People, horses and underground photography

Just to give you an idea of the sort of high standards my students have reached, I have posted here some photographs by Maria Falconer and Mark Esling. The pictures were taken during our latest photography holiday in Menorca. Both photographers have been to Menorca before, in fact, this was Maria’s third time. Each time she produces a fantastic set of photographs, and this year was no exception.

It is worth mentioning that although some of the photographers on these holidays have reach a very high standard, beginners are definitely not excluded. This may surprise some of you, and you may think that this will hold back the more advanced in the group, but the system works extremely well. You see, these holidays are very much about sharing, and having an enjoyable experience. No one is left out, and everyone is encouraged to produce pictures way above the level they think they can achieve. The results can be seen in my recent posts – in particular the pictures by Jeanette Suddard. Jeanette was a complete novice at the beginning of the week when she arrived in Menorca, but the pictures she produced by the end of the week demonstrate very clearly what can be done with tuition and encouragement in a relaxed atmosphere.

Maria Falconer has been coming to me for coaching for four years and she is now a highly competent photographer who is taking on many commissions. As the two portraits here show, Maria is a very gifted people photographer. However, her close-up of the horse’s teeth is an indication of her enquiring mind and her persistence once she gets a picture idea in her head. In fact I am trying to adjust Maria’s way of getting so utterly wrapped up in one aspect of a visual situation that she might easily miss out on other outstanding picture opportunities. I have no doubt she will work this out of her system very soon. Her pictures have a sensitivity and vitality that I find very refreshing and hugely rewarding.

Maria would love to hear from you on the forum she moderates – this was actually started by a group of photographers who came to Menorca, but anyone with an interest in good photography is welcome.

This was Mark Esling’s second trip to Menorca. He is the sort of chap who works away quietly and happily in almost any situation until he gets the picture he wants. He is very determined to achieve good pictures because he gets so much pleasure from photography.

His picture of the horse being hosed down with water after a race is an absolute corker. He shot straight into the light and this backlight has highlighted the spray. But, for me, the most important aspect f the shot is the timing. That horse is relishing the treatment and it shows.

His picture in the underground labyrinth of the old fort of La Mola is another cracker. The exposure is spot on and the composition just about perfect. La Mola is a regular location for our photography in Menorca, but the place is so vast that each time we go we see new places and things to photograph.

I have put together a short video of the photographers in Menorca and next week I will post it on YouTube and embed it in the blog. It should give you a real taste of the things we photograph and how much fun we have.

Photography holiday in Menorca

Photographs by Jeanette Suddard

Well, we came to the end of another photography holiday in Menorca the other day, and I think I can say that everyone had a wonderful time. There was just one new student in the group this time – Jeanette. She came with partner Phil, who has been to me for tuition in Scotland. Of course, Jeanette was naturally nervous to begin with because she is a beginner, but she quickly realised that the way I run these photography holidays is anything but formal.

And what fantastic progress Jeanette made over the week. At the start she had no understanding at all about shutter speeds or apertures; knew nothing about colour temperature, the direction of light or depth of field. However, Jeanette possessed the most vital ingredients for successful photography – she had a natural eye for a picture, she was mad keen to learn, and she just loved taking photographs.

I would like to think that after just one week working with me and with the help of all the others in the group – these holidays really are a sharing experience – Jeanette is now well along the way to becoming not only a competent photographer, but a photographer who can capture something special.

I’ll be showing you some of the pictures taken by the group in forthcoming posts – I think you will agree that some of the shots are really outstanding. But that is to be expected when among the team were regular Photoactive snappers Ken Terry and Maria Falconer. Some of their photographs are just superb. Among the subjects tackled and the places visited were underground chambers, a winery at Binifadet, and a horse trotting event. We worked in a whole variety of light including flash and mixed temperature light - just wait till you see some of the pictures that were produced.

The top photograph shows just how well Jeanette’s eye was working. She spotted this dramatic shot as we were waiting for the daylight to fade and the street lights to come on so that we could photograph ‘mixed light’.

The bottom photograph demonstrates a keen eye for pattern and colour… very well done Jeanette

Canon Ixus 960IS

My little Canon Ixus 700 has expired. I suppose it was my own fault, I put it in its soft case and attached it to my belt before donning old waterproof clothes and tackling a heavy outdoor job in torrential rain. After a couple of hours it was just as wet inside the waterproofs as it was out. My little camera drowned quietly in bed. The lens steamed up and refuses to come out to play, and it now raises only a pathetic bleat when I switch it on. I’ve tried taking out the battery and drying the camera out it in the airing cupboard, but to no avail.

