2009-01-31
21:52
We went to London last weekend, and I didn’t get any shots like these.
That said, I didn’t have a Eurocopter and gyro-stabilized mounts.
The shots I did get are in this Flickr photoset. Worth a look for the squirrel alone, since the more insane excesses of the party haven’t been made public.
2009-01-30
14:33
Regular visitors to this here site will no doubt be aware of my occasional weird and wonderful adventures. I’m at my happiest when doing things that at best could be described as ‘eccentric’, and in recent years this has included attempting stand-up comedy, writing a book about a fictional boy band and more recently, turning up at my Slimming World meeting dressed as legendary nonce-kicking TV copper Gene Hunt.
Well I have to admit I’ve developed quite a taste for the latter. So when the ladies who frequent the web’s best Ashes to Ashes Fan Forum and virtual trattoria Luigi’s got together for a bash last weekend, it had to be done again.
This time, though, I wasn’t in the company of bewildered Slimming World members, but fellow A2A fangirls. Fangirls who often find it difficult to control themselves when faced with The Guv in the suit, the coat, and the gloves. Most managed, some didn’t…
… I was fighting the ladies off in the end. God knows how Philip Glenister copes!
But this wasn’t just about donning a suit and posing for the camera. A few of us decided to put on re-enactments of our favourite scenes from the show. And here, captured on video for your viewing “pleasure” are a couple of scenes brought to you by the Luigi’s A2A Players and sponsored by Bollinger…
A2A Players present… Showdown Outside Luigi’s from Sam Randall on Vimeo.
Clip of the original scene can be found here.
A2A Players present… un-bloody-breakable! from Sam Randall on Vimeo.
Clip of the original scene can be found here.
All players are available for parties and corporate events.
No mullets were harmed during the making of these clips.
I look back on these and think… I’m 35 years old. Happily married (yes, he puts up with all of this and still doesn’t divorce me!). Surely I should be doing more sensible things with my time, in the ‘real’ world? Then I look at the real world and think, you know what? Stuff it. We’re grown-ups now, and it’s our turn to decide what that means.. So sod it, I’m gonna keep on playing. I suggest you do too. It’s a hell of a lot more fun than worrying about the recession.
2009-01-20
20:43
I had a go at signing up for ShutterStock. They require you to submit a “government issued” ID as part of the sign-up process, which seemed a bit excessive. I took a snap of my driving license, and submitted that. It wasn’t great, but was quite readable.
They’ve just rejected it, claiming they couldn’t read the name. I’ve had another look at the file, and the name is perfectly readable. They now insist on a passport.
I don’t have a passport. They just rejected the only form of government-issued ID I have, so I guess I’m not signing up for ShutterStock.
2009-01-18
16:52
I’ve fixed a few little things here today. Paging through archives wasn’t working, so I’ve fixed that. I’ve also added dates and authors to these little oinks when they’re in the sidebar. It didn’t make much sense that you’d have to click through to the entry’s permanent page to see who wrote it.
2009-01-10
18:50
I spent a while last weekend playing with strobes, using a chair as a model. It was useful, but doesn’t give too much idea what will work with a real person.
Today, I persuaded Sam to do some modeling for me, which was probably more fun for me than for her. I took a whole bunch of photos, all with the same background and zoom on the camera, but all with different lighting setups. Between each shot, I drew (or modified) a diagram of what the setup was for that shot, and photographed that. I was left with a load of photos, all in pairs, so I could match up the photo with the lights and settings that made it.
I found some deeply unflattering ways to set up a couple of little strobes – one at each side for two upward-pointing nose-shadows is an especially bad look!
Diffuse light is better, but a strobe on one side coupled with the on-camera flash at a low setting worked really quite nicely too.
Anyway, if you’re starting out with lighting, it’s a great way of trying out a load of ideas in a reasonably short time. Make sure you have your diagrams either kept or photographed, so you can match them up later, and you can see what worked and what didn’t.
2009-01-10
18:36
After all the mentions on Strobist, I finally got around to picking up some ball bungees, from fretland on eBay (UK). Quite cheap, free postage, and gives me a few more options for attaching flashes all over the place.
I’m sure there must be plenty of other uses for these little things, too, with a bit of imagination.
2009-01-07
13:46
One of my resolutions for 2009 is to blog more, to share more of my thoughts and bletherings over here to, well, get them out of my head and somewhere retrievable and possibly entertain one or two folks along the way. So here I thought I’d share some of the things I’m looking forward to over the coming year and a few wishes for things to do on that mythical moment in time we like to call at some point.
The Red Balloon Gang at Luigi’s Ashes to Ashes forum are getting together for a late Christmas bash in London. It’s the friendliest branch of fandom I’ve encountered since the demise of Slashaholics Anonymous, and I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone again, and meeting a few new folks too. This time Michael’s coming along to capture the evening in photo and video. Since this event is going to include some very dodgy attempts at re-enacting scenes from the series, there’s bound to be an amusing video or two available for viewing afterwards.
Looks like there’s going to be lots going on at Slimming World this year as the company celebrates its 40th Anniversary. And I know Katrina will be making the most of each and every event to make this slimming lark as fun as possible for everyone who goes to her groups. More on that over on my Sizeable Rump blog as and when they happen.
Good Friday is when the Grand Western Canal area springs to life again, with the Tea Gardens and the much-loved Ducks’ Ditty re-opening for business. And trips on the Horse Drawn Barge start up again. We’re so fortunate to live so close to such a beautiful and fun place.
Half the fun of life is the stuff we don’t know about. Happenings that just take us completely by surprise. That’s how we ended up down here in Devon, it’s how I ended up joining Slimming World, and back in 1996, it’s how I ended up meeting and falling in love with my best friend. What’s this year going to bring? Stick around, and we’ll find out together.
To get out to the coast more often this year.
To go to a wine tasting.
To go on holiday to France.
To take on another course of some kind. Last one was Delivering Learning in 2006, maybe I can find something I can practically use this time.
To go on a shopping spree with some of my girlie chums at Cabot Circus or better yet, London.
To find a job that I enjoy. Hm. Might be a tough call this one…
Here’s to a great year. Chaz to the Luigi’s lot, cheers to everyone else!
2009-01-05
16:40
Starting off as I mean to go on by updating my Sizeable Rump blog, the home of my more in-depth weight loss blether.
In this new post I give thanks that I’ve found the right plan/club/group for me in Slimming World and share my resolutions for successful slimming in 2009.
2009-01-03
17:22
Any strobists in the UK will probably be wanting to pick up the latest Practical Photography magazine – their main feature is about strobes and strobists, including a chat with David Hobby.
2009-01-03
17:17
While Sam is at work, I’ve been spending my time using her chair as a model, experimenting with my Nikon SB-800 and SB-600. I’ve learned a few things I didn’t know before: