How to improve your photos

At the Oldham School of Arts and Crafts (yep I was once an Art Student), I learned about photography, darkrooms, developer and all that good stuff long before the advent digital photography.  While some of the 'rules' may have changed with the introduction of binary code, some of the rules have not.  So here are a few tips on improving photographs.

Even with a cheesy camera it is possible to get a good photograph and today's camera-phones would do well in a salad!  There's a lot a camera phone cannot do that other cameras can do, adjusting the light reading for example.  Let's consider the photograph of the folks in the pool...

The problem with this is that there's too much light in the pic.  This is because of the reflected light off the water... but it can be fixed.

The next pic is the fix.. and as you can see there's more detail and a better colour balance.  Even this can be improved upon, but why bother if the fix is good enough.  We're not entering it into a photo competition.  I used Adobe Photoshop LE (an older version of Photoshop) to do the necessary repairs.  There are a number of other photo programs available - for a price - but it's always good to get some independent information about them before buying.

Another program I use is Photoimpact Pro that has additional features including red-eye removal and morphing of photos, just to mention a couple.

When taking a photograph take the following steps:
First, always frame the photograph while taking it.
Second, look out for reflective surfaces such as water or snow that can give a false reading for aperture and shutter speed.  Thirdly, press the shutter and don't jerk it.

Here's another tip... lots of people seem to take photos of themselves in mirrors.  You can use any of the above mentioned programs to flip a photo so that it's the right way around.  Okay, so some of you knew that - but not everyone may have done!  I'm not that keen on camera-phones and given a choice I'd opt for a Canon EOS especially since we still have our old Canon cameras and the lenses will fit.  All you really need is a decent wide angle and a 200 mm telephoto to get some really great shots - as Deb will tell you.

Er... This is Deb... Karin's sister and a really good photographer.

Before we go, it may not have anything to do with taking photos, but Karin's ebook is still available from smashwords Click Here

McKenna, Cook and O’Neil

When Karin and I were able to get around, whether in Europe, England, Ireland or the United States, we found people and places that widened our understanding of the world in which we live.  Being old farts and short of the brass needed to see these places now does not take away from the experience we had when Karin could actually climb onto the parapet of some English castle and look out at the scenery beyond.  Today, because of her post-polio she has trouble climbing the steps outside our apartment, but then they have taken a beating from the winter’s ice and snow – not to mention the Mick with his snow shovel.

England has an abundance of castles – and here’s a surprise for part of my family, so did the McKenna’s.  McKenna Castle (yep a real McCoy castle once owned by the family) can be found in Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland.  Locals say that the McKenna’s were known for their wild parties and whatnot (no change there then).  It was the first property of that type to have electric lights which were displayed around the castle and people came from all over Europe to enjoy the parties there at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The McKenna side of the family (my mother’s side) are said to be Celtic Warriors, believed to be related to “The O’Neil” the High King of Ireland, (no not General Jack O’Neil of Stargate Command) but how true that is, I can’t say, but it is part of the family history and tradition.  The frequent battles that break out in the family seem to give testimony to this history, but let’s leave it there before we have another blood-bath!  The Cooks, as far as I’m aware, date back to when Adam was a lad and are very much English.  The name originates with the Old English coc which means “cook” (see coat of arms) and refers to someone who sold cooked meat or owned an eating house.  Once again, no surprise there.

Gallivanting around Ireland, Karin and I found landscapes that took the breath away, at one stage we came across gardens set to the side of the road, the sea beyond and mountains in the background.  Our visit to Rome and the churches and catacombs presented us with some idea of the very birth of Christianity, when Christian hid from their persecutors in tunnels dug out of the soft volcanic rock.  In Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, we met people from all parts of the world.  People are people and despite the language difference and perhaps because of the nature of the place, we didn’t have much difficulty – if any, with communication.  Odd really.  When I had to deal with civil servants I sometimes had a lot of difficulty and they were supposed to speak the same language.  Well there you are; those are my reflections for today for what they’re worth. Oh yeah, please don't forget Karin's ebook Seven Doors of Time, after 31st July it goes up in price: Click Here

Why I Give A Damn

Okay, so I’m not only a practicing Catholic, I’m a Catholic who cares about his faith and for good reason.

