ME Parker Productions

Photography & Computer News
February 2010 Issue

Happy 2010, Everyone!

IN THIS ISSUE

 

 

PHOTO OF THE MONTH:


Juvenile Night Heron
Estero Bay, Florida

Two of our area's night herons - the yellow-crowned night heron and the black-crowned night heron - are both the easiest birds to identify in their adult plumage and the hardest birds to differentiate in their juvenile plumage. One prefers salt-water environments (the yellow-crowned night heron) and the other is partial to fresh-water areas (the black-crowned night heron).

If you've ever spotted a yellow-crowned night heron, you may have observed the absolute patience it exhibits when stalking food, which tend to be shrimp and small crustaceans. Oh that I could have such focus and perseverance! It's an amazing thing to see; almost like watching paint dry, but better. They walk a step, hold their stance perfectly still for an eon or two, then take another step forward. Photographing them can either drive you crazy or fill up your camera card with astounding speed because they hold such great poses.

And such was the way of this juvenile. Feeding alone along the oyster bar skirt of a mangrove key in the middle of Estero Bay, I drifted about 30 feet away from it for the better part of an hour. Step, stop, wait forever, step again; a bird mime in slow motion. If you can't catch one shot with these guys, you better think about photographing inanimate objects instead.

A little bit of trivia: these guys (as adults) sometimes feast on small turtles - whole! They have a special acid in their intestinal tract that dissolves shells - even big, thick, hard turtle shells!

And of course, the lingo: a group of herons has many collective nouns, including a "battery", "hedge", "pose", "rookery", and "scattering" of herons"

Be sure to stop by the Side Street Artists holiday art fair on Saturday, February 13. I'll have many more bird photographs at that show.


 

COMPUTER HELP: First Thing To Do When Your Computer Misbehaves

I get a lot of calls about misbehaving computers. It's the nature of the beast, I suppose, but even the most well-behaved computer can develop a glitch, which in turn can provoke frustrated hair-pulling behaviors in us lowly humanoids.

What to do?

Well, I know many of you have heard this before, but simply turning off the computer, then turning it back on again, will often cure many of those mysterious computer problems.

And if it's your printer (or other device) that's causing the problem, the first thing to try is the same:

1.  Turn off device.
2.  Turn off the computer.
3.  Turn the computer back on.
4.  Turn the device back on.

Often, if the device is a printer, and you've click the print button several times with no luck, the problem can also be a bunch of print "job" lined up in a queue, waiting to print. You'll have to clear those out before you might be able to print successfully. Here's how to do this:

1.  Click the START button.
2.  Click PRINTERS & FAXES (in Windows XP) or DEVICES & PRINTES (in Windows 7).
3.  Identify the printer you are using and RIGHT click on its icon.
4.  Click CANCEL ALL PRINT JOBS. Click OK or YES to confirm.
5.  Try to print a document again.

I hope that helps. Just remember: when in doubt, RESTART!

 

COMPUTER HELP: Tutoring for Mac Users

For those of you with Macs, I am now offering individual tutoring on Mac computers. This will include teaching sessions only, not repair or problem resolution. If you have a Mac and want to get to know your computer a little better, give me a call for an appointment at 498-0480!

 

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY HELP: Advanced Picasa Group Class

If you use Picasa and have always wanted to dig deeper into the advanced things that it will do, now is the time! I will be teaching a group class in advanced techniques on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 from 10 - 11:30 at my office. There is room for just 4 students in this class, so instruction will be focused on each attendee's needs and learning. Here are a few of the topics we will cover:

      • Collages
      • Sorting pictures with Tags and Keywords
      • Special Effects (sepia, black and white, etc)
      • Captioning
      • The new "People" feature with face recognition

The cost of the class is just $30 per person. You will need to bring your laptop computer (or reserve one of my computers for the additional fee of $10). Please call me at 498-0480 to reserve a spot in this class.

 

 

PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS: SIDE STREET ARTISTS Art Fair - Saturday, January 23

Side Street Artists is having a holiday art fair on Saturday, February 13 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 25 outstanding local artists at the show, including the artists listed below (click on any name to learn more):

Again, this show is   Saturday, February 13, 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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