Hi Everyone!
Happy Holidays! I am wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and joyous holidays.
- Photo of the Month: Holiday Outtake
- Computer Help: Computer Buying Guide
- Computer Help: Free AVG 9.0
- Computer Help: Netbooks
- Photography News: SIDE STREET ARTISTS - December 12
PHOTO OF THE MONTH:
A Photographer's Outtake
Barefoot Beach, Florida
This time of year, you'll often see me down at Barefoot Beach, loaded up with camera gear and holiday props. I always intend to create my newest photo for my line of holiday greeting cards in the summer, when my schedule is more relaxed. But my intentions often get stuck to the paper my "must do NOW" list is written on, and there they stay until the last minute. I think I share the middle name of "procrastination" with a number of folks, so at least I'm not alone.
Any photographer has outtakes, and we pro's always hope and pray our outtakes don't outnumber our keepers. Sometimes the outtakes are just shameful, but sometimes they're funny.
Like this one. I spent a good fifteen minutes setting up a shot for this year's holiday card. It's not that easy going from threadbare conception to end product. I cleaned the sand up pretty good (but not too good that it didn't look real), measured the light, tried a few shots with flash and a few without. I basically tinkered away, trying to assemble my scene so that it finally pleased my eye when I looked through the viewfinder. I got one shot off, then SPLASH! A wave took it all way.
I'm sure a few of the tourists walking by wondered what the heck I was doing, wading in the small surf after a santa hat. It's never a real hard life being a photographer, and some days, it's just plain funny.
Be sure to stop by the Side Street Artists holiday art fair on Saturday, December 12. I'll have this year's final holiday shots all gussied up into hand-made cards, as well as a full line from year's past.
Dave Woodsmith at Action One Computers has written a very helpful Guide To Buying A Computer. Visit the Action One Computers web site and click on the link midway down the home page to read or print this helpful guide. This is especially important since the arrival of Windows 7. Many of the laptops you'll find at the big box stores come with the 64-bit version of Windows 7. Dave covers this, so you'll learn everything you need to know - and hopefully avoid additional costly peripheral equipment purchases to be compatible with a new computer.
And for a limited time, Dave is offering my clients a very generous special. Have all your data transferred to a new computer (including your programs and virus and spyware software installation) for just $45. Click here to print a coupon for this - you need the coupon to be eligible.
Action One will be closed for the holidays between December 24 and January 4.
I'm reminding everyone once more that AVG 8.5 is now obsolete. It is very important that your version be upgrade to version 9.0. It's still free, but to keep your protection current, the new version must be installed. Read last month's newsletter article about making this upgrade.
As always, if you need help, I'm just an appointment away!
Netbooks are a new "sub-laptop" branch of computers, also known as a "mini-laptop" or "ultra-portable". They are small, light and inexpensive laptop computers suited for general computing, including email, web browsing and light word processing.
These computers typically weigh about 2 pounds, have screens in the ballpark of 10 inches, run in the ballpark of $300 +/- and can usually fit in a purse or small bag. This makes them ideal companions for trips, etc., when all you need is to read email, etc. They're extremely portable, yet a recent study showed that a full 60% of netbooks purchased in the last 9 months never left their owner's homes.
If you're considering a netbook, Toshiba, Acer and Asus rate among the best in recent reviews. I always recommend that people stop by a store, such as Best Buy, and actually touch and view them, so they can be sure their hands fit the small keyboards, etc. Then check online at big vendors like Amazon for good prices.
Side Street Artists is having a holiday art fair on Saturday, December 12 from 10 am to 4 pm! Our art fairs are held monthly, November-April, on Saturdays at the Bonita Shores Club just off Bonita Beach Road. For more information about this show, including examples of ALL our artist's work and show location maps, be sure to visit the Side Street Artists web site.
This month, I'm proud to say there will be nearly 30 outstanding local artists at the show, including the artists listed below (click on any name to learn more):
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For myself, I hope to have some of the new photographs I've introduced you to this summer, including two new holiday greeting cards, ready for the show.
Again, this show is Saturday, December 12, from 10 am - 4 pm at the Bonita Shores Club just off Bonita Beach Road. For more information about this show, including examples of ALL our artist's work and show location maps, be sure to visit the Side Street Artists web site.
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I'm always looking for new topics to cover that interest YOU, the reader! If you have ideas, just click to send me an email, or give me a call at (239) 498-0480.
Well, that wraps up
another issue of my newsletter. Until next month,
thanks for reading!
M.E.
Parker
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