West Coast Rhythm Kings

Shooting in low light can produce some stunning results. Colors are richer in the early and late hours of the day, and subjects such as buildings that are dull and uninteresting during daytime take on an entirely new persona lit up at night. This article looks at some techniques for making the most of low light situations.
ISO and Shutter Speed
It is tempting when shooting in low light to simply increase the ISO sensitivity on your camera (or use a faster film if you shoot with film). This may not always be the answer. Increasing ISO sensitivity decreases image quality. You will find that grain begins to appear. How visible this is of course depends on your camera or choice of film. An alternative is to set yourself to use slower shutter speeds. How much you are able to slow down your shutter speed without creating blurring due to camera shake depends on how steady your hand is. Try leaning against a wall or post, holding your breath and squeezing down slowly on the trigger. This is a method I use quite often and I have found that results improve significantly with a bit of practice.
Tripods
Using a tripod can have both technical and creative benefits. A tripod stabilizes your camera producing a sharp image when a long exposure is needed. It also enables you to reduce the ISO speed used to create a better quality image as discussed above. A tripod can also be used to create interesting effects should the scene contain moving objects. For example, a street scene with traffic passing by. Slow shutter speeds capture the motion of vehicles as they pass and the light trails from head and tail lights, adding life and energy to the scene. For many low light situations, a tripod is an essential piece of equipment and the only way of coming away with a decent image. An alternative could be to rest your camera on a flat surface if one is available.
Flash
Another method of low light photography is the use of flash. Using flash photography can produce quite different results. Like the tripod, and just about any other photography accessory, flash can be used to correct an exposure or enhance it. Set it to low power to fill in a dark area, or use maximum power for create highlights and high contrast effects. Using flash also enables you to hand hold your camera, giving you more freedom to move around your subject. Flash photography is not suited to all subjects though. If you are shooting say, a seascape just after sunset and pointing your camera out into the ocean, there is nothing out there for the light to bounce off and so it is lost.
Low light and night photography can be very rewarding. It does usually require a little additional equipment, but is well worth the expense. Taking pictures at different times of the day also puts you in the frame of mind to experiment, which is necessary if you want to improve your photography. Try things out. See for yourself what works and what doesn't. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the results.

So you've just bought a shiny new SLR camera huh? And a lens or two to go with it? That's great. Now all you have to do is learn how to use it. I'm assuming here you bought an SLR camera because you want to do a little bit more than take happy snaps at family events and holidays. So for those new to photography as anything more than that, this article aims to give you a little background on the basics of exposure to help you on your way.
Shutter speed
There are two elements to creating a "correct exposure". These are aperture, and shutter speed, which we will look at first. When you press the trigger button on your camera to take a picture, it opens a set of sliders, like opening a window. How long it stays open, depends on how you set the shutter speed. Shutter speeds can range from extremely fast (ie 1/8000 of a second), to very slow (30 seconds), or even infinity if your camera has a bulb setting. These are extreme shutter speeds and not often used, except by people who shoot fast moving subjects, or in very low light. For most of us, we tend to stick to somewhere in the middle. As a general rule, the faster the shutter speed, the sharper your photo will be. For most people, anything at 1/60 of a second or above is acceptable when hand holding a camera. Lower if you have a particularly steady hand. If you need to use slower shutter speeds, you will need to use a tripod or rest your camera on a steady surface. These slow speeds can be particularly useful for creating blurred effects. For example the flowing water in a waterfall.
Aperture
Ever wondered how photographers get their subjects to really stand out by blurring the background? The secret (which really is no secret) is adjusting the aperture. The aperture changes the depth of field in your photo. Depth of field is how much of the image is in focus. For example, if you have a depth of field of 4 meters, anything within that distance of the subject you are focusing on will also be in focus. There is as much variety with this control as there is with shutter speed. You can choose to set a narrow aperture (long depth of field) when you want the whole shot in focus, for instance a great, sweeping landscape, or a wider aperture for portraits.
