Make a Spherical Collage

I just discovered a really neat tool thanks to a Flickr friend of mine.

If you go to THIS WEB SITE, you can create an image similar to the one you see above just by entering a tag (keyword, like “Maine” or, as I did here, “Frog”).

The Web site pulls images from Flickr that have that tag and displays them like this. You can use your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in/out and drag your mouse across the screen to turn the globe. You can also click on an individual image to see it close-up or go to the original Flickr page.

If you do like me, and give your pictures unique tags for the sole purpose of having them pulled for the sphere, you’ll get a sphere full of your own images. For example, I tagged all my New England photos with “x13197y.” So if you CLICK HERE then enter x13197y in the little white box, then click on GO, you’ll see a glowing neon sphere. Click on the sphere and it will pull 259 images to load.

That’s all there is to it.

It’s one of those neat but not really useful things one stumbles across now and again on the Web.

Let me know if you try it and whether it works for you.

Election Day is Finally Here

I am really, really, REALLY glad November 4 has finally arrived. Not because I’ve been chomping at the bit to cast my vote, but because I am so sick of reading about it in the paper/on the Web, hearing about it on the radio, seeing billboards, etc.

I couldn’t resist posting this video, though. My Mom sent it to me. It’s cute. And timely. And is great fodder for my Blog.

I just haven’t had much to say since my last post on Halloween. Not that a lot hasn’t happened. Just not a lot of Blogworthy stuff.

Although I guess I could mention that autumn has finally arrived in my backyard. Saturday, despite the fact that it was oddly warm outside (about 75), I took some pictures. I’ll share a few here.

At left is the “bigger picture” view.

Nice, but not overly dramatic.

You have to get out there. Look closely. Stop and appreciate the spectacular color while you can.

My yard really isn’t all that big. Just under 1/3 acre, I think. But by actually going outside, looking closely and from different angles, I got some pretty cool images.

Like this one…

This is a close-up of a beautyberry bush. From afar, it is quite unremarkable.

I like all the greens in the image below.

And here’s a close-up of a dwarf burning bush.

CLICK HERE to see the rest of Saturday’s photos.

Rainy Days and Mondays



Originally uploaded by BrutalGoddess

Yesterday was a typical Monday. Not a lot happened. I didn’t take one single picture.

But, thanks to Flickr, I’ve met some cool people that take really neat photos, which I can use at will for my Blog (using Flickr’s “blog this” feature).

The image shown here is one from BrutalGoddess (Chris) in Colorado.

Then there’s Michelle in NY who takes really cool macro shots.

And we can’t forget my new friend Dave in Alaska or his wife Songwoman (Pam).

Check them out when you get time. They all have some pretty cool images.

Happy Tuesday! Hopefully it isn’t cold and rainy where you are, too.

Bucking the Trend

I’ve come to the conclusion that not many people do Blog posts on the weekends. Not the bloggers on my “most read” list anyway.

I guess they have lives.

I usually do, too. Most weekends are spent at the WV place. But this weekend is different. Hubby is off to a business convention in Long Beach, California for a few days. And here I am, in Maryland, with not much to do…

So I am bucking the trend of no weekend blog posting and telling you, and showing you, how I spent my last summer Friday.

I did not pick apples. But isn’t this a neat shot?

Um, I didn’t pick a bunch of tiny little pumpkins to line up on a fence either. I just couldn’t resist the lure of a roadside produce market.

I didn’t buy a goat. Or even pet a goat. I just took pictures of a goat. Mainly because he was kind enough to pose for me.

Tired of trying to guess?

I drove to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the day. I did a little shopping, but mostly I stalked Amish people who don’t like to get their pictures taken, and took some pictures. Rude, I know. But I enjoyed it. And that’s what matters in my world.

I did it from sort of far away, which is why you don’t see crisp, clear focus. But with a little tweaking, I think some of the images are sort of cool.

