Whether you’re a casual snapper out capturing memories or you’re the next aspiring Andreas Gursky, David Bailey, or any of a long list of well known photographers, there are a number of basics everyone should follow.

Basic principals to look for in any photograph are:

• Interest – What does the picture actually convey? Is there a point to it? It doesn’t have to be award winning material, but it should either hold a memory for you and your friends/family or have some sort of “je ne sais quoi” that will mean that someone else will enjoy spending time looking at it.
• Composition – A badly composed arrangement can ruin even the most photogenic subject. It’s worth spending a few moments looking around your subject area to see if there’s a better angle to take the picture from. You may be surprised by the difference it can make.
• Lighting – Poor lighting can ruin your well crafted image, unless compensated for with longer exposures or additional lighting.  However, for longer exposures you will need to use a stand such as a tripod or any convenient flat surface to steady the camera, otherwise you will be left with a blurred image. And don’t forget that additional lighting, such as a flash can change your intended shot and make for a harshly lit photograph.
• Focus – Unless artistically aesthetic, a blurred image is generally useless and while you may be able to use software such as Photoshop to fix a minor blur, there is a limit as to the abilities of such software.

Over the next four blog entries I will go into more detail on the Basic Principals of Good Photography starting with Interest and continuing with Composition, Lighting and Focus.

Afterwards, I will cover other basic concepts such as: styles of photography, types of camera, Compact Digital v Digital-SLR, D-SLR accessories for the beginner, D-SLR camera settings for the beginner, Image Manipulation Software (such as Adobe Photoshop) and anything else that comes to mind.

In the meantime take a look at http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com for a bit of inspiration.

“We kindly ask that anyone wishing to eat wrapped sweets during tonight’s performance do so quitely.”

These weren’t the words that I expected to hear prior to the actors taking the stage in the West End theatre production of Zorro. I was expecting the seriousness of Romance, the angst of the belittled residents of early California and Swashbuckling adventure and sword play, but not humour. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least and fitted in perfectly.

Of course I should have remembered that all of these elements could be found in the last two cinematic outings for our hero Zorro. Having enjoyed  Antonio Banderas’ Mask of Zorro and Legend of Zorro, I entered the Garrick theatre with high hopes and great expectations.

I can happily say that I walked out just under three hours later, still humming along to the music of the Gipsy Kings having thoroughly enjoyed the swash-buckling adventure of Diego; the son of the popular local Don of the peublo; a gypsy showman; a mild-mannered gentleman of peace and above all else, the greatest swordsman in California.

With a mixture of songs created for the show as well as a number of popular tracks from the French Gypsy Latino band Gipsy Kings, the music is stirring (Entrada), emotional (Libertad, In one Day), familar (Bamoleo, Baila Me and Djobi Djoba) and fun (One more Beer).

For me I found nothing to fault in the acting, clear singing and sets, but I did feel that the two things that stood out for me the most were the sword play from Matt Rawle’s Don Diego and the Gypsy Inez, played sublimely by Lesli Margherita. If it wasn’t the comical nature of her character, it was the way she purposefully exaggerated her rolling R’s for suitable effect.

In summary I would highly recommend Zorro, especially for anyone who grew up wishing they were rescuing the damsel playing out the roles of such characters as Robin Hood, Sinbad, d’Artagnan and of course Zorro. Of course if on the otherhand you dreamed of being swept off your feet by any of those adventerous heroes, then prehaps you might find yourself wishing that Zorro will carry you out of the theatre to the envy of all your friends…

Please note: For those of you like me, who suffer from a case of “long leg syndrome”, it’s worth being aware that even with my 6′ 4″ frame I had no problem sitting in the stalls and would happily recommend row F seats 9 and 10.

Samba de Amigo - Wii

Having only recently got my hands on a copy of Sega’s Samba de Amigo for the Wii, I finally got round to playing it the other day and can’t believe what a gem this game really is.

All of the music is Latino of sorts, such as: Mas Que Nada, Papa Loves Mambo, Oyo Como Va, La Bamba and Bamboleo. Included as well are a few Latin versions of the non-Latino songs such as: Tubthumping and Take on Me. All in all there are 44 songs included on the disc, although some need to be unlocked by playing through the game. There is also currently a further 9 downloadable songs. For the Full Song list of both included and downloadable content, please see the Samba de Amigo Wikipedia page.

The general gist of the game is to use the Wii remote and nun-chuck like a pair of Maracas. As you’ll be able to see in the picture there are 6 circles that you must point your “Maracas” towards and then shake when the blue dot reaches the centre of the circle. Added to this is an occasional pose where you point towards the indicated circles. These two actions form the “Original” method for playing Samba de Amigo. There is also a “Hustle” mode that includes both control methods of Original as well a sort of dancing where you move either one or both of your “Maracas” back and forth between the indicated circles.

Game play can be anything from sedate to frantic, with many different game modes to select from, including Career Mode, Training, Single Player and Multiplayer. Within Single and Multiplayer, there are more game modes to select from:

• Quick Play – Play a game in either Original or Hustle with any of the songs available from your Song List.
• Classic – Choose either Original or Hustle and play two songs in a row. Perform well enough and you’ll play a bonus song.
• Love Love – Perform together with a friend or the computer to demonstrate your ability to work as a team.
• Battle – A Competitive game against a friend or the computer.
• Survival – Clear as many songs as possible, missing no more than an allowed number beats. Please note that this is only available in Single Player.
• Mini-Games – There are 7 Mini-Games to choose from.

It is also worth noting that it is possible to play with remotes only, which has the advantage of no wires, but it does mean you’ll need 4 Wii remotes to play a two player game.

On the subject of controllers, this is where Samba de Amigo is allegedly let down. While I don’t always agree with the reviews and the final scores given by Nintendo Official Magazine, I do generally take notice of what they have to say, especially in relation to any control issues that they make note of. As indicated in the review it’s the harder stages of the game where the control method may become prohibitive in completing each song, however I think where this game works is as a party game and lets face it, must of us aren’t lucky enough to be surrounded by hardcore gamers whereby the harder levels will become problematic.

Of course in the single player mode, the controller issue may become a major letdown and when I get that far I will update this review accordingly. But for anyone who likes rhythm games, Latino vibes and party games, this is one seriously fun game where the thing you most have to worry about, is knocking out the person sitting next to you when you lose yourself to the rhythm…

Resources:

Nintendo Official Magazine review of Samba de Amigo
Wikipedia’s Samba de Amigo page including game history and full track listing.