PossumCorner

Yeas some of the new technology for presentation is so good. Some printers were at PMA in Melbourne, wish I'd taken more notice and picked up more brochures. They were advertising various corners/finishes, metal perspex, glass, with floating mounts. One or two of each would be good to have to show as examples (and would cost more than). http://www.print2metal.com/index.php - http://www.acrylicphotoblocks.com/?gclid=C...CFQPSbgod8yR7mQ - the gallery link here is to etsy, has some interesting works. http://printsonglass.com.au/

Snorts coffee over keyboard. Recovers. Quite an aspiration seeing we are talking about the country that has zero tolerance for anyone who speaks out against the horrors of bull-fighting. Or the well documented treatment of goats prior to private slaughter. Or the treatment of horses in 'training' of fighting bulls (a padded rug does not prevent broken ribs or disembowelling). I think the cultural okay-ness is the key, and it's sadly too entrenched to change in this generation or the next. They won't set a precedent in one area when the economy is so supported by another. Although I agree with the idea, I just don't think the country of the Conquistadors and the Inquisition will go along with it.

Poochmad see previous thread.

Bumped for Poochmad

I'm not a Canon user, Canon people can fine-tune "how to do it" for you. But there will be a setting that allows you to half-depress the shutter button, fix focus, then move the camera to frame the shot how you would like it. The focus will remain set at the distance you "first told it to". Then depress the button the rest of the way to take the shot. It should spell it out in the user-guide that came with the camera. But if you don't have the setting correct, it will keep re-hunting the focussing point as you move the camera to re-frame the scene.

Sure rules are made to be broken, but a good rule with dogs/people is to have the eyes in sharp focus if nothing else (but preferably something more). If there are two dogs in the shot, try to have them both posed with their eyes in the same focus plane, same distance from the lens. Then when you focus on one eye/set of eyes, the other pair should be reasonably close to in focus if not spot-on. It is a huge help to have someone posing the dogs for you, then standing (working) behind you to get eyes and ears looking your way. Set up with a clean background, no junk, then you can close the f.stop to get a wider depth of field. If the background is also in focus it is not going to be such a drama if there are no footpath lines, hoses etc to draw the eye away from the dogs, and f8 or higher will give more reliably in-focus dogs.

They really are excellent. Had a good look at Anniek's on Sunday. The top flap-over is good design, easy access but well protected. My pet hate of conventional camera bags is the clever way they set the zippers deep for water-resistance. Then you can't get hold of the zip-puller without finger-nail pain and damage. Just another example of "designed by men for women to use". Can't think about ordering anything more now though, we've only just bought two bags at Camera House as a good deal.

I'm not sure who to thank first for making it such a great time in Santa's corner. First Santa was such a good sport, sat and coped for hours with endless doggies licking his face and leaping on and off his lap (whether they were supposed to or not). Anniek just put everything into taking orders, posing adults children and dogs with Santa, trying to get up to ten eyes and ears pointed the right way at one time. Not to mention restraining our backdrop when it took off like a ship under full sail. And all the people who found time to get a Christmas photo with their dogs between the sausage sizzle and the dog show and the presentations extra big thank-you! Cosmolo's team were super event-managers, I hope they will do this again next year, it's a lot of fun, and a terrific fund-raiser in support of the rescue groups.

Looks good to me, colours seem fine. I would have liked something of a head-study in full profile, maybe one from each side, (not all face-on). And one full-body shot profile - not a show stack, but to see total dog. But as I wouldn't give any of your choices the flick, we really need 15-month calendars.

It's a bit surreal, Libs are making a victory speech, but Labor is refusing to concede defeat and have been called arrogant for not stealing away gracefully. But wait, now they say the outcome is not yet clear, and we could have a hung Parliament. Not such a bad thing in some ways, makes them work a bit more attentively as the Fed Govt has to do. Edit to add: jdavis you are right about the buck-pass. It was the same with One Billion Trees. It was a great initiative but they didn't have the courage to carry it in case there was a backlash from landowners. The whole thing was passed to Greening Australia to run with, so that the Govt could distance themselves from any flak. (That was Fed not State, but same principle - or lack of!)

You have done magic. Here the marquee is in the car, the dog seats to put around Santa are under a tarp in the trailer. The lights and stands are sulking in the lounge room because I would be shot if I got them wet: and it is raining buckets here. Hope for a brief break in the rain for the long walk to the car. I think everything on the list is ready to go. But look at the radar here: http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR023.loop.shtml#skip It is all over us now, but some good clear patches following tomorrow after the next band. Looks alright.

Only need basic. Does anyone have a small urn - or even just a kettle. Nescafe, disposable cups (not styrine foam) and plastic spoons. If there is power for the lights there must be somewhere we can plug a kettle in. A few cartons of UHT milk and a pot of sugar. By donation, 5c to $5, customer's choice. Biscuits extra. It should at least pay for the ingredients, anything over is a plus. Snap Anniek - and it could be self service if someone keeping an eye on it. Cosmolo are there tables there or not:? I can bring a folding table along.

