I write to urge you to buy a unipod and use it often. You'll be
pleasantly surprised at the clearer definition.
Also a big help is a good hood in front of the camera lens, it cuts out
the
extraneous unwanted light which destroys clarity.
There is no charge for this brilliant instruction. but if you must
insist, please send the usual 10% donations to
c/o, The Matron,
Yarlside Happy Farm......

Sorry! - I can here Matron's footsteps coming down the corridor with my
red tablets.!.
Must go!.
Doug.
*********
OOOer that all sounds a bit technical for just little old me and my
garden, I am a bit of a point and shoot kinda girl but I am getting
better and I will remember your advice :-)
red tablets huh, just you wait till they put you onto the yellow ones,
off to fight the good fight with the weeds

cheers

kate

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
. ..

I write to urge you to buy a unipod and use it often. You'll be
pleasantly surprised at the clearer definition.
Also a big help is a good hood in front of the camera lens, it cuts
out
the
extraneous unwanted light which destroys clarity.
There is no charge for this brilliant instruction. but if you must
insist, please send the usual 10% donations to
c/o, The Matron,
Yarlside Happy Farm......

Sorry! - I can here Matron's footsteps coming down the corridor
with my
red tablets.!.
Must go!.
Doug.
*********
OOOer that all sounds a bit technical for just little old me and my
garden, I am a bit of a point and shoot kinda girl but I am getting
better and I will remember your advice :-)
red tablets huh, just you wait till they put you onto the yellow ones,
off to fight the good fight with the weeds

cheers

kate
***********
Righty ho! kate, - just get a unipod then. It's a tripod without the
tri. i.e it hasn't got the three legs at the bottom. It's just two
metal tubes and you can adjust its height because one slides inside the
other to get the right height. On top is a small platform to carry the
camera. At the moment of shutter opening, the camera is steady, you
see, and then most of your masterpieces will please you.
Please ignore my rider at the end of my previous post ( above). Actually
the Matron was my wife some years ago and we looked after the
unfortunate brain damaged folk and they used to enjoy being with me
working in the garden. a very rewarding job, some came to us and joined
the workshop activities and soon they would be able to
manipulate nuts and bolts and so on, instead of cowering they soon
walked about proudly smoking their pipes, and my wife made nice dresses
for the girls for when we went to the beach for a romp and some
ice-cream or the girls to a party or everybody to a first night at a
local amateur stage show.
I am off-topic now so will cease this reminiscing!.
Good luck to you and yours, kate
Doug.
**********

In article ,
says...

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
. ..
It is rather wet out there, I was going to fight bindweed but I have
changed my mind and am now going to tidy the greenhouse.
The sky is dull and the rain is falling but the garden looks brilliant,
the colours are so vibrant, it is beautiful, makes all the hard work
worth it :-)

kate

**********
Yes kate!.
I do understand. I still have my wife, my garden, and I have my clarinet.
There's nothing wrong with my mind, but during stressful times those three
in various ways have rescued my equilibrium.
I commune with all three and they answer in kind.
You'll find it warm and restful in the greenhouse.
Have a nice time, I'm off just now to my anechoic chamber (sound-proofed
room) in the far shed to do justice to
Motzzie's Clarinet concerto. Then there's the roses to prune before
tiffin, - (Earl Grey of course!, - and a choccie bikkie).
All best to you and yours!.
Altagethah Nah..........! - In the key of C,.....
...."It's the Good Life!"........!.
Doug.
*********

what a nice post, I enjoyed it :-) cheers

Rod wrote in message . ..
On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 09:25:50 GMT, Kate Morgan
wrote:

It is rather wet out there, I was going to fight bindweed but I have
changed my mind and am now going to tidy the greenhouse.
The sky is dull and the rain is falling but the garden looks brilliant,
the colours are so vibrant, it is beautiful, makes all the hard work
worth it :-)

Anybody else noticed colours do seem more intense this year?

Not sure about that in general, but in Glos and Kent it seems to me
that common mallow flowers seem _pinker_ than I'd have expected (I've
just moved from West Wales). Is that possible? Or is it just another
of the short circuits my brain seems to be undergoing these days? (If
the latter, it's a very nice one.)

Mike.

"Douglas" wrote in message
...

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
. ..

I write to urge you to buy a unipod and use it often. You'll be
pleasantly surprised at the clearer definition.
Also a big help is a good hood in front of the camera lens, it cuts
out
the
extraneous unwanted light which destroys clarity.
There is no charge for this brilliant instruction. but if you must
insist, please send the usual 10% donations to
c/o, The Matron,
Yarlside Happy Farm......

