The final product looks great!

I just purchased some of the blue painters tape manufactured by Scotch that is designed to be used outside and is made of a plastic or plastic like material. I bought this at a local Home Depot. I think it is this product: http://www.homedepot.com/p/ScotchBlue-1-88-in-x-45-yds-Exterior-Surfaces-Painter-s-Tape-2097-48EC/203878656

It seemed a bit stronger than the paper version, definitely resistant to tearing, and comes off easily even after exposure to sunlight. Not as strong as gaffers tape, but it may be useful. However it is expensive!

Someone on this list (I don't remember who) suggested the Chihuly glass sculpture exhibit in Coral Gables, Fl. I happened t be there and thoroughly enjoyed the installation.

You can read about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Chihuly.

Here is an example of his work.

Chihuly at Fairchild

(Download)

I have a Canon and use BBF set up as "AE Lock / Metering + AF start".

This means I use back button focus to separate the focus and exposure metering from the one button.

When I press the shutter button half-way, my exposure is locked and won’t change until I pull your finger off the button entirely. This allows me to pick a part picture to meter from, lock in the exposure, reorient the camera to a different focal point and set the focus.

I used to do film photography and learned a lot by studying the zone system. This allows me to set the exposure, using ~18% reflectance of the incident light based on any area seen by the lens. For example, metering a brighter area changes the zone of my focal subject.

This feature is invaluable to me.

Best,
Alan

Mentioned by others, I use keepass (http://keepass.info/) which is freeware. Technically it is intended to maintain account login information and passwords in a password protected and encrypted file, I also use for all of my software registration information.

It can be used across platforms. I keep the encrypted file on a cloud server and use keepass for android and windows to get to my information regardless of where I am.

Best,
Alan

The paint looks pretty thin probably to make it flow like water. I'm guessing they didn't sacrifice a car for those shots. But who knows.

An amazing feel for color, form, and exposure. Check out this Ferrari photographed as paint is released in a wind tunnel!

http://petapixel.com/2014/10/16/photographer-captures-speed-photos-using-uv-paint-wind-tunnel-new-ferrari/

Thank you to everybody for your kind comments.

Had a nice three boat raft up this weekend in Clements Creek. Beautiful place and the light became so rich in the late afternoon.

You can see where Clements Creek is on google maps (https://goo.gl/maps/xRfRR)

(Download)

In case you wanted to know about the care and feeding of (ugly) hedgehogs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/what-you-need-to-know-about-pet-hedgehogs/2014/06/02/66dbf87a-ea16-11e3-b10e-5090cf3b5958_story.html?Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost

Best,
Alan

Something like this? http://www.shortcutstickers.com/ Scroll down for photoshop.

Also, a google search for "keyboard" "shortcut" "stickers" produced

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS480US480&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=keyboard+shortcut+stickers&tbm=shop

with many options.
You will need to copy and paste that URL because it doesn't seem to work with the "https" shortened to "http" and UHH does not accept URL shortened addresses/ Sorry.

Pretty good idea!

Best,
Alan

Nice online interactive keyboard shprtcut map for Photoshop and Lightroom.

http://waldobronchart.github.io/ShortcutMapper/#AdobePhotoshop

Others programs can be added on Github if you are motivated! ( http://github.com/waldobronchart/ShortcutMapper )

Best,
Alan

An interesting article on using a kite with an 11 ft. wingspan to take aerial videos and photos. Kind of a poor man's drone. Also, the authors flew theirs off of a sailboat.

http://www.sailmagazine.com/cruising/kite-aerial-photography

If it is raining or you want to do something inside, in was impressed visiting Churchill's war room.

It's right near St. James Park.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms

When starlings flock together, wheeling and darting through the sky in tight, fluid formations, we call it a murmuration.

Twenty-two photographs the beauty of murmurations, captured by various photographers .

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/02/the-murmurations-of-starlings/100690/