Uncle Dick's Feijoada

Well, it's that time of the week, folks. The icebox is full of leftovers and the only decent thing to do with them is put them all in the pot and heat it up.

1. Lens Bling - I kid you not. Thats the name of the product and you won't forget it as it will be staring you in the face every time you open your camera bag.

If you've got  bunch of lenses for your DSLR that sit face-down in the bag, all you see when you open it up is a line of similar back caps - you can be hard pressed to know which lens is which and you end up pulling each one out and staring at it before you find the right one. By then the HINDENBURG has settled to the ground and they are toasting marshmallows on the remains....

Lens Bling rear caps are indelibly lettered for whatever lens you have and are readily visible at a distance. Available in either Canon or Nikon fitting, they are a great dress-up idea as well as a practical step to organisation.

Come in and Bling.

2. Honl filter packs - these are not new but I just discovered a new use for them that solves a problem for pro shooters.

A lot of us use diffusers on the end of our speed lights - different ones depending upon the shoot circumstances. I have recently started to use the Gary Fong Collapsible Lightsphere and am very happy with it for weddings. Soft, even lighting and it helps to take into account the lighting in the backdrop as well.

Imagine my annoyance at being faced with a light environment markedly different from what i proposed to shoot out of my speed light - it was a dear old church with massive stained-glass windows that illuminated the participants well but did so with a wildly yellow tint. I cast about to find some way to meld the flash and the daylight. Fortunately I had a packet of the Honl light correction gels in the bag. In this case instead of velcro-ing them onto the front of the light, I put on the Fong and crammed ( technical term...) the gel in over the tube. A couple of test shots to see which strength was best and away we went.

The good thing is it is easy to cram or hoik ( another technical term) these gels in and out as you move outside or into other mixed lighting. For ghoul weddings you use strong green and for goth weddings a solid black does it...

3. Father's Day - I have been a father for 34 years and have the ties to prove it; some have even been worn. This year I have scored a Wacom Bamboo tablet for the laptop and a ticket to a musical show.

You might do as well, if you get cracking and start to guilt the kiddies and the wife right now about the coming day. Toss out the Big W flyers as they hit the door or you will be facing more socks and jocks. Likewise the adverts from places that sell tin bar signs and cheap pewter flasks. Go to our online shop and pick out what you REALLY want and let them know. It is wise to give them alternatives, so if you are hoping for a lens, list a couple of big ones, and a new DSLR body as well as the one you really expect to get - then it does not look like such a difficult task. For heaven's sake tell them clearly which camera system you use - write it clearly for them; on their little foreheads with a texta if necessary.

Try to act surprised when you get the box. If it is heavy and does not rattle you are into paydirt. If it is filled with plain dirt, you might consider how things are going at home.

4. Zacuto - just a heads-up. We've got a new batch of Zacuto Z-Pro finders in.