Just got off the phone with the Head of the Photography, Peter Doubleday, and he informed me the Devon Horse Show is really cracking down on non-official photographers selling images taken during the events.
This 2-3 year old policy is in an effort to preserve the copyright value of the Devon Horse Show event.
If you take pictures, and sell them, the DHS lawyers might be giving you a call, even if you are hired by one of the Stables that are participating.
Apparently, more and more Horse show are following this trend to protect their copyrights.
If you get involved with the Flickr photography groups that have awards, you will notice that there is no really good way to track what you have, until flickr Award Counter (fAC) by Andy Felton (PhazeShift).
flickr Award Counter can take some time to initially setup, because you have to enter in each Award Title (think of a naming structure), and the URL to the Award image for the greasemonkey/javascript counters to work, but once it is done, fAC works great!
But beware, once done, there does not appear to be a direct way to back up all your filter/counter work.
Backup
After some hunting, I found a thread on the Flickr Hacks – “Award Counter – backup?“, which suggested that one backup the Firefox “prefs.js” file, which can be found (example: Win XP):
C:Documents and Settings%profilename%Application Data ¬
MozillaFirefoxProfilesdm24ria8.defaultsprefs.js
where
%profilename%
is the current user, and
dm24ria8.defaults
could be “any-name.defaults” within this path, and includes “prefs.js”, and all the more fun if there are multiple users! A-)
The simplest backup, is to copy/duplicate the “prefs.js” file within the same directory and adding the “.bak” extension (“prefs.js.bak”) or copy the file to another location, and leave yourself a reminder of where!
Restore
To restore, just replace the damages file with the backup from above.
Transfer
Many times, all you want to do, is to transfer your filter/counter information from one machine to another.
If you use the Restore method mentioned above, one of the immediate down sides is that the destination machine, will inherit the “prefs.js” settings from the source machine.
In some cases, this might be sufficient, but what if you ONLY want the filter/counter information.
about:config
On the machine that has the Main/Source of filter/counters, launch Firefox, and type about:config in the address bar.
It is a great idea, and if you think you can NOT afford it, remember, they have NOTHING!
§ § § § §
If you are just waking up, there was a major 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan overnight.
This is one of the largest ever recorded, and from early reports, has caused all sorts of damage, including issues at one of the northern nuclear plants. Many after quakes have also been reported, and many of those are 6.0 and above.
On Facebook, I have gotten notice that friends/neighbors that are in China are safe and sound, I can only wait, hope and wonder for those I know on the main island.
Some of my friends and followers on the west coast, have posted that they watched video of some of the Tsunami reaching Hawaii, live.
I had the chance to go to Japan in 1994, just before the big Kobe earthquake several months late, and while I was there, a small 4.3 shook the house that I was in.
If you have never been in an earthquake, it is a very strange sensation, namely because one has no control of what is going on around you.
Needless to say, in the coming hours, days, weeks and months, there will be much sorrow, pain and suffering.
Also, be aware, that in times like this, some people will try and take advantage of donations. Be very aware of which organizations which you pledge your money.
I do not subscribe to any particular religion, but please take a moment today, to just send your thoughts to those that may have lost a great deal.
So this Post, is the First in a planned Series, of short FAQ style articles, based on feedback from this Blog, Facebook and Flickr groups that I belong to.
What is FTPing files? – RE: “PhotoShare-MakeOver” (PSMO) projects
FTP is a fundamental protocol of the Internet, as the name implies “File Transfer Protocol“. It has been around since the inception of the Internet. It is a base protocol for how things work on the Internet. It is your Friend!
– You could also think of it, as the phone line coming into your home, your voice(s) are nothing more than data passing back and forth.
In the good old days, one would have to get into a command line session, maneuver to the various directories, start a PUT/GET, and continue.
Allot of typing, mistakes, etc…
Finally, someone put a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to the protocol, and created an application as an easier way to move files!
Those FTP applications, also known as Clients, are available for EVERY platform, and I believe every OS still has the ability to FTP form the command line…
FTP Clients are the way to go, but deciding which one…
It is my nature to be frugal, so Free is good, and Good Free software that is reliable is even better!
If you would like to be considered for a “PSMO Project“, please contact one of the Group Admin‘s.
For illustration, I am going to use aseymour.com, if you are going to use another website/domain, please contact that Admin for details on Directory, Username and Passwords.
It is estimated that the PSMO files are going to be approximately 50MBs+ in size per image, and need a Common Area for the files to be stored so others can access/download them for the projects.
Again, you need a Username and Password to Upload, and if files are NOT invited, they will be deleted!
If you have the Current Username and Password, you launching your FTP Client, in this case, FileZilla (WinTel).
First Time Setup – FileZilla & aseymour.com
The first time that you use aseymour.com, you will need to follow these steps. but once done, but once Saved, you can return to the Site without the need to go through all these setup steps:
<– These instructions are for the Windows Client –>
Launch/Open FileZilla;
Go to the File menu, and select “Site Manager…“;
In the “Host Name:” field, Enter “ftp.aseymour.com” (without the “Quotes”);
In the “Logon type:” drop-down, select “Normal“;
Enter in Username and Password;
On the General tab –
In the Site Manager window, on the Left side, look for the “New Site” button;
Name the new site “CCPaPhotography_UL” (without the “Quotes”);
On the Advanced tab –
Nothing needed at this time
Then Click the Connect button at the bottom of the dialog box.
Once you have connected, you should see a index.html file, please do NOT touch this file!
From here you should, find the file(s) that you wish to upload with FileZilla and than Upload (FTP “PUT”) your invited files!
Once you are completed Uploading your files, please let the Admins knows so that an announcement can be made!
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know!
As Chester County was getting its first real snow fall of the New Year on Thursday and Friday, I was very anxious about getting out and getting some photography in, but was thwarted with the regular activities of life: Clients, Family, Plowing, Roads, etc.
But I was finally able to get out late yesterday afternoon, to shoot the little stream along Norwood Road heading into Downingtown, which was fairly untouched, except for a single set of tracks left by a dog and it’s owner.
As I trudged through the snow with my camera bag and tripod, I was reminded of an earlier series of comments I made on “cold weather camera tips“, and I thought I would revisited the post to single the content and to add additional thoughts and information.
Heading Out – Things that can slow down
Most people when faced with shooting in cold conditions, generally only think about what cloths and boots they are going to wear to keep them warm during their photographic adventure, which is very important, but it does not stop there.
Your camera also has moving parts that need to be included in your thinking.
The Camera Body
Before the advent of Digital Cameras, Traditional Film based cameras had many more moving parts that one had to be concerned with when working in cold weather.
On Traditional Film Cameras, the Film Transport mechanism and Rollers where usually the most vulnerable as the lubricants became more viscous and in extreme case, freezing altogether.
One also had to be careful with the film itself, because it to could be brittle, and break when being thread into the camera body.
There was also the increase in static electrical charges, that could cause little lighting patterns on the film, especially during the rewinding process.
With Digital Cameras, obviously there is no need to move film, so issues associated with the moving and winding film became less relevant.
In both Film and Digital cameras, the mirror mechanism that allows one to look in to the eyepiece and then see through the lens also has the potential of slowing down as the temperature falls.
Lens
The blades that make up the iris diaphragm or aperture of the lens and the mechanics uses for auto focusing can also be sensitive to the cold. These features may slow down, stick together or freeze, there by not allowing the correct exposure or focus quality.
Batteries
As the temperature falls, the chemicals inside the batteries used to produce a current, will begin to diminish, and at some point, the camera will stop working at all.
Ever have problems starting your Car in the winter?
Needless to say, I keep my batteries as warm as possible, and carry an extra set.
What to do?
The most obvious answer is to keep your camera gear warm by simply keep it near your body for warmth, and do NOT breath heavily on the camera in an attempt to warm it up!
This can cause condensation which is the biggest evil!
Condensation
As mentioned earlier, condensation, which is caused by the sudden changes in temperature, can damage your camera’s electronics.
This usually is a cumulative issue, meaning, it might not happen on the first time, but after many sessions.
What needs to occur, is the gradual transition of temperatures between indoors and outdoors on your camera.
Use your camera bag as a place to help in the transition. The bag’s cushions and partitions will help to absorb the temperature extremes.
It is also good practice to place your equipment into plastic bags as part of the transition and condensation control.
There does seem to be a debate about keeping the camera inside your coat.
Here you have to be sensible, and coordinate with you environment.
Remember:
You body heat is going to make for a larger extreme when you take it out
Your body sweats, adding moisture to the situation
If you have to keep your camera next to you body, use caution and common sense.
When traveling to your destination, keep your gear in the coldest section of your car, like the back and maybe even the trunk. That way, the camera can slowly cool down. Use the reverse when heading home.
In our house, we have a “mud room” area, that is not as warm as the rest of the house, but it is where I can acclimate the camera, before it reaches my office, which also happens to be a colder part of the house!
Other Cold Weather Tips
Carry an Extra Set of Batteries
Remove the Batteries until needed – Warm Batteries
Turn off the LCD screen until needed – Battery Drain
Turn off the Auto Focus feature until needed – Battery Drain
I hope you have found this posting useful, so go out an enjoy the cold weather with you camera!
