24 April 2012
Our current issue of Digital
Camera arrived yesterday. I like the
mag and Jan was so impressed with it that she arranged a subscription for
it. When I read these mags I want to
rush out and try all the skills they cover.
I’m the same with Amateur
Photographer too. Then I hit the big
brick wall! Which one shall I try? There are so many of them that at times I can
get a tad lost in it all.
I’m thinking of going out for a few hours soon, just a ride
down through the park and around to Sainsburys for some salad bits for dinner
tonight. The weather isn’t all that good
though with fairly low cloud cover with a brief murky look at blue sky. That means changing all the settings on me Alpha
350 if I do go. I stayed in all day
yesterday because the weather forecast was for rain all day – yet we didn’t get
any until later afternoon and even then it was raining for long. I could do with going anyway cos AP is out today. Speaking of which …
One of the items I like in the photo-mags is the one where a
staffer meets up with a reader and helps them improve the snapping. It’s called The Photo Fixer in DC. I’ve always fancied going on one of those but
because of my limited mobility and having to use a scooter to get around, so I
haven’t actually applied yet. But I will
do so soon I’m sure.
The issue of disability is a huge one even just for day to day
life. Add in hobbies like photography
and birding (both of which I love), then it becomes even more difficult. In most places councils have seen the problem
and have provided dropped kerbs. That’s
fine in towns and cities here in the UK, but abroad things are not so
good. But actually, they are not all
that good in some areas of the UK either.
Morecombe being one in particular we were not impressed with. Zoos are good as long as they not built on
hills as is Belfast Zoo and Dudley Zoo.
Town parks are usually good too.
But get out in the countryside and we have major problems in most
areas. All the best photo sites are in
areas where it is extremely difficult if not impossible for disabled snapper to
get to. The Lake District, Peak
District, the Scottish Highlands, Dartmoor and so on are on the whole no go
areas for us scooter users. But even locally
there are problems.
Brandon Marsh is the HQ for Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. There is a safe and accessible pathway around
part of the site but to my mind the best areas for birds and photos are not accessible
at all to scooter or wheelchairs. And so it goes on.
Another item in the photo mags I like is the readers’ letters. In the new DC the start letter is about buying a camera at a lower price from aboard
than you can get it here in the UK. The
writer paid £850(ish) for his new Canon and now found out that seeing it was
bought from abroad Canon are unlikely to honour the warranty for it … opps …
not such a good but then. A second
letter fits me to tee! One of the joys
of reading these mags is the first rate photos in them. Many a time I have looked at some of the
images and thought, “That’s it – I give up!”
I just can’t see myself getting any shots like them. Ian Hamilton was feeling the same until he
bought DC and used the enclosed DVD
with it. Now he has subscribed to it as
well.
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