Melissa Anelli speaking on Harry Potter at USF

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Melissa Anelli speaking at USF on Harry Potter, November 2010After I finished reading the Deathly Hallows in 3-days of absolute seclusion (no people, no Internet, no outside), I immediately thought that Harry Potter was now the greatest genre franchise in existence.  For me from 2001 to 2007 the Harry Potter experience was so rich, so compelling, so intimate, that it became the genre franchise I held in most esteem.  It was nearly flawless with no missteps.  

Besides reading and rereading the books, in 2005 I started to listen to the Pottercast podcast, which opened up a whole other level of understanding and appreciation for Harry Potter.  After years of listening the hosts of Pottercast felt like friends due to their not only talking on Harry Potter, but their own lives, experiences, etc.  I had seen pictures of Melissa Anelli, so when I listened to her on the podcast I had some mental image of the person speaking.  However, it is really an unusual feeling to finally see someone in person after so many years of just listening to their voice.  Double that with my Pottercast experience being a one-way street, meaning I learned so much about Melissa and the other hosts from the podcast that you feel you kind of know them like a regular friend, except just one you never actually talk back to.  So when I went to hear Melissa speak at USF Tampa campus last night, I felt like I finally got a chance to see an old friend . . . who had no idea in the world who I was!

Anyway, Melissa is a great speaker.  The same personality she displays on Pottercast was exactly what I saw on stage.  Her voice sounded exactly the same, so I guess they have really good audio production on the podcast!  She must have given the same talk last night dozens if not hundreds of times, but she showed no hint of it giving the appearance of it being the first time she ever told those stories, which to me is the sign of a great speaker.  

Melissa records the cheers of Harry Potter fans using her Mac!For a Harry Potter fan, her talk was extremely interesting and fun.  I really did not know specifically how JK Rowling came to write the first Harry Potter book and especially not how lucky she was for it to get published.  It was great storytelling by Melissa.  

I did not bring my 80-200mm lens with me because that would mean bringing my backpack camera case and I wanted to travel light and try to be inconspicuous for a change.  I also did not get a seat very close up due to the horrid traffic driving from St. Petersburg to Tampa, so I kind of regret I was not able to get better photographs of the event.  Plus the stage itself was not lit much at all, darker than where the crowd was sitting, which is the opposite of how lighting usually is.  

This was the perfect way to get ready to see the Deathly Hallows movie on Friday.  Thanks very much Melissa for coming to Tampa and sharing your great Harry Potter stories and knowledge! 

Dating Website & Social Media Photos for Match.com Facebook eHarmony

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DSLR Photography Lesson with Patti & her Nikon D3000

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Patti showing good DSLR camera holding technique of her Nikon D3000, though she said it was uncomfortable . . .

I started off this week with a morning lesson with new DSLR Photography student Patti in downtown St. Petersburg.  The weather was about as ideal as you can get in Florida, just warm enough, minimal humidity, and a decent breeze all around.  As you can see in the portrait above, there was not a cloud in the sky either.  

Patti had taken a photography 101 class recently, so she knew her photography vocabulary pretty well and also her way around her Nikon D3000.  So during our first lesson I showed her how to put all those definitions and menu knowledge to practical use in a variety of common shooting situations.  We practiced good camera techniques as well, including just how to best hold a DSLR (left palm under the lens barrel, elbows firmly against one's sides) and how to set the focus and recompose using the rule of thirds.  

I also showed Patti how to really pay attention to stray objects getting into the frame because not all DSLRs have 100% viewfinders, which means just because you do not see any tree branch poking into the right of the frame in the viewfinder, does not mean the camera does not see it.  Check your review screen on the back of the DSLR carefully to see if any intruders made their way in.

Not only was it a photography lesson, but it was also a bit of a sightseeing lesson as Patti is still somewhat new to Florida and lives in Tampa.  I hope she returns to visit beautiful downtown St. Petersburg soon, perhaps for our next lesson? 

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    • Strobist DSLR Photography Lesson with Steve

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    Our setup for Steve's strobist off camera flash DSLR photography lesson right on the beautiful St. Petersburg waterfront

    Steve took his second DSLR Photography Lesson in as many weeks.  This time we focused entirely on off camera flash, or simply known as strobist.  This is currently my favorite thing about photography so it was really fun for me also to teach a lesson entirely on getting the flash of the camera.  

    Steve has a Canon XT and a third party flash.  We used my Yongnuo remote flash triggers and my tripod as a light stand.  I also put my HONL snoot onto his flash to help diffuse the light.  

    We had a number of laughs using ourselves as the models for the lesson.  Perhaps the biggest smile of all came when Steve began to realize how awesome, and how relatively easy, off camera flash photography is.  It is always very satisfying to share photography knowledge with such tangible results.

    I made this portrait of Steve using my Nikon D300 and his 3rd party flash (see setup above)

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    • War Veterans Memorial Park Pinellas County Florida

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    At low tide War Veterans' Memorial Park has some shoreline to explore or wade in.Closing in on nearly two years of living in Pinellas County, Florida, I can still easily find great new county parks to visit.  One recent Saturday afternoon Kiki and I visited War Veteran's Memorial Park located right at the tip of Boca Ciega Bay.  The park is not overly large, but there are enough waterfront paths and shoreline areas for a leisurely hour-long walk.  The inland trails did not look that appealing, so a longer trek is available in the park, but the big attraction are the panoramic views of the water.  One pavilion in particular was out on its own small peninsula making it the single best outdoor family party spot I've seen in any area park.  

    It took several attempts to get this tank shot in focus as Kiki was pulling hard wanting to get walking!

    One does not expect to wander through the woods and see a tank, even in a war memorial park, but it was an interesting surprise to find.  Kiki had no such interest so I could not get that close of a look at it without feeling like I was pulling a 60-pound tank of my own.  

    A huge equatorial sundial made of solid granite is the park's main attraction.The bay views and the tank, neither are intended to be the focal point of the park.  A huge granite sundial is.  I was really impressed by it for some reason.  It looked really solid, and strong, like it had a very important purpose.  Perhaps even resembling something from ancient times when answers were distinctly more analog and tangible than the digital ones of today.

    This is a Pinellas County park I will definitely visit again due to its combination of the usual Florida nature offerings with a strong sense of history. 


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    DSLR Photography Lesson with Steve & his Canon XT

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    Steve recently stepped up from the point & shoot world to the DSLR world with his Canon XTWhen I first decided to offer DSLR photography lessons, I was thinking, "lots of people are buying DSLR cameras, but maybe realizing they are nowhere near as easy to use as their old point & shoot digital cameras.  There must be a market for people wanting to take lessons."  Steve fit exactly into that category.  He recently graduated from his point and shoot to a Canon XT with a pair of lenses and an external flash.  Like many people new to DSLRs, he was mostly using auto mode and not happy with the results.  The lessons I offer are designed to directly address that issue and get a person off auto mode forever (hopefully) after just a single 2-hour lesson.

    It is not often I meet someone who can talk about Rhode Island, but besides our photography conversation, we also talked about the Ocean State, which I welcomed.  Steve reminded me of places I had not thought of in over 20 years, like good old Rocky Point Park, which he said is no longer open.  Maybe it will turn into a haikyo?

    As is often the case, Steve was surprised and impressed with what one can do with an external flash in broad daylight.  We already have our next lesson scheduled for later this week! 

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