Once I certified it as dead I immediately set about finding a replacement. It had to be just about the same size and weight as the old Ixus 700, but higher on pixels. Eventually I chose another Ixus – the 960IS.

It has been on my belt now for just over a couple of weeks and I am, so far delighted with the camera.

2
I really got chance to try it out the other day when I visited a Bloody Island in Mahon Harbour, on Menorca. I was there to explore new locations for my photography holidays in Menorca.

The camera behaved beautifully and did everything I could have wished. Even interior shots in very difficult light conditions proved no problem with judicious adjustment of the exposure compensation control in the ‘M’ Manual mode. This ‘M’ is not a true manual mode as it does not enable you to change the aperture or shutter speeds – it’s a sort of half-way house. But if you can work within the limitations, it is perfectly adequate for many situations.

One of the secrets of getting outstanding quality with these small cameras is to keep the ISO as low as possible. When the ISO is raised to the maximum 1600 on this Ixus 960IS, the results are, to be kind – noisy. However, there are some situations when in order to get a picture with any sort of atmosphere (avoiding flash), that noise just might be a price worth paying.

So far I’m pleased with the Ixus 960IS and its 12 Mega pixels are providing me with some excellent quality images.

3

The camera was bought from Amazon for £222. Postage free.

Top photograph

The IS (Image stabilisation) has worked well – this shot was hand-held at 1/4sec. ISO200 and it is very sharp. I ave desaturated the colour in Photoshop because I think bw adds to the interest of the picture

Photograph 2

The Canon Ixus 960IS

Photograph 3

The Ixus 960IS has coped very well with the wide range of light strengths in this situation. I simply set the Exposure Compensation value to minus 1.5 to achieve even results and not ‘burn out’ the stronger light through the doorway

Photograph 4

Exactly what a compact camera is good for – giving you the ability to capture those fleeting moments without the hassle of carrying a heavy camera. This shot was snapped from a boat as it left Bloody Island, Menorca

4

Colour and light

This well-hidden corner in the old town of Cuitedella in Menorca must have been photographed countless times by different groups of my students during the photography holidays I run on the island. I just can't see how a photographer could possibly walk past this place without raising a camera. It positively demands your attention because of those wonderful colours.

 

However, it is never easy to photograph. The first problem is lack of space; you just cannot get back far enough. This tiny little square is very small indeed, and even with a wide angle lens equivalent to 24mm, it is difficult to include as much in the composition as you would like. Use a lens any wider and the distortions completely ruin the atmosphere of the scene. The answer to this, of course, is to decide which particular elements of the scene you find most interesting, and concentrate on those. In other words, careful cropping in the viewfinder.

 

Then there is the difficulty of parked motor scooters and bicycles. On occasions these can add to the interest, but this very much depends on the type and visual appeal of the bikes that are parked there some are more interesting to look at than others.

 

The last problem is the light this photograph was taken around midday with the sun very high so that it shines down into the narrow square, which is surrounded by houses in a narrow back street. The downside of this type of light is the strong shadows and high contrast. But it does have the advantage of bringing texture to the wall, and addng shadow patterns across the cobles.

 

I like this subject best of all on a sunny day when the sun does not shine directly down on it in the morning or afternoon. Then it is very bright, but soft, emphasising the reds in the wall, and the green of the leaves and the wooden bench. You need to adjust you White Balance (WB) in these conditions using Cloudy, Shade or Custom settings.

 

Blue, red and green is a powerful colour combination at the best of times, and when those colours are combined with simple outline shapes the tree, archway and the bench. An interesting image should result.

Photography holiday video

Below is a short video I have put together of some of the photographers on my latest photography holiday in Menorca. It includes several of their photographs and also some of mine. La Mola is an extraordinary place. The old fortifications guarding the entrance to Mahon harbour. The whole place is just bursting with photo opportunities.
So enjoy the video and the photographs - The next holiday will be in September and there are still a few places available.

A photograph for the ladies

I keep rattling on about how pleasant and relaxed it is to photograph people here in Menorca. In all the years I have been coming here and whenever I bring my groups of photographers for the photography holidays, there has never been a problem.

