It been a few months now and both my wife and I now own an iPad, my wife mostly uses it for emails, reading books, cooking recipes, browsing the net and watching videos. I, however, have far more uses for it.
It became an inseparable companion on which I rely for business, learning, writing, reading and sharing blogs and some times entertainment and it’s all good. All things being equal, it also has some irritations, missing functionality I would like to see. Here is a breakdown of both.
Things I really like:
- The spell checker works everywhere, it actually becomes an irritation at times but mostly it is a good thing, I am a terrible speller, I just wish it did some grammar too.
- Makes a great video camera with 720 HD video too.
- Fair quality meeting scenario recordings.
- Fantastic notepad, Evernote makes it even easier.
- Light and portable
- Fantastic screen
- Long battery life
- Full Skype support including Video, though only recently.
- Awesome mail application, just needs more text editing functions such as coloured text for commenting.
- Always connected feel.
- Camera connection kit
Things that irritate me:
- I cannot share my internet connection with my laptop, my iPhone does it with the same hardware and software.
- Unstable 3G and WiFi at times.
- Developers of new apps a little slow, no Google + integration and lack of apps dedicated to the iPad, most iPhone apps work but look silly.
- iPhone apps works but not all of them, Whatsapp being one, what’s up with that? I have a 3G card, I should be able to SMS too.
- Without a screen guard the screen really gets dirty quick.
- I cannot just network it and grab files from my PC or Mac and vice versa, it has to be wired and all file transfer are done with the dreaded iTunes.
- Limited Bluetooth functionality.
- I would love to see full Tomtom or Garmin support on the iPad, not the iPhone app but a fully fledged iPad app.
- No dedicated microphone jack.
- No memory card support, SD card would be nice to increase capacity.
- And what about the country localized app store? Is this not an open world, enough already.
And there you have it, a brilliant devise with some quirks, if you can live with them all the better.
I am hoping that iOS 5 and the new apps built on top of it will step up to my expectations.
Disclaimer: This applies to the iPad 2 with iOS up to version 4.3.5
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
[2011/09/23 – Added iPad photo, cleaned up text]
Going to the Namaqualand I did what every photographer does packed my bag with everything, in the end I could have left it all behind and just took my 16-35mm as I took 90% 0f my photographs with it.
I found the the close focusing distance and shortness of the lens was handy, additionally small flowers are well defined. It’s not a macro by far but it works. I had a 100mm macro along and used it far less then I expected, just the length of the lens was a problem, seriously try to get under a 200mm bush with a camera that is 200mm, does not work well, take it from me. My wife however found it hilarious…
So how does one capture this splendour? I opted to try something very different, I call it the “ant view”, how would an ant see the flower? From under obviously, not all my shots are like that but very few are from the “human” view as well, in fact I tried my hardest not to do the “human” thing, it’s so snapshot don’t you think? I also found a low aperture (f/2.8-4) advantageous, since flowers are in scattered bushes it give an illusion of depth, who said that photographers can’t be magicians? For some reason, I also found that shooting at 1/3 to a stop lower gave a far better contrast and definition to the final product, it may have to do with the blue sky.
I also shot a few panoramic composites, all prepared for HDR, only one worked as an HDR, the drama in the sky tell it all.
Tags: How to, Techniques
Firstly, the Namaqualand is a quasi desert, and even in this time of blooming and flowers, it is a barren forbidding place, dry and sandy. Here you will not find carpets of flowers, they do exist but few and far apart and mostly it’s an illusion. You will need to get out on foot and to your knees and elbows, lie down in the dirt to see them and appreciate them, you will need to see it as an ant sees the world. Therein lies the beauty, therein lies the miracle of nature. And suddenly the barren forbidding place becomes a place of infinite possibilities, a visual marvel, I’ll write more about that in my next post.
Some recommendations, if you want to do the Flowers of the Namaqualand, get yourself a 4×4. The roads, even the regional ones are in a really bad state, some are heavily corrugated, potholed sand roads, were as the so called tarred roads are damaged by time and lack of maintenance. The only good quality road we found was the N7, the national road. In the Namakwa District of the Northern Cape Province the rest of the roads leaves a lot to be desired.
