Wednesday june 23 : more pyrotechnics

My new secretary started work this morning and will be creating my blog entries from now on!

Perhaps we should be looking round Worksop this evening to get some pictures for the competition?

Well actually we walked up what was the old Kiiveton pit tip. From the top we saw this in the far distance:
Which I reckon is this tower next to the A630 going out of Rotherham towards the M1 J35

Anyway, continuing our weekly theme of (no smoke without) fire:

Not as spectacular as last week's but a fire nontheless.

And to finish off, a post-solstice sunset

Wednesday 16th June

Ray said he and Stuart were looking at a row of bodies - could it have been these?

OK, so having grabbed your attention, what's on for tomorrow night? Weather forecast is sunny for Worksop, sunny periods for Sheffield and Doncaster.


And now a word from our sponsor ....

As it turned out someone provided the entertainment by setting fire to a local chemical storage facility. The Bill wouldn't let us get too close but even from a distance it was quite spectacular.

Coningsby Outing

Well the weather held out for us and apart from a slight breeze which kept blowing the stove out, the day remained warm. There was a great turn out and a good time was had by all.

Here are a few of my efforts from the day, not many of them turned out very well, I had quite a few where the image just wasn't sharp, having said that it was my first day out with the new camera and I expect I will need to get used to it as it is so different from my 20D.

On with the show...

The Mighty Hunter, an amazing aircraft, given its age, the rate of climb on this was phenomenal

The Sentinel

The Typhoon

The Dakota

The Blades

Flaming June (Jack Duckworth definition of flaming)

Here we are in flaming June as the sun beats down. Can anyone advise me how to selectively turn the leaves orange in this pic to complete the illusion of mists and mellow fruitfulness?

The weather forecast is for it to brighten up towards the end of the week. I'm not holding my breath, just praying it will be nice on Saturday for Coningsby

Lightroom 3 Released

Software UPDATE

Well if you don’t know already, Abode finally released their long awaited upgrade to Lightroom with Version 3 going live yesterday.  The good news for UK residents is that it’s probably a tad cheaper than most of us were expecting, this time costing £76.88 (£63.54 ex VAT) to upgrade direct from the Adobe web site. The full version is priced at £232.65 (£198.00 ex VAT), but if you qualify for the Student/Teacher edition you can obtain the full version for a mere £64.39. Mind these prices look set to rise as a VAT hike looks imminent for the budget due on the 22nd June so if you’re planning to upgrade or buy do it before then.  Rather surprisingly the beta 2 version will still work till the 30th June. You can download a trial version, upgrade or buy from here.

The (slightly) disappointing news is that there are no big surprises, so pretty much what was available in the Beta 2 release is what you get, albeit in it it’s final polished state. The new features added since version 2 are:

• Accelerated with a new processing engine
• Lens Correction
• Support for DSLR video files
• Flexible publishing to sites like Flickr
• Image Watermarking
• Exportable slideshow with music (to MP4 video files)
• Easier Importing
• Tethered Shooting
• Perspective Control
• Film Grain Simulation
• Flexible Print Packaging

There are some minor changes since the Beta 2 version however, and these are detailed by Tom Hogarty on his Lightroom Journal Blog.

As usual there are several sites already listing the new features in greater detail. Check out the Lightroom Queen Victoria Brampton’s blog for a full listing of all the new features and changes and there’s an excellent summary by Ian Lyons at the Computer-Darkroom. Videos of several of the new features are provided at the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Learning Center, courtesy of Matt Kloskowski (of Lightroom Killer Tips) and Scott Kelby of NAPP. There’s also an introduction to what’s new by Julieanne Kost on Adobe TV here. Also look out for the forthcoming Lightroom 3 Video Tutorial by Jeff Schewe and Michael Reichmann which will be soon available from the Luminous Landscape site.  I purchased and downloaded their tutorial on  Lightroom 2 when that was released which was good value and the easiest way to learn all the new features. I can thoroughly recommend any of their videos.

 

Upgrading

I upgraded my Lightroom last night which installed easily and with the new version 3 seeming more responsive than the Beta 2 version. When installing, Version 3 will automatically ask if you want to upgrade your existing catalogue to version 3, which went ahead quite seamlessly but takes a while to complete depending on the size of your catalogue. I left my running overnight. Lightroom 3 will not however, change your existing picture modifications to the use latest LR3 de-mosaic RAW processing engine (now called Process 2010, with the prior version now Process 2003). In the Develop module you may see a little exclamation icon in the lower left of your picture in Loupe mode.

This means that picture is still using the old 2003 Process engine. To upgrade simply click the icon and you are given the choice to upgrade just that photo, all selected photographs or all in the Filmstrip to the new 2010 Process. This can also be achieved through the Settings | Process menu in Develop mode. View the vide by Julieanne Kost here for a demonstration of how this is done.

