Looking though my lens

The power of the triangle.

2012-01-27T00:21:00.001-05:00

Today on twitter I saw a post of a quite nice castle constructed out of business cards. This reminded me of the construction project a co-worker and I under took back in December of 2007.
Late crunch nights, long compile times and needed breaks gave way to our creation. I started by making some shapes out of old business cards and a stapler. After realizing the structural strength I could achieve from fashioning them into triangles, We came up with this project... it was december after all...

Once built, the only proper thing to do was decorate it. So we put on a sting of lights and some tinsel. After that other co-workers would come by and add ornaments in the form of decorated Post-it notes.

It's Alive

2012-01-19T20:32:00.000-05:00

Upgrade complete

2012-01-19T20:01:00.001-05:00

New Arduino Uno showed up today. I think I'll be able to be breaking some stuff by the weekend.

Construction complete.

2012-01-16T15:52:00.002-05:00

The Camera Axe Shield is assembled.
I haven't worked on circuitry for a while. Good time.
Unfortunately my old arduino won't cut it, not enough memory. Need to get a newer Arduino Uno

Package arrived

2012-01-13T20:46:00.001-05:00

WooHoo... my Camera Axe 5 and Projectile Sensor kit showed up today.

Once I put this together I'll be able to add it to this

Then I'll be able to taking pictures like this

By alan_sailer

New Book on Blurb

2011-08-21T13:09:00.005-04:00

Just uploaded my 1st book to Blurb. I needed a notebook and decided why note make my own.
It's a graph lined work book with my pictures sprinkled throughout. The book is 80 Pages with a image every 6. This preview shows you a few to see the flow. Go check it out and get one for yourself. :)

WorkBook by Dave Riganelli | Make Your Own Book

Cardboard iPhone holder

2011-08-15T23:01:00.000-04:00

Here's another project I made a while ago.
I needed something to holder for my iPhone to shoot some video of people at a table and didn't want to buy some kind of tripod holder. I never ended up shooting the video but have used the holder for watching my favorite podcasts on the TWIT network.
Here is what it looks like. If you can fold paper and operate scissors you too can make this with some thin cardboard, scissors and some tape.

The front 2 tabs hold the bottom edge of the iPhone and the back of the phone rests on the triangle. I opted to make it adjustable by having the triangle slide forward and back to adjust the viewing angle of the phone.

So here is what you start with

The exact size isn't important. You can make it as big as you like but I wouldn't go much smaller as the stability will compromised. Make sure you keep the ribs of the cardboard going in the long direction of the holder. This will making your folds easier and cleaner. Also I have the triangle piece listed as the same size as the base but it should be slightly smaller so it can fit inside the channel created in the base.

After cutting out your cardboard and making the relief cuts start by working with the base. First make the inner most folds, then the outer folds. After these folds the base will look like this

Now move over to the triangle. This has several relief cuts in it. The 4 slots cut in the sides should be the same thickness as the cardboard you are using. It's also better to error on making them smaller then bigger to ensure a snug fit.

The one end is cut into 3 tabs, this is used to lock the two sides together when connected.

Adding a small stip of tape wrapping around the tabs will lock everything together.

Now if all your measurements and cuts are right, you should be able to slide the slots on the triangle into the base.

I found that wrapping a piece of tape around the back of the base helps keep the track snug against the triangle.

And that's it, your holder is done. Now you can watch your shows

Or use it as a table top tripod

Or use it for skype or Facetime calls

The uses are really limitless...

Ok really there are about 3 uses but limitless sounds better :)

iPhone 4 lens holder.

2011-08-13T20:42:00.000-04:00

Recently I bought a macro lens for my iPhone from Photojojo and I must say its pretty awesome.

The lens is designed to attach to your phone with a magnet but seeing how the back of the iPhone is made out of glass it doesn't work so well. The lens ships with 2 metal ring with adhesive backs that are ment to be stuck to the phone to give the lens magnet something to attach to, but not only are these rings not very attractive, they would permanently cover your flash and over time slide and fall off the phone from having the phone in your pocket. What I needed was a removable metal surface for the lens to attach to that was simple to attach to the phone.

After kicking around a few ideas and looking around the house to see what materials I had available I came up with this small metal plate with an elastic tied to it.

I started with some generic metal strapping. It can be used for all kinds of jobs around the house.

The large holes in the metal strap happened to be the exact size of the camera lens on the iPhone 4 and the small holes are perfect for attach points for the elastic.

Using metal shears I cut off a piece consisting of 1 large hole with 2 small holes on each side. If you don't have metal shears you could use side cutters (wire cutters) but it will be a little more difficult.

