Be Excellent To Each Other

Yeah I like that too. I think it would be a nice idea to get a shot of him from the side cropping out the base so he looks like he's 'running' across the frame.

Is it a roof garden?

Did some more testing but with a tripod, filters and somewhere pretty. Thoughts, the matrix metering really is garbage, centre isn't. The sigma 70-300 is much sharper at 70 than the nikon 18-70 which is fairly annoying because I took one shot with the former and tested my filters on the latter.


church1 by Learnin' Curve, on Flickr

check out how sharp the smaller derbyshire time sign is bottom right of the church.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/learnin_cu ... otostream/

Matrix works fine for me, most times, and my D90 has the same sensor. What's the beef?

Don't forget that with Nikons you pretty much have to go for -0.7 exposure compensation on everything, as they over-expose a touch by default.

Went for my daily lunchtime walk today down by the railway lines. Usually I leave the footpath and walk through the trail on the raised embankment where the grasses and wildflowers grow, most of it up to waist height and some above my head, perfect for the critters I like to photograph.

Well today as I turned the corner I was gutted to see it had all been cut down to the ground.

It actually stopped me in my tracks and made me pretty puzzled as to why someone would do it, I mean there's a perfectly good tarmac path to walk down to the side. Then I felt pretty sad for everything that would have made it their home, it was full of those Six-Spot Burnet moths that I'd only ever seen on that section (not seen one for 2 miles either side of the river walk). There were also loads of female Nursery web spiders guarding their huge nursery tents too, and a million other amazing things no doubt that I'd yet to see.

I know it will grow back, but it was my little sanctuary down there. Gutted.

/strokes chin
ah now, I didn't know about the -0.7 gubbins, this would explain quite a lot with my matrix thing.

I love this new lens. Very first pics from it I took yesterday:





And some from this morning when I got my arse out of bed and went down to the river early:

Every one a stunner Mark. Amazing stuff!

Thanks, man. I wish I had my camera just now, two gulls were having a massive scrap on the roof, loads more soon gathered round and were either squawking encouragement or weren't happy it's hard to tell, one had the other by the wing and seemed to be winning until another flew in and broke it up. I love watching the gulls round here, they're such adept fliers and seemingly pretty intelligent. Rather like dolphins they seem to do a lot of stuff that serves no other purpose than just fun. Most locals just seem to hate them, though, treating them almost like verminous rats.

Can you believe I sleep in the same house as these vicious monsters?

Some great work there, Mark.

Did a set of four portraits of my dog using the 35mm 1.8 for the talk photography day, not the one I'm entering, god I love this lens


Daisy in black and white by Learnin' Curve, on Flickr

Really good those Mark. Nice variety of subjects too.

Great lighting on the butterfly* pic and I love the gulls wing shape (looks like he's slowing down to land. You did well catching that swallow, fast little buggers.

Glad you're enjoying that new lens. I think they're brilliant value for money.

*Meadow Brown

Is this that 55-200 I have my eye on?

Yep.

TEMPTED. But not yet.

Nice devil dog action you caught there, Doc. Very dynamic.

Nice portrait of the collie, Decca. Would be improved IMO if you had it's front paws fully in the frame rather than chopped off.

I knew you would say that you bugger. I was on the floor being stabbed in the backside by a rose bush, unable to get more distance without being in the bush itself and genuinly thought to myself "Fuck the tips are cut off, Zardoz is going to bitch about this isn't he?"

/shake fist

I have nothing to bitch about with this photograph, I am confused by this.


I'm a tiger grrrrr by Learnin' Curve, on Flickr

fyi, I did some tests and with the 35mm 1.8 you need to go -1/3 EV to stop the meter freaking out.

I'm thoroughly enjoying running around like a loon, taking pictures of any hapless bug that happens to wander past...


Intrepid Explorer



Dragonfly

And the flowers in the garden are looking pretty nice this year too...

Two-tone Peony



White Peony

Everybody jes' done great the last page or so. Marc once again especially, every pic a knockout there - though I'd argue that the birds on roof, rust, nails and last flower one might look even more evocative in B&W. The birds on a roof one is my fave. Beautiful timing and full of character. I like how they look like they're socialising. The seagul is beautifully exposed and actually looks graceful, something I didn't think the flying rats could be. The nails one looks as if they're metal flowers pointing to the sun, almost organic. I do like the delicacy of the last one too.

Beautiful portrait of the dog, Decca. I gotta love that 35mm f/1.8. It's my only lens aside from the 28-70mm I'm borrowing at the moment, and it's really a miracle worker. I do love border collies too!

DavPaz, like the running man. Great colours and a dreamy atmosphere.

Doc, that wide open mouth of your dog is terrifying! Looks unreal, like an Aphex Twin video!

