What's Happened to Hotmail?

For some time now, my 'other' email address - Hotmail - has been playing up. Quite often, people I send an email to don't receive them. I sent an enquiry to their 'Contact Us' facility asking what the problem was - it was ignored! How rude?

Then - out of the blue, and without asking my permission - images I'd posted to my Flickr site suddenly started to appear in a strap across the top of email messages I send. Not very professional especially when sending out a business email.

Come on Hotmail! Don't presume to know best and just do things without first checking whether we - the end user - wants them.

I have now found out how to turn off this "service" - but surely the correct action would have been to ASK first whether this was wanted - and then for the service to be activated - by me - if it was?

Enough of this Big Brother stuff - PLEASE?

If I want to send images to all and sundry - then it has to be MY CHOICE - and not the mighty Microsoft thinking they know best what I want.

There! That's got it off my chest. Well - for the moment!!

Ivybridge Camera Club Outing to Laycock Abbey

As any serious photographer knows, Laycock is the home of photography as this is where the very first negative/positive image was made, by Henry Fox Talbot. And that famous window, subject of the historic photograph, is still there to be seen! Laycock is now owned by the National Trust - but for many years - under pressure from photographers - we have been allowed in with our tripods and flash to record our own version of this window! I first photographed it when I did my GCE 'O' Level, about 20 years ago. This time - I recorded it digitally.

David Rayner organised the whole event for Ivybridge Camera Club, and then volunteered to drive the small coach, with 16 happy club members on board!

Ivybridge Camera Club outing! Dave Rayner third from left. Myself, kneeling at the front.

Dave even managed to arrange the weather! Lovely blue skies, with fluffy white clouds, which obligingly moved across the sun, allowing photography in all lighting conditions! Bravo, Dave!!

Here's a few snaps from the day!

That famous Fox Talbot Window - inside and out!

The Medieval Tythe Barn (left) and Sacristy.

Stone Coffin (left) and interesting light on a doorway.

Underground vaulted ceilings (left) and mysterious Green Door!

Two infrared images. On the left, an Ivy covered window and a peek around the corner

at the Laycock parklands.

The entire village of Laycock and the Abbey is owned by the National Trust, who "rent" it out to production companies for costume dramas. You may have seen the main street featured in Larkrise to Candleford?

To finish - a couple of fun doorstep pictures!

All the images taken for this page were either on a Canon G10 (colour ones) or my first digital SLR, a Canon 10D, which I had converted to Infrared (a passion for me when I used film.)

Blackpool - Part Two

Have resorted to a Part Two as this site didn't like so many images in one Blog!

Blackpool enjoys a marvellous transport system. Buses run into the town centre from all locations about every ten minutes. Trams trundle along the seafront, and out as far as Cleveleys every twenty minutes - and the train service is also very impressive.

The newly refurbished sea frontage makes wonderful photographs - but it was a bit unfortunate that work, especially around the North Pier, is still in progress.

We were too early for the official illuminations - but the new street lighting provided an amazing and colourful light show every evening, co-ordinated to music. The Diving Lady statue and fountains in front of the church also provided some great photographic opportunities when they too were illuminated in the evenings - although the drunken "stags" out in force on a weekend evening were a bit of a pain - especially as they thought doing "moonies" the height of entertainment for the photographers!

A trip to the top of the Tower on an inclement day was fantastic. So much to see and do - from the actual climb up the 185 ft. tower, to the Ballroom where tea-dancing to the famous Wurlitzer organ music never seemed to stop - to the Chinese Circus which were so professional and very, very entertaining.

Well - that's a very quick trip around Blackpool! I will be posting more images to my Flickr site if you're interested. Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/snaphappyann

Blackpool - An Experience!!

Went to Blackpool on 2nd July (as you do in the summer!!) on a photographic workshop organised by Iain McGowan. Sadly, Iain doesn't have a website, so I can't steer any business his way! 16 enthusiasts foregathered at a small holiday hotel, located at St Ann's and which had certainly seen better days!

On the first night we were treated to a magnificent sunset - and for the few that rushed out to snap it, we were very glad we did, as it never quite happened again over the rest of the week!

The enduring impression of Blackpool was, in fact, the gent who sold el-cheapo watches. Located in a road that runs up from the Central Pier, we were all so impressed by the incredible value (all ex-Argos stock which came complete with a new battery!) that we ended up buying 40 (yes FORTY) for souvenirs, Christmas stocking fillers - or just bling for ourselves!!

There is a Part Two to complete the Blackpool Blog. This software didn't like so many images!