My first You Tube video

Posted on Wed February 17th, 2010. 6:41 pm

I know it’s probably hard to believe… seeing as though I work on the interweb thingy, and I’ve signed up for most social network sites – Facebook, Twitter, Dailybooth, Gowalla, Digg, Linkedin, etc. But I’ve never uploaded a video to You Tube! Until now that is.

The reason I signed up to You Tube, and joined the millions of other users uploading video content, (I’m informed that as much as 20 hours of video is uploaded to You Tube every minute of the day), is not because I’ve got an underlying urge to broadcast video… but simply because I could, and I could do it easily.

You see I’ve recently upgraded my photo management application Aperture to the new version, Aperture 3. And one of the new features of Aperture 3 is the ability to create video slideshows of your photos without ever leaving the application. So while messing around learning how to take full advantage of the slideshow feature, I created a short video presentation of my macro images in absolutely no time at all. The results can be viewed below.

Update: I’ve tweaked the video slightly to improve image quality. Also, here’s my second video upload…

The Robin Hood Tax, show your support to help poverty

Posted on Wed February 10th, 2010. 1:45 pm

I stumbled upon this today, on the great world wide interwebs thingy, and immediately thought it to be a fantastic and simple idea. Oh, and there’s a great video about it featuring Bill Nighy, which has also been directed by Richard Curtis

The Robin Hood Tax is a proposed 0.05% on certain bankers transactions which will in turn generate billions of pounds per year to help fight poverty and promote climate change. Please check out the video below and show your support by voting YES.

One frosty Sunday morning

Posted on Mon February 1st, 2010. 4:03 pm

Yesterday was a gloriously sunny Sunday morning, although it was still very cold. A heavy frost had covered the ground, and the sharp cold air beckoned me out (with hat and coat tightly fastened), and my camera at the ready to hopefully capture some close up macro shots.

I walked up the hill, across the fields towards Swaddywell Pit, where I photographed this great shot of frosty ice crystals clinging to a thistle and blades of grass.

It was good to be out and I managed to get some well earned peace and quiet away from all the usual comings and goings that happen during any normal family weekend. Just a couple of hours to myself, with two dozen good photographs in the bag!

Sharp winters frost on a thistle leaf

Steven Booth Photography

Posted on Sat January 30th, 2010. 1:04 pm

If you’re interested in viewing, and possibly buying, some of my stock library photographs then please click the link below to visit my page on the Alamy Photo Library website. I shoot mainly landscape, macro and nature images… mostly taken locally around Helpston, as well as shots from across the UK and Europe.

Click here to see stock photography by Steven Booth at Alamy

Once there you can search my database of images, or simply click on the ‘Images by Steven Booth’ link to see all my currently available images through Alamy.

If there’s a specific image you’re looking for that can’t be found here, then please feel free to get in touch. Alamy only feature a small selection of images, and thousands more have been shot over the years so there’s a good chance I can help.

Torpel Way, between Helpston and Ashton

Exhibition stand graphics for e4education

Posted on Thu January 14th, 2010. 12:09 pm

Yesterday (January 13th) was spent at Olympia Exhibition Halls in London where the 2010 BETT show is currently taking place all this week.

I was there to have a wander around the exhibits, and also to get a better understanding of the education market. This is because one of my clients, Peterborough based e4education actually create websites for schools.

Whilst walking around the show on opening day, I was amazed at just how lively the show’s atmosphere was – which took me completely by surprise, as I wrongly presumed the show would be a rather ’stuffy’ and ‘formal’ education show. Not only that but, the amount of new technology that was available there to encourage, and facilitate learning was incredible. I couldn’t help but notice what a tremendous, exciting time it is for young people to learn through education.

Here’s a photo of e4education’s stand… the cool stand graphics, by-the-way, were designed by me!

e4education stand at the BETT Show 2010

New site design for ICE Renewables

Posted on Mon January 4th, 2010. 11:37 am

Just before the Christmas holiday break, I managed to complete another a web design project that I’d been working on for one of my clients. The website was for ICE Renewables, a company that specialise in providing renewable energy solutions.

The site design was developed as a bespoke Wordpress theme designed to the clients own specification. The content can then be edited, or even added to easily by anyone with a computer and an internet connection.

The Wordpress admin dashboard is the real power behind using this software as a Content Management System,  it easily allows user management of the site’s content without having to write page code.

You can click the image below to see the live site.

ICE renewables new website design

Awoke to find snow

Posted on Fri December 18th, 2009. 11:36 am

On waking up this morning, I found the world around me covered in snow! A welcoming winter scene on my doorstep just a week before Christmas.

As the snow stopped falling, I got wrapped up and ventured out early with my camera to take some photos. I was only out for an hour or so, but was blessed with some gorgeous winter sunshine. Here’s a sample image from my mornings work. It was taken just on the edge of the village looking across the paddock towards the rising sun in the east.

Click the thumbnail below to see a larger version.
snowyhelpston

Buckingham Press website goes live

Posted on Tue December 8th, 2009. 10:12 am

One of my recent website design projects has now gone live. Buckingham Press is an online bookstore specialising in printing materials for birdwatchers and nature lovers, primarily in the UK.

The site is a bespoke Wordpress theme designed by myself in close collaboration with the clients. A Wordpress installation then obviously powers the backend, and the content database, meaning that new products can be easily added at any time by the clients. We’ve integrated a quick and easy payment processing solution with PayPal.

Buckingham Press Ltd website

Sunday spikes in internet traffic

Posted on Fri November 20th, 2009. 10:29 pm

Looking through some of the recent analytic statistics, from a few of my various sites on the interweb, and it has flagged up some interesting visitor trends.

Over the last couple of months it’s become increasingly obvious that my online dating sites receive far more visitor numbers on a Sunday, than on any other day of the week. This is a trend that has also effected revenue - with more money earnt on Sunday through to Monday.

Is the day of rest the day people surf the web the most? Or is it just this particular market, where singles don’t wish to spend Sunday all alone? I shall watch the stats closely and see if this continues in the run up to Christmas.

New photographic project

Posted on Fri March 27th, 2009. 4:29 pm

As many of my friends will know, I’m also a pretty keen amateur photographer who has been fortunate enough in the past to have had some of my photographic images published. I’ve also recently become a stock image library contributor.

I’ve also been busy behind the scenes recently working on advancing my photographic hobby in to a more professional status by offering a specialist photographic service… producing 360 degree panoramic virtual reality photographs, in both Quicktime and Flash formats.

It’s a service that I hope to combine along with my regular web designing skills. In the coming weeks, when I officially launch the service, I’ll be building a ’sister’ site to Steven Booth Design Ltd which will showcase some examples.

Check back soon for further details.

A panoramic shot of Ferry Meadows, Peterborough