Maybe the ultimate in the laid-back attitude was demonstrated the other day when we were taking pictures on a beach and one of the ladies in my group - she shall remain nameless here - spotted the gentleman above. The lady in question told me at the start of the holiday that her favourite subject was photographing flowers, but as a people photographer she seems to have hidden talents. I particularly like the way she was completely unphazed by the fact that the young man baring his bottom had spotted her before she took the picture.

I've said it before but I will say it again... when your subject spots you taking a photograph - press the button again. It is often the response of the subject to being photographed that can make a good photograph.

Oh, it's worth mentioning that none of the blokes on the holiday thought it worthwhile pointing their cameras at this particular subject.

Menorca Photography Holiday

Our photography group has just had a walk to a small fishing village along the coast where they spotted a great photo opportunity when a local artist arrived and set up his easel under the trees at the back of the beach.

My group was on him like a rash.

He was delightfully helpful and welcomed the attention. Quite a surprise for photographers more used to the attitudes that attitudes that prevail in UK at the moment. One thing for sure here in Menorca is that photographers are made welcome by people who are pleased to be photographed.

The biggest problem with this shot was where the artist had positioned himself under the trees in the shade - careful exposure was needed in order not to 'burn-out' the highlight. I always prefer to under expose a little then bring up the shadows in Photoshop's levels and with the 'dodge' tool.

Anyway here's a snap of some of the group - some of whom seem to be more laid-back than others - and a picture of Pedro, the artist himself.

How to add colourful foregrounds

It's tough job, but someone has to do it - I have a group of photographers with me in Menorca at the moment and what a lively bunch they are. All levels of experience, but all dead keen.

Today we’ve been out on the island visiting a farm – not a tourist in sight – before taking a walk around the interesting little town of Mercadel. There’s a white-painted church there and I have often photographed it before. But in front of the church used to be some cactus which could be used as a really dramatic foreground. Someone has ‘improved’ things by cutting down these cactus and replacing them with a hideous concrete path with lights that look like small dustbins. Without a good foreground the church appears very plain and uninteresting from the outside.

Not to be beaten, I simple found a bunch of wild poppies – they are weeds here – cut a few off and held them in front of the camera. The idea being to give great splodges of red colour with the white church in the background. I thought the combination of bright red, white and blue might make a colourful shot. It did, and I was quite pleased with the results.

A travel photographer might not always find a perfect foreground for a photograph of a well-known building or scene - sometime there may be no foreground at all. So this is a really old and well-proven trick to bring vitality to your pictures on these occasions.

My group of snappers saw the results of this simple technique and, of course, they all wanted to try for themselves.

The top picture shows my original photograph. You really don’t need to bother about depth of field with this type of shot. Just splash the colour across your picture in the same way a painter would use a large brush. The flowers do not need to be sharp or in focus.

The centre photograph shows Ande and Cathy helping each other achieve a similar result.

The lower photograph shows Peter going solo with the same technique.

Photoactive Photographer's group

Photograph by Paul Lipman



I am proud of the fact that some of my former students started a discussion group through which they share pictures and information. The group's first photo project has been completed and yesterday I had the job of commenting and 'critting' the pictures and of choosing my favourite picture. This was not a competition, just a project aimed at getting everyone out there taking more photographs. It is open to all levels.

I have to say the results were fantastic, and I have posted my personal favourite here. This doesn't mean it is the best photograph, just the one I connect to most of all. It was taken by Paul Lipman, who has been to me here in Scotland for tuition and also been on one of my holidays in Menorca. Paul has a natural talent and all I can say about this picture is - I wish I had taken it myself. It's a cracker.

This morning Paul emailed me to say:

"I was thinking of you when I took the man and dog picture!
You mentioned in one of your blogs(hate that term!) how you saw a man walking down the road and arranged to be at the point where he came upto a green door. I did the same thing with the entrance to the rear of the old building."

Well that does my heart good, Paul. It's always great to know when the teaching pays off.

Well done Paul and all the rest of the group. Great stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of the next project - but it will now be Paul's job to decide what that will be.


If you would like to join in with the group, you'll find it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/photoactive_photographers/

You will be given a very warm welcome.

Photography Weekend place available

Due to a late cancellation I now have one place available for the Photography Weekend on 7th - 9th March. The theme is portraiture with both available light and flash.

Full details on my website

http://www.photoactive.co.uk

You'll really enjoy this one, but do let me know asap.

