Photomonk and I were exchanging e-mails [ nothing new there ] and he was telling me of a pair of Seminars in Calumet New York he will be going to soon . Have to say they sound good.

Now I really enjoyed the one I went to in December - OK a lot was over my head at that time - but I've got the notes and can look at them when necessary . It, for me anyway, is a good way to learn and meeting with others who have similar interests is always good.

Soooo back to the topic in hand. Photomonk was wondering what opportunities we had over here - and I started to cogitate .

Up here in the chilly North [ as most understand it - across the Border that is ] we seem to be short of good camera dealers . Yes Calumet exists in Glasgow and Edinburgh , but when checking last year on the Calumet UK Site Glasgow appeared to be , well not exactly a place offering lots of opportunities - manchester seemed to have regular Sensor cleaning clinics , other areas had some interesting things going on - but up here ??

I'll now take it back - I went to Calumet UK today and found this

link
And even more stunned I found this
link

I'll have to hope I'm in the country for this.

Now at last we up here have something - but just one

Edinburgh has 7 of these events !!

Is anyone planning to go ?

You bet your life it will

I'm honest - I told him I was floored by the first challenge and had to get help to understand what I was to do .

Stefan - not a clue

Last week was supposed to be on White Balance and ISO and instead we were doing 'non destructive editing ' [ his words ] using Bridge .

I think he has his ideas for the whole series of classes , but in fact works very much from week to week.

I'm certainly much happier now using both Av and Tv and only switching to fully automatic when I get this feeling that I'm not going to get a chance to set things up properly [ if you see what I mean ]

Unfortunately both pics I've got to take in on Monday were done on Sports Setting - it's just the way things worked out - but they do show movement - and a bit of humour

I like the penguins

The one who's turned his head to look out at us - I can't help wondering what he's thinking .

Thanks Stefan - will enjoy exploring that Site.

This weeks challenge has indeed been a challenge - I've 2 shots for him - not the ones that I wanted to get - but they show movement and they'll just have to do.

Why is it when you want to see folk DOING something like jogging - there's no-one out ?

iPad with wings

http://www.b3ta.com/board/9890360

Kris - my CC folk will allow you to do that so they are forewarned - the only snag for me was that they didn't consider the USA was safe !!

The other CC firm let me down good an proper - I had phoned their security people and arranged with them - told them where I was going and when and where the card was likely to be used and for how much . "No problem " said they " we'll put a marker on your account and you'll have no trouble "

hahahahahahaha - There am I in the Apple Store in the Lincoln Centre - and the card is refused

Back to the other card and my fingers crossed that since that would be used twice in the same store it would go through without problems - fortunately it did .

Hyram - have ordered twice from SRS both times by phone - no Verified by *@$* nonsense and great people to deal with BUT my Kit came from the USA - no-one here could match the price and with the extras I got as well I was quids in. The difference in price went a long way towards paying for my New York trip

SRS will remain my place of choice in the UK - though it would be nice if they had a branch up here .

dunno about IBAN transfers - but I feel your pain

I've had a similar experience dealing with the USA from here.

I fall foul of the Verified by Visa scheme - I HATE it like poison , it never ever ever works for me.

OK - my experiences

Ordering my K-x which came from Adorama - ordered it through their Website , I thought, and all went well at check out , was told my order had been accepted by Adorama and then .......

The dreaded Verified by Visa box popped up and as usual using Safari and this Visa card - it all fell apart - wouldn't accept my password [ b..... system ] . I started to sweat .

Organised a change of password - it came so I copied and pasted it in the required box

GUESS WHAT ??

Failed again By this time I'd no idea what was going on - had my order been accepted ? Had it now been refused ??

I'd to make a phone call to the USA - yup to Adorama to see what could be done.

They were incredibly helpful - were aware of Verified by Visa and were aware of the problems folk had with it . They were unhappy with it because their customers were unhappy with it.

As far as Adorama were concerned my order had gone through and had not been refused by my Credit Card issuer .

I phoned the Issuer - they had accepted it - even told me how much [ little ] I had paid . The problem was not with them but with Verified by Visa folk - and they gave me the number to phone - and I did . BUT of course the problem was not with Verified by Visa it was with my Credit Card Issuer

ARGH - " here we go round the Mulberry Bush , the Mulberry Bush, the Mulberry Bush " time

I'm fit to be tied !

I phone Adorama again get a very nice lady , who takes my name and order number [ which by this time has arrived by e-mail ] and asks me to phone back in 20 mins by which time she will have all the info on her screen .

I did - and this time got a very nice man - who was only too well aware of Verified by Visa problems and assured my they actually ignored it

We organised where my camera was to be delivered [ not to my own address I might add ] but to someone who had once placed an order with them .

By this time it was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I was concerned that as I had free shipping with my order it was going to get held up - " Not at all " said they " it will be shipped today and will arrive before Thanksgiving "

I nearly fainted on the phone - ordered Tuesday and would arrive the following day ?? This I did not believe - but I got an e-mail from the delivery address on Wednesday with a picture of the contents of my order from Adorama !!

Adorama got an email thanking them so much for their courtesy and help .

I really do have problems with online orders at times - did I say I HATE Verified by Visa ?

OH and when I went to the USA in December I had to persuade my CC folk to take the security off my card !! I told them what I would be spending , and in what shops , for what purchases . They were concerned 'cos the USA doesn't have Chip and Pin - so my card would be open to fraudulent use , they kept telling me . I did in fact use it without any problems - but oh the hassles

Going back to my notes from the Calumet New York Seminar on printing , when the Tech there [ a Calumet employee - not sponsored by any printer firms ] was talking about Calibration - as PhotoMonk stated - he reckoned the best of the Calibration Devices were X-Rite Eye One and the Spyder series.

The one he did not recommend , and I see it widely advertised, is the Huey Pantone one !

Me - well I'll not be even trying to get and use one since I have a MacBook Pro - and our screens came well down his list of the most wanted screens