 

Initial Thoughts

The lens correction and noise removal features of Lightroom 3 alone, certainly make this upgrade a thoroughly worthwhile purchase for me and probably many other photographers. Both perform very well in comparison to the stand-alone packages I use (PT-lens & Noise Ninja Pro). The processing engine (Process 2010) will cause some of your pictures to look quite different so some tweaking may be needed in places, but from what I’ve seen in the Beta 2 version, the end result is much improved. I’ll reserve comment on the accelerated processing until I’ve had more time .

It’s clear that with Lightroom 3.0, Adobe have a mature, very capable and competent product and I would have no hesitation in recommending this upgrade.

 

Lightroom 3 Resources

• Buy / Upgrade LR3 from Adobe Store UK
• Adobe Lightroom 3.0 Features
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Learning Center
• What’s New in LR3 Final Release by Victoria Brampton
• Lightroom 3 Review at Computer-Darkroom
• LR3 at Lightroom Journal
• What’s New in LR3 Video by Julieanne Kost

What's this about?

Here's an idea for a photo comp : who can take the best picture not looking through the viewfinder and not even looking at the live-view screen! (every entry would have to be accompanied by a second shot - see above - to prove the photographer hasn't cheated!)

We're all in with an equal chance of winning this one!

Anne's first entry

Hi Guys just found out how to get on to a blog!! What a carry on!!
Will try and find something to write about later.
All the best
Anne

Wednesday 26th May - not quite a wash out

Myself, Stuart Chris and Kevin planned to go out taking yet more masterpieces but of course it rained so we just went to the Trooper at South Anston.

We entered the pub quiz with the usual low expectations but somehow we were on form. For the first time ever, we got a line and won a tenner towards next weeks drinks!

No Stuart next week but the rest of us are planning another PMO starting out from South Anston around 7pm so if you want to come along put a comment on the blog or email me at akirkby57@msn.com.

Any good ideas about where to go/what to photograph locally would also be most welcome. The basic premise is that we need to get there, take some snaps before it gets too dark (unless it's a suitable night photography location), then back to the Trooper or other suitable hostelry to sample the refreshments.


(PMO= photographic masterpiece outing)

For Sale: Epson P3000 Multimedia Storage / Viewer

Hi All

I have decided to sell my Epson P3000 Viewer to put together funds for a second camera body. The device will store 40GB, reads Compact Flash and SD/SDHC cards, it will display RAW and JPEG images and will play most formats of audio and video files. It works with all Canon and Nikon file types and I would expect it to work with all the other manufacturers.

It has a 4" super bright LCD screen with zoom functions, full menu functionality helps rate, protect and delete files on the drive, it will also allow direct access from PC and Mac systems for taking the files off the drive. The overall look and feel of the drive is really intuitive and easy to use, it is very well built and feels up to the job. Given the fact that it will work for CF and SD cards, it is also up to being shared in a family of photographers for example who are out at the same venue / holiday.

The device is perfect for when you are away from home and are taking a lot of images, once your card is full, just pop it in the viewer and it will prompt to start downloading automatically.

It retails from Epson at £349, the cheapest price I can find on the web is £266 but thats out of stock. I am therefore asking for offers on or around £230. This is a real bargain, its use has been limited and it is excellent condition, comes with the charger and branded protective case. Anybody wanting more info or a demo, drop me a line.

Wednesday Evening 19th may , Peace Gardens Sheffield

Here's a time lapse of the fountains, about 1 shot every 5 seconds. All done with a Canon A460 compact and Pictures to EXE.
Try and spot Stuart as he makes a one-frame appearance towards the end. I'm also on there myself to boost the body count

Summer Event One - Bluebells @ Clumber Park

An arty one to get started...

I have just sat down with a beer and transferred my photo's to the computer and so thought that I would create the report for tonights event....

After watching the rain pour down today I was sat feeling sorry for our Programme Secretary, Ray, after organising the get together and enthusing so much about it, it was looking as though it would be cancelled due to the weather. Luckily in the afternoon it started to brighten and the rain stayed off for the rest of the night.

It was good to see some familiar faces, including that of Mr Janaszek who joined us for the night. After a quick chat we all headed, mostly in our own separate ways to make the most of the light and the wonderful subject, Bluebells. Trying our best not to disturb the bluebells there was an extreme amount of weaving, some strange/extreme camera angles to get the shots and the light stayed pretty much ok until everyone had finished.

We then headed down to the lake for some more photo's to finish the night off, although by then the light had pretty much gone. Hopefully there was enough light for James' photo of the rat to come out ok :-)

All in all I think everyone had a good time, shame that the pub visit didn't come to fruition although the tipple of whiskey from Mr Staley certainly went down a treat! - Oh - and thank you to the RAF for the flypasts by the AWACS!