Photography holidays and weekends

Okay, so I hope you enjoy the technique tips – well now it’s time you put up with a bit of promotion for the photography holidays and weekends I run here in SW Scotland and in Menorca, Spain.

All these events are designed to be instructive and a great deal of fun. If you would like to read some comments about them, just click here.

www.photoactive.co.uk/tuition/learn02.htm

If you want any further details, please refer to my website for all contact details.

www.photoactive.co.uk/

It would be great to have you with us.

Photography Weekend
7th -9th March at The Cally Palace Hotel, Gatehouse - the theme will be portraiture, both with and without flash £399 including all accommodation, meals and tuition

Full details at www.photoactive.co.uk/kbt_groups/kbt_groups_cally.htm

Photography Holiday Menorca 1

2nd-9th May
Still some places available. The theme will be travel photography.

We do not 'suffer for our art' - we stay in a beautiful 4 star hotel!

www.photoactive.co.uk/menorca/menorca01.htm

Photography Holiday Menorca 2
19th-26th September
The second of our Photography Holidays in Menorca. We will visit different locations, but the theme of Travel Photography will be the same.
www.photoactive.co.uk/menorca/menorca01.htm

Photography Weekend

October 31st - November 2nd 2008

At the Cally Palace Hotel
www.photoactive.co.uk/kbt_groups/kbt_groups_cally.htm

Photography Weekend

November 28th - 30th 2008

At the Selkirk Arms Hotel
http://www.photoactive.co.uk/kbt_groups/kbt_groups_selk.htm

Oh, the pictures show some of the photographers at work in Menorca - the top pictures is of Jan getting a little help from one of the locals. And that's me in the white tee-shirt pulling George's camera to bits... or was I putting it back together again?

Photographing older people - part 1

It’s an old saying that a person has the face he deserves by the age of forty. Maybe these days sixty would be more appropriate. Certainly as far as photography is concerned, the older a person gets the more of their life story will be etched into their features – and this means that older people make natural and fascinating subjects for portraiture. The sensitive photographer should be able to capture the essence of a person’s personality and of course this will be that much easier if you have a good, expressive face to photograph.

Remember, an understanding of light is your most important tool and most vital asset; its direction, quality and colour. The direction of light that can most often enhance texture, shape and form is sidelight. So it stands to reason that if you are photographing an elderly person and you want to emphasise the lines and wrinkles of that person’s skin – its texture – then side light can come in very useful. However, like everyone else, some older people can be extraordinarily vain, and will not take too kindly to photographs that make them look decrepit. So a degree of diplomacy may be needed if a photography session is to go smoothly. If you want to take a more flattering picture, try using backlight and reflect it back into the subjects features with a white reflector. We touched on this simple technique when I wrote about the Quality of Light.

I love photographing children because of their natural innocence and charm – they can be very funny. Well so can older people, and often the spark of youthful mischief and memories can still be seen in the older subject’s eyes and facial expressions.

Older people tend to be less self-conscious and easier to work with than younger adults. Older people often take it as a great compliment that a photographer should want to spend time photographing them, and will usually be more than willing to give their time as a result. You will almost certainly be able to work closely with an older person in order to achieve the picture you have in mind. So explain exactly what you want to achieve at the start of the session

Top photograph

How could any photographer resist a face like this. The light is from one big window to the right of the camera. It was very important that the shepherd’s hands and his crook should be included in the composition – they told his life story

Bottom photograph

Share your enjoyment when you are photographing older people. They are naturally interesting in the photographs you have taken. This is Graham, one of the student photoghraphers who joined one of my photography holidays in Menorca. He's showing the old guys outside a Bar the pictures he has just taken of them – it breaks the ice and can lead to many more wonderful photographs and opportunities – it makes it all fun!

Next in Part 2 - 5 good reasons for photographing older people

Photographing people - do you pay?

Continuing my idea of showing you some of my pictures taken in India, here is one I took on a railway station platform.

I have quite deliberately included the figures sat on either side of the main subject. Without them the picture loses a great deal of its sense of place and context. I particularly like the large cosh the sleeping man has placed so conveniently to hand.

GlenF asks about street photography: "How about paying people on the street?" Well, the smart answer is - 'it all depends on the circimstances'. If your subject is a street performer or artist, then you must pay something. That's fair. So drop something into his hat or tin before you start taking photographs - and make sure the performer sees you do it. I very, very rarely pay - unless I really do want a picture of the person - and then I'm damned sure to get my money's worth.

