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Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Motion Blur - another good reason to shoot after dark!
Motion blur is a really easy effect to achieve, as long as you have a good tripod and a lot of patience.
You also need a good working knowledge of your cameras settings as the "auto" setting just simply won't get the effect right most of the time.
The simplest is to go to fully manual, default ISO, small aperture (I used f10 for the pic above) and then experiment for the right amount of time for best effect. If the exposure time is too long it will be overexposed and if it is too short it will be underexposed plus there won't be much motion blur. This is what the LCD screen is for so use it.
Do not be afraid to experiment! Keep at it until you get what you are after, this is where the patience part comes in, because sometimes the optimal light, or other conditions, will be gone before you get what you want requiring you to try again another time until you get it right. The more you practice the better you will get at nailing it all down in a shorter time. Or as Gary Player said: "The more I practice the luckier I get!"
A good tripod is a must, you simply cannot do this hand held. I use a Velbon Sherpa 603R carbon fibre tripod and can highly recommend it for quality and price.
Nikon D90, Nikkor 18-105mm kit lens at 22mm, Velbon Sherpa tripod with VR off, f/10, 13.0s, ISO200, edited in Corel Paintshop Pro X4.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
S'mores Truffles
INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces high quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 miniature marshmallows (optional)
4 sheets of graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a double boiler over barely simmering water, combine chocolate, butter and heavy cream. Heat until chocolate is melted. Stir until you have a smooth mixture.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Pour mixture into a shallow casserole dish and cool at room temperature for about 25 minutes. A good measure of readiness is to place a small dab of chocolate on your lips, if it’s not warm, the truffle mixture is ready to be infused.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours. If you refrigerate longer than two hours, the mixture will be too hard to work with. If this occurs, allow the mixture to sit at room temperature until it is pliable enough to work with.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small scoop (2 teaspoons) or a melon baller, scoop out chocolate mixture (if stuffing with miniature marshmallows see the note section below), roll into one inch balls, and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue with remaining chocolate mixture. Roll balls into graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate truffles until ready to serve.
via www.mybakingaddiction.com
via www.mybakingaddiction.com
Random Act of Kindness
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| A potholder stitched to make an eyeglass holder |
Last week as I got on the elevator in my doctor’s office building and two women got on right behind me. One woman appeared to be in her late 70’s early 80’s while the other woman appeared to be in her 50’s. The older woman reached into her purse, turned and handed me a small quilted item. I must have made a funny face because the woman quickly said “oh it’s a holder for your glasses. I make them and give them away all the time. Hope you enjoy it." The younger woman quickly added, “My mom loves to make things and give them away. She gives these eyeglass holders to everyone she meets.” Her mom then whispered to me, “You know, I put my holder on a hook by my bed. The older you get, the harder it is to remember where you put things. With an eyeglass holder by your bed you always know where to go to find your glasses.”
The elevator doors opened and the two ladies and I parted ways but I’m still thinking about the kindness of a stranger. It has had me thinking about what goodness or kindness I've shared lately.
Monday, August 20, 2012
They say necessity has the face of a dog….
Own it.
Images: Some favorite dogs I came across on the streets of hot and sultry Brazil
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