Amazing dragonfly, Malc. It looks like the Lancaster Bomber of insects, really strong, armoured and heavy. I imagine a giant one being animated by Miyazaki! The green beetle's neat, but I'd argue a closer crop, around 150%, maybe a square one so you get the left edge of the grey lichen base and the rest is filled with beetle and the magical ethereal pale green of the little 'branches'. Very colourful flowers too, you've nailed the exposure and the light is great in that there's just enough shadow to bring the detail out but not too much to overwhelm with over-complexity.

Great work all!

The Key


Big version: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nervouspet ... /lightbox/

Excellent. Has an odd sense of motion due to the streaks of colour.

Common Green Lacewing in uncommon surroundings.

Woo!

Erm... something weird has happened. Can anyone see that picture I just posted?

Yes. Something has gone a bit funny with the system clock I think - I posted after your NY pic and it appeared in the thread before it
edit: yep, you went forward an hour in time to post that, apparently

ZOMG! My mod powers to TOTALLY CHANGE TIME have kicked in!

*acquires bow tie*

In Honour of the Colonials jolly day, here's a typical scene from the streets of New York City, that I done snappered last year, like.


America! Fuck Yeah! by MrDavPaz, on Flickr

Very odd scene there, DavPaz.

Happy 4th of July!

subject matter! sweet wonderfull interesting subject matter. Irony is I deliberately went out with my worst lens (nikon 28-80) to test it but hey ho. Also some chap asked me to take a portrait of his dog, dog did not want it's photo taken. Onwards to light room!

edit: if you like cars you are going to love this.

classic 3 by Learnin' Curve, on Flickr

I have all views in a set, quite what the hell it was doing there is beyond me but I legged it home for my camera when I spotted it.

Well you got good results there! And hey, even a mediocre lens can capture the awesome with the right light and skills, which you got. I'm quite excited by the new Victorian era house I'm in as there's loads of mirrors and lamps about and stained glass and skylights. So 'The Key' will have many brethren, I reckon. Also only 15mins walk from Cardiff Bay to shoot down there too.

Hmm, I disagree somewhat, unfortunately. While it's a great looking car, I don't think it translates to a great photo. The light is all very flat and the background is rather uninspiring.

I don't think there's much you could have done about that, Decca - that's just where and when the car was - but I look at that and think 'great car', rather than 'great photo'.

That's your new home, Pete?

No other way to shoot the whole car, but close ups of some of the great details could work well.

Odd sort of car to have a tow bar I thought.

I am absolutly with you on that one, it's parked outside a closed down working man's club (I'd take photos but the alarm is super twitchy) I'm imagining what it would be like bouncing round a rally course - must be a sight to behold. I'm quite glad I got it there in a way because when it's working (if you will) then you are not going to get that close without people round it.

I'm very impressed with the lens though, it's a old £50 kit lens off a nikon film camera. I must say it's surprisingly sharp with good colours, you can get close in and the bokeh is smooth. Clearly it's made of plastic but on the other hand it's very very light - not used it in bright sun but I am told there can be some glare if you are not carefull.

edit: I would have done details but pussied out and moved on in case the owner came out and yelled at me.

I'd have thought they would have been flattered.

Aye, they'd be more likely to come out & bore you to death

I always stop and thank the Gatsos for taking an interest in my classic Japanese motor.

I love those latest bug pictures and Pete's radiator key. Summery. Colours. Nice doggy portaits too.

Here's a couple from the other day down by the sea. It was lifeboat day and I was a bit gutted to arrive just after they were using the massively big and powerful offshore lifeboat to make a huge wake which the inshore rigid hulled inflatable lifeboats were then using to jump pretty high out of the water. (Also Mrs G couldn't be bothered with her former offshore survival school colleagues or else we could have had a blast around in one ourselves like last time, when we blew the boat's head gasket )

Not seen the car one yet. Have to wait for home.



Yep, taken on the landing outside my bedroom. Radiator key, is it? God, I'm ignorant. Though that is to be sure a very important key, and so deserves the capitalisation. Thanks for comp., MarkG!

Not sure about this one yet, it's not the kind of thing I normally take photos of but that was the point of taking it.


electric station 2 by Learnin' Curve, on Flickr

(camera and LR are away now )

This thread is really great, I love all the pics...

I might have to try and did my point and click camera out and embarrass myself in this thread..

Yay, it's a cat picture!

I take loads of these but don't normally bother posting them, just look at them and go awww but I liked this one, it's just a shame about the fence post in the background.

Love that. You're right, that fence post is a pity.

Cats you say?




I was going for a "Attack of the 50ft cat" look, but it didn't quite come off.

The top one is fantastic. The bit of green in front of his nose in the second one is a shame.