I can not tell you how to blend into the background and yet still capture the things that happen around you. This is just something you must learn for yourself by actually doing it - or observe a professional as he works the streets. It's a lot about body language and the way you move around. It's about the way you look or don't look at people and the way you seek or avoid eye contact before and after you take your photographs. That's what my students learn from me on those holidays I run in Menorca when we cover Travel Photography.
http://www.photoactive.co.uk/menorca/menorca01.htm

Photography weekend

Just to let everyone know, the Photography Weekend ' Making Pictures Happen on 25th-28th January here in SW Scotland is now FULLY BOOKED. I'm sorry if you have been disappointed and unable to get a place.

At the moment there are still places available for 7th -9th March at The Cally Palace Hotel - the theme will be portraiture, both with and without flash.

Full details at www.photoactive.co.uk/kbt_groups/kbt_groups_cally.htm

There are also still places available on the Photography Holiday in Menorca 2nd-9th May 2008. The theme will be travel photography.
Full details www.photoactive.co.uk/menorca/menorca01.htm

These weekends and holidays are designed to be instructive and great fun. Come and join us.

Photography Holidays

When I’m running the photography weekends and holidays here in Scotland and in Menorca, I don’t normally get much chance to take my own photographs. My priority is always to make sure that the photographers in the group are getting the pictures and the tuition they need. I do not carry an SLR while I am working with my students, just a small Canon Ixus so that I can demonstrate composition and the way I see things.

Still, I do take photographs at every opportunity, and I thought I’d just post a few that I took on the trip to Menorca in September last year. I love the colours of Menorca – they can be so rich and deep. Of course the sun gets to work on these colours and bleaches them into the most wonderful hues and tones. That ochre coloured wall with the street lamp and signs captures my attention every time I walk down that particular street. I must have photographed it a dozen times.

The door handle and that cracked green paint was found on an derelict military vehicle at one of the locations we visit regularly with the groups. This place is an old military barracks. It’s always a favourite and never fails to produce the most fantastic images.

The still life of the tomato and the water flask was a very quick shot taken while the group was photographing Pedro – I’ll show you some portraits of Pedro very soon. He has a wonderful face and loves being photographed by our group.
The picture of the horse was taken in a few spare moments while my group were practising their panning skills at the horse trotting races. I walked around to the stables and noticed the riders entering the stadium up this ramp past all the upturned trotting carts. I just waited a few moments until a rider came past in the right position. I posted some pictures of these races some weeks ago.

Photography weekends and holidays

I have two photography tutorial weekends coming up in 2008 here in Galloway and there are still a few places available.

25th-28th January here in Kirkcudbright at The Selkirk Arms Hotel - the theme will be Making Pictures Happen
£380 including all accommodation, meals and tuition
Full details at www.photoactive.co.uk/kbt_groups/kbt_groups_selk.htm

7th -9th March at The Cally Palace Hotel, Gatehouse - the theme will be portraiture, both with and without flash
£399 including all accommodation, meals and tuition
Full details at www.photoactive.co.uk/kbt_groups/kbt_groups_cally.htm


2nd-9th May There are still places available on the Photography Holiday in Menorca. Full details on my website. The theme will be travel photography.
www.photoactive.co.uk/menorca/menorca01.htm



These weekends and holidays are designed to be instructive and great fun, and I hope I will see you there. Here are a couple of snaps from the last holiday. The picture above shows Dominic, one of the group chatting to a local after taking his photograph. The other shows me giving some instructon to George, another member of the group, during our photo visit to the local fish market.

The quality of light - Part 4

As a final demonstration of the effects of being able to manipulate the light in order to improve its quality, just take a look at my photograph of the Indian tin whistle player. Now I’d say that light was pretty high quality stuff.

But when I first spotted this chap sat on an old oil drum and playing his tin whistle in front of a temple, the light was so awful that I did not even bother to take a photograph at all. He was sat in direct sunlight. The sun was high in an empty blue sky and the shadows across the man’s face were hard and black. Even worse, he was sat in front of the white marble wall of a temple. The background was far too bright.

So, I had hard, low-quality toppy-front light, a glaring white background, but a wonderful subject. What did I do?

The first thing I did was to drop a couple of rupees into his tin – come on, he’s a street performer, so pay the man! I then gently turned him right round on his seat so that he was facing the wall. He was now maybe around 15 feet away from that wall. Now I positioned myself with my back to the wall and used it as a reflector.