After that you need to ensure all the edges are smooth so you don't scratch your phone or yourself. A metal file or sand paper will do the job. When your done you should have a blank that looks like this.

Now you need to make a few bends just past the small holes. One side need to bend up and the other down creating a "S" pattern. The point of these bends it to keep the metal flat against the phone when the elastics are tied to it. The reason for the bends it different directions is the downward bend will go over the top lip of the phone. You can do this easily using a pair of pliers.

Now for the elastic. I used a round fabric elastic because it's easier to tie knot but any type of elastic should work. First tie one end of the elastic to the metal plate and then holding the plate to over the camera lens with your thumb, stretch the elastic around the phone to determine where it needs to be tied on the other side. The elastic should be tight but not so tight it will be hard to put on.

And here's what it should look like when your done

Now whenever you want to attach your lens just slip on the metal plate and snap on the lens. If you only plan to use the lens this way you could use some epoxy and glue the lens to the metal plate to make it one piece, but I didn't try this as I plan to you the lens on my macbook also.

Did I mention I really like the macro lens :)

Reserved Parking

2010-06-27T20:00:00.001-04:00

I saw this infront of a cafe down the road from my office. I think my commute home would have been much nicer riding home in this instead of taking the train.

2010-06-18T20:27:00.001-04:00

Here's my daughter taking a break from skipping rocks and searching for beach glass.

Montreal

2010-04-11T20:57:00.005-04:00

Work sent me to Montreal so I spent a weekend walking around the city.

Baking cupcakes

2010-03-03T12:43:00.002-05:00

Spent my morning making cupcakes, Yummy.

Long day...

2010-03-03T12:38:00.004-05:00

Here's Daisy napping in the sun after a long day of... naping in the sun...

Does anyone ever notice the gingerbread house past the candy?

2009-12-23T22:31:00.015-05:00

The family build a gingerbread house today so I thought it would make a good subject for some new iPhone photo editing apps I picked up.

When scoping out one of these houses does anyone really look at the house, or is it just the foundation for all the sugary goodness?

Festive Coffee

2009-12-19T03:01:00.001-05:00

Keeps you warm when its cold outside.

A Girl and her Dog

2009-12-17T23:31:00.003-05:00

Having a iPhone is really going to make it easier to try to actually take a picture a day.

A picture's worth a 1000 words

2009-12-10T23:56:00.002-05:00

Dogs can't read, and Kids don't listen

2009-10-10T23:10:00.003-04:00

Here's another day trip to Queenston Heights. This was a good laugh for both me and my wife, my daughter, not so much. Our daughter was so sure we didn't know what we were talking about when we told her not to walk on the edge of the fountain.
I've found over the years the "I told you so" moments are just as heart warming as the moments of great accomplishment.

Day trip

2009-10-10T23:04:00.003-04:00

Back in august we took the kids to Centerville for the day. It was quite the trip, they got to take a train, ferry, and a cable car ride around the part which is pretty close to a plane. This image is from the ferry looking back at T.O.

Purple Flowers

2009-09-15T21:16:00.001-04:00

Some close up of some pretty flowers.

2009-09-12T21:52:00.002-04:00

Here's a shot of my son after a big lunch. No time to make it to the couch, I'll just nap here.

Sea of weeds

2009-09-08T22:53:00.005-04:00

I've finally got around to processing a few months of backlogged images. I've been shooting on/off all summer but never did anything with the shots. At least I have a few things to post now.

Falling behind

2009-08-01T13:26:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I posted anything. I think I'm going to go from a pic-a-day to a pic-when-I-can.
This may change if I ever get a iPhone or a smaller camera. Something that I'm more likely to have with me more often.

Studying the prey

2009-04-28T17:24:00.002-04:00

Here's our dog Dasiey as she sits watching a squirrel, wishing she knew how to open the patio door. Jack Russell's can seem so small and cute but don't let them fool you. Inside beats the heart of a cold blooded killer.

Taking a dip

2009-04-25T15:32:00.003-04:00

Here's Stanly going for a little swim. He'd much rather swim as the rest of us walk along the path.

Balance

2009-04-21T12:38:00.004-04:00

Here's my son getting his first tight rope walking lesson.

Golden Waves

2009-04-16T23:49:00.002-04:00

Here's something I stumbled across on a dog walk. The wild grass along the path was surprisingly high and abundant.

Scrambled Eggs

2009-04-15T01:00:00.004-04:00

To continue on the theme of dead things we also found this egg shell while walking the dogs. The area we were walking in had a pond where some Canada Geese had a nest. Not sure if this egg hatched and the shell washed ashore or if some other animal swam out to get a little breakfast.