Ok, so you've got your shutter speed sorted from your aperture. Now we just have to put them together. Any SLR camera will have an inbuilt light meter. This little gadget measures the amount of light you will need to create a correct exposure. It is usually in the form of a little bar with a too high (+) and a too low (-) sign at each end. It is simply a matter of balancing one against the other so that the meter is centered. Once you've done that you can press the button! That's all there is to it.
ISO
Another choice that will effect your exposure is the ISO you use. With film cameras, this means the speed of film that you use. If you use a 100 speed film, your ISO is 100. Digital cameras also have an adjustable ISO speed. It's just in the form of turning a dial instead of loading a different film. A general rule is to use the lowest ISO you can get away with. Higher ISO films or digital settings can result in noisy (grainy) pictures. They do, however, allow you more freedom in your exposures in that you can shoot with less available light. Experiment with your particular camera, see what you can get away with. Remember that the quality required will be different for everyone. If you only want to make small prints to put in an album, or just store the photos digitally on your computer, then you will not need the same quality as if you want to make large prints to hang on your wall.
So there is some food for thought for those starting out in photography and looking to do more than just point and shoot. Now it's time to go out there and shoot. Experiment with different settings. Try new things. The technical side of photography you can read about anywhere. The creative side, well, that's up to you.

It is one of the most essential elements to taking pictures. It can either make or break a photo. Entire books could be, and have been, written on the subject. As an introduction to composition, this article aims to give an overview of the main points on how to compose photos and improve your photography.
What is your subject?
The most important part of composition is having a clearly defined subject. Decide what the photo is about and hone in on that. It may be a single person in a crowd, or an abandoned house sitting in a rustic landscape. Whatever you decide to make the subject of your photo, decide how to emphasize it and go from there. Choose whether to include other elements in an image based on weather they say something about your subject or not. For example, you may wish to include that huge tree standing near your abandoned house to give scale to the image. On the other hand, you might decide to leave it out if you want the house to appear larger. What you leave out of an image is as important as what you include.
Rule of Thirds
Firstly, what is it? Using the rule of thirds means to divide the scene into thirds horizontally and vertically, so you have an imaginary 9 square grid, and place your subject along one of these lines. Generally this produces a composition that is more pleasing to the eye. Some photographers stick religiously to this rule and others intentionally break it every time they take a photo. Me? I'm somewhere in the middle. I believe that there are times when the rule works best and other times when it leaves the image looking a little bland. So my advice on this is learn the rule and practice with it, but also practice breaking it.
Get creative
Being a travel photographer, I often end up in places that have been photographed before. In fact, in this age of high volume digital photography, it is nearly impossible to find a subject that hasn't been covered comprehensively. This presents a challenge: to come up with a new take on an old subject. To make your images stand out you need to do something different. Often this means looking for different angles. Something new and fresh. This might mean getting down on the ground for a low viewpoint, or tilting your camera on an angle to create a new perspective. Whatever your tactics, always strive to do something that hasn't been done. One of my favorite methods is to look at pictures others have taken of your subject before you shoot and think what the opposite viewpoint would be.
Composition can be a simple task. But is essential to understand what makes a good composition rise above a bad one. Like with everything else, the more you practice the easier it will come to you. Eventually it will become so ingrained that you will do it without realizing you are doing it. It is simply a matter of experimenting and finding what works for you.

There is a dizzying array of choices when it comes to choosing lenses for SLR cameras. From wide angle to telephoto, zoom to prime lenses, fish eye, fast lenses, wide aperture lenses, the choice seems to be impossible. It's not really. What it comes down to is asking yourself a simple question: What do I want to shoot?