Many decades ago when I was too young to know any better, I arrived at the church to attend Sunday Mass, all in Latin back then, and sitting at the back I began to wonder how could the death of a man two thousand years ago free me from sins I commit today?  It was a bewildering question for a boy.  Then the thought occurred that sometime in the future, when I’m older and wiser, I may understand.  I decided there and then to simply accept a truth on face value with the hope of understanding when the time was right.

There were steps I had to go through, some of them difficult, to reach this understanding but here I don’t want to write a book.  So I’ll be as brief as I can.  Skip forward to my early twenties when I was working in Ireland as a Colour Separation Artist.  One Sunday I was on my way to Mass, walking toward the River Liffey that flows through Droichead Nua (Newbridge).  The church was on the other side of the river and as I neared the flowing unpolluted waters, I began to wonder about the existence of God.  It occurred to me that man, a being with limited knowledge and wisdom, was attempting to prove the existence of a ‘Perfect Being’ with unrestricted knowledge and wisdom.  I concluded that God’s existence could not be proven in a way that left no doubt, but God could be known through the way He reveals himself.  For me it simply made sense and once again I accepted it.  The following Sunday I left the church after Mass and was crossing the bridge spanning the River Liffey when I happened to glance at the far bank.  Everything seemed bathed in a light that came from within; there was a presence in everything that lived. In the plants, the trees, the land as far as I could see; it was everywhere, all about me.  It was an invisible presence, but present in the light and filling everything.  It suddenly occurred to me that everyone must think me odd gawking at all this, so I looked around and suddenly realised I was still crossing the bridge and hadn’t broken step.  What I had thought had taken minutes had happened in a microsecond – as if time stood still.

Scientists have tried to explain away such experiences by saying that particular parts of the brain can be stimulated to produce similar experiences.  Yeah sure!  A Cricket ball didn’t bang me on the head when this happened, and it was well after my mind had been focused on God’s existence – a question I had already settled.  There was no reason to even suppose some kind of influence inspired this experience that came out of the blue.  In any case, more was to come.

Following other inexplicable experiences, while studying for the priesthood some years later I was with the other students on retreat at the Redemptorist Retreat House, Esker, when I rose rather early one morning.  I decided to go for a walk in the grounds and in the peace of the early morning I began to reflect over my life wondering what it was that had brought me to that particular place at that time.  As I reflected I began to realise that I had been given choices and where I had chosen right, doors opened.  As I reflected a pattern emerged and in the pattern an intelligence way beyond my own.  I was stunned to realise that God was so close to a nobody like me!  I then realised that it’s the same for all of us.  To God there is no such thing as a nobody, we are all of equal value to him, we all matter to him and it’s for this reason he forgave us.

I left the Redemptorists, but not the path that God had set out for me to follow.  One more thing led to another and gradually my naivety gave way to growing wisdom.  Again, to keep the story short, I eventually realised and understood the nature of human redemption.  The question I had asked as a boy had been answered, not by human wisdom but by openness to the Holy Spirit and sincere trust in God.

My faith is rooted in nature, in creation itself and in the spirit that moves through the world; a creative spirit filled with love for all humanity.  So why is humanity beset with problems?  If humanity were to look in a mirror it would have its answer.  Problems are created by human beings acting against the natural order of things, by going against the way things should be.  I don’t personally care if you are a Catholic or a Protestant, what matters is your faith and trust in God.  Trust God.  That’s my final word.

Back to normal...

Here she is, Stargate's Vala Mal Doran, or Claudia Black - my new wallpaper for my laptop.  The image can be re-sized for different displays - click on the image for the full size and right click for a drop down menu so you can "Save As" your own file name.

My desktop Icons are back where they should be and I've also fixed the Windows Task Manager all of which were disabled by a rather vicious computer virus.  There's no messing with the Mick!  I'm not saying how many firewalls I have in place, but let's just say it's more than one.  I've also made sure that the nasty little web-sites that seem innocent enough but have hidden code that places these viruses on a machine will not work on my laptop in future.  For those who need to know, there's free anti-virus software available from Microsoft if you need it Click Here.

