I've been using this blog for roughly 2 years now and figure it's time to update my profile image.   That donkey,  cute little fellow that he is,  has earned his retirement.   He helped me up a hill in Egypt a couple of years ago and has been hanging out with me on the blog ever since.    Farewell my long eared friend!   

    So,  what to replace him with?   Well perhaps a picture that says something about me and the blog.    Beware!    Photoshop hocus-pocus ahead. 

        Please hold back on the fish eye lens jokes.....

Blogging,  what,  how and why? 

       This is as good a point as any to consider the concept of blogging.   What am I doing,  how am I doing it and why am I doing it?    Well I guess in common with a lot of others,  I see the blog as an outlet for my creative endeavours (such as they are).  It reflects at least some of my interests,  notably travel and photography and provides a means of accessing and inviting an audience unrestricted by distance or location.

       As the blog is heavily photography oriented,  obviously it is image driven and most discussions and essays relate to that.    Like everyone,  I have my own views on politics,  religion and so on,  but choose not to highlight them here.   I concentrate on presenting original material and,  whilst I sometimes provide links to items I think are of particular interest,  I generally avoid regurgitating the work of others.    "Content is king" 

       Obviously everyone has their own agenda and views,  and way of expressing themselves,  so what suits me mightn't suit others.   Having said that,  I see a lot of what I regard as "common mistakes" on blogs and other websites.  So for what it's worth,  here are my tips (feel free to disagree as necessary)

Publishing of photographs:

         1.     Make sure the picture is in focus,  unless you are trying for a specific intended effect.

         2.     Make sure the photograph is the right way up!   Sounds so obvious,  it's frightening that I have to point it out.

         3.     Make sure the picture is level,  unless you are trying for a specific intended effect.

         4.     Don't publish a large number of images of the same subject.   I've seen galleries some of which contain hundreds of photos of essentially the same thing.

         5.     Don't be frightened to crop an image.   Provided you have a large enough original file,  don't feel that you're obliged to show the entire frame.

         6.     Provide a caption.   "Sunset over the Serengeti"  means something,  "img-4058-edit"  doesn't.  (I know,  I've been guilty of this one myself) 

         7.     Publish the photo at a reasonable size,  if people have to zoom in to see it,  it's not worthwhile.

         8.     Edit ruthlessly.   Just because it's on your camera's memory card doesn't mean you're obliged to publish it.    Consider the rubbish bin as an essential photographic tool.

9.     If you must publish someone else's photograph,  don't suggest in any way that it's your own.   Acknowledge the original source,  acknowledge the actual photographer   and respect their copyright.    I've seen numerous galleries marked as "my blog images" or "my photos" which clearly aren't the work of the blogger.

Written content:

        1.     Proof read everything before publishing.    How's your grammar?   Punctuation marks are just a keystroke away.

        2.     Use spell check and then proof read again to ensure that spell check hasn't misinterpreted your spelling mistakes.   (use a dictionary if necessary)

        3.     Don't blindly trust spell check.   This is particularly important for non American users who don't wish to have their work "Americanised"   Colour vs Color,  Labour vs Labor,  Travelling vs Traveling and so on.   

        4.    Don't go "over the top" with big fonts.   It's the content that counts not how large you print it.

Spaces Live content:

1.     Do you really need all the add ons and bells and whistles available?    If I want to find out about the weather,  my horoscope,  famous quotes from historical figures,  I can go elsewhere.

2.     Do you really need glitter graphics and other generic graphics,  I don't.   These things really get repetitive,  there's an "I love you" teddy bear wearing a bow that seems to be on every second or third site on the system.    Better to use stuff that says something individual about you.

3.    Provide a profile image and profile name.    There are so many users who are on the system with the default image,  there's nothing to indicate what they're about.

As I said before,  feel free to disagree.  You may have some more thoughts on the subject,  I'd be pleased to hear them.       Cheers KD.

Technorati Tags: kevin dowie,blogging tips,displaying images on internet

    Photographed in Hluhluwe/Imfolozi,  South Africa,  I watched these impala for about 15 minutes as they gathered and milled about nervously by this stream.   They were intent on climbing up the river bank to higher ground but in order to do so would have to make their way through long grass and brush before getting to open ground.   There was a breeze blowing at the time and the impala were noticeably nervous.  The long grass would make excellent cover for lions to hide and wait in ambush,  I didn't see any predators nearby,  but who knows what scents the impalas detected on the breeze.    It was clear that one particular animal was the leader of the flock and when she finally decided it was time to go,  the others dutifully followed in single file.    

     Given that this shot is in the long "panoramic" format,  or aspect ratio,  it's best seen larger than can be accommodated here on the blog.   For a larger version click on  http://www.kevindowie.com/impala.xhtml     As I've done before,  I'll leave the large version online and available for a limited time.  Enjoy KD.   