Different Lenses for Different Subjects
If you are just beginning in photography, chances are you are still experimenting and finding out what you like to shoot. You might shoot a few family portraits one day and landscapes from your holidays the next. On the other hand, you may have decided right from the start that you love taking photos of wild animals and this is all you want to do. Either way, the lenses required to get the best out of these subjects differ greatly. To fit an expansive landscape image into your viewfinder, you would need a wide angle lens. However, trying to take a portrait with the same lens would result in a tiny little person and not much else in the frame unless you are right in that person's face and smelling their breath. While trying to take a picture of a wild bear from 100 or more meters away is just impossible (and you really don't want to get any closer to a wild bear). In a perfect world you would have 3 different lenses for each of these subjects. But in a perfect world you'd also be a millionaire and be able to afford them all. So the thing to do is to decide what type of photography interests you and choose your lenses accordingly.
Length: Zoom versus Prime
There are benefits to using both zoom lenses and prime (fixed or non zoom) lenses. On one hand, zoom lenses are versatile, and reduce the need for a whole bag full of lenses that you need to change and change again while you are out shooting. On the other hand, a good quality prime lens can be gold. Prime lenses, if they are well built, generally produce a crisper, better quality image. This is because they have fewer pieces of glass and moveable parts. Therefore the light coming in doesn't need to pass through as many objects and so is less diffused. The other great advantage of prime lenses is that because of this, they tend to be "faster" than zoom lenses. Practically, this means that you can use slower shutter speeds as the lens needs less light to create a correct exposure. This is especially useful if you want to take portraits with available light.
Aperture
Another important factor to consider when choosing your lens is its maximum aperture. This is indicated in the description by an f symbol. Eg. f/2.8. The lower this number, the wider your aperture choices. For example, if you want to take a portrait with only your subject's facial features in focus, you would use a wide aperture. If you want to take a sweeping landscape where everything needs to be in focus you would use a narrow (high number) aperture. Selecting a lens with a wider aperture gives you more options when out shooting.
It is well known that lenses can cost as much, or more, than cameras themselves. It is also worth noting that with lenses you get what you pay for. While no piece of equipment can singularly make the difference between a good photo and a bad one, a well built lens using quality glass, can lead to sharper pictures. Therefore it is worth considering the lenses you buy carefully and investing in the best quality you can afford. Knowing what sort of photography you want to pursue can make this process a whole lot less daunting and more cost effective.

Making your own soap is a lot of fun. I love making my own soap for myself and also giving it as gifts to family and friends. If you're interested in making your own soap but not sure where to start, here's a brief explanation of the three different soap making processes:
1. Cold Process
Cold process soap making is really making soap from scratch. The three basic ingredients you'll need to make soap this way are water, oils and sodium hydroxide (lye). Lye is classed as a hazardous material. It can burn skin on contact. When using lye you need to be extremely careful and take all safety precautions, such as wearing safety goggles, protective gloves, clothing and shoes. You also need to ensure you use a stainless steel saucepan and have separate containers for the storing of lye and measuring cups, etc just for soap making.
It's very important you use a good recipe if making soap this way that tells you all the precautions you need to take when using lye; such as mixing the water and lye outside or in a very well ventilated area. The mixing of water and lye first produces a steam so toxic that it can burn your lungs.
You need to be very responsible when handling lye and it does sound scary, so a lot of soap making beginners prefer starting off making their own soap by the following two methods.
2. Handmilled or Rebatched Method
This method involves the grating of ready made soap (so there's no lye to worry about) that is then melted with added water. You can add your own additives, such as flower petals, herbs, lavender, oatmeal, spices, soap colors and fragrance. Then you pour it into soap molds and leave to set. This can take 24 hours but for a truly hardened soap it can take up to two weeks.
3. Melt and Pour Method
In my experience, this is the easiest method to use if you're a beginner. Melt and pour soap comes in ready made soap blocks (no lye to deal with). You just melt it, either in the microwave or double boiler, add your soap color, fragrance and optional additives, pour it into the mold and leave it to set for a few hours. Once it's set it's ready to use!
When making soap by any of the methods above, it's important you use a good recipe so you get the measurements of the soap, colourings, fragrances and additives right. It's also important that you don't accidentally splash yourself when dealing with a hot, melted soap mixture.
Soap making is addictive. Once you make your first successful batch, you don't want to stop! So why not get started on your soap making journey today?

