Thank you for taking the time to visit my amateur photo web site .

PicLens is a wonderfull doofer. It instantly transforms your browser into a full-screen, 3D experience for viewing images on the web. Photos will come to life via a cinematic presentation that goes well beyond the confines of the traditional browser window. With PicLens, browsing and viewing images on the web will never be the same again.

The PicLens new interactive "3D Wall" lets you effortlessly drag, click, and zoom your way around a wall of pictures for an extraordinary, full-screen viewing experience. Why mundanely flip through online photo galleries or squint at thumbnails from Google Image Search when you can fly through an immersive, full-screen experience instead? From Flickr to Google Images, and even Facebook and Friendster, PicLens works with a growing number of your favourite web sites. Click here to find out more.

Every year my local camera club has an 'Exhibition' competition. Members are encouraged to submit their best work and an outside judge awards 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each category. The winning images are publicly displayed. This year (and last year) the images were displayed at the Flagship Centre in Bangor, Northern Ireland. We mount the photos on panels and offer contact details of the camera club. We find that this attracts new members to our club, indeed it was after viewing the Exhibition at he Flagship that I decided to join Bangor and North Down Camera Club.

However; last year someone stole, from the public display, a photo by David Foster. David is a well known and respected photographer and it is believed that his photo was framed and then sold on - as a 'David Foster'. This year, I have discovered that someone has stolen one of my photos (of Stormont). I suppose I should be flattered. Clearly someone liked my photo of Stormont so much that they felt they had to steal it. I have now joined the very exclusive 'Had my photo stolen from the Exhibition - Club'.

I achieved 'Photographer of the Year' at my local Camera Club 2007/2008. I am, understandably, well chuffed with this for number of reasons. I joined my local camera club in Sept 2006 (without a camera) and in Oct 2006 then bought a Nikon D80. I found that members my local camera club were very helpful and supportive. In Dec 2007 I decided that I was enjoying my photography so much that I sold my D80 and bought a D300 with the 18-200VR. I have beem amazed at the performance of both the D300 and the 18-200VR. You can see some of the D300 images here.

POTY ( local camera club ) results. ('F' = Foundation (or Beginner), 'A' = Advanced member)
From what I have heard a 'Foundation' member has not won POTY for many years, so I am understandably very pleased with this result.

1st: Mark Allen [F] : total points to date 85

Competition One: 1 x 1st = [5] , 2 x 2nd = [8], 2 x 3rd = [6], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 20
Competition Two: 1 x 1st = [5] , 1 x 2nd = [4], 1 x 3rd = [3], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 13
Competition Three: 1 x 1st = [5] , 1 x 3rd = [3], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 9
Competition Four: 1 x 1st = [5] , 1 x 2nd = [4], 1 x 3rd = [3], 3 x Short list = [3] Total =15
Panels: 2 x 1st = [10] , 2 x Short list = [2] Total = 12
Competition Five: 1 x 1st = [5] , 1 x 2nd = [4], 2 x 3rd = [6], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 16
Audrey Argue: 1 x 2nd = [4], 2 x Short list = [2[ Total = 6

2nd: Alan Harvey [A] : total points to date 54

Competition Two: 1 x 2nd = [4] , Total = 4
Competition Three: 1 x 1st = [5] , Total = 5
Competition Four: 1 x 1st = [5] , 2 x 2nd = [8], 1 x 3rd = [3], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 17
Panels: 2 x 2nd = [8], Total = 8
Competition Five: 1 x 2nd = [4], 2 x Short list = [2] Total = 6
Audrey Argue: 2 x 1st = [10], 1 x 3rd = [3], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 14

3rd: Harry Pettis [A] : total points to date 52

Competition One: 1 x 1st = [5] , 1 x 2nd = [4], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 10
Competition Two: 1 x 2nd = [4], 1 x 3rd [3], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 8
Competition Three: 1 x 1st = [5] , 2 x 2nd = [8], 1 x Short list = [1] Total = 12
Panels: 1 x 1st = [5] , 1 x 3rd = [3], 2 x Short list = [2] Total = 10
Competition Five: 1 x 1st = [5] , 1 x 3rd = [3], 3 x Short list = [3] Total = 1

Thanks to David Roberts from my local camera club, I have learned how to add a RSS Feed to this site. The link is at the very bottom of each page. Thanks David..

Norway 2007 [18 MB] This show was awarded 1st Place in the 2008 Northern Ireland Photographic Association, Audio Visual Festival (Novice).

Two of my images featured in the NIPA Beginners Competition 2008. By coincidence they were both taken on the same day, while out walking at Kearney, Portaferry.

"Rock Pools" Highly Commended

Kearney Rocks; Commended

Capture NX 1.3 has been released.

Read a review of Nikon D300.

Two of my images have been published in 'Photography Ireland 2008'.

Stormont and Moon

Tulips

One of my photos of Near the Capilano Fish Hatchery, Vancouver, BC, Canada. is to be published in the November Edition of Schmap Worldwide Travel Guide - Vancouver. It was taken in May 2007 with a Nikon D80 and Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens.

At Bangor Camera Club we had a 'Low Light' evening and workshop - hosted by Gerry Coe - on 2 November 2007. I took 14 images and all of them are shown below - the good and the bad. All images were taken with a Nikon D80, with a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens, on a tripod. Click here to find out more.

Nikon D80; Sigma 18-50mm /f2.8, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8, Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Click here to find out more.

I received a 2nd and 3rd in colour, in my local camera club competition - in Foundation (Beginners). I also received a short listed in Foundation Mono. To find out more click here.

What the Nikon folk say about it: View, Edit, Share, Select and Correct with Ease! View NX is the ultimate easy, yet powerful, browser from Nikon. With fast viewing of JPEG, TIFF and NEF files your workflow will speed up with View NX. Quick Editing of NEF files! Convert RAW NEF files to JPEG and TIFF format with ease. You can even adjust white balance and exposure compensation. Convert RAW NEF files and then convert them with ease. Integrates Easily with Capture NX. One click and you are opening your selected images with Capture NX. All of your labels are supported.

Downloads available from:

Mac =
support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/st...

Windows =
support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/st...

Some of you might be coming to photography as a new hobby or interest. Some of you might be re-visiting an old pastime. I was one of those people that had been taking 'snapshots' over the years and decided that I was wanted to understand more about Photography and learn how to take better photos. I did two things; I enrolled in a Diploma in Photography (online) course and joined a local camera club. I have learned a lot from both, but I must tell you I have enjoyed (and learnt much more) from members at my local camera club.

Then I thought and asked about what sort of DSLR I should buy. As is almost always the case I received some good advice and some (I later discovered) bad advice. So, if you are thinking about buying a new camera I want to share with you some things I have learned since buying my first DSLR in Sept 06. Click here to find out more.

5 Technical Guides and 6 Technical Tips in downloadable PDF format. Click here.

There are also Capture NX Video Tutorials here, and more tips here.

The editor of WDC did not have enough quality entries so he went on to Flickr and in one of the Flickr travel groups asked:

"We're running a travel photography competition which closes tomorrow, so here's a last minute invitation to enter your best travel photo."

My entry was one of over 100 photos submitted and can be seen on page 98 September Edition, What Digital Camera.

In the Bangor and North Down Camera Club Exhibition Competition, I was lucky to achieve a 1st, 2nd and 3rd. In addition I had three photographs commended. To see the photographs click here. The photos of all the winning entries can be seen on display at the Bangor Flagship Centre, Bangor Northern Ireland.