Updating yesterday's blog post with more info and pics

This morning went on the internet, updating yesterday's blog because I couldn't be bothered to put much detail in it last night because I was sleepy and wanted to go to bed. First I updated it by adding details on the different self standing monopods. Then I wanted to add details on the fisheye portrait flash setups. I wanted to upload the relevant pics to Flickr so I could link to them from the blog entry and also have them on Flickr. But first I thought I should upload one of the pics to deviantart that Mac suggested.

So I went on deviantart a bit and caught up on the last few days daily deviations. One of the DDs was a really good splash photo, and they had put a link to their blog in the description, so I visited their blog and read all their posts. Unfortunately all their posts were about what they were doing rather than how they do it, so it wasn't that useful, but they are a really good photographer so it was nice looking at all their great images including potraits, landscapes and macros.

After all that I finally uploaded the pic to deviantart, I would thumbnail link to it here but it seems deviant art won't let me, it just says

On the Web

• Not available for this deviation

After lunch I uploaded some fisheye potrait flash pics to Flickr. I wanted to go on my email to see what the correct name for the small inflatable softbox is, so I could add it to the tags and photo description on Flickr. But when I went on the MSN website I started reading A Decade of Internet Superstars: Where Are They Now? and watching/listening/reading the videos/soundclips/websites linked to in the articles. Partway through doing that Clare asked if I could take Ben out on a walk shortly so he could get some exercise.

So I rebuilt my fisheye portrait flash setup for outdoor use and went up the hill on the way to Lubenham and took a few photos. I found that:

• The setup is not suitable for close-ups of flowers etc. as the flash is too far away from the lens and so not enough light gets to the subject.
• If Ben was standing in sunlight, then the sunlight is still the main light source and the flash/camera can cast nasty shadows on him. To fix this, try to move in front of the sun so you're blocking the sunlight from falling on his face.
• The flash on the side of the face that is towards the sun should have the least power (as otherwise that side of the face will be too bright).
• On the camera LCD the pics often looked quite dark (especially the landscape not lit by the flash), but on my PC they look fine.
  

When we got back from the walk I finished reading and checking the linked items on A Decade of Internet Superstars: Where Are They Now?. After reading/watching/listening to all that (the one red paperclip website took the longest time to read), I started writing this blog entry before I forgot what I'd done so far today.

I got into my email and searched for dealextreme to bring up the emails from them, but none of them actually say what I'd ordered, just to login to dealextreme for order tracking. So I tried to login to my account at dealextreme, but their site seems to be down. I did search on dealextreme for 'inflatable' earlier, but that didn't come up with the item I'd bought from them. Then I remembered that my spreadsheet of all the photography gear I own/want would have the title of the product copied off the dealextreme website on it. So I opened that up and apparently it's just called 'Air Inflated Camera Flash Diffuser'. I googled for this, and the dealextreme page is coming up in the results (obviously won't load though since their website is down) and also an ebay page selling 'Flash Diffuser Softbox for Sunpak Sigma Metz Vivitar', so I think I might as well call it 'Inflatable softbox' in my Flickr description.

After tagging up the photos on Flickr it was dinner time. After dinner I googled about using the PC sync socket and onboard flash, and found a thread a photo.net saying that it doesn't work on the D300 but replies seemed to imply that it did work on the D200. So I double checked that it doesn't work on my D200, then signed up to photo.net and added a reply there to see if anyone would tell me how to get it to work on a D200.

Then I added the fisheye potrait flash pics I'd uploaded to Flickr to yesterday's blog post. I caught up on dpreview canon lens forum posts, moosenewsblog and Andy Rouse's blog. After that I did a japanese lesson, but it had quite a few new words and I can't remember them so I think I'll have to do it again tomorrow.

Food
Breakfast: Orange marmalade toast sandwich; orange juice.
Lunch: 2x slices of bread maker made bread; mature cheddar cheese sandwich with bread maker made bread; satsuma; piece of Tiramisu; cup o' tea.
Dinner: Meatballs; pasta; mixed veg. Pudding was apple pie wit custard. Coffee; Roses.
Supper: Orange marmalade toast sandwich; cup o' tea.