Notice that the direct sun, which is now behind the subject, has lit up his silver hair with attractive rim lighting while the reflective wall has pushed all that soft light back onto his face. The added bonus effect is that the background is now darker and further away. So it has fallen out of focus and is far more attractive and less distracting.

So, you see, often you don’t even need to carry a reflector with you – they are there all around you if you look.

If you’d like to know more about light – its direction, quality and colour, - and how to use reflectors effectively, my DVD Light and Composition covers the subject and shows you how you can improve your pictures once you really understand what’s going on. It is available on my website www.photoactive.co.uk and costs just £9.99 plus postage.

Photography tuition and feedback

Once again, thanks for all your feedback. Most of this comes to me directly. Your emails are very welcome. Of course, I'd also very much like you to make your comments right here on the blog, so that everyone can share. Perhaps you are all a bit shy, but please don't be. If you have any questions - ask away. I'd do what I can to help.

Your emails and comments are really very heartening. This morning, John of Detroit commented:

"I'm also blown away by how generous you are with your knowledge. Thanks again, and I look forward to more posts!"

Thank you John. It is a pleasure to share. The plan is to build this blog into a major resource for keen photographers of all levels, no matter what sort of gear you use. But I need your help to achieve that. If you like what you have been seeing, please bookmark the blog. Tell your friends, spread the word. Report the blog to Stumble and to Delicious. Above all, please place a link to the blog - I'll be happy to reciprocate if you contact me. It all helps to build the traffic.

You will notice that I now have GoogleAds on the pages. I hope that in some small way this will offset the costs, so please do click the ads and explore what they have to offer.

For some time now, I have been considering the idea of arranging some 'distance learning' sessions over the internet. Only yesterday I had an enquiry about that from someone keen to learn more about how to sell his photographs. I know many of you would love to make the big step from amateur to pro. I will try to get something together on the subject for the blog in the near future. Has anyone got any suggestions about how a 'distance learning' set-up might work?

Keep coming, keep learning, keep enjoying - and please keep contacting me with your comments.

If you are wondering about the photograph at the top, it's there because I don't like posting without showing at least one photograph. I like it because the lovely chap was from collecting for The Salvation Army. Still wearing his bicycle clips, he has chosen a pitch outside the window of a ladies' underwear and corset shop. It makes some people smile.

Part 3 of The Quality of Light is posted below.

People photography, candid

Are you nervous about photographing people? Do you feel as if you are intruding when you point your camera at someone? Yes? Well you are not alone. One of the subjects we tackle on the photography holidays in Menorca is ‘people’. It is the subject most of my students say they are most nervous about.

I explain that it is important to realise that you are not just ‘taking’ when you point a camera at someone. You can also ‘give’ a great deal too.

It is possible to make a subject feel special if you go about it in the right way, and I’ll be giving you lots of tips in the future.

By the end of the week in Menorca, I can guarantee that most of the photographers in the group will be a people photography addicts. It’s not for everyone, but once you overcome your inhibitions about taking pictures of complete strangers, it can be tremendously liberating… and it can certainly produce some fantastic photographs.

TIP FOR TODAY
Once you have been spotted taking someone’s photograph. DO NOT drop the camera like a hot potato. Keep your camera to your eye and keep taking pictures. It is so often the response to being photographed that makes a wonderful picture. Very, very rarely will subjects become angry when they spot a camera pointing at them. If they do, lower the camera, hold up your hands and SMILE. With practise, you will soon learn where NOT to point a camera.

It was his response to spotting my telephoto lens pointing at him that produced the extraordinary expression on the farmer’s face when I photographed him at a sheep sale.

Generous photographers

I've just got to show you these wonderful gifts to Norene and myself from the September photographers group in Menorca. The boat took a while to get up to Scotland because it had to be brought back in a friend's car. The picture is now framed and on the wall where everyone can see it.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, the the group had a drawing of the two of us done - complete with Light Monkey and Rectangle Monkey on my houlders (anyone who has bought my DVD or been to me for tuition will know all about the Monkeys!) - and, knowing my love of boats and sailing presented me with a beautiful scale model of a Menorcan sailing fishing boat. It was very, very generous and we were both extremely moved by the gesture.

That group started a forum which anyone can join - they share photographs and all sorts of useul information.

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/photoactive_photographers

You would certainly be made welcome.