This year, many people around the globe will send Christmas cards to share holiday greetings with family and friends. The annual holiday letter has become a popular method for folks to stay in touch and update their circle of acquaintances with family news and events. These traditional cards and letters have evolved over the generations to become the newsletters and greetings that they are today. But there is a long history of the Christmas cards that goes back beyond the modern society to an entirely different century and culture.
England was the country that saw the first Christmas card more than 150 years ago. In 1843, a man by the name of Sir Henry Cole wanted to find a way to alert his friends to the plight of the poor that Christmas season. He commissioned John Calcott Horsley to paint the first Christmas card with a picture of a happy family surrounded by people helping the poor and needy. The sentiment inside the card simply read, "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." This simple greeting card was the humble beginnings of what has become a multi-million dollar industry today.
Although Americans were quick to jump on the Christmas card bandwagon, there were no Christmas cards available for purchase in this country for the first 30 years of the trend. Instead, people had to have their cards shipped from England. However, in 1875 that all changed, when a German immigrant named Louis Prang opened his own lithograph shop and sold the first line of American-made cards. Within six years this industrious entrepreneur was producing more than five million cards every year! Today, collectors still enjoy his work with many winter scenes, glowing fireplaces and playing children. You can still find copies of these cards in a variety of collections today.
We have come a long way since the beginnings of Christmas cards. Today, you can find Christmas cards in all shapes and sizes; from the spiritual to the humorous and everything in between. You can also find cards for any of the holidays that are celebrated during this time of the year, allowing many to send warm wishes whether they celebrate Christmas or another holiday. Sending Christmas cards and letters has become a holiday tradition for many families, and the source of many humorous anecdotes in this country. But the best part of Christmas cards is to share the wishes and greetings of the season and to keep in touch with friends and family members that you may not have the chance to see or talk to otherwise.
Modern Christmas cards can be bought individually but are usually sold in packs of the same or varied designs. A revival of interest in paper crafts, particularly scrapbooking, has raised the status of the homemade card and made available an array of tools for stamping, punching and cutting. Advances in digital photography and printing have provided a more technological way to personalize cards with photos, messages, or clip art. Technology may also be responsible for the decline of the Christmas card. The estimated number of cards received by American households dropped from 29 in 1987 to 20 in 2004. Email and telephones allow for more frequent contact and are easier for generations raised without handwritten letters - especially given the availability of websites offering free email Christmas cards.

Before you do anything else you have to determine what party style you have. You have a to look within yourself in the way you dress the food you needs where you feel comfortable. Consider your likes and dislikes. Think about the last party you attended and remember what is it that made you feel good at the party, what was it that made you feel uncomfortable.
In terms of your decoration you should have colors that make you feel good. If green is a color that makes you feel comfortable you should make gift part of your decoration. If you're not sure about what colors make you feel relaxed just look through your closet.
You should also consider what kind of environments make you fill comfortable. If you are a homebody you may be better off having the party in your house. But if you enjoy spending an afternoon at a park you may have a better time organizing a party that takes place in a local park. If the beach is your favorite place, a beach party may be the best fit for you.
What kind of activity you will have at your party should be determined by the things you like to do. Do you enjoy watching movies? If yes, you can have a party where you and your friends can enjoy a good movie together. In addition, you could have your party themed around movie. For example, if the party has to do with the sea you may have an ocean themed party. The declaration, the food, the party favors, everything that you do and prepare for your party could revolve around the ocean theme.
Do you enjoy cooking? If yes, you can prepare your favorite food for your guests. If you don't particularly enjoy cooking, you have several options. One, you can ask each guest to bring something they prepared themselves. Such a party makes for a great potluck. Another option is for you to order out. Pizza is the obvious choice, but there are many restaurants offer food delivery. So, you can be very creative when it comes to ordering out. Yet another option is to ask some of your guests to help with the cooking. Of course, you don't want to start cooking roast beef half hour before the beginning of your party. But, but simple meals can be prepared quickly with the help of your friends. Who knows, with the help of your friends cooking may not be such a drag after all.