I couldn't "not vote" or vote informal. Only because I had it instilled in me that brave people died to get women the right to vote - bit of a kick in the teeth to them if their efforts were for nothing. But I understand the dilemma and the decision. For me I do not vote for a party on a handful of current issues or because I like or dislike an individual: but on the basis of its broader ideals. That does not mean I expect they would always get it right, but I would expect some effort to be made. And I don't want a party with no ethics, or those with just a narrow little range of policies to be running the State.

Sorry missed this one, have sent you a PM. Yes I'll be there, but might leave the dogs home to mind the house. Should be a great day. I'll find you to say hi before I unpack. My marquee is the red one if the weather is like this afternoon in Melbourne.

Just beautiful!! Super shots. There was a baby Frogmouth on our doorstep a few days ago, just a wet sodden mess. I rang the WIRES people who said it's the big rain and they don't learn to fly til after they leave the nest, but once they are soaked there is no hope. They said feed it a tiny bit of raw mince with egg yolk and keep in in a dry warm box til it dries out. They also said there were calls about them from all over Melbourne, so they must leave the nest in synchronised time. Anyway he dried out well, and I followed directions and left him where I found him next night, and the Mum came and fed him when he called. He was still there next morning and in daylight he did some practice flights to and from the neighbour's roof and our deck, then took off into the forest. No photos, it was a stressed little bird already without adding to it.

Colour me green. You'll have to bring it along to the fund-raiser on Sunday so I can see it. Today I worked in the city so went to have a look in the Crumpler shop, but was more side-tracked by lighting set-ups at Michaels. Saw one I would like but it's just over $600 so I left it there (but I cried on the train going home).

I know your pain NicoleL - two of our dogs I wouldn't trust an inch with a child. I think your solution of making part of the car-port a well-fenced secure snug with a good gate is great, and is all you need. When we have visitors it is simple, two dogs get popped out into secure area, and the trustworthy one is allowed to stay inside. It is quick, safe, simple. The dogs know the routine and are comfortable with it, no fuss. A suitable gate-lock is not rocket-science. Sometimes the simple solutions work the best. All this talk of you must kill your dog if it looks sideways at anyone is plain silly. Even sillier are the suggestions that it is "okay" to deny childrens' visiting and socialisation with their peers (best remembered times of their lives as other have said). I do hope Nekhbet can help you find a management plan, (one that takes limited use of a hand for part of the new year into account). The home on acreage could probably end in tears, as acreage usually involves small animals that are pure temptation, whether family pets or neighbours' chickens. The biggest problem I can see is just the inconvenience of needing to be aware of when children will be or might be on the doorstep, and a quick bit of sleight of dog before they come inside.

Quite lovely - great shots, and the text looks readable too - conversation, not lecturing. Don't let it speed up your careful consideration of the new camera, there are many to think about.

Oh thanks Yarrowfell - we won't have the lot up for a couple of days yet. If anyone has problem viewing them, I'd be glad to know. I'll page it to try to make easier for dial-up, there is no "easy" way for this many races to keep the numbers down. Yes Molly is on page 1, and will be on page 25 in the run-offs. It was a full-on two days of fantastic flyball, and Berwick did an amazing job of organising the weekend. .

Poor owner, it would be worse than the gates of hell seeing your dog drowning. Good reminder for leads on in areas of risk + bouncy dogs. Did you take the shots KS?

The Christmas cards and calendar look really good - I'm guessing you will still have some available at the Underdog Fund-raiser on the 28th.???

Nice shots Dodo, sad to read the spectators are dropping off. The heavy horse day at Churchill Island is on my long list of events/places intend to go, good intentions but haven't got there yet.

Brandt's images of African wildlife are pretty much the bench-mark or the ultimate. Which I think is quite funny in its way, because he flies in the face of new-speak know-alls, and of course he is right. He often shoots film not digital. So he is in the category of the "old fogies" in camera clubs who the more smart-arse members denigrate as being unable to keep up, living in the past or the like. He shoots medium format. And kept on with the Pentax67 in earlier days when all the smart-a's were saying everyone who is anyone shoots 35mil. He uses a tripod. When the industry is shoving stabilised lenses and stabilised cameras at everyone under whatever clever names. He uses black and white. When 'everyone' now uses colour even if cutting back to b/w or sepia or draganise or whatever in post for effect, it does not measure up. Not that I'd have the energy to go back to film: and I've just 'weakened' and bought stabilised cameras, And for the few years I lived in Africa and had the opportunities, I would never never never have had the guts to intentionally get as close in as Brandt does with a 'short' lens. And Ripley I loved his comment on China in your link: he has no illusions about the situation, but still doesn't condemn the Chinese people in total. I think that's partly an indication of why his photography is so brilliant, he really does see the truth, the bigger picture.

It's a lot to ask a 'normal' store to price-match, generally the best they can do is $50-100 off a just-over-1000 item to still make something (and they have huge overheads compared to the HongKong or wherever mail-order warehouses). Whichever way you go, good luck with the result from the job interview, fingers crossed you win it.

Yann has had some great exhibitions in Melbourne - indoors for the horses at the Racing Museum, and the huge posters of the space-type shots outdoors. I think ChezzyR had a good thread here about him, but that would be a couple of years back. For good pig photography, opportunity at http://www.edgarsmission.org.au/ - you can visit Edgars Mission, I think they appreciate a small donation, the info is on their website, and they have quite a few loved rescue pigs, very co-operative and photogenic.