Sorry! - I can here Matron's footsteps coming down the corridor
with my
red tablets.!.
Must go!.
Doug.
*********
OOOer that all sounds a bit technical for just little old me and my
garden, I am a bit of a point and shoot kinda girl but I am getting
better and I will remember your advice :-)
red tablets huh, just you wait till they put you onto the yellow ones,
off to fight the good fight with the weeds

cheers

kate
***********
Righty ho! kate, - just get a unipod then. It's a tripod without the
tri. i.e it hasn't got the three legs at the bottom. It's just two
metal tubes and you can adjust its height because one slides inside the
other to get the right height. On top is a small platform to carry the
camera. At the moment of shutter opening, the camera is steady, you
see, and then most of your masterpieces will please you.

If you really want to go to that extreme, use the timer function as well -
even a monopod will produce camera shake if you punch the shutter button
because it will move from side to side. IME. The timer function opens the
shutter without you having to press it, of course, so less movement on the
camera body. Another useful item is a small beanbag (you can make your own
out of dried lentils in a square of material - I did !) - set the camera on
that on a wall or fence or a rock or the ground, whatever, prod the beanbag
til it's sitting level, and use your timer function. This does rather assume
that your camera allows you to see through the viewfinder at awkward
angles - or you are supple.

I only use a tripod or monopod for landscapes (or very close studio macro
work where the depth of field is paper thin), and the monopod isn't really
worth having unless conditions are quite bright, due to the possibilty of
side to side movement, IME. In bright conditions your basic modern point and
shoot camera should be able to judge the shutter speed and aperture well
enough not to get much camera shake without support anyway as more light
means shorter shutter speed (usually, if you let the camera choose for
you) - so less time for the dreaded camera shake to occur. If you've got
digital of course then take as many shots as you like - some of them are
bound to be good. It's the technique I use, anyway !

(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )



Rachael

"Douglas" wrote in message
...

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
. ..

I write to urge you to buy a unipod and use it often. You'll be
pleasantly surprised at the clearer definition.
Also a big help is a good hood in front of the camera lens, it cuts
out
the
extraneous unwanted light which destroys clarity.
There is no charge for this brilliant instruction. but if you must
insist, please send the usual 10% donations to
c/o, The Matron,
Yarlside Happy Farm......

Sorry! - I can here Matron's footsteps coming down the corridor
with my
red tablets.!.
Must go!.
Doug.
*********
OOOer that all sounds a bit technical for just little old me and my
garden, I am a bit of a point and shoot kinda girl but I am getting
better and I will remember your advice :-)
red tablets huh, just you wait till they put you onto the yellow ones,
off to fight the good fight with the weeds

cheers

kate
***********
Righty ho! kate, - just get a unipod then. It's a tripod without the
tri. i.e it hasn't got the three legs at the bottom. It's just two
metal tubes and you can adjust its height because one slides inside the
other to get the right height. On top is a small platform to carry the
camera. At the moment of shutter opening, the camera is steady, you
see, and then most of your masterpieces will please you.

If you really want to go to that extreme, use the timer function as well -
even a monopod will produce camera shake if you punch the shutter button
because it will move from side to side. IME. The timer function opens the
shutter without you having to press it, of course, so less movement on the
camera body. Another useful item is a small beanbag (you can make your own
out of dried lentils in a square of material - I did !) - set the camera on
that on a wall or fence or a rock or the ground, whatever, prod the beanbag
til it's sitting level, and use your timer function. This does rather assume
that your camera allows you to see through the viewfinder at awkward
angles - or you are supple.

I only use a tripod or monopod for landscapes (or very close studio macro
work where the depth of field is paper thin), and the monopod isn't really
worth having unless conditions are quite bright, due to the possibilty of
side to side movement, IME. In bright conditions your basic modern point and
shoot camera should be able to judge the shutter speed and aperture well
enough not to get much camera shake without support anyway as more light
means shorter shutter speed (usually, if you let the camera choose for
you) - so less time for the dreaded camera shake to occur. If you've got
digital of course then take as many shots as you like - some of them are
bound to be good. It's the technique I use, anyway !

(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )



Rachael

snip interesting stuff
(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )



Rachael
No I dont think for one moment that you are talking rubbish :-)

I cannot cope with the technical side of things, I use a digital and
just wander round the garden snapping away at whatever catches my eye,
mostly the flowers and recording what and where I have got plants, I
tend to lose stuff!