Actors, athletes and mass murderers - it takes all sorts to drive lorries. With brief details of their involvement in the trade and subsequent celebrity, here is a countdown of the top 10 stars who worked as lorry drivers before they were famous, with varying degrees of success.
# 10 Chris Tarrant:
This radio and television presenter, best known for hosting the TV game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?', pursued a number of jobs before finding his feet in television. Tarrant's former roles include long-distance lorry driver, security officer and schoolteacher.
# 9 Chris Eubank:
Chris Eubank is notable for being the only member of our list to have taken up lorry driving after he become famous. October 2003 saw a politically motivated Eubank descending on Whitehall in his personal HGV to protest against the war in Iraq. The former world middleweight champion boxer ended up being arrested for blocking the entrance gates to Downing Street, driving around Parliament Square sounding his horn, with a knife in his pocket, and reversing into a delivery van.
# 8 Rock Hudson:
Hudson was a popular American film and television actor and a romantic leading man in the 1950s and 1960s. During WW II, Hudson served as a Navy airplane mechanic and after the war he was a truck driver. His size and good looks got him into movies.
# 7 Chevy Chase:
Our number seven is an Emmy Award-winning American comedian, writer, and television and film actor. Before his breakthrough as a comedian, Chase worked as a truck driver, cab driver, motorcycle messenger, waiter, busboy, construction worker, audio engineer, produce manager in a supermarket, salesman in a wine store and theatre usher.
# 6 Long Distance Clara:
The only woman on our list and, unfortunately, fictional, juggernaut-driving Clara was the star of 80s children's cartoon 'Pigeon Street'. Some see Long Distance Clara as an unsung feminist icon - her marriage to chef Hugo demonstrated a refreshing reversal of gender stereotypes.
# 5 Charles Bronson:
Charles Bronson was an American actor of 'tough guy' roles who made his name starring in a number of major Hollywood flicks including 'The Great Escape' and 'The Dirty Dozen'. Before becoming famous, Bronson was drafted into the army and was assigned to the Air Corps in 1943. He started as a truck driver and then trained as a pilot, winning awards for good service.
# 4 Richard Pryor:
Pryor was the first African American stand-up comedian to speak candidly to mixed audiences using the language and jokes of the black community. He worked in numerous jobs before finding fame, including truck driving and meatpacking.
# 3 Liam Neeson:
Liam Neeson is a movie star most well known for his role as Oskar Schindler in the 1993 blockbuster 'Schindler's List'. Irish-born Neeson once worked as a truck driver as well as a forklift operator for Guinness, an assistant architect and an amateur boxer.
# 2 Sean Connery:
This retired Scottish actor is best known for starring as James Bond in seven Bond films. Heart-throb Connery joined the Royal Navy after leaving school but was discharged on medical grounds. He went on to a succession of jobs, including lorry driver, labourer and lifeguard.
# 1 Elvis Presley:
The American singer, musician, actor and cultural icon took up truck driving as one of his jobs after graduation. The future 'King' drove a truck for the aptly named 'Crown Electric Company'. Presley even took up wearing his hair longer with a 'ducktail' - the style of truck drivers at the time. A musician for whom a young Elvis Presley auditioned advised him to 'Stick to driving a truck, because you'll never make it as a singer'.
The Mass Murderer - Peter Sutcliffe:
Quite possibly the most evil and deranged presence in the history of lorry driving, the 'Yorkshire Ripper' is far too nasty to make it into our top 10. Between 1975 and 1984, this lorry driver and former gravedigger killed 13 women in a five-year reign of terror before being sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in jail. On his arrest, Sutcliffe claimed that God had told him to go out and kill prostitutes. A sad blemish on the good name of lorry driving.
Celebrities who were lorry drivers before they were famous - a heady mixture of the talented, the eccentric, the unpleasant and the downright brilliant. Who knows what magical creatures are sitting behind the wheels of our country's lorries today?

