New Toys

The secret is revealed.

Today, patient yeomen, you suffer. Anything can happen in the next half hour!

You may have gathered from the opening photograph, I have received a new toy. (Note 1) .The new toy in question being a Canon Powershot A620. Having overcome at the guilt at the small wood that died in order that it could be packed up and set to me. I now sit poised to enter the world that is the photblogger!

Then of course, you open the instructions for the first time. Now you hear a lot about how everyone thinks it is a jolly good idea that us older folk embrace new technology. You must admit, it is a good idea and the fact that (eventually) I took the plunge and bought the camera shows that I’m willing. Yet the people, who sell all this new technology, obviously haven’t caught on. The instructions are in such small print that you need the eyesight of a sniper to read them! Come on play fair! If you want your share of the grey pound in return for us jumping on the technology bandwagon at least allow us to read the instructions.

Having mastered the instructions, powered the thing up and entered the date I’m ready to go! (Note 2) I’ve just taken my first picture! Now, a little later on it will appear just above this paragraph. It is the satellite TV remote control (I thought it safer to tell you. At this stage in my journey, I’m not sure how it will turn out – or if it will turn out at all)

The actual taking of photographs is really very easy. You select shooting mode on dial (1) to ‘AUTO’ set the mode switch to a picture of a camera (Ah, slight snag, they didn’t number the mode switch on the picture, but I found it anyway). Press the little button halfway, wait for the camera to focus and then press the rest of the way. It even generates an electronic sound of a shutter opening so that old duffers like me feel that there are moving parts involved and are somehow comforted.

Now I shall attempt to get the photographs onto my computer without the aid of a safety net.

Loading the software on the computer was easy – apart from working out how to get the CD out of the plastic wrapper. Still, if I can’t load software by now it is time for me to start having meals served direct from the blender.

Uploading the pictures to the computer was easy too. I connected the camera, up popped a little window and I followed instructions. *POOF* my first set of pictures were on my hard drive. (Note 3)

So, buoyed up with my success I opened an Flickr account and started uploading some pictures. It was very slow, but very easy to get started. I managed to upload the photos, so this blog entry will have pictures after all. (Note 3)

I even had a go at editing the photographs to see if I could improve some of them. I shall leave you to decide how successful I’ve been.

From 14th June, the industry standard Crozzy Standard has been applied to footnotes.

NOTE 1: The sad truth is that at the time I write these words, no photograph exists. Yet I am sure that I will master the technology. Given my experiences with new technology, I fully intend that this blog will provide a step by step guide of my short journey to becoming a master of digital photography.. Click to return

NOTE 2 : There’s another thing! Why is it that all electrical equipment needs you to set the date and time – then insists that you eneter the date in American mm/dd/yyyy format? It’s clearly illogical to put the month before the day and the year. However you present it the month is in the MIDDLE. How on earth did the US get to be a superpower if they can’t even write today’s date properly? *cough* OK, calm down Simon, concentrate on the task in hand. Click to return

NOTE 3: The puppet show will have to introduce a Social Worker who will appear in the first scene and whisk Mr Punch away for treatment in a gleaming hospital. He’ll return a new man and spend the rest of the show picking out new soft furnishings with Judy. The kids will be riveted. Click to return

NOTE 4: One thing that did surprise me was that Flickr sets such low monthly download limits. I must remember to save some of my allowance for pictures of the pancakes - when they arrive. Click to return

TECHNORATI TAGS : Trivia ; Oundle ; Evar ; life; red1hols.