As for camping, we used the Springbok Caravan Park and the Vrebe Caravan Park in Kamieskroon both supplied electricity and a clean environment. In my opinion the Vrebe Caravan Park is the better of the two and at just 70 km from Springbok and on the border of the Namakwa National Park it is the better choice. There is also a park adjoining Springbok, the Goegap Nature Reserve, you can go there with a car but as with the Namakwa National Park, there are many 4×4 trails and few are sand roads for sedans or the likes.
To find the flowers you will need to be a little adventurous and go deeper into the country side then you may expect. The tourist information centres at Clanwilliam (the best in my opinion) and Springbok will help you to find your way to them.
You can find good information here but I advice you to go to Clanwilliam’s Tourist Information Centre on your way to Springbok from Cape Town.
Finally, the preferred time to go to the Namaqualand is at the end of August beginning of September but all in all it depends on when the rain comes.
To see some of my photos of the Namaqualand go here.
Tags: Namaqualand
I have not traveled, outside of my work, in a while now. Even less travel involving, well truth be told, no accommodation booking. We did not book because we will follow the flowers, we hope. Merely, we are off to the fabled flowers of the Namaqualand with a short stop in Cape Town. We decided to take our flight through Lanseria International Airport as opposed to the monstrous and complicated O.R.Tambo International Airport.
It’s a quiet start to what will turn out to be an adventure. 2 cameras, 2 photographers, 1 camper, 14 days and nowhere to go, everywhere to go. Just the way it should be.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Disclaimer: Firstly and again I have no affiliation with Lensbaby or any of their partners. Now, that I have that out of the way…
I recently acquired two new Lensbaby Optics, the Soft Focus and Sweet 35, both of which I will be reviewing, the first in this post. For full disclosure, this was tested on a Canon EOS 7D with a Lensbaby Composer attached.
First shock, is how soft the Soft Focus is. The aperture is controllable as with most Lensbaby Optics using normal Lensbaby disks or 3 of these multi-hole disks that are specific to the Soft Focus. I found that focusing with it is a bit a of a challenge, you never quiet sure if it’s correct or if you missing the point but I think that also brings some charm to the process. However, the Soft Focus, unlike most of it’s siblings is focused across the view finder, and photograph, in pretty much the same way, there does not seem to be a sweet spot as such.
The dreamy soft look may appear to be Photoshoped but I can assure you that the sample photograph was not altered beyond some exposure correction. I assume you could get the same results in Photoshop in post-processing but would it be as much fun? I do not think so.
Studio photography is a challenge for me at the best of times, mostly because in a studio, I have total control of everything and that bugs me. Maybe, it’s the fear associated with having full control and that means that if it goes wrong you can only blame yourself.
Enters Richard Ashburner, my guest blogger of last, that day I had a migraine and had taken something for it. The unfortunate side effects are that I loose the ability to show emotions, not advisable on the first time you meet a client. The first half hour was filled with explanations of the plan for his future and his vision, exiting stuff (and Me as unemotional as a brick in a pond). Then we stepped into my lair and we shot a couple of test wilts chatting. Setup the strobes, setup angles and power, setup the camera and behold magic…
Shameless plug:
Richard Ashburner (30) is first and foremost a magician, followed by the other roles life requires. This is what makes him so interesting to talk with and photograph. He started playing with magic at about eight years old and hasn’t stopped, becoming an adept magician with a vision. Ashburner’s enthusiasm for pure illusion is fascinating.
Ashburner first read about David Blaine’s work about ten years ago and from that moment starting exploring the boundaries of how far he could stretch himself and the boundaries of magic. Richard’s favourite form of magic takes place in public places and on the streets, he says “People are amazed by magic on the street, they wonder about the reality of the magic they experience in a public space versus that of a theatre where the perception is that the illusions are rigged. I love seeing the surprise on their faces as the realisation of what they are seeing registers in their minds.”
This young man is going places… magically. Watch this space, he has something big happening early next year.
To speak to Richard about amazing you, contact him on 071 303 4936
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
