As Crafty as a Fox.. I mean a Jaguar

Jaguar, originally uploaded by http://andrewskelton.net.

Don’t trust the Media, Dear Reader, what you see isn’t what may have happened (though I don’t think I really need to emphasise that with the current inquiry into the News of The World’s activities and B-Sky-B’s operations). It’s never more true than with photography (and I dare say video), with my camera able to take up to ten frames a second I like to use this feature to cature certain aspects of the sporting events I attend; for example, in football (soccer) I like to capture goal kicks, throw ins, and dramatic breakaways with the ball. With the camera on rapid fire you can capture every subtle stage of the activity which makes for a nice story. However I have noticed in many of the skirmishes that I’ve taken, but omitting a frame or two you can tell a very different story. In one instance, a winger the ball had made an impressive dash down the edge of the pitch unchallenged, then managed to dodge a few of the opposing team, closing down on the goal all the time. The player in question was tackled near the opposing team’s box however it wasn’t long before he’d taken back possession of the ball and went on to score. Despite play having moved over to the other side of the field in between, by ignoring these images it looked like the player ran the whole length of the pitch to score… and that’s not the only run of photos I have like that – should I ever have the time I could put together some great story board panoramas.

I was, once again, rendered speechless when looking at Canon’s latest lens releases, it’s not by the sharpness of the image, the lack of chromatic aberration or any other technical detail about the Glass – once again it’s the price that has me reeling. The replacement for the venerable 24-70mm f2.8 lens, a workhorse piece of equipment for many photojournalists, was announced earlier in the ear alongside the new 5D mark III as an idea combination. I’ve mentioned how the SRP of the 5D III increased by a whopping £500 (20% price hike), which seemed odd in these austere times however that pales into comparison compared to the 100% increase over the old lens which at its highest has been less than £1030… yes, the new lens is currently priced at £2299! Now I do appreciate how much work goes into these lenses, especially the L service (or have I just been brainwashed too much) however this lens doesn’t have Image Stabilisation, an oversight in my opinion, plus it’s lighter (which some may prefer, depends how solid it really is). I was very impressed with my dealings with Canon’s Service Centre, however those who are determining the price of the new pieces of equipment… I’d actually like to visit the planet they’re on as it’s obviously a very different one to our world!

We recently ran into what appeared to be a health issue with the fish in our aquarium which caused much consternation, anguish and worry. Of the nine Neon Tetra we have in the aquarium, one had started to swim head first all the time trying to correct itself with its pectoral fins. All the research I carried out on the internet suggested that the fish was having a problem with its swim bladder and that it would only last two days of this frantic motion, though one suggestion was to crush some frozen peas and add those to the tank as a cure for the fishes buoyancy. I did try this, and whilst all the other fish, the shrimp and snails seemed to enjoy the new treat, it didn’t resolve the issue for our poorly little Tetra. All advice pointed to euthanizing the poor little thing, something I was reluctant to do though it did stress me to see the little blighter trying so hard to correct itself. I’m glad I didn’t now, having returned from my trip to Dartmoor Zoo at the weekend, counting the fish I was only able to count eight, my suspicions seemed to have been realised but I was unable to locate the body our sick fish. I know the shrimp would have devoured him but this would have been pretty obvious, however whilst sitting having our evening meal last night ( the fish tank is in the Dining Room), a quick count of the fish showed that all were present and correct and best of all, they’re all swimming correctly now. To think I came so close to putting one out of its misery… actually it sends a shudder down my spine. Perhaps it’s best if I don’t “buy a zoo”.

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