HDR photography is a method of getting every bit of detail out of a shot, and can also be used to creative a more artsy type of finished photo. It works pretty simply - you take three identical photos. One under exposed, one over exposed and one exposed just fine. Then, using a bit of software such as Photomatrix, or even Photoshop, you merge the three images together. Play with the tine mapping a little, and hey presto...one HDR photo. You can use pretty much any camera with some manual control over the exposure settings.
You can do what I did for the photo below and cheat. Take a single photo, then create two copies, and manually adjust the exposure. That method has some pros and cons. It's good for a photo with moving objects in it for obvious reasons. Worth the effort? To be honest I have filters that reproduce similar effects with less effort.
I'm a big holiday fan. There should be more holidays per years for everyone, enshrined in law! You can never take too many vacations. Sadly, and especially with the current state of the economy, none of us are likely to be getting extra paid holidays, so we just have to make the most of what we do get. With all the extra work we'll have to be putting in, we'll need it! So choose your destination wisely. Essential factors when I'm looking for a holiday to book these days? Somewhere different. Somewhere peaceful. Value for money. Top quality service. Want a tip? Somewhere that ticks all those boxes?
Carolina Designs Realty offers some of the best holiday home rental deals in outer banks north carolina, and the surrounding areas. Most come with pools and hot tubs, some have ocean front locations and all have quality and value written all over them. Their website is a gold mine of information, with an easy to use search facility. They do all the hard work for you, which in my opinion is what customer service is all about. No more stress for me please!
They have a huge range of homes for rent, and there are quite a few I like the look of! The photo below is of a holiday home property called Just Peachy. What an appropriate name! The ocean views are spectacular. It is a 10 bedroom house, so I might need to hunt around hard for other friends with families to share the cost, but then again, there are smaller properties available.
So which of these tickles your fancy? Number 3? How about 4? Number 6 do anything for you? All contenstants waiting for their turn on stage at the 2008 Amazing Beauties pageant in the Phillipines. Which is one of the top events for cross dressers and transsexuals. I hope, if you comment, that you took the time to read the post and not just look at the picture...
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I can't believe it's more than a month and a half since I got back from Las Vegas. I can't make up my mind whether it seems like yesterday or a lifetime ago though! But I still have the memories and all the photos I took, of course! I was looking through them this morning, reminiscing. Which was my favourite hotel? They all had their own themes. I guess the Bellagio, Paris and Planet Hollywood. The former had class, elegance, the world's greatest buffet and the fabulous water show. The Paris was elegance defined. Planet Hollywood had the best shows.
And funnily enough one of their shows is also one of the cheaper, less advertised and most easily missed. But you shouldn't miss. It. The Variety show - magicians, jugglers, comedians, gymnasts and lots more. I know it sounds like the sort of thing you'd take kids too, but it was fantastic. I took the photo below when waiting in the queue for the doors to open.
I love living in Mexico. I'd have to, I've been here for nearly four years - if I didn't love it here I'd have left a long time ago. But there are pros and cons. Benefits and drawbacks. You want an example? Buying electronic goods, books and other things. Firstly, they are extraordinarily expensive here. Secondly, they become available here months after they are available in the US, if they ever become available for purchase in Mexico at all! Quite often they don't, and I either have to go without, or buy a second rate alternative.
So why don't I just order these products from the US? Well it's often easier said than done. To be cost effective I really have to order several items and have them shipped together, but if I'm ordering things from different online stores, that is just not possible. Also, and rather frustratingly, a lot of online US retailers don't ship goods internationally, which means that I can't get it even if I am willing to fork out extra for having it shipped by itself.
Is there a solution? Of course there is - or there would be no reason for this blog post! I've discovered a company called www.myus.com which solves all those problems. Through them, I can obtain a real US postal address, and they will receive and send on the goods I've ordered. So I can order from any number of retailers, and they will package everything together in one parcel to make things a whole load cheaper for me. Even if the retailer I want to buy from only takes US credit cards, they can buy them for me using their Personal Shopper service.
I'm so glad I've found this web site. I'm climbing Iztaccihuatl, Mexico's third tallest mountain, next month and I have no hiking boots. I have huge feet, and it's just not possible to buy them in my size in Mexico! Now I can get them sent from the US, along with a few other goodies too! It's an easy site to use by the way - it has a very clean and easy to navigate look. Now for me to put it to good use!
