Habenero

Carnival has announced they are adding Family Feud, and some better prizes, for the Mardi Gras!

It is completely sold out! It may appear briefly from time to time if people cancel their trip, but don't expect to find it most of the time!

This sailing has been sold out. I’m glad we booked it when I wanted to!

https://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcall/entry_cl.cfm?ship=1356 Here is a link to sign up for a Meet N Mingle on the Mardis Gras for our sailing!

Susan and I have booked this ship. We’re looking forward to an amazing cruise. I just have a lot of work to do prior to sailing! We signed up for the meet n mingle and hope more join us.

If public areas are going to become closed off for a group function, regardless of the size or identity of the group, the other passengers should be notified in advance as this affects everybody. As long as the group doesn't get any waivers from the standard sailing agreement other than financial, there shouldn't be any problems.

I bring two sets of binoculars and a have a good telephoto lens on the camera. when I see something worth shooting, I loan the binoculars to the people on either side of me. Its my way of sharing the scenery and not having someone bumping me as I am shooting.

My Think Tank Bags are far superior to the Lowe and Tarmac bags I used to own. They are durable and very well thought out! I've had my oldest one for almost 10 years and it looks just as good as it did the day I bought it, both inside and out.

The negatives are stored in a filing cabinet. The scanned and digitally produced images are stored on 3 external hard drives.

I shot and processed color print film in my chemical darkroom for over 25 years. When scanner technology got to 4000dpi, I found the results from scanned negatives in Photoshop were superior to my enlargements from the darkroom. The darkroom went bye-bye. When the Nikon D300 came out, I put away my film cameras. The time and money saved from not using film enable me to experiment with different shooting styles, lighting, props, models, and play around with far more creativity. I enjoy the modern methods as they enable one to have a much healthier lifestyle than breathing in the toxic fumes of the chemical darkroom. With digital, I don't have to worry about dropping film on the floor or having the door to the darkroom opened by mistake. I won't go back to film!

I prefer my Think Tank bags over all the brands I've tried. They are very flexible and durable. My oldest Think Tank bag has already outlasted the Lowe Pro bag it replaced and is still going strong!

Although brand name may not be important for most applications, I have found it to be of value. I had a wallet containing 6 exposed compact flash memory cards that went through the washing machine. (Do not unpack your bags into the laundry hamper immediately upon your return from a trip!) Only my Sandisk cards survived the ordeal! The others, which were also high quality brands, did not.

I use Nikon's commander system with my SB800 when I feel lazy. Otherwise optical triggers with an assortment of other flashes and the camera set in manual mode.

Although I take a tripod with me on most trips, it is rarely used for the camera. It is used as a light stand for off camera flash.

Using image stabilized lenses, you can shoot whales and most moving animals effectively using at least 1/200 second or 1/(1/2 X the focal length of the lens you are using) with an iso of 400 to 800. Non-stabilized lenses, shoot at 1/(2 X the focal length of the lens you are using) with an iso of 400 to 800.