Europe Map 1000s

[Donat Ruel]

Photographingsport offers a huge number of creative possibilities, and it's a great chance to try out some of your camera's modes and features that you might not have used before.

Next time you go to a sports event, why not try shooting stunning action sequences, freezing motion and capturing the atmosphere of the game? These seven tips will help you make the most of your camera at the match, whether you're shooting with a compact or bridge camera such as the Canon PowerShot SX70 HS or a DSLR such as the Canon EOS 80D.

At sporting events most photographers will be shooting from the same angle, so think about ways you can set your images apart. Maybe you could lie on the ground and shoot from a low angle? Or get a symmetrical composition of the players from somewhere up high? Often, shooting from the side of the pitch is better than being behind the goal.

You could also try to experiment with different focal lengths. If you're using a camera with interchangeable lenses, a telephoto zoom lens such as the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM gets you right in close to the action, and its built-in image stabilization helps prevent camera shake.

Most of the time, you'll shoot single frames, but when shooting action-packed sports such as rugby or football, you want the best opportunity to capture the most dramatic moments. That's why sports photographers shoot in burst or continuous shooting mode.

To enable this, go to your camera's Drive Modes menu. Sometimes there is a dial on your camera's top plate giving direct control; otherwise, you'll find the drive modes in your camera's menu system. Single shot mode is depicted on the dial as a single rectangular frame, continuous shooting as multiple frames.

Most cameras will be able to capture anywhere from 5 to 12 frames per second when set to burst mode. This allows you to sift through your shots at the end and find the one that best captures the moment, such as the goalie making a dramatic save.

The Canon PowerShot SX70 HS can shoot 10 frames per second in burst mode, and it has a practical vari-angle LCD screen that lets you photograph comfortably even while lying down or standing in awkward positions. Another good option is the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II, which shoots 8 frames per second. It has a 31-area autofocus system that lets you pick your focus and track faces and objects by tapping the screen.

Your camera's Auto White Balance does a great job at reproducing accurate tones and colours. Whether you're shooting a game in the daytime or at night, it's best to use your AWB and let your camera automatically adjust as the light changes. Using your AWB setting also frees you up to concentrate on composition and anticipating key moments.

To enable your Auto White Balance, typically there will be a WB button on the back of your camera, or on your LCD if it is touch-sensitive. Pressing this lets you cycle through the options.

The special feeling of being at a match isn't just about what's happening when the game is at its peak.

Try turning your camera towards the audience to capture hopeful faces and creative outfits, or zoom in on the players' anxious expressions or their arms around each other just before the game kicks off.

If you're using a camera with interchangeable lenses, a lens such as the Canon EF-S 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS STM is a good choice for this type of shot because its focal length means you can go wide enough to capture the bigger view of the pitch, yet hone in on specific players or follow the action.

The goal of any sports photographer is to freeze the action in dramatic moments, and the only way you'll do this is to shoot at fast shutter speeds. Ideally, you'll want to be shooting at around 1/1000sec, but certainly not slower than 1/500sec.

A good way of achieving these shutter speeds is to refer to your mode dial and change the exposure mode to Shutter Priority (Tv). What this does is allow you to dial in your desired shutter speed, and the camera will then set the aperture and ISO accordingly to guarantee that speed.

The Middle Ages was the period in European history that came between ancient and modern times. It lasted from about 500 to about 1500 ce. The Christian church played an important part in the history of the Middle Ages.

The invaders also eventually converted to Christianity, which had become the major religion of Rome. The church became the one thing that everyone had in common. The pope was the head of the Christian church. He and other church leaders became very powerful. Few people outside the church could read or write during the early Middle Ages. Religious communities called monasteries therefore were centers of learning.

During the 1000s, Europeans developed the feudal system to provide security. Landowners called lords built castles. They gave land to followers called knights. In return, the lords called on their knights to defend them in battle. People called serfs or peasants actually farmed the land. Serfs were not much better off than slaves.

Europeans developed the Gothic style of art and architecture. Christians built stately cathedrals of stone with tall towers and stained glass. Notre-Dame in Paris is a good example of a Gothic cathedral. There was also a rebirth of learning. The first European universities were founded in Bologna, Italy; Paris, France; and other cities.

Between 1095 and 1291, Christian kings and knights from all over Europe participated in a series of Crusades in the Middle East. They went to fight Muslims for control of places that Christians consider to be holy.

Various changes led to the end of the Middle Ages. Feudalism weakened as Spain, France, and England became strong countries. Printing was invented in about 1450. This meant that books could be produced easily and in great numbers. Many more people therefore had access to books and could learn to read. Soon the Renaissance, a time of great learning and art, was in progress. Europeans also learned of the Americas in 1492. The discovery led to a new understanding of the rest of the world. It was the first stage of the modern age.

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My Kingdom X is a great and prosperous nation, having a decent amount of natural resources. The kingdom's founding dynasty has stood the test of time for 1000s of years, until Kingdom Y launches a war against them.

The world is 25% the size of Earth for creative reasons, with Earth gravity. Kingdom X is located on a landmass 1/4th the size of Asia (scaled) and the only other landmass is Europe, on the other side of the world and unknown.

The world is Earth like and inhabited by humans. A form of magic will be involved, but I'll either put in later enough (aka when Kingdom Y attacks) or make it relatively balanced like guns are nowadays. Natural phenomena are the same, and so are humans biologically. Differences of education/deep-rooted thoughts may be changed, but I don't know how much that change anything.

How do I make this long dynasty (around 1000 - 2000 years) realistic? The only dynasty I can see is the Zhou dynasty (we'll ignore the differences in dynasties that conquer/unify vs those that rule for now), and even that only lasted around 800 years.

The kingdom has a group of people loyal to the king in the beginning, and it is relatively peaceful (aka no wars of aggression during this time period), but change is happening around them so I need for them to be able to resist outside and inside pressures/changes.

The kingdom is well-protected by a mountainous range, but there is a massive gap where opposing armies could get through. The original dynasty built a wall there, but we all know what happens when walls/the military fall into disarray.

It's nice to see someone acknowledging that maintaining a dynasty for more than a few centuries is a very, very difficult proposition: too many fantasy works casually write 'and the House of X has ruled Kingdom Y for 10,000 years' without considering how unparalleled this is in human history.

One thing to note that is if you want your specific dynasty (i.e. the actual same family) to continue in power for that long, you will need the right sort of social set-up (e.g. polygamy as practised in the Ottoman and Chinese empires, or an arrangement that allows the dynastic title to be transmitted to women or adopted children), as Western-style monogamous patrilineal dynasties almost invariably go extinct in the male line after a few hundred years; one family can't keep consistently churning out sons for generation after generation, unless you use some kind of fertility-magic as a fix for this.

Otherwise, you will need a political system which emphasises stability and perhaps has a special spiritual role for the royal family. The Yamato dynasty in Japan (the current longest-reigning dynasty in the world, having endured 1400 years and counting) have survived largely because for much of this time they have been symbolic leaders, regarded as quasi-divine beings but not entrusted with day-to-day power, thus preventing them from being brought down by the failings of the government of the day.

I would emphasise geography as the reason for not being conquered in external attacks; you mention mountains, and ruling over a country with large mountainous areas which they could use as a defence against invaders worked quite well for the Bagrationi dynasty, who held out in Georgia for nearly 1000 years. Even if invaders breach your wall, perhaps if the dynasty has strong enough support from the people it can resist from impregnable mountain bases until the attackers are eventually forced to cut their losses and withdraw.

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