Here’s one of the shots I got of a family working the field. I used “plow” in the picture title, but I don’t think they are plowing.

If I knew anything at all about farming, I might be able to guess. But I don’t. So I can’t explain why they need this big-ass wagon of hay. They didn’t appear to be baling the hay…

This is just a barn shot. I liked the contrast of the green grass, brown corn and white barn. Too bad the sky was so overcast.

This is the last shot I’ll post here. It was getting dark, so I had to boost the light a bit. To me, it is obviously Photoshopped. But I still like the effect. If you want the see the other images, go to my Flickr page for the day.

Enjoy your Sunday!

It Was a Wet Weekend

This picture pretty much sums up the weather this past weekend.

Not only was it rainy, it was warm and humid, too. Which means, even when it wasn’t raining, stepping outside felt like being enveloped in a warm, wet blanket.

Ugh. Where is that cool, crisp weather fall is supposed to bring?

The picture is cool though, isn’t it? I think it’s my favorite from the weekend. It is either that one, or this one. What do you think?

GREAT Idea, But…

On Thursday, I visited one of the blogs I read periodically and saw something really interesting. I have to warn you, it’s photography-related. But even the casual point-and-shoot user who most of the time remembers to take their camera along on vacation might be somewhat intrigued.

The title of the actual post sums it up pretty nicely: XShot – Photograph Yourself Anywhere. Don’t feel like reading? CNN’s Smart Traveller actually did a video about the XShot, which I tried unsuccessfully to embed here for your convenience.

In a nutshell, the XShot is a collapsible rod you attach your camera to with the tripod adapter (the hole with threads on the underside of your camera) and, using the self-timer, you can take your own picture.

Who takes their own pictures? Lots of people do. Say you’re traveling alone in Paris, want a shot of yourself in front of the Eiffel Tower, but are afraid to ask anyone to snap one for you. (That’s sort of dumb anyway, if you think about it, because what’s to keep that person from running off with your camera?)

So you hold your camera out in front of yourself and snap a picture. The end result is lots of you, not so much background. And it’s sort of obvious you’re holding the camera, too. (This isn’t a fabulous example, but I had good intentions.)

If you read Julie’s blog post or watched the video, you’ll probably agree that it really is a great idea. And it’s only $29.95.

I was very close to ordering one immediately. But it was late, I was tired, and I figured I’d get one the next day. But as I lay in bed–that’s where I usually get all my best ideas, 99% of which I completely forget by morning–I thought about my monopod.

Did I hear you say, “Your what?”

A monopod is like a tripod with only one leg. You use in in situations when you either can’t or don’t want to lug your tripod along, but still want some stability when snapping away.

The monopod is smaller and much easier to carry. While it isn’t as good as having a tripod, it is way better than nothing. And I’m pretty sure I bought mine at Ritz Camera for about $25.

This morning I actually remembered my thoughts about the monopod. I knew it would only work if the head of the monopod was adjustable and could tilt downward. It does. And it telescopes out to just over 60 inches.

My camera is pretty heavy, so I only tested it with the monopod extended out to about 40 inches. It worked like a charm.

The picture below, which is still not a great example but not too awful for being done indoors, using flash, on-the-fly, lets you see the difference. Pretend the Eiffel Tower is behind me, or some other scene. Or pretend I’m flanked by a couple of friends on each side.

My face no longer dominates the image. There’s actually some background. And my face isn’t distorted by the fish-eye effect either. That happens with some cameras. It’s where your face gets distorted. I’m not sure how best to describe the fish-eye effect, but I can show you a side-by-side comparison of shots. The one on the right demonstrates the fish-eye effect.

So, yes, the XShot is cool. But you can achieve the same effect with a monopod for less and have the benefit of the monopod when you need the added stability. The one advantage in the XShot’s favor is that, when compacted, it is just 9 inches long. I’m sure it’s lighter, too. But I’m not convinced it is strong enough to hold a heavy SLR and lens.