This software will run in your tray along with any other anti-spy or anti-virus software you may have.  Should your computer be taken over by a nasty bug that prevents you from getting rid of it, these programs may help.  It is also useful to make a note of the "path" of suspect files and then if the software fails to clear the harmful files, reboot and press the F8 key then select the command mode from the menu (use the arrow keys).  This will put you in DOS mode.  Type "help" for a list of commands.  One of these should be CD for Change Directory if these have been 'hidden' the list of commands in DOS will include a command for listing hidden directories and a method of changing the directory from C:/ to the path you have noted for the virus.  DIR/w will list the files across the screen once you are in the right directory.  Identify the files that should NOT be there, which would include the files identified by your anti-virus software, then type DEL (file-name).  This will delete the monster.  Reboot and you should have at least some control over your computer again.  Microsoft will supply help for changing the registry files, but make sure you follow the instructions exactly because changing a registry file incorrectly can damage the way the computer works, so make a careful note of how you made a change.  CCleaner from Piriform is another useful tool to have, if you have it already use the Registry Cleaner to clean the registry and keep your computer running fast. (Forget the adds you see on TV for doing this - most of the functions they're advertising are already on your computer - see Control Panel)  CCleaner (if you don't have it already) is inexpensive and downright useful.

Okay, so now I've given you a 'heads up' on how to get your computer back should a malicious piece of software invade it, I do hope you will spend a couple of bucks on Karin's book. Click Here.  I hope you enjoy her work.  For more about Karin and her books Click Here. Yes, I know, unashamed advertising for Karin's books!  So what do you expect - everything for free! (Sez I tongue firmly in cheek).

Robin Hood's Grave

Did Robin Hood Exist?
Well, er, yup! The oldest known record of him is a folk history called, "The Ballad of the Guest of Robin Hood" and this places him in the reign of Edward I (Not Richard I).  While both were Plantagenet kings, there is little evidence that Robin was around during the reign of Richard.  Some Historians place Robin's exploits during an earlier period than Edward because of the mention of a bandit with the same name in Yorkshire (not far from Nottinghamshire), however the Wakefield court rolls also mention a Robin Hood during the reign of Edward.  In the guest the king pardoned him and at the time when someone was pardoned by the king they had to work for him, the household records of Edward show that a "Robin Hood" did in fact work for him.  The name Robin or "Robert" Hood was (and still is) quite common, so it could well have been his real name.
     Did Robin Marry Maid Marion? No.  She's a later addition to the story.  If Robin Hood of Wakefield is the Robin Hood of legend, then his wife's name was Matilda.  Friar Tuck did not know Robin, he was a bandit in his own right and existed at a much later date - this historians agree upon.  The other crew members, Little John, did exist.  His grave can be found in the church graveyard of St. Michael, Hathersage in the Peak District.  Will Scarlet or Scarlock was also real and probably Much the Miller's son.

The Death of Robin

At some point Robin was with his cousin, the prioress of Kirklees Abbey, when she and her lover Sir Roger of Doncaster, treacherously let out too much blood when Robin sought her help.  Dying in the arms of Little John, Robin fired an arrow in the air and asked John to bury him where the arrow landed.

Kirklees Abbey is long gone, but the gatehouse is still standing forming a barn among the buildings of a working farm owned by Lady Armatage.  The grave site is nearby on the top of a rise, but because it is on private property there is no public access.  Lady Armatage once informed me that she did not believe Robin to be burried there, but groups from Nottingham University and other organisations, have been permitted the occasional visit.

Sword in the Stone

It's hard to imagine when you're there that this could be the backdrop for the movie "Excalibur" based on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, with Nigel Terry in the role of Arthur and Nicol Williamson as Merlin, with Helen Mirren as Morgana.  In early roles were Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart in a movie not short on stars nor on scenery.  The waterfall (opposite) can be found in Powerscourt, Ireland and I suspect most of the background scenery was Irish.  The waterfall is where Arthur confronts Sir Lancelot who appears to be no pushover when it comes to a good scrap.

