Dave McKane - Irish Photographer/Genius

This morning Mary Lou and I attended the photography presentation by Dave McKane at the Hutchinson Public Library. Dave is with the Institute of Photography, Dublin, Ireland, and was here in Hutchinson a few months ago when he did a similar presentation.
If my memory's right, Dave was an exchange student here in the 1970's and came to love Hutchinson, so chooses to come back from time to time. He also has a sister that lives near St. John, Kansas.
He puts on a tremendous program...extremely enlightening and educational...and humorous!!! He knows all the ins and outs about cameras and photography and what one needs to know to get the best shots. (Clearly...I'm kindergarten material...ok, maybe pre-school!!!) He speaks on how to use the camera buttons to get better shots; how the aperture, shutter speeds, iso, and white balance settings can affect your pictures. And he does it all in terms that everyone can understand. When he suggested that we all need to read our manuals, groans were heard! The consensus of opinion seemed to be that manuals aren't really made to be understood. Sometimes it seems the manufacturer wants to be able to say "we told you that"....but doesn't really want you to know! Dave's not that way...he'll tell you...then explain it again even slower and more clearly if you need it!
He's a staunch advocate of Picasa3, a software application for organizing and editing digital photos. For organizing photos, Picasa has file importing and tracking features, as well as tags and collections for further sorting. It also offers several basic photo editing functions, including color enhancement, red eye reduction and cropping. Other features include slide shows, printing and image timelines. Images can also be prepared for external use, such as for e-mailing or printing, by reducing file size and setting up page layouts. There is also integration with online photo printing services. And it's FREE!!!!
I'm always kind of embarrassed to show up at these events with my little rinky-dink Kodak. I really think I need a better camera...but this one is so handy and easy to use...and I can stuff it in a handlebar bag and reach in with one hand, get it, take a picture and don't panic thinking about "what if I drop it!?!?" With a $400-plus job I'm sure I'd have i$$ue$ in my mind all the time! (None the less, I feel certain the day will come.....probably before too long, in fact.)
Anyway...back to the subject...if/when you see Dave McKane's workshop or presentation advertized, it's well worth looking into. He's charming, intelligent, witty, and really knows his stuff about photography!
Thanks, Dave!!!! We all enjoyed it VERY much!