         Canon 5D with 70-300mm DO zoom at 120mm an F8.0,  shutter speed 1/640 at ISO 200.

Victorian Bushfire update:

     As most of you are probably now aware,  the state of Victoria,  my home state,  has been hit by a series of devastating bushfires which have shocked and saddened all Australians and many people internationally too.     Fire fighters and other support services have arrived from all the states and territories of Australia to back up our own Country Fire Authority personnel.   It's worth pointing out to international readers that the CFA fire fighters are unpaid volunteers who've been released from their regular jobs in the emergency.   The local CFA branch is in many ways a cornerstone of our rural communities and represents so many of the qualities and attributes that we value and admire.

     In addition to interstate support,  there are also contingents being sent from New Zealand,  the USA and Canada,  they will be made very welcome.

     The official death toll now stands at 181 but it's suggested the final number could be between 300 and 400.   Over 1800 homes have been destroyed and,  despite milder weather these last couple of days,  the fires are still burning and remain a concern.

     At least some of the fires are believed to be deliberately lit and police have made one arrest already.   Check the following link for the most recent report;   

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/751609/police-closing-in-on-arsonists-nixon/?rss=yes

Bushfire Appeal.

     The response to the bushfire appeal has been enormous and the appeal continues.   If you wish to support this worthy cause or simply learn more about the work of the Australian Red Cross,  check:   http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm 

     Finally,  to those who inquired about my family,  thanks.   My sister and her family had to evacuate,  fortunately they are safe and, thanks to the efforts of the CFA and a lucky change of wind direction, their home wasn't damaged.   ................KD 

   A very brief note on an emerging news story here in Victoria.   Bushfires in Australia are a summer reality unfortunately.   Yesterday afternoon the temperature in Melbourne peaked at 46 degrees Celsius (roughly 114 Fahrenheit) and combined with hot gale force winds,  whipped up about a dozen separate bushfires in the state of Victoria.   Entire towns have been devastated,  the death toll is now at 35 and set to rise further as burnt out houses are searched.     There are going to be some really sad stories emerge in the days ahead.   

   Keep you posted.   KD

Update:  Australian Red Cross is one of several organisations doing some valuable work,  if you wish to help those in need,  supporting this group is a practical way to do so.  Check the following for further details,  thanks KD.

http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm 

News Update  10.2.2009:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=749121&rss=yes 

     Another shot from my time in the Drakensberg Mountains,  South Africa.    This extra wide panorama is the result of an 11 frame,  yes that's right 11 frame,  stitching.   Good grief,  that's more stitches than a sock darning contest!    Each shot was taken in vertical format at a focal length of 50mm.    All camera settings were in manual mode and were identical for all 11 shots.   Ideally the shots would have been taken from a tripod using a bubble level to ensure a perfect horizontal.   In this instance the shots were taken from the top of a hill and the only practical way to get there was by a brief helicopter flight,  carrying a tripod in the chopper wasn't really an option so,  the shots were taken handheld.    Whilst taking the shots I was mindful of the need to overlap each frame by about 20 to 30 percent and to keep the framing consistent so that not too much was lost in the final cropping of the image.

      In the end I was left with a completed file measuring over 20,000 x 4,00 pixels and about 800 megabyte.   Not surprisingly my computer suffered a dose of "digital indigestion" when I attempted to work on that sized file,  so I went back to the original 11 files and downsized them prior to a further stitching attempt at a more manageable total file size.    Another issue with such panoramic stitches is the way the sky is rendered.   No matter how good the camera lens is,  and the 24-105 is brilliant,  there can still be a bit of light fall off towards the corners of the frame,  vignetting.   So prior to stitching it was necessary in Camera Raw to apply a lens correction to each frame.

      I'm reasonably pleased with the end result,  interesting to think that the full size file would print up to a high resolution print over 2 metres wide,  anyone got a large blank wall they need to fill!  (chuckle).    Oh,  and I said it was an "extra wide" pano, so just how wide is that?   By my maths the angle of view is about 210 degrees.    I guess I could have kept going and made it a 360,  that way you could have seen the helicopter parked behind me....     

       Given the unusual dimensions of the image and the limited space on the blog,  I'm making the image available,  for a limited time,  in a larger size at my main site  http://www.kevindowie.com/drakensberg-panorama.html      If anyone has any questions or thoughts regarding panoramas and panoramic stitching let me know.   ~ Enjoy KD.

        Canon 5D with 24-105 mm zoom lens at 50mm and F16,  shutter speed 1/160 second at ISO 200.     Vignette reduction in Camera Raw,  stitching in Photoshop CS3.