Here's one I took earlier!

Night all...

Kev

RAF Coningsby Trip 12th June

I know that not everyone is as interested in aircraft as me but thought I would post this anyway. RAF Coningsby Friends and Families Day is on Saturday 12th June, we usually attend this as non-paying spectators (ie outside the fence). There is a very varied flying display consisting of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAF's newest fighter the Typhoon, Spitfire and Typhoon Pair, RAF Hawk, the Blades and a few others.

Where we stand is positioned at the back of the airbase directly under the display boundary, the photo's from there are the best you can get from this type of event.

We always get good shots from here, BTW, the Lancaster shot of Chris J's over the radar, the Lancaster was taken at this event previously. As were the ones above.....

Anyone wishing to attend please drop me a mail at kevin@coral-design.com

It would be a good place to meet up and have a chat, I am taking a stove too, burgers and sausages, that might get a few more coming along for the day :-)

National Trust Offer

Hi All

National Trust have an offer at the moment, 12 months membership for the price of 9. Not bad if you are planning on joining.

Kev

Civil War at Rockingham by Ray Staley

On Sunday at Rockingham Castle I met a mass of folks reenacting the American Civil War, but for the first time I spent more time talking to the reenactors than I did photographing them. I've never come across any history book, film or play that was anywhere near as interesting as the facts that these people told me. One chap was one of the very first reenactors in the UK so I also heard the history of reenacting.

Fixed it - Normal Service Resumes to the Website...

The issues I referred to earlier with the fonts now seem to be fixed.

Thanks

Kev

Windows Liver Writer

Free software for writing your Blog

Once you have subscribed to this blog and set up your account the easiest way to start contributing your own articles is to use Windows Liver Writer. This is free software from Microsoft which works rather like a word processor and links directly to the blog and makes writing and uploading your own articles a breeze. It can be downloaded here.

You can easily add pictures, a photo album, links, tables and even video clips and maps. It’s easy to use and provides a WYSIWYG type interface, has a web preview mode and if you wish you can even view and edit the HTML source-code . You can go back and edit. alter or modify your blog at any time and choose when you want to post your blogs. You can add Categories (like keywords) to help identify your articles and make searching easier.

Once downloaded and installed on your PC you simply navigate to the Tools menu, select Accounts then Add. Our blog is hosted by Blogger so select Other Blog Service:

Click Next then add the address of this blog (http://worksopphotographicsociety.blogspot.com/) and your User Name and Password and you are ready to go!

There are many Live Writer resources on the web and some good video tutorials on You tube; I’ve listed one in the links below. I’m not a huge fan of Microsoft but this piece of software is quite good and it’s free. Feel free the ask questions in the comments.

John Birch

 

Resources

• Windows Liver writer Download
• Live writer Introduction
• Basic Authoring in Live Writer (Video)

Website Issue

Hi All, just a quick update on the Honours and Links page, for some reason one of the fonts is causing an issue with the layout, please bear with me on this and I will try and fix it tonight, it has only just started happening so seems a little random!

Ta

Kev

You're Invited

Hi

If you are reading this, chances are you have just received an email from me to contribute to our new Blog. Please feel free to post to this with information, news, events, tips, tricks, questions anything you like. Anyone who needs any assistance, drop me a mail at kevin@coral-design.com

Please use the labels function and give your post suitable labels, for example, news, inserts news in the box below. You can add as many as you feel appropriate.

You may also wish to visit the new website which is now live, this is now more of a static site, the galleries are only populated with sample images and can be replaced with member's photo's if you can send them to me for inclusion, try to keep it to about 5 or I will need to create a new album for each member. This is only rule of thumb, if general consensus is to expand then I will.

Anyway, enjoy and get posting!!

Kev

Time is wrong on blogger too

Will sort that in the morning... now 23.45pm

New Website is On-Line

Hi Everyone, the website is now live as you can see. Still a few teething problems with it, but its taken that long to get it uploaded these have only just shown. Main ones are fonts which I will sort in the morning, these are only conflicting on my phone though which is the only other testing mechanism I have available.

If anyone finds anything else that needs sorting please let me know and I will try and address it straight away. The tagging and keywords will be added tomorrow morning. I hope that you are finding the blogger helpful, I will post full instructions on this tomorrow. Right now I have an empty coffee cup and a sore throat so I am off to bed.

Kev.

2nd Test Post

If you are reading this then the second test post is working, I am including an image on this post to test the functionality

WDPS Blog is now active!

Hi everyone, the WDPS blog is now active and I welcome any feedback on it, layout and content etc. This is more a test post than anything just to see how it pans out with the layout etc.