Beaches in Ireland also provided the setting for the World War II movie "Saving Private Ryan" set against the Normandy landings.  The Normandy beaches had become rather developed when the film makers were seeking a site, then they discovered the rather unspoiled beaches of Ireland.

Although the beaches of Connemara were not included in this particular movie, the west of Ireland did not escape the attention of Hollywood.  Cong, between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask, in Co. Mayo and just over the border from Co. Galway, became the setting for "The Quiet Man", starring John Wayne.

Although Ireland has seen considerable development over the years, like any country in Europe, there are still plenty of places that remain unspoiled, many protected by law from development and others with stone works older than the pyramids of Egypt, such as Newgrange.

This is representative of ancient bone-yards found throughout the British Isles, places that still attract the curiosity of the scientist and the tourist alike.  Whether it's Stonehenge, Newgrange or the equally ancient sites dotted around the landscape, there plenty to fire the imagination.  But on a more serious note, it is always a good idea to make sure you know where the nearest pub is - not only for the beer, but for food, rest and a pee!  Again, don't forget to visit our web site: Click Here

Man in Hole

No, it's not a manhole.  It is a hole in the road and there is a man in it!  There's also a ladder poking out of the hole in the road and a few other workmen orbiting - doing whatever workmen do when they're orbiting a hole with a man in it.  I hope that isn't too confusing for you - it is for me and I just wrote it!

Like most people in the neighbourhood, I've no idea of what's going on outside.  All I do know is that we've got a patch of mud by the Stop sign, no road outside, and a hole with a man in it!  Maybe after last night's storm the earth opened and swallowed 'Flying Eagles Band' or whatever they're called.

There's one guy outside who looks like he wouldn't fit down the hole, the other looks like a pipe cleaner, maybe they're holding him in reserve.  Usually these folk wear a hard-hat, but these boys must have a hard head that falling debris bounces off.  Given the size of the pipes to the left of the Stop sign, only a pipe cleaner would fit down that hole!  I have to wonder though, what will they run into down there?  Bugs Bunny or perhaps the Hunchback of La Crosse.  Then again, they may even find a stray Brontosaurus down there - you never know, something has to be causing all these earthquakes!

The main question that has us, and no doubt our neighbours wondering is when are we going to get our road completed.  It would be nice for everyone to have access to their property and for car owners to park their cars in their garage.  Conspiracy theorists think that it's all a nasty plot by the council to get their paws on extra loot by charging for parking on surrounding streets.  Yeah, like they're going to raise the millions they need to get out of the red by doing that... there are more refined ways of highway robbery!

Well, if you're planning to go down any holes today. Stay safe and have a nice day.  Please don't forget our web site: Click Here

The Book by Cook

Karin Ficke Cook, that is.  Seven Doors of Time has so far had twenty four downloads but only a few sales, this isn't really surprising since we haven't paid for any advertising of the book.  It would be nice if we could afford advertising and I don't think we would go with the News of the World if we could.  Come to think of it I don't think anyone is advertising with the News of the World, certainly not Ford, Virgin and Coca Cola.  The loss of advertising revenue and the comment by one reader of the Oldham Evening Chronicle that anyone buying the News of the World would have to be nuts, appears to have done the trick - the rag is closing down - for good.

Back to Karin's writing.  It seems she can't stop and good for her!  I have just read her latest effort, based on a dream and featuring a character based on yours truly.  No you can't read it!  At least not yet, we'll just have to let you know when this new book of yarns becomes available.  What I can tell you is that one of the bad guys in the story pees his pants when he gets a load of me when I'm really pissed off!  And I'm really pissed off at the bunch of idiots!  You'll just have to wait for the ebook to be published.

Seven Doors of Time is not very expensive and will not break any one's bank account, unless their name is Buggs Bunny - he does not appear to have a bank account even though he seems to have a good supply of carrots on hand.  Those who have invested in a nice kindle (or any e-reader) would do well to make the purchase. So go on, be a devil and treat yourself to a book of short stories.