ALL IN 1 DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME MP3

1. I took this photo for a depth of field assignment in a photography class at LCC. I got a 0%. Thank you very much.

2. That one class is the only formal instruction I have ever received in photography. Although I am thankful to now have some technical understanding, one look at my stream tells you I have a lot to learn.

3. I am a born again, Spirit-filled Christian. These two events (surrendering my life fully to the Lord Jesus Christ and inviting the Holy Spirit to live in me) were the turning points from spiritual death to spiritual, eternal and abundant life. Continued study and obedience to God’s Word is my joy.

4. My two ‘kids’ were/are both home educated: my son is 20 and in college, my daughter on the edge of 15 and in high school (at home)

5. I have no phobias, though I do have a strong aversion to giant African cockroaches. Speaking of, small African cockroaches don’t do much for me either.

6. My first camera was a 110. I still have some of the photos I took in my childhood, now faded to orange but still just as grainy as the day I took them.

7. I love middle-eastern food, and have learned to prepare many dishes at home. My husband loves Indian food, but I’m still practicing with it. I prefer to leave it as a special treat when we travel. :)

8. I can communicate minimally in French (if there is a word that means ‘less-than-minimally’ I would use it), and even less in Swahili.

9. I am married to a dear man who is completely dedicated to serving the Lord and his family. In this troubled world it is a blessing to be in a stable, loving relationship. He is a treasure to us!

10. We went (kids and all) to Nairobi, Kenya, in 2004 and stayed for 7 life-changing months. Some of our greatest family memories and sincerest friends are from Kenya.

11. My first digital SLR was (and still is) a Nikon D50. I bought it before a 7-month stay in Kampala, Uganda, so as to prevent the potential taking out of a small loan to pay for film and developing (as in our stay in Kenya).

12. Books are my most passionate hobby in this life. Unlike photography, reading isn’t technical or subjective, you really can’t mess it up, and if no one else likes what you are reading it just doesn’t matter.

13. Bookshops are one of my favorite places to be. The more used and the more rare, the better. Some of the best books are original, unedited, unabridged editions from yesteryear. New books and bookshops are almost as exciting.

14. Studying ancient history is another hobby, and partners well with reading.

15. Museums are my other favorite places to be, especially if they involve ancient history. Books and photography blend nicely here.

16. I am a map lover. Large or small, folded papers or books--filled with fine lines, colors, symbols, dainty writing and hopefully images of exotic and exciting things. The older the better. What could spark the imagination more?

17. Libraries are another of my other favorite places to be, if one could have so many favorite places. Books, maps, ancient history—all in one place. Sometimes I even take my camera.

18. One of my favorite cameras was Polaroid’s I-zone. It took mini-Polaroid photos, and was compact--perfect for carrying on trips. It was easy to create small, instant memories to stick in my travel books, or snap people I met along the way (nice to place next to a business card—name and face together). The film is now unavailable, and the cameras (having a short shelf-life to begin with) are piling up at Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores everywhere.

19. My husband and I co-teach courses in a Bible School (in our spare time). Besides the joy this brings in itself, it takes us to many far-away places where we have incredible experiences and meet wonderful people. And find lots of great maps. Next stop: Tanzania.

20. I appreciate all of my flickr friends, none of which I have ever met in person, who leave me kind and gracious comments and condescend to reading an entirely too-long list of things about me. Best wishes to all!

NEED TO VIEW FULL SIZE...

A tip I picked up from this month's PhotoPlus magazine. Thought it worth passing on as I think it works quite well.

Most lenses suffer at each extreme of apeture, and each also has a sweet spot at which the clarity of the image will be greatest. You can buy charts and stuff (for a price) to help you figure out where the ideal f-stop lies. However, if you get something with enough detail on it (these are the share pages from today's Guardian, the text is pretty small), you can take a series of shots and make your own judgement.

From left to right we have:

f22 - lens stopped right down - the image here is pretty good, If you looked at it alone, you'd probably think it was alright, the difference is RELATIVE...

f8.0 - the sweet spot, as established from a whole set of photos and a lot of pretenting I'm in the optician's (is it clearer and brighter now, .... or now). You can see all the extra bits of ink, the roughness of the paper and the text is sharp enough to cut yourself.

f2.6 - wide as it gets - you'd expect a bit of blur at such a wide apeture, I guess, but not only is it blurred, it's green! It's still "not bad", and I guess I've been shooting a lot of photos like this and thinking "they're just not as sharp as x's shots" or something similar.

So, one lens down, three to go, but I've made a promise to myself to try shooting at f8.0 with this lens for a while and see how it works out....

EDIT : These shots were taken with a Sigma 70mm Macro lens - the most expensive lens I've purchased - if this is the case for a super piece of glass, I'm keen to see the effect in my 18-55mm kit lens...