On the beach

B l a c k M a g i c

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Just taken delivery of Lambency flash diffuser (I just can't stand the idea of a flash drowning out an image) and have been playing around with it a bit - this is one of my first photographs.

This one is done with the amber cone - you have to set your camera to tungsten; pretty neat if you ask me - look at those skin tones. (Well, not on Superman)

Buying this kit (it's called the Lambecy Flash Diffuser) from www.extremeshop.co.za was a quick and easy affair, and rang in at 1/3 of the price it would have cost me to bring it in via the likes of wantitall.co.za. I couldn't find these things in local shops.

Here's a pretty thorough write-up of how it all works if you're interested. Now to use it "in the field" as it were.

Sparassidae aka rain spider aka huntsman (Seen in Johannesburg)

I believe some people keep them as pets!

Note the tilt of the head....

That's his mother's finger, if ever I saw one.

So Alex is getting ready for his party tomorrow.

Can you guess what the theme is?

No.....?!?!

From 2010

From 2010

From 2010

From 2010

Main Entry: repudiate

Part of Speech: verb

Definition: reject; turn one’s back on

Synonyms: abandon, abjure, apostatize, banish, be against, break with, cast, cast off, cut off, decline, default, defect, demur, deny, desert, disacknowledge, disapprove, disavow, discard, disclaim, dishonor, disinherit, dismiss, disown, dump, flush*, fly in the face of, forsake, nix*, oust, rat*, recant, refuse, renounce, repeal, reprobate, rescind, retract, reverse, revoke, spurn, tergiversate, tergiverse, turn, turn down, wash one’s hands of

In fact, he's crazy about them!

What you do today has great meaning for his tomorrow.....

Even Alex (age 2) knows your name and can identify you (although he does get you a little mixed up with Will Smith).

I particularly liked the bit about "we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals"... Now we will see.

Why so serious, I asked.

Because Batman is serious, he said.

Like father, like son; probably much to the disgust of his mother. :-)

Halo collectible: So Alex asks me this morning how I know there aren't any more Halo minfigs to be found, and he wants more. (It's like a Lego collectible)

Me: "Because I've looked, and I haven't seen any more, no matter how much I've looked."

Alex: "But how long have you been looking?"

Me: "For a long, long time. I'm really old, you know."

Alex: "72 isn't old, dad."

Me: "Thanks, Alex. 72 is ancient."

Alex: "No, dad, Atlantis is ancient. You're not."

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Lambency

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This is really just quite brilliant; turn your photographs into Polaroids, and no cumbersome or expensive Photoshop plug-ins or edits to mess with.

Shake it as it "develops" and see what happens.

It's here

View on black using Fiveprime's Black Magic

It's become almost a nightly ritual -- he insists on going outside to say "good night" to the sun.

Unedited: Lensbaby and Canon 7D combo