Interesting Easter Discovery

2009-04-12T21:46:00.004-04:00

So today we went on a family hike with the dogs at the St.Johns Conservation area.
on our walk we didn't find any Easter eggs but we did find this.

The dogs were quite happy with the find but surprisingly didn't bother with it besides a few sniffs. We weren't sure what kind of animal it was, maybe a coyote or small deer. On the way back a bit up up the trail from these bones we found

It appears to be the front half of the animal.

After seeing the head and looking at the teeth were guessing it was a sheep that most likely was dragged off a near by farm by coyotes.

Spring time

2009-04-10T13:43:00.002-04:00

With the passing of hopefully our last snow fall spring seems to finally be here. Here's a few little guys popping the heads out of the dirt.

Ready to Ride

2009-04-09T11:27:00.002-04:00

Here's Stella again. She's all ready to go for her walk and like any princess that usually means being driven to Tim Hortons for a donut. As far as she's concerned the other 2 dogs can actually walk places, she prefers to travel in style.

Artist at Work

2009-04-08T00:04:00.002-04:00

This picture a day is going to be a little tougher then I thought. I don't really have a lot of opportunity to go out and shoot during the day and I want to avoid taking pictures of stuff I have sitting around on my desk just to have a shot. I may end up doing most of my shooting on the weekends and then posting throughout the week. Anyway here's the next pic.

Here's the artist at work. She tells me this is a picture of Rapunzel, you can see the long blond hair on either side of her body. Seeing how she likes drawing on the driveway so much I wonder if I can get he to paint it with asphalt sealer this summer, it would be like she was priming her canvas before painting. The mess afterward would be good for some pictures I'm sure.

Self Portrait of a 5 year old

2009-04-06T00:05:00.004-04:00

Here's a beautiful self portrait of my daughter.

When working outdoors her medium of choice is chalk but inside she leans more towards crayon and markers. Her drawings are not only pretty to look at and help her develop her artistic skills but also help mask the crappy condition the driveway is in.

Aged Bell Tower

2009-04-04T00:12:00.004-04:00

This church is just down the street from where I work and I have a clear view of if from the window in my office. Its the tallest building in the area ( except the one my office is in) so when I look out my window its always a very predominate piece of the skyline.

Setting up for the cameras

2009-04-02T23:37:00.003-04:00

This was taken at Montebello park. A film crew has rented the park to shoot a TV pilot for ABC.
It seems very similar to how they set up the park for the annual Grape and wine festival except more controlled and organized, and less drinking.

On Guard

2009-04-01T23:08:00.003-04:00

Here's Stella, one of the family dogs. She's lying in the yard keeping watch over the kids as they play around her. That day she stayed in the same spot for well over a hour as we played soccer, hockey and just ran around her. She is either very dedicated to her job to stay on alert and keep a watch of for intruders, or is just very fat and lazy and had no intentions on moving until my wife came home from taking the other dogs for a walk with some timbits. If only she could talk...

Talk to the hand

2009-03-31T22:52:00.006-04:00

This here is a picture of my wife. She is quite fond of this photo and wishes to be photographed like this from now on.
I'm starting to get the feeling she doesn't like having her picture taken but I had better keep shooting just incase I'm wrong.

Finally starting

2009-03-30T23:59:00.005-04:00

So when I set this page up I meant to start a regular photo blog. As you can see by the dates that was a long time ago. So now I'm going to finally give it a shot. My plan is to shot an post a photo each day, not sure if that will happen but we'll see. To get the ball rolling I'm starting with a few shots I took last week or so and plan to transition into daily shooting. As pictures appear here they can also be viewed in the gallery in the Pic of the Day section.

So to get started here's a shot I took with my new 1.4 50mm. I'm really liking because it no only makes great portraits but it also lets me shoot indoors at night without a flash.

The image is of my daughter. She's very excited to show me the beautiful flower she just picked, at gram ma's house, off the plant on the table in the sun room...

The power of Photography

2008-07-08T15:36:00.007-04:00

I came accross this video while reading a post at the photo site TWIP

It's a talk that well-known photojournalist Rick Smolan gave at TED (Technology Entertainment Design). It's a great story.
A Girl, A Photograph, A Homecoming

Well here's the 1st post of my new blog

2008-07-08T14:54:00.005-04:00

I plan to make this a photo blog but for now I'll use it to store some interesting things I've found online.

I've been reading The moment it clicks which is written by Legendary magazine photographer Joe McNally. Its an excellent read and to go with it I found a link on YouTube where he gave a talk at google where he discusses many of the images from the book.