Many cameras have a quoted maximum shutter speed of 4 seconds, but in practice they will often go much further. It?s simply that accurate exposure cannot be guaranteed beyond 4 seconds. Most digital sensors also become very 'noisy' beyond a second or two.

I would second TV's comment about a 'B' setting (which allows you to open and close the shutter manually).

However, if you are really keen, and like to use long exposures, you could do a lot worse than buying a good quality second-hand film camera, which you can find very cheaply nowadays. You can find some very nice Nikons, Canons, Olympus', etc. for less than ?100, or if you want best possible image quality you could consider a medium format camera, which uses much bigger (120) roll films.

If you use a slow transparency film like Fuji Velvia you can use exposures of several minutes; and there is no electrical noise. Better still, the quality available from films like Velvia is stunning.

Film photography requires more work, and you don?t have the ?instant gratification? of the screen on the back of the camera, but the end results make it all worthwhile.

SB

My kids went back to school this morning The house is quiet for the first time in 3 weeks.....bliss!!

Sounds like a good day for practicing!

This morning our tomcat was extremly cuddly.

My cold has almost gone. I can now breath deeply enough that music making is a possibility

(Though having said that, actually I've got a crashing headache, but I shouldn't mention that on the happy thread).

Ooooh, and extra-happy, I am thoroughly over-excited because I am going to the science museum with some friends on Wednesday

.........and presuambly not going to work either !

It was - an hour of violin (mindful practice trying to memorise) and an hour of piano....and 2 new students booked in for next week too! They cancel out the one that is on a lessons holiday for a few months due to travel difficulties....

Yes indeed, not going to work. We discussed possibly meeting in London on my 'way home' from working in London tomorrow, but when my friends said they were going to the Science Museum and if I'd rather join them for the day than squeeze in between me finishing work and them going to the theatre, well, day off here I come. Even if it is the second week in January!

Funnily enough, I think I am even more excited about a visit to the museum than I was as a child

miso grilled aubergine for dinner.

Planning organ lesson on Sunday!

Recommencing after long gap without tuition and with new teacher.



Less happy; went for a practice feeling tired after a full day at work and, finding nowhere convenient to park that didn't involve a trek through the graveyard, was overcome with a nasty attack of the Soddits and went home instead.

Oooo, I'd really like to go to the Science Museum *prod prod * Have fun Maizie


I'm happy because of band last night still going to be playing second clari

A good piano lesson. Here's to many many more!!

An amazingly serendipitous find in a charity shop in Penge High Street - Bruno Monsaingeon's book on Sviatoslav Richter - which is now quite a rare book And it cost 50p!

practice

I found a lever harp book on Amazon for ?6 that the harp shop was quoting me ?14 to order! Can't wait for it to arrive now!

Had 2 shared lessons to teach today and knew they'd not have practised all holidays so I altered what I was going to do (so went over stuff we were doing in September in one case)- and played games etc. It was fun and I felt the pupils had learned something.

And then.... shock horror.... I had a pupil who had practiced....and that was a pleasant surprise!

Just been told our daffodils are starting to stir, after telling my wife about an email from a friend in Liverpool whose crocuses are out....all in mid January.

But it shouldn't really be making me, or in fact anybody happy as it's yet another manifestation of climate change.

I dunno... surely it depends where you are in the country. I've often seen crocuses out in January, but then I used to be in Cornwall! Without meaning to start a hugely trolly climate change debate, I think its very easy to identify a concidental seasonal blip (e.g. a mild winter, or a couple of mild winters running) with a long term climate trend (global cooling/warming). To much of the prior does a lot of harm to communicating the significance of the latter: One freezing winter (last one?) and everyone is laughing about how climate change must be nonsense and a bit of global warming would go down nicely, thanks very much.

But I'll step off my soapbox a second...

I'm happy happy because my shiny new Kindle has arrived! *readyreadyready*

my just loving playing it at the moment

Just your post made me smile!

Aw it's making me smile too, sounds like a clari and not some nasty squawking object now

Just been given an enormous bouquet of flowers by a 14 year old to say thanks for getting him through grade 5 theory when he thought he'd never pass!
He was very bashful about it but it made me happy!

some more roasted vegetables with gravy

But how is your cornet going ?

