On my recent trip to Denmark with family, I took this photo:

I was informed today that it made it to the top spot of Top 20 Architectural Photos on flickr. It therefore qualifies for Top of the Arch. Yay!

This is the second shot I took that made it to the top. Here's the first:

Take a look in the Top 20 Groups for some inspiration, and join in the fun!

I recently used HDR to get more dynamic range out of this photo, and I quite like the effect. The idea is that you use several differently-exposed images of the same scene in order to increase the amount of detail available in the especially bright and dark areas. You then composite the images to produce one image with more detail. There are other ways to use HDR but I especially like this aspect of it.

Having recently completed my first triathlon, managing to do so without spending a fortune on equipment, I thought I might share my tips for bargain basement triathlon gear.

When reading magazines about triathlon, or visiting shops, you could easily be led to believe that it costs about a thousand pounds for even a basic triathlon set-up. You need not spend this much, and whilst you will probably end up loving the sport, it would be a shame if you found that you did not enjoy it after such an outlay.

There are, of course, three stages to a triathlon - the swim, the cycle and the run. I shall look at affordable options for each.

In the UK, you need a wetsuit for the swim. I found mine at "Mike's Diving", a shop on ebay. It was one hundred and ten pounds. This is by far the most expensive thing in terms of cost to use ratio, unless you plan on going swimming in open water on a regular basis! You can use basic swimming goggles to maintain your vision during the swim. Swimming trunks or a swimsuit are also necessary as nudity is regrettably banned in the transition zone.

The cycling stage is potentially very expensive, with tri-specific bikes usually starting at one thousand pounds. Fortunately, you can use pretty much any bicycle, as long as it is roadworthy. I would recommend using a road bike, as they are very efficient, and you can get them quite cheaply. I bought mine at Decathlon, and it cost a measly one hundred and twenty six pounds in the winter sale. It now retails for two hundred pounds, which is still a bargain. I was initially concerned about its long-term durability, as it was so cheap. My concerns were unfounded: so far I have tarvelled over a thousand miles on it with no issues. You can ride wearing any clothes you like. Swimming trunks and a t-shirt will suffice.

Finally, the run. This needs no special equipment: just some trainers, socks, shorts and a t-shirt. I managed to get a quality set of trainers on sportsshoes.com for forty pounds, reduced from a hundred and ten.

So there you have it. If you're a canny bargain hunter, all the equipment necessary to compete in your first tri can be bagged for under three hundred pounds. Good luck!

Link: http://www.lulu.com/content/2915784

For some time, my collague Mark and I have been putting together a collection of poetry written by members of the day centre we work at. After jumping through a lot of beaureaucratic hoops, we have finally got it published. I supplied most of the photos and did the designing.

Click here to go to its page on lulu.com.

You really ought to see this...