With the rant off my chest it's time for a photo.

On Friday night I went to a Salsa dancing fancy dress party, sadly nobody told me it was fancy dress! still I wasn't too obviously the only wally in civvies (I was really lol) still the people were great, very friendly, and even better a large number of very attractive ladies.

The dancing was excellent, and to be honest it doesn't look that hard to learn the basics, although I'm no Fred Astaire even I was tempted (only tempted mind you I didn't actually go and make a complete fool of myself by trying) The food was great as well, all in all a good fun.

Heres a shot of the lead dancer, and a very pleasent young lady. Wayne

RANT!!
I bought new mouthwash a few days ago and guess what this one has a child proof top (read adult proof!) Now I can understand why some things need these tops for safety, but this is mouthwash, it's supposed to go in your mouth! how dangerous can it be??
I'm a big guy, 14st and a little short of 6 foot, if I can't open these things hows a little old lady with arthritis for goodness sake! Besides which I'm pretty sure a 6 year old would open the damm thing in seconds. Wayne

Some new images from today. One black and white, one infra red. Wayne

rant

RANT
Is it me or am I the only person who thinks putting the clocks backward and forward is a BLOODY STUPID IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!.... I mean what on earth is the point? I have heard all sorts of reasons given, but none actually stand any real scrutiny. In the "carbon footprint" time using more electric lighting seems a bit pointless. Then theres the fact that in todays modern word we have a lot more things set to time, computers, moble phones. heating timers etc etc, it now take me ages to re-set all these things (time lost costs money remember) I think it's time to scrap this useless wartime idea and come into the modern world. (gets off soapbox)

Wayne

Something new today. Waynes How not to take wedding photos!!

Here are a few examples from a well known wedding photographer only the names and faces have been changes to protect the innocent (and the rather dodgy! hee hee) and before anybody asks these are NOT taken by myself, neither were they set up, these are real pics from a real wedding, believe it or not.

Lesson one when your shooting indoors use flash or at least set your cameras colour balance to the correct setting (not daylight) Wayne

Well very busy as usual, lots of interesting things happening, like a well known local wedding photographer who shot all the nice pretty couple shots on 1600 iso so they now have really grainey photos ( no it's not me either lol). The same tog then went and shot a whole wedding on a new untested camera and lens, a real big no no! . You never use untested kit for anything important.

Todays image is a local-ish waterfall taken recently, I haven't been to this one for years. Wayne

Another new photo today, this time a split toned shot taken in Swansea today, I had to go in to pay some bills so i took the camera out with me.

I came home a different way, past where I used to live, hadn't been past there for years. Things haven't changed much, but it stirred up to many memories, good and bad, so on a bit of a downer tonight.

I'll be fine though, I'm a survivor. Wayne

Sorry sorry sorry! for the long wait for an update! Yes I know I'm always apologising but I do mean it.

This last few weeks have been quite hectic, and to make life more difficult I have been ill.

I looked up my symptoms online and it seems I have had a combination of Pneumonic plague, Beriberi, Jackson-Weiss Syndrome, and Ebola....... or it might just have been a touch of Flu? Either way I felt pretty rough for a few days, although I'm on the mend now.

On to the photos, here's a couple more wedding shots, ones a sunset version of my earlier moonlight shot, the others a normal wedding shot. I haven't been out shooting recently so I need to get out and get some landscapes soon, or I'll get withdrawal symptoms lol. Wayne

Something totally different today, while passing through Glyn Neath in Wales I spotted the air ambulance landing, being an old press photographer I couldn't resist the opportunity.

The player had suspected spinal injuries as far as I could find out, hopefully they will turn out to be minor. Wayne

Some new stuff for us digital "togs" Photoshop CS4 is due out next week, lots of new goodies in there.

I'm a bit miffed to be honest, I just wrote a long update for this blog and it crashed and I lost all my work, I'm not going to re-post it all again, it took ages to type in (and I'm not that slow) Anyway on to the pics!

A couple of rather unusual wedding pics for you. Wayne

Hi and welcome to sunny September (well not very sunny where I am) anyway an update on whats been happening. My fridge freezer died a little while ago and I have had to buy a new one, I couldn't believe how much some cost!. There's fancy ones with two doors and a cold drinks dispenser, sadly out of my price range, so I ended up with a basic one (it keeps the food cold anyway) .

A few days after getting it I got a panicky phone call from my dear Mum, her fridge freezer has died now, so I now have her frozen food crammed into my new freezer lol. Trouble is some of it looks tempting Mmmmm!.

What else is happening, well I have switched to Adobe Lightroom 2.0 for my RAW conversion and basic editing, it has some new tools like a gradient tool, more handy than you might think, it's great for those odd occasions where the foregrounds burnt out or theres a bright wall on one side of a shot. They have upgraded the vignette tool so it now works AFTER you have cropped an image (thanks adobe) they also claim to have drastically improved the sharpening (which wasn't bad to start with) but to be honest I can't see much difference except for the improved interface box which now has a preview window on it.

On to the pics. heres a few recent wedding ones, enjoy. Wayne

Another gap between posts sadly, but with the children still home from school (back next week, so Champagne and flags on standby! lol) and life still going on it's a fairly busy time, been buying new uniforms etc.

To cap it all my fridge/freezers packed in, I'm now keeping the milk in the freezer compartment (and it's not freezing) I have had to chuck all the frozen food for safety.