You always wanted to learn how to fly a helicopter right? Well, don't just seat there in envy as you watch those normal people fly and enjoy flying. You have to take the first step to get yourself on the stick. You have to enroll on helicopter flight training. Don't know how?
Here are the things you should know when you are considering enrolling for a helicopter flight training:
The cost.
Upon considering the idea of enrolling for helicopter flight training, the first question you should ask yourself is: Do I have the money? Since flight training involves expensive machine you have to pay to use, you need to make sure that you can maintain the cost. This is a long-term engagement so before you take flight training you have to make sure that you have enough resources up to the end. Meanwhile, there are flight training schools that offer financial assistance to trainees like you. You can search for this information on the training school site.
Finding and selecting flight training school that fits you.
Finding a flight training school may be easy. Here you should consider the cost, the proximity to your place, and the programs they offer. Selecting one involves more criteria.
When selecting a flight training school, it is not enough that you base it on the cost the program. Since you are the student and you are paying big time here, make sure that you check on the eligibility of the flight school you are considering. Weight the school on the criteria of maintenance capability, safety record, and pilot management. You should also talk to your possible flight instructor. Know if the instructor fits your personality. Remember that you will be spending many hours with each other so you better choose one who is fun to be with.
The flight medical certificate.
One important paper you should have if you want to fly is the flight medical certificate. Without it, you can never fly. There are 3 kinds of flight medical certificate: first class medical that is required for an Airline Transport Pilot, second class medical that is required to fly commercial, and the third class medical for private flying.
It is very frustrating if you have finished the training but failed to acquire any of these medical certificates so be sure about that you obtain one before the training.
Do your homework and research on all these 3.

Born in 1770, Ludvig van Beethoven was one of only three of his parents' seven offspring children to survive infancy. Yet the world of music owes this chance event an immeasurable amount, because he would go on to be one of a handful of composers to grace the art form with a style and quality that is truly unique. His father was his first music teacher, a proficient tenor, and his grandfather on the paternal side had been Kappelmeister at the court of Clemens August of Bavaria. Music was in his blood, and he started playing viola and organ at a very early age, although he was not a prodigy in the Mozart mould - despite his father's attempts to declare that Ludwig was seven for an early performance when he was in fact nine. However he was certainly a talented youngster, and published his first three piano sonatas in 1783. He died in 1827 and it is said that as many as 30,000 people attended his funeral procession.
How Beethoven's deafness has helped interpreters
Beethoven's genius is merely underlined by the fact that he started to lose his hearing in his late twenties, yet continued through intense frustration and anguish to compose some of music's most complex and beautiful pieces. For the historian and student of his music, however, the composer's deafness created a unique opportunity to appreciate the composer. Because he could not take part in an oral conversation, he would carry with him notebooks and have conversations with people in writing. These people could be performers, conductors, students or masters, and the notes survive today to give a unique insight into not only the man, but his art, too - among his notes are specific instructions on how to play many of his compositions and descriptions of his emotional state and day-to-day life, all of which are priceless to the modern interpreter.
Beethoven's major piano works
During Beethoven's life, the piano as an instrument became much more accepted as an instrument, partly due to technological enhancements that meant a piano could hold its own with a full orchestra whilst retaining its warmth, tone, sustain and power in the chamber setting. The harpsichords, spinets and clavichords of the past would eventually lose popularity among composers and audiences. The timing could not have been more perfect for Beethoven; he would become a master at both performing on and composing for the piano. He is usually regarded as having composed five piano concertos, although his piano arrangement of his Violin Concerto in D Major is sometimes referred to as his Piano Concerto No. 6. Beethoven was a prolific composer of piano sonatas; altogether there are 32 of them, and many are well known, even among people with no interest in classical music. His best known piano sonatas are "Moonlight", "Waldstein", "Pathйtique" and "Pastoral" (not to be confused with his Pastoral Symphony). He also left copious amounts of chamber music, much of which had a piano (or more than one piano) as an integral part, along with his string quartets, duos and quintets.