If you aren't Happy
Which Dwarf Are You?

Toronto's Gay Pride parade, last Sunday, July 4th. How do they arrange a HOT day, year after year? Do they have special arrangements with the man upstairs? or is it the hot guy downstairs? Either way, it was a day for super-soakers, especially the humunguous one on the fire enging bringing up the rear.

The Ray Flash is a piece of plastic that fits onto a on-camera-flash to provide the effect of a ring flash. Ring flashes are essential for certain macro photography, common, for example, in medical photography. When you're in close, an ordinary on-camera flash is shadowed by the lens itself, so only a portion of the subject is illuminated. As well, the ring flash is soft, because the light comes from a large area, compared to the relative point-source of an ordinary flash. Not as soft as a softbox or umbrella, but better than on-camera flash. So it combines the full-on lighting of on-camera flash, without the harsh shadows, and retains some texture thanks to the softer light source. Click on the photos for a large version. The trunk of my car, including the white Ray Flash box and the brown shipping box. ISO 400, 1/200 @ F/8.0, 24mm on EF 24-70, Canon 5D mark II. Those military families are trying to invade my bookshelf. Notice how the soldiers are essentially shadowless, yet the d

When cars were new, a hundred years ago, each had different arrangements for the controls. There were hand throttles, foot throttles - originality was more important than consistency. Those were the days when a European automobile executive foresaw a market for a million automobiles, since that was his estimate of the number of peasants intelligent enough to be trained as a chauffeur! The consistent user interface observed in all cars is a prerequisite to their omnipresence. Imagine getting into a rented or borrowed car and needing to figure out where the controls are. In the late eighties I remember being unable to use a friend's car, unaware you have to push a button to turn the key. But muscle memory is even more important. Driving on British highways is not a problem, you stay in your lane with all the other people. But when you're going down a narrow country lane with hedges either side, and a lorry comes around a corner up ahead, my Canadian instincts take me the wrong wa

We had our company holiday party recently, where I work. I set up a photo booth, to get some practice in doing studio type portraits. Lesson one: I should have taken my own backdrop, instead of using the net and painted background of the indoor driving range. I thought it would go darker and more out of focus, but not quite enough. I do like the portraits, all the same.

Got my new Canon 5D Mark II camera, and took some pictures at a party in a dark restaurant. ISO 6400, F/4.0, at a mix of 1/10s, 1/20s, & 1/30s, handheld, 105mm except the wide shot, 24mm. Lenses with Image Stabilization are a good thing. The real reason people hold birthday parties: Never leave out the party organier: