That CB450 sure brings back memories. I bought mine with a little crash damage from a coworker. Repainted the original turquoise/gold with a burgundy metal-flake, replaced the seat, handlebars and other touches. A great bike, but the electric starter never worked, and I wanted to ditch the chain for a shaft drive. I replaced it with a '82 850 Suzuki...finally selling it 10 years ago.

(Download)

While not surprised that real firearms might be used by actors, I cannot imagine any scenario where live ammo should EVER be on a set. One can only guess that someone brought it to do some casual target shooting with the "prop" guns. But whatever the reason, that individual assumes some responsibility for this tragic death.

Reporting on this case said there was a prior "accident" on that set with live ammo. If that is true, all weapons and ammo should have been immediately collected and checked, and all live ammo removed from the set. The negligent individual should then have been fired, and legal action initiated.

Baldwin knew, or should have known of this incident, and was the person responsible for taking corrective actions. IMHO, the fact that he failed to take these common sense actions, makes him directly responsible for this death, even if he had not been the one to pull the trigger.

This failure, coupled with clear violations of basic gun safety (by failing to check the gun himself, and actually firing at a person) certainly makes him qualify for serious jail time. Checking a gun is not rocket surgery. It is easy to learn and takes very little time. Trusting another to perform this step violates a basic gun safety rule.

Yes, refraction is correct...but my thought was that the focal point of the sun through a glass sphere would be so close to the sphere, that the crystal ball must have actually been on the couch, and not in a stand of any kind. This is illustrated by the plastic ball I placed in the sun on my shop floor. The focal point is well under the radius of the ball.

Take your convertible...it might be curbside service. :)

Nice work!

Interesting topic. I have the Nikon 18-35, and have been very satisfied with it on my FF D600. The 77mm filter size matches my 28-300, and it is very light, so it travels well. I have not missed the lack of VR. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Wow, so cool! The engineer must have been a motorcyclist...

Nice shots of the Pensacola Beach Pier. Was just there last weekend. Coincidently, there were jet ski races just off the pier, in front of our hotel! Fun to watch. We were also treated to an unexpected fly-over of the Blue Angels Sunday evening (low altitude, in formation). We were enjoying the sunset on the beach as they approached from the east, so we did not see or hear them coming. Suddenly there was a roar overhead as they cruised up the beach. It was such an awesome surprise, I never even raised my camera! Hotel staff said that they occasionally do this when returning from a show. Way cool!

(Download)


(Download)

It has been over three decades since I played with such images (on slide film), but was fun! I started with shots of water drops hitting water. I built a simple glass tank with the camera aimed at the water line, so I could see what was going on above and below the water. I used a semi-darkened room and opened the shutter, as described on other posts.

To trip the flash, I used a light beam/photo cell just below a syringe with the water (all on a stand, so locations were fixed). The signal from the drop passing the photocell was then wired to a home-made timer. I incremented the timer a few milliseconds between shots to get a sequence of sorts.

Once I had established the process, I used red food coloring for the drops. I used a turkey baster to suck up as much color as possible after each shot (and then refilled the tank to the same level).

For your shot, no photocell or timer is needed. Just mount the hammer on a pivot. Attached to the handle (behind the field of view), I would attach a bracket that would sweep a micro-switch as the hammer head was a little past the bulb height. A little trial and error on the best trip point might be needed, but it would be a simple mechanical rig, easy for the students to understand. Good luck!

As luck would have it, I have an AE-1, and would be willing to sell. I have not used it since going digital, but shortly before that, I had it checked out by a Canon repair center (in prep for a vacation). I bought it used after my AT-1 was stolen on a prior vacation. It was in good working order when last used. I have the 50mm that came with my AT-1, and some other non-Canon glass that I would be willing to part with as well.

I'd be happy to take a few photos of said gear for you if interested. Cheers

At a party a few years ago I was asked my advice on a new camera purchase. After learning that the person already had a pretty good one, my suggestion was to read the manual. Her husband was happy with that advice...her, not so much.

Retinal detachment is a potential side effect, the risk being higher in near-sighted eyes. I had this issue in both eyes. It was about 6 months after surgery in one eye, and over a year later for the other. Get seen immediately at any sign of vision issues after the surgery. I was fortunate that they were able to repair each eye with minimal permanent damage. My other advice for those considering it (besides getting it done), is to forget the "trick" lenses and go with a simple single focal length option. Also consider having the focal distance set a bit near-sighted, rather than to "distance" (and continue with glasses full time). Life is lived up close. Get glasses, with a good pair of progressive lens, and you will see fine at all distances. And you will never need to hunt for your readers!

Not that this is related to the image or the technique, but I note that the heel is not flat on the ground as it sits. I had a pair of boots that were killing my feet. I thought maybe the shanks were not installed correctly, and exchanged them. But after the replacements had the same result, I noticed the same heel issue as in the photo. After seeing that my other boots had heels that were in-plane with the sole, I ground them flat, and it solved the issue!

Having a camera handy, but not to close to the window, was a valuable lesson. Took this with my cell phone, and sure enough, he flew when I picked up the SLR on the table!

The topic "Simple fixes..." implies after-the-fact, or post processing. Under that premise, my typical fixes include horizon straightening, but cropping (to improve composition), and exposure tweaking are most commonly needed.