We went to Hetherington world of adventure on Wednesday, it's near Tenby in Wales UK, it's got all kinds of things to do, archery, go-carting, air pistol shooting, bowls, I high climbing tree walk, and PAINTBALLING!! yes I did have a go, it's my second time, and it's great fun.

It's a little pr icy through I have to say, especially when you have to buy more paint balls (and you will, trust me!) but jolly good fun all the same.

On to the photos, I went to the Dawn to Dusk event in Glyn Neath last weekend, the weather was rubbish (whats new) but still I had a bit of fun and a good laugh with a friend of a friend Dean. Wayne

In spite of the grim weather we are having here in not so sunny Wales we went for a walk to the waterfalls at Glyn Neath, it was a bit damp and gloomy but with the tree cover we stayed "mostly dry" lol.

Of course I took a camera and a tripod (for the longer exposures) Heres a few shots from this afternoon.

Enjoy Wayne

Hi Everybody, hasn't the weather been grim here recently? (well it has in South Wales anyway!) hardly what I'd call summer, OK it's not cold, but any more rain and I'm going to start building a raft!

Something different again today, Nikon cameras, well the older ones anyway, are fairly sensitive to infra red light, indeed it's possible to convert most digital SLR cameras (you remove the AA and IR filters from the front of the sensor, but don't try this unless your an expert camera mechanic) In this case with an older model (D70) it's possible to use the existing sensor and an IR filter for fairly good IR pics.

Enjoy. Wayne

Been a busy week again (whats new!) I'm finding my way with the Nikon kit, it's got so many features my Canon didn't have it's a little heavy going, even the custom menus are a maze! I'm finding the dynamic range is better, especially in RAW format.

Onto todays images, a few more wedding shots, enjoy. Wayne

Yes I know it's been ages since the last update but the world keeps on turning, and I don't mean the rubbish Tv show of the same name! lol.

It's just life seems to get so much busier during the holidays, I know it's a poor excuse, would you pref ere the one about me being abducted by aliens..... Ok I'll skip it then.

So what been happening in my life, well lots of stuff some interesting some not, most sadly I can't post here (so you'll have to guess! he he!) What I can tell you though is photographically I have gone over to the "Dark side" yes I have switched my allegiance to (dare I say it ??) Nikon! Why you ask? well the reasons fairly simple, at the moment everybody I take photographes with all use Nikon, so it makes more sense to standardise gear, plus and I really hate to say this, at the moment Nikon are light years ahead of Canon in image quality, and quality control. And for low light shooting nothing comes close to Nikon at the moment.

Gets off soapbox lol.

On to the images, a few wedding shots, enjoy. Wayne

Sorry about the long delay, what with school holidays and things it's been a busy week.

Here's a few shots from yesterday, these 3 are my personal favorites. Wayne

A bit of a bad week this week, theres been a few problems. I broke down on Saturday evening, fortunatly I was able to bodge it enough to get home, and I fixed it myself on Sunday. Then theres been a few other things going on, some stuff I can't mention here, also my friends daughters been taken into hospital, shes quite poorly at the moment, so I'm a bit stressed this week.

Anyway todays image update! heres a few from a year or so back, both taken in the Brecon Beacons national park, both involved a long hard walk in the snow.

For those of you seriously contemplating something similar, do take care, the mountains are not to be fooled with, people die each year there, most are inexperienced and or poorly equipted, do seek proper advice BEFORE winter walking.

Even experienced SAS soldiers have dies in the Brecon Beacons in winter so take care. Wayne

Sorry it's been a couple of days since the last update, things have been pretty hectic.

Heres some pics for today, one is a shot taken today in the Dragon hotel Swansea, it's the front bar, the hotel is lovely, and the staff were very friendly as well.

The second pic was a pick-up, I was at a school concert in the afternoon and Spencer Davies made a guest apperence (from the USA) the occasion was a 1960's day for the staff and children. Those of you a bit older will remember Spencer Davies for some of his hits like "Keep on Runnin' and "Gimme Some Lovin' way back in the 60's and 70's. Wayne

The weathers been pretty sad here today, this afternoon it got really bad, very heavy rain etc.

Today an image comparison, a before and after portrait pro 8 (not released yet) I have gone a bit over the top with the skin softening, but it was the time I have it properly.

The second image is the next instalment of my MOVIE POSTER DAY (ok it was really yesterday I know) not a really great poster but I had a laugh out of it anyway. Wayne

Today something slightly different, today it's........ MOVIE POSTER DAY!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEE!! ok, ok, I know calm down Wayne it's not that exciting. You see yesterday we were playing silly so and so's with a camera and some hats that are studio props, the results well you can see for yourself some of the better ones (yes there are even sillier ones honest) so I decided they would look good as movie posters. My apologies to the real films involved, that said if Mr Kubrick wants to get in touch I do have a "window" in my diary for the remake of Clockwork Orange

A big thanks to Andrew Jones for his sense of humour and letting me use this pic of him, he is available for modeling jobs and photographic work, although I rather suspect he doesn't fancy a remake of Brokeback Mountain (and neither do I, lol) Enjoy Wayne

Yesterday was interesting, I had to take some shots of some cottages for a website. They were surprisingly big inside, and we had a lot of fun doing the shoot. A big thanks you to Helen for the Mediterranean lunch.

Heres 2 of the pics from the shoot, ones the towels, a request image (you know who you are! lol) the other ones a favorites of mine, a street lamp nearbye. Enjoy. Wayne