These are a few general observations that might be of interest to some people.
They say “many a true word spoken in jest“. This seems particularly applicable to this short “honest government” video produced by Australia’s JuiceMedia… Background to the video JuiceMedia’s “Honest Government Ad” started life as satire. But its probably the most truthful representation where we are right now with COVID-19. This associated video podcast explains its…
This morning I heard a strange commotion outside the studio window, From the corner of my eye, I could see that the transparent bird feeder appeared to be moving on its own. On close inspection I discovered that the incredibly boisterous and greedy young starlings we have round here had smashed the lid off the…
A strange cloud formation in the northern sky round the back of our house. Related Images:
Zsuzsi’s Easter display through wacky 60’s filters. I just bought a set of these things cheap on eBay and wanted to try them out… Related Images:
Cheap and cheerful overhead camera mount for mirrorless camera. I reckon this is actually pretty safe up to about 2kg. Though I normally use a heavy cable tie as an emergency strap. Related Images:
This is by far my largest and longest focal-length lens. Rumour has it that the MTO 1000 mm catadioptric lens was “standard issue” to KGB surveillance operatives during the Cold War Era. MTO itself also has an interesting history. Seems it started out by making the huge glass reflectors for Russian anti-aircraft arc-lights. It made…
Experimenting with Fujian 35mm f/1.7 CCTV lens. This is a cheap £10.00 lens off eBay. It is designed for CCTV. However with a simple £1.00 “C” to µ4/3 adaptor it fits nicely and works well with my little Lumix DMC GX7. These are some of the results… Actually, I’m a big fan of the…
I was given a pair of broken but usable silver-painted mannequins by a photographer pal. Here are a few snaps of them as they arrived in their new home and saw their first tours of duty in my studio… Related Images:
Slightly off-the-wall experiment with a pair of broken mannequins and some cheap but effective RGB LED lighting. Related Images:
2013 was quite an interesting year for me, not least because we finally moved way from my tiny terraced cottage overlooking Southampton common, to a much larger place, where there is enough room for a reasonably usable home studio. Only moved 35km, but it felt like moving to another planet. Of course, it takes a…
Trying to sell our house and move somewhere with a bit more room. However the pictures taken by various estate agents (realtors if you are American) are nothing short of bloody awful. So I thought I’d have a crack at it myself. Related Images:
I seem to have accumulated quite a lot of old wrist watches that have no straps (or “bands” if you are American). So I needed to figure out a way of being able to use them. Then I saw these straps on eBay. They are genuine leather and they only cost a few quid a…
Back in Hong Kong for a few days. Today we’re in Kowloon visiting the Hong Kong Museum. I must be getting old because I remember seeing a lot of this stuff for sale in Woolworth’s when I was kid Related Images:
I had Fuji S1, S2 & S3, all of which had dust magnets for sensors! They would get dirty even if I did not remove the lenses, simply from the air that got sucked in by varying the focal length of the lens. However, I cleaned them quite successfully with a vacuum cleaner. However there…
There was an unusually heavy fall of snow overnight. So I thought I would wander across to the Common and grab a few snaps. Related Images:
Our little Christmas tree looks quite pretty this year. And we decorated it with a very long string of LED lights. Related Images:
Went out to the New Forest to visit my mother, in the little red MX5. While we were there, I took the opportunity top gather some images of Lepe Beach and the now dilapidated Langley Tavern. I also took a few snaps of my shiny new Eton S350DL multiband radio. Related Images:
Another walk across Southampton Common, camera in hand Related Images:
Garden looks unusually pretty this year. Especially considering I have no gardening skills or inclination whatsoever. But I do quite enjoy taking photos. Related Images:
Britain has made a complete hash of metrication whilst failing to teach its young the basic numeracy skills to deal with the ridiculous anomalies that have arisen as a result. E.g… People who think 7.5 lbs is the same as 7 lb 5 oz. People who think of 0 as freezing 0 as boiling and…
Today we took a road trip to the Otter Sanctuary near Longdown in the New Forest. Related Images:
I had a lovely model called Onna come down from London today for a retro technology photo shoot. While she was here, she posed with some of my favourite radios, including my Icom IC-R20 and my AOR AR 8200 handheld communications receivers. Which I continued to photograph long after she had gone home. Here are…
I arranged to meet up with an on-line photographer friend in Shoreham, in Sussex. I had arrange to collect a pair of fluorescent plat-panel continuous studio lights from him. I decided to make a few stops en route and grab a few snaps. For some strange reason, large, out-of-place structures always seem to interest me….
Winter in Pécs, Hungary. Spent the day wandering around the town and doing a bit of shopping in Árkád – the main shopping centre. And of course, taking lots of photos. Related Images:
I found myself at the 50th Anniversary Trabifest in Zwickau in the former East Germany. Not sure I fully understand the enthusiasm for these funny little cars – though I did find myself becoming bitten by the bug. I guess there is a large cultural element to this phenomenon. It seems the humble Trabi has…
