A Make-Do Flashlight

The other night I was walking the two-mile stretch back to the castle from a village pub where there had been a live jazz performance. Often the walk is downright glorious when the moon is shining and the stars are out. After all, this is an area that had once been the home for England's Royal Observatory.



But when the moon is not out and/or when there are clouds in the sky, it can be difficult to find one's way along some portions of the road. It is especially difficult along those portions of the road that are completely covered in foliage, which blocks out the ambient light from the (few) farms and the reflected light from the towns 5 - 10 miles away. I realized it might have been nice had I remembered to take along a working flashlight for the walk.



Instead, I turned my camera on to view mode, with a bright photo showing on the screen. Perfect! I held the camera so the viewing screen was facing the direction I was walking, and there was plenty of diffuse light for me to see the laneway. And the battery in the camera lasts a long time and is rechargeable.



Since I carry my camera with me everywhere (okay, not in the shower), I probably won't worry about taking a flashlight with me most places any more. The light from the camera is more than sufficient.

Comments

[Rebekah K]

Neat. I used the view screen on my cellular phone in a similar fashion to find my way around my own house, the night the ice storms shut down power in our neighborhood. (My good flashlight had been stolen by a cat, was somewhere deep in the forbidding darkness beneath the queen-sized bed.)