vivitar 285, 283 series....every manufacturer should copy.....little battery clips are a godsend when you need a fast battery swap, in the dark.

Now George, THAT is funny.
Thanx, I needed a laugh.
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I personally am looking forward to getting senile when I'm older.
Said and done many things in one half of my lifetime that I'll be happy to forget!

I use mine for portraits all the time.

3 tips:

1) Red eye may be a problem( use with bright ambient light, digital red eye removal helps, avoid having model look straight at lens.

2) use ringflash to trip other slaved flashunits (great catchlights)

3) use fast lenses (extend the flash reach.

did someone say pie?javascript:emoticon('')

use Aperture for mapping out the dustspots on a "white card" shot then lift and stamp to a batch of images to remove All the spots from a shoot in one step.

in order:

I prefer to use a handheld incident meter.
Spot meter in camera.
(For both I meter for highlights, then shadows, to decide the tonal range. then set exposure for the brightest highlight area I want detial in (software or added light or reflectors to save the shadows)).

matrix metering for fast shooting. (agian metering for the highlights locking and recomposing, or adjusting exp comp for tough light situations.)

Bottom line?
slides = digital in the sense that if you blow the highlights, there's nothing you can do to save the shot.

Well, when I saw George selling lenses, I got this cold chill, and had to read. I'm not shopping, (sorry George).
I'm sorry to hear that you're not getting out and about as much anymore.

I think on april fools day this year I'll do some "Drive-by Neggings" on Ebay st whiles raising a toast (single mailt scotch) to George's good health.

Well the toast for sure...lol seriously hope you are well.
I'm sure you're gonna make alot of Pentax uk fans happy with that sale..good luck.

wouldn't it be nice if all the zealots, from all religions, could put thier fighting on hold, for the rest of thier lives.
If they only had enough faith to wait for death, so they could ask thier God, to settle who's right. We could all live a little more freely.

That being said, how are the equipment rental prospects at your destination? might be easier....

my two cents...have them in a ziplock baggie in youe pocket, and ask nicely that they hand inspect.

I'm sorry it felt like punishment.

I like this one much better.
the reason I mentioned more attention to background is simply this:
the brickwork is nice but doesn't work with the pastels and dreamy soft focus effect you got. (both in terms of color and texture...they seem to clash.)
now if you had photographed her in the same light with the same pose, in front of a sea of pastel flowers, or a pale blue body of water....( or alternativly, in a nice earthtone, red, or dark colored jacket in front of the brickwork)......
you'd have a competition worthy shot.

as it sits, it's a fine image (like the face in the second, the background in the first).