Oh, that's sounding like a very noisy squawking object. It's being neglected somewhat until this clari certificate is over

Got a new teenager starting violin lessons next week - and she's played before...my first non-beginner.... I can't wait

From yesterday ... seeing my son get lots of praise from new teacher....


To be honest .... we've come down a long way in playing standard from his last one (1st instrument is not piano) .... but I just happen to think this might work ....

Not sure at this stage she's doing anything I couldn't do with him ... but just NOT being Mum helps!!

The plumber has just left. I have heating

He's back on Monday for an update on the diagnosis. Either it starts failing gradually (and is likely a dodgy thermostat), or we have it fail quickly (and is likely a leak somewhere, but no evidence of one that any of us can find).

Oh dear. What happens?

SB

Spending the evening roaring with laughter yesterday out at dinner with good company.

Seeing Plato eating well.

Some extremely corny jokes.

Oh no! My daffodils are still sitting in the hall waiting to be planted... I must do it soon as it was my idea that the whole road plants daffs in the grass verges. Won't look too good if there is a big empty verge outside my house in the spring.... !

But later everyone elses will have died off and yours will be in full bloom.
We have some just budding, so ours wont be long. I dug up many old ones and replanted 150 new ones this year.

An absolutely super Agatha Christie play at our local repertory theatre.

My Urtext Chopin Etudes and Haydn Concerto arriving

The daunting task of memorising the concerto and one etude by March sort of negates the happiness though

Arriving home and being welcomed back by my two gorgeous cats who have really cheered me up.

apart from that absolutely nothing has made me happy today.

Some descriptive written language that I couldn't possibly broadcast but it's had me in stitches!

Where I once had some random bits of wood masquerading as a shed complete with junk inside (it leaked like a sieve, was too short to stand in and invaded by a creeper from next door I now have an empty expanse of concrete and plans for a mini greenhouse/veggies area.

Teaching the church choir Allegri's Miserere tonight.

Yours cannot be anything like the average parish church choir! How many of them can produce those amazing top notes?

I'm spending the morning with friends I've not seen for ages ... and our dogs

Knowing I have 2 days off from work. I actually really enjoy my job but a 2 day break, i.e the weekend, is very welcome.

Despite the horribly early start, and the huge number of roadworks (resulting in a very tight squeeze to get there on time) it was lovely to be back at Guildhall with these bright and quirky children.

One of my 9 year olds has a folder that he calls Boris Johnson and today he told me I had grapes in my ears (er, those were my ear-rings, if you don't mind!).

A home-made curry. Even the cat had some

A great concert given an orchestra that I used to be a member of for two yeats.

Busy day yesterday - orchestra in the morning. A newly arrived South Korean family have joined - mother and 9 y.o.son. The young lad is a grade 8 'cellist...... so not sure why he's joining our orchestra! I think he'll get directed to the county youth orchestra in due course.

Then had to hot-foot it over to my choir who were running a 'come and sing' Mozart Requiem. Phenomenally well-supported by about 150 singers! These events are interesting for whom they attract and why. Some people aren't in choirs and 'want to have a go'; some are in choirs that couldn't do it; some like to get out of the house and these things are their hobby.

The choir engaged 4 young students from RNCM as soloists - I think they were quite nervous as they've probably not had much experience of this type of thing! The tenor was stunningly good - I'm sure we'll hear more of him in the future. The bass has some promise but his timing was off in the rehearsal. The alto was good and the sop had an over-the-top vibrato. The MD worked with them after the choir rehearsal and did wonders to resolve things - I'm sure they learnt a lot from the experience.

Surprisingly good audience for the concert - wasn't expecting many to be there. Although I'm not usually a "big band Bach" sort of person, I have to say it was a dramatic performance and no major hiccups.

Just very tired today.....

still loving it

It's not fair - there's no icon for tenor viol/cello/sax

Suppose this'll have to do:

It must say something for advertising campaigns that I initially took this to mean that you had been to your favourite burger chain!!

nope, not a burger chain visitor really!

The sun is shining and I'm looking forward to band tonight

Yesterday's happy: music, chat and dinner with ali bali bee and both our OH's

A day of practice over all the instruments, plus another firm new starter - that's now 4 starting this week