I like the link that you posted, always interesting looking at other
peeps work

thanks kate

snip interesting stuff
(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )



Rachael
No I dont think for one moment that you are talking rubbish :-)

I cannot cope with the technical side of things, I use a digital and
just wander round the garden snapping away at whatever catches my eye,
mostly the flowers and recording what and where I have got plants, I
tend to lose stuff!

I like the link that you posted, always interesting looking at other
peeps work

thanks kate

snip interesting stuff
(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )



Rachael
No I dont think for one moment that you are talking rubbish :-)

I cannot cope with the technical side of things, I use a digital and
just wander round the garden snapping away at whatever catches my eye,
mostly the flowers and recording what and where I have got plants, I
tend to lose stuff!

I like the link that you posted, always interesting looking at other
peeps work

thanks kate

snip
I am off-topic now so will cease this reminiscing!.
Good luck to you and yours, kate
Doug.
**********
I quite like reminiscing, we should start a newsgroup for just that :-)

kate

snip
I am off-topic now so will cease this reminiscing!.
Good luck to you and yours, kate
Doug.
**********
I quite like reminiscing, we should start a newsgroup for just that :-)

kate

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
. ..
snip interesting stuff
(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for
me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here
http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )



Rachael
No I dont think for one moment that you are talking rubbish :-)

I cannot cope with the technical side of things, I use a digital and
just wander round the garden snapping away at whatever catches my eye,

I think that's how most photographs are taken. Digital means more freedom in
this regard too - cos you just chuck the rubbish ones away and they cost you
nothing but a half second of your time to take the shot. Marvelous isn't it
?

mostly the flowers and recording what and where I have got plants, I
tend to lose stuff!

I shoulda done that with the seeds I planted - see my other post about herbs
and me not labelling them. :-)

Come to think of it, I could have done that in the flower beds too because I
have bulbs in there (now plants with flowers on) that I can't remember what
they are !


I like the link that you posted, always interesting looking at other
peeps work

Glad you found it interesting. As you can see I am a flower girl too -
flowers and animals are my favourite subjects. I make alot of mistakes due
to eyesight problems and with digital I just delete them - with film I would
be bankrupted. I can't extole the virtues of digital photography as a hobby
for someone like me enough !



Rachael

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
. ..
snip interesting stuff
(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for
me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here
http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )



Rachael
No I dont think for one moment that you are talking rubbish :-)

I cannot cope with the technical side of things, I use a digital and
just wander round the garden snapping away at whatever catches my eye,

I think that's how most photographs are taken. Digital means more freedom in
this regard too - cos you just chuck the rubbish ones away and they cost you
nothing but a half second of your time to take the shot. Marvelous isn't it
?

mostly the flowers and recording what and where I have got plants, I
tend to lose stuff!

I shoulda done that with the seeds I planted - see my other post about herbs
and me not labelling them. :-)

Come to think of it, I could have done that in the flower beds too because I
have bulbs in there (now plants with flowers on) that I can't remember what
they are !


I like the link that you posted, always interesting looking at other
peeps work

Glad you found it interesting. As you can see I am a flower girl too -
flowers and animals are my favourite subjects. I make alot of mistakes due
to eyesight problems and with digital I just delete them - with film I would
be bankrupted. I can't extole the virtues of digital photography as a hobby
for someone like me enough !



Rachael

"Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat" wrote in message ...
[...]
I only use a tripod or monopod for landscapes (or very close studio macro
work where the depth of field is paper thin), and the monopod isn't really
worth having unless conditions are quite bright, due to the possibilty of
side to side movement, IME. In bright conditions your basic modern point and
shoot camera should be able to judge the shutter speed and aperture well
enough not to get much camera shake without support anyway as more light
means shorter shutter speed (usually, if you let the camera choose for
you) - so less time for the dreaded camera shake to occur. If you've got
digital of course then take as many shots as you like - some of them are
bound to be good. It's the technique I use, anyway !

(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )

But getting down to slight side-to-side movement is already reducing
the shake to within practical limits, since plant photography usually
likes a wide aperture and hence high shutter speed. Try also a good
length of bath-plug chain with a short 1/4" Whitworth bolt on the end:
the bolt goes in the camera bush, of course, and you just stand on the
free end of the chain, and tauten.

Or, like me, you just forget to bring the camera anyway. D'oh!

Mike.

"Rachael of Nex, the Wiccan Rat" wrote in message ...
[...]
(If you wish to decide for yourself if this technique actually works for me
or I am in fact talking total rubbish, go here http://littleurl.com/?01k5 )

OK, forget about the bath-plug chain: you're good. Hope you don't mind
if I put the site in "Favourites".

Mike.