THE WANDERERS RETURN!

Trying/learning new software is always a tortuous process especially when time is limited to short bursts. I have found that reviews have not done justice to a program as complex as Lightroom2. Just setting up the Library module has taken ages mainly because it works differently to Bridge but with a similar looking end result. That it ends up being much quicker is certain.

The other factor is the number of plug-ins available that make jobs like this blog and uploading to Flickr so much quicker, and there are many more available if needed.

The bonus to all my hard work is that I have been making progress on the picture-making front, spurred on by the new-found methods, and will be able to make more frequent contributions here.

Bye for now, or as they say nowadays, “SEE YOU LATER”

Misty Morning

Misty Morning

Originally uploaded by Gordon_L

This is the type of weather that we can expect and it is only just round the corner. Although this is in the Lake District, we get similar conditions beside the river Severn so I will look out a picture from that location for next time and add more in the way of notes.
See you soon as they say.

BACK AGAIN!

They say that “a rest is as good as a change”, or is it visa versa, it does’nt matter, I’m back.

There has been a constant trickle of visitors coming to view my ramblings, so I thought it was time for me to “get cracking” again.   Snippets of news etc will hopefully flow from my keyboard to entertain you and I will be including more pictures for you to view.

My local camera club has now started it’s programme, a real sign of autumn, so I will be looking out some seasonal pics and maybe giving you some ideas.

See you shortly and keep coming in.

LATEST NEWS

Seems to have been an extra busy week and poor weather to boot.

I now have Martin Addisons latest book, Painter 11 for Photographers and excellent it is.   Although it mentions the new features in the latest version of what was already a top flight program, it is still a good guide for a first time user.   From the previous edition, Martin has produced an 80% new version and as always his pictures are worth the price anyway.   I find so many inspirational.   His video lessons have come on a bundle from the first edition and it is good to see the picture actually created in the hands of an expert.   Miss it at your peril!

I have spent time this week setting up Facebook, a job I tackled since so many club members are present.   What I did not realise, but do now to my cost, is that their presence, or rather lack of it, is missing.   It is another case of a club of members the majority of whom do not attend.   This completely destroys any value in being a member for me.   It is rather like this blog, which only has a few people looking.   Perhaps that is my fault in that I do not provide sufficient interest for return visits and for word to get around.

During the week I have also reworked the Wastwater picture on Flickr which had a few niggling faults.   I am fairly pleased with the shot and printed A3, so I have this to mount and frame for hanging at home.   I do not think I will be sending it out as a print or sending digitally to any exhibitions.

Phew

A busy week, friends had put pics on Facebook and I found that I had to join to see them.   Wish I had not bothered, I ended up with a spam letter which may or may not have come as a result.   Mac software identified it and the e-mail address of the sender was not known to me although the persons name shown was.

I heard from Martin Addison FRPS this am that his letest book, Painter XI for Photographers is about to hit the bookshelves.   A neighbour, his previous two books have been a real treat so I shall look forward to my copy any time soon.   They have been worth the money for the pictures and ideas alone.

I have been sorting out which pictures to send to the next three exhibitions.   At least now I am not restricted by what I have copies of available, a real bind with prints, I shall be entering digital files.   I wonder how they will get on.   I may well post some of the images on this blog for all to see.

John has been feverishly busy revamping the club site at www.dapagroup.com and has made a super job of it, very stylish and lots of interest, have a look sometime like now!   And don’t forget to look at the links too, I have some interesting ones on this blog you should not miss.

Good shooting.

Miserable day!

Yes, it is a little stormy looking so no lawns cut but the dog was not wet!

I have been trying to sort out where I am going photographically.   I have been fiddling with pictures without any intent do do anything with them, rather aimless.   The club scene, monthly competitions and judges warbling on about thirds and cropping, lost it’s interest years ago, hence a later spell exhibiting.   In recent years I have tried entering on Flickr, but I am not comfortable in competitions entered by anonymous people, with often very good pictures, who are not members of the relevant “club”.   I tried another “club” site, restricted to members only, but the support was low and comments only back-slapping.   It has a monthly competition based on entrants votes but from some of the pictures entered that is rather pointless too.    Every other month is a set-subject which for many means trawling through the stock to find a picture that fits and the quality suffers and I am not interested anyway.   That leaves me with only one other alternative, that of starting to enter the exhibitions around again, but this time in projected image sections.   I think I may well give it a go for a while, at least I will get a catalogue for my money.   I will not be chasing any one of the accolades available, with hundreds of acceptances already and “letters”, there is little point.

I shall go and have a cup of tea, walk the dog without camera and doubtless ponder the above and give up.   Cheers.

Back at last!

Apologies for not blogging sooner.   It started with the min-heatwave which started a spell of being off-colour.   That was followed by the Wimbledon mens final which, as a ex tennis player, I did not want to miss.   I then started to play catch-back with my list of things to do.

Firstly, I tackled looking at Lightroom which several friends use and swear by.   The trial version downloaded, I set to with a small sample of pictures to work on.   It is certainly very powerful and quicker than Bridge but at a price.   Bridge works like a browser and so takes a time re-indexing the stock whereas L’room creates and saves the equivalent as a Library which has to be updated when there are new pictures.   Swings and roundabouts you could say, Lightroom certainly would be the choice if I had a very large stock of pictures but I will stick with Bridge.   A useful exercise none-the-less.

All for this time, I shall add more of the later news when I have some time and hopefully catch back all my activity in the next few blogs.

THIS WEEK

It has been a topsy-turvy week with nothing going to plan and plenty of interruptions.   I’m struggling with a new iMac, much bigger than the old one.   I had got tired of it’s slowness with CS4, not surprising with only half a gig memory.   Now I have 4 gig.

I used the Migrate utility to transfer everything, but not all worked OK.   Some applications, like CS4 save files for next time and transferring lock-stock-and-barrel did not put them in the same place to Photoshop’s address, at least that is what I think.   A reinstall sorted this out but now I have an error message saying it could not load the MMX core module because it does not work on this hardware configuration.

I have put some time in setting up this blog but still have some links to add to the Netted page.   I have at least managed to upload pictures to the blog [and then delete them] from my iPhone and I can also add Tweets and read both.   This blog ends up more like a mini web-site that a regular diary.   That reminds me, my intention is to try and add a weekly entry with my goings on.

Not long ago, I joined NAPP, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, a US set-up figure-headed by Scott Kelby, it cost about £60 but is reaping good benefits.   Having signed in, their home page has so much to look at, from tutorials to actions etc, links to portfolios and a forum.   Apart from the time involved, I am glad I took the plunge.

This week has been magazine week.   The NAPP monthly mag was there to download, then the Mac mag plus Digit, the RPS Digital group mag with their Annual acceptances, I’m snowed under with reading matter and all very interesting.

In amongst it all, I have managed to finish off [?] the picture of Wastwater I put on this blog, hopefully ready for printing.   I have put it on the RPS Digit web site for comments as I really think it can be improved that bit more and I might get a clue there.   That is more time to spend there as you are expected to do some commenting on the other pictures too.

I reckon that is it for this week, that is unless something happens during the week, and then I will post a quickie.

Cheers and Good Shooting.

PS don’t forget to look at both John’s and DAPA blogs plus Steve.

IN A RUSH

Just seen JP has his blog up at last and it is great to see,  super pics,  “Well Done” John I will have a proper look later.   Meanwhile I have added the link here.

PS

At least there were two happy parents when I walked the dog by the boatyard.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]