Macro LED Light

I love taking macro shots but macro photography is one of the most technically complicated setups. I sometimes use macro extension tubes to push my prime lens to focus on smaller subjects but light is always an issue.

This is the main reason why I bought this macro LED light from ebay (AUD 39). This device uses AA batteries and it also plugs in to the electric socket as a power source.

One huge plus in using this light is it is damn good in portraiture. It makes eyes pop out but they are really really bright. Steven was literally in pain when I took this shot and he was not even looking straight into the lens.

I can't wait to use this in future projects.

First Rogaining

My partner and I have done a dozen hikes in Australia and in the Philippines. Walking inclines and through foliage are not new to us so we decided to try Rogaining. It is a hiking event wherein contestants have to use a map to find checkpoints, earn points and then come back to the home base at a designated time. The team who visits the most number of checkpoints win the event.

I wish I had brought my camera but things like that are not wise to take along as contestants had to run for four hours. We thought it would be wise to wear jeans and a jacket because it was cold--we were so damn wrong. It is impossible to run in jeans and jackets get heavier and heavier.

It was exciting to see checkpoints in the middle of nowhere. It was even more exciting for Steven to visit his grandparents in the middle of this competition. Steven thought that we would bicker a lot along the way but we did not. Our performance was a lot slower but it was smooth.

And then the most ridiculous thing happened: on our way back to home base, Steven twisted both ankles while going downhill in a span of 10 minutes. Who does that? We were in the bush with no house in sight. It was scarey.

Steven's pain alarmed a couple of competitors that they actually stopped for us. They offered help but Steven politely declined  and hobbled the remaining 3 kilometres to home base.

So here is the result:

But we are definitely going to do it again next year. You cannot buy the adrenaline rush you get from finding a checkpoint but we do need to buy proper clothing (i.e. compression shirts and pants) for the event.

My Fingers Smell Straight

Yes, we tried fishing again but this time we succeeded: we actually caught several of them!

Steven and I drove two hours from our place to Port Vincent to join his family at a caravan park. We had cockles and clickers as baits and casted our rods to the shallow waters.

Unfortunately, the fish that we caught are not the ones we usually eat. They are either bony or inedible or just plain poisonous. Both of us caught numerous trumpeters and puffer fish of all sizes. I even caught one that resembles a mudskipper.

Steven's dinner--a puffer fish

tiny sand crab

clicker

mud skipper look-alike

It was just nice being able to catch fish because we've had numerous trips wherein I could even feel a nibble. It is also nice feeling relaxed and idling the time away with Steven's family.

Fisherman's Wharf Markets (Port Adelaide)

I have been living in Alberton for more than three years and it was only yesterday I took the time to explore this market that is only open on Sundays. We parked some distance from the place as we did not want to pay for parking.

The place is like a gigantic 2-level shed with a very high ceiling. It was full of antique knick-knacks and furniture. There were tea cups, vintage nude photos and toys. A stall had fresh produce and another one has model cars, trains and planes.

But it is far from perfect: people have to pay for parking and it is such a turn off because the port has nothing else to offer but the market and the dolphin cruise. If you get there on a car, you will be greeted by a hotel all boarded up because there is not enough business going on.

I was also dismayed that a security guard stopped me from taking more photos without the "expressed permission of the manager". It is silly because there were so many other people taking photos and yet he singled me out. Your guess is as good as mine why I was singled out.

Anyway, I lodged a complaint at the information booth and left my contact details. Let's see what happens.

UPDATE: Port Adelaide Enfield has not replied to my complaint yet. Obviously, Asian people do not matter to them.