Be Excellent To Each Other

You get instant pro if you use a @btinternet e-mail regardless of whether you are still with BT or not.

Do it! Let's have this thread. Someone make it and give a first photo (I can't, as I am dashing off to doctors now. Unless there isn't one by the time I return, then I will do it.

Yea - that is an acebest idea

This lens, keeping it I am.

MiniPaz pics now removed from public Flickr. I will baby bore ye nay more

I only see three of any one person's pictures a day in my Flickr stream, so they would never have bothered me there. the only way people would have seen them in volume is if they visited your Flickr account, I think, and if they are going to look at your streams they'd expect to see all your pictures, surely?

Stop apologising for taking hundreds of baby pictures. You're a new parent. It's expected of you (along with shearing the skin of the ankles of passers by with a pushchair and being generally annoying)

Played around with the lumix' 60 second exposure, unfortunately there were not many cars out and to be honest it was bastard cold so I went in, did get a couple of nice if dull shots but then when I went to pixel peep I found this:

Drip about to drop.

It's really not an issue at all mate.

I really like that, Decca. You're last two portraits have much more impact too.

Yeah I hope you don't think I was bothered either chap. I just keep them separate because I find it easier, also Picasa with its desktop app is far better for putting up loads of snaps than the Lightroom/Flickr I use for the other stuff.

The Desktop Flickr Uploader works really well, if you don't use that.

I use the Flickr uploadr* as well. You can even get it plug into picasa.

Too much talk, not enough pics!

I remembered I took a shot of a local windmill on my phone, after seeing Grims... camera snaps (liked all those btw, the cigarette smoke looks really odd in the last one) so I done made this with it.

Twin Rotor Flying Mill!

That's bostin! Looks like a Jules Verne-esq flying machine. The rotors are destined to collide though.

Erm, that's.. How did you do that?

edit: oh right, duh.

Probably the best one of your recent batch (although I really like the Hammock shot too). Very warm and natural.

I think it's going to be the basis of my next illustration now.

Excellent. Can't see the join. It's the Zardoz version of the Pinky Ponk.

No this is...

Drunken beer art!

I have dozens of pictures like that. If I'm in a pub with a camera, you can bet I'll take a picture of a pint glass.

Glass lacks christ.

Eh?

Blimey, I don't check this thread for a couple of days and it's bursting with awesome pics! Top work all round, folks!
Here's a few more from me - showing that winter isn't quite done with Northwestern Ontario yet...


Ice blocks in the lake and a desolate shore...


Attempted artsy-fartsy thing through the detritus on the shore.


I do rather love my 75-300mm zoom lens.


I will be attempting some pictures of the first crocus in the garden when the bloody thing actually deigns to open.

Very nice, beautiful surroundings you have there.

If I'm being picky they would be vastly improved by adjusting the levels, Malc (in Photoshop it's Auto Levels) to get a wider tonal range.

It's fine on the Gull photo as it ranges from the very dark to almost white on the bird itself.

Like thus.

Cheers Z! I'm definitely still learning at this point - I haven't even begun to dabble in the scary world of photo manipulation programs to be honest. Totally agree that it looks a lot better with the levels adjusted.

Do you have Photoshop, Malc? If not what do you use?

Nothing at the moment but Windows Live Photo Editor. I had a quick mess around with the second pic - cropped it a little and altered the colour and contrast. Better? Worse? Any tips?

Yeah, a marked improvement I'd say.

Of course, sometimes you may want to go for a particular washed out or dark look to your pics.

I changed a few things in photoshop, changed the hue/saturation a bit and brought the highlights out in the treeline.

Edit: does need more work and blending though.

It's a trial and error thing really, adjust the contrast/hue etc a little at a time and scan around the whole image making sure that improvements your making to some areas aren't taking detail away from others. You can always revert back, that's the beauty of digital.

Thanks guys. Crocus picture incoming!


And I might as well include a pic of my doggy, who's very happy to be sitting in the back garden now it's a bit warmer (and there's not three feet of snow everywhere).

Both of those look great. Did you tweak the levels?

Yep! I downloaded Picasa and had a go at changing the levels on both photos. Cropped the dog one and even tidied up his nose a little (it's looking pretty scabby at the moment).

First attempt at flower photography, I used the 18-70 (non VR) lens and hand held.

Had another go at flowers (there are only the blue things out right now)

oi ