Greater Flamingo at the Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

Last year, "Greater", the Greater Flamingo at the Adelaide Zoo, South Australia, died at the ripe old age of 83 years.

I remember seeing the flamingo standing on one leg right from the time when I was a child many years ago.

The bird was beautiful with its stately plumage and not much went unnoticed as the bird watched people pass by its home.

I'm sure its photo has been taken countless times but here's the photo which I took and made into a series of interactive jigsaw puzzles.

I've had the pleasure of seeing flamingos in the wild when I was trekking in South America, but they were never that close that I could have touched them like "Greater" at the Adelaide Zoo.

Maybe you don't agree with animals and birds being kept in captivity, but many modern zoos these days love and respect the creatures they care for and provide them with food, a home, safety (free from predators) and their own free medical health plan.

And for the people who aren't able to travel to places from where the animals come, zoos provide a tiny glimpse of wildlife which lives on our planet.

Animal and bird photography can be a bit tricky at times, so patience is required. Standing or sitting quietly and not making any sudden movements is also essential.

In a walk-in bird aviary a telephoto lens isn't really necessary unless you want close ups of plumage etc. However, a telephoto or zoom lens can be of real benefit when photographing in the wild and you are unable to get really close to the subject.

The Birds Interactive Jigsaw Puzzle CD is available for purchase below. Here's the link for more information on my jigsaw puzzles on CD.

Birds Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

Here's the link to my beautiful local zoo - the Adelaide Zoo.

"The 12 Days of Christmas" using Photos and Making a Video

Here's part 2 of making a fun presentation which I created from my photos used in my own products.

First, I made a PowerPoint presentation, as detailed in the previous post.

Next, I clicked on the slide sorter icon towards the bottom right of the page.

I then clicked on Slide 1, held down the Shift Key and clicked on Slide 14 so that all the slides were highlighted.

Then it was click on File and Save As.

In the Save As box I kept the same File Name and file location in My Documents but instead of the Save as Type: PowerPoint Presentation, I clicked on the arrow and scrolled down till I found JPEG File Interchange Format and clicked the Save button.

A new box appeared on the screen and I clicked on the Every Slide button.

After that I clicked on the OK button so that each of the JPEGs could be saved in a separate folder.

I closed the PowerPoint file, went to My Documents and found the folder (not the PPt file) for "The 12 Days of Christmas" and opened it. There were all the slides from the presentation as JPEGs.

After that, I opened up my movie making program (you should have a free Windows Movie Maker program on your PC if you don't have access to a purchased program).

I inserted all the JPEGs, added the timings and did the basic fade in and fade out transition.

After that, I saved it as a Windows Media Audio/Video file (WMAV file) in the smaller format to be posted on the internet.

I uploaded to YouTube and was able to select a free soundtrack which approximately matched the length of the movie.

From below the uploaded file I clicked on Share, then on Embed and copied the Embed Code and inserted that in this blog post for you to enjoy. (You can also select the size of the video to suit the width of the blog post)

So now you can go off and use your photos to produce your very own Christmas spectacular!

You can check out my full length videos by clicking on the links to the left of this post (Alzheimer's Products and Digital's Great!).

If you found this post entertaining and/or educational please feel free to share it with others.

Trains Are Terrific Especially As Jigsaw Puzzles

Trains and locomotives, whether steam or diesel seem to capture that spirit of adventure and take us back to a different time. The photos made into jigsaw puzzles of this exciting mode of travel are sure to bring back memories for people who love their train journeys.

In this new series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

Trains Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

These photos are of trains old and new, working and at rest. Sure to bring back memories for people who love trains and travel, especially throughout the USA in Alaska, Arizona and Colorado. There's the Alaska Railroad in Talkeetna, Alaska, the Grand Canyon Railway at the South Rim station, Arizona, the Verde Canyon Railroad, Arizona, a Santa Fe Railway caboose, Williams, Arizona, and the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Colorado.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a personal computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

If you would like to try a sample of a jigsaw, email me at fran@franwest.com

Canyon Country Colossal As Jigsaw Puzzles

Utah's Canyon Country is coming soon as 25 interactive Jigsaw Puzzles on CD. The spectacular rock formations present photographers with such a wealth of material that it's hard to resist capturing them on film or digital flash card. The response to my photos has been so overwhelming that I've decided to make 5 of the photos into interactive jigsaws: Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park's Kolob Canyons, Red Canyon, Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park.

Stay tuned!

Australia's Coast Is Awesome As Jigsaw Puzzles

Australia's Coast jigsaw puzzles are great for viewing the coast from a different perspective. This time the photos for the jigsaws have been reproduced as dry brush stroke paintings, introducing a different element for enjoyment. All these aerial photos were taken during my flight around Australia's coast.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over. Best of all, you can't lose any pieces.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

Australia's Coast Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

These photos are of Tasman Island, off the southeast coast of Tasmania, Point Nepean, on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Cape Wiles, on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, Disaster Bay (aptly named because of shipwrecks) in New South Wales, and the Useless Loop Salt Pans in the Shark Bay area of Western Australia.

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

Mounted Police Are Magnificent In Person And Also In Jigsaw Puzzles

Mounted Police and their horses are not only magnificent in person but their photos made up into interactive Jigsaw Puzzles, which can be done on a computer or laptop, are stunning too.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

Mounted Police Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

These photos are of Mounted Police Officers in London, England, in front of Buckingham Palace and accompanying the Horse Guards. There are also two photos of Mounted Police Officers at the Australian International 3 Day Event in Adelaide, South Australia.

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

London's Historic Buildings Make Beautiful Jigsaw Puzzles

London, England, is a vibrant place and its historic buildings have many interesting tales to tell. They're also a photographer's delight and I've made their photos into interactive Jigsaw Puzzles which can be done on a computer or laptop.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

London Buildings Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

These photos are of some of London's iconic buildings like the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the National Gallery and Admiralty Arch.

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

Welsh Castles Aren't A Puzzle, They're Really Wonderful

Wales is blessed with castles of all types and from different historic periods. They are a photographer's delight and I've made their photos into interactive Jigsaw Puzzles which can be done on a computer or laptop.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

Welsh Castles Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

Scottish Castles Are Put Together A Piece At A Time In Jigsaw Puzzles

Scotland is blessed with castles of all types and from different historic periods. They are a photographer's delight and I've made their photos into interactive Jigsaw Puzzles which can be done on a computer or laptop.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

Scottish Castles Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.