New Life

I've started a new blog here. It will be used to showcase slideshows which I have uploaded to Photobucket. The photos will be 'raw' in the sense that they will probably have not been processed at all, and the only exclusions will be those which are totally hopeless, obscene, etc.

I am thinking that the photos I work up out of the bulk slideshows I'll put up on this blog as a bit of a showcase.

Not sure, will see how it goes.

My Rant about Big Brother on Blogger

Okay. Let me have my little political rant here. To post up pictures from this point on in this blog I have to electronically register my agreement to a set of terms and conditions that I have no ability to negotiate over. Not only that, but it is probably not legally enforceable but they can excise my ability to use this site without recourse for whatever they now or forever might regard as a breach of these terms and condition which I am compelled to register my agreement to. Obviously 'freedom of speech' is dying in the US, and faces a similar fate on the web. Afterall, if I had to tell Big Brother who I really was, rather than the loved ones who know me already by the time they come here, if they take away my freedom to be known as 'Pleader' to my web friends, then I'd have to reconsider whether I wanted to continue this wonderful practice of blogging.

You know, I hate bullies. And uncle sam is one of the worst.

But, for you my viewers, I will make the sacrifice.

November balcony dusk

My first application of noise reduction software (see post below the one below).

Neatimage

The above dusk photos show up what is probably the major fault of our Panasonic Lumix fz30 - visual 'noise' under low light / high ISO settings (speckled and grainy image). The fact that this hasn't been a problem in the half year we've had the camera shows that we probably got the camera suited to our needs.

Anyway, now that I've taken some shots that had a lot of noise, I've downloaded a noise reduction program called Neatimage, and applied it to the photo. I've applied it to the dusk photo above, but not the one of the moon. I've added a link under a renamed 'my stuff' [technical section] of links on the side bar.

World Pool I

Both this and the following images are majorly modified shots of the sky reflected on the pool surface early on Saturday afternoon. I used the Arcsoft Photoimpression software to alter the hue and then applied the 'firelight' effect in the 'create' menu (first time I've used effects). It would probably be a bit boring if you saw it all the time, but these images are quite striking...

World Pool II

Site Update

You'll notice I've updated my blog a bit. Took a few days, and will no doubt take a few days more to get it the way I like it. For your info, I have added a photo to, and updated the text of, my 'profile'. I have put a few significant links to other sites up on the side bar, changed the format of my archives, and added a few selected links to photos from this site.

If you're thinking of getting a photoblog of your own, I'd advise you to first check out the photoblogging site in the links. It is packed with useful stuff!

Site update

I have just moved all of my blogs over to the 'new' blogger. That means that I should be able to access new features to make this and my other blogs more user friendly, perhaps even better. I have waited a little while before doing this as the new 'beta' blogger was having a few problems. We shall see (and hope) that Blogger has sorted out most of the problems they had to begin with...

The Camera - Panasonic Lumix FZ 30

This is the type of camera I have been using to take the photos on this blog. I have been pretty happy with it. It took me a couple of weeks to get about 80% of the various functions and actions it is capable of. It will take a lifetime, I suspect, to work out how they all fit together.

Panasonic Lumiz FZ 30

The only additional things I got with it are a 1 Gig memory card to replace the standard 32 MB card that came with, and a padded camera bag in which to keep it. I think I'll get a tripod and remote shutter attachment, and then I'll be set to really work it out.

Basically, it's good for everything from (almost) point and shoot to everything manual. Video, macro and animation modes as well as standard photo. I'll write it a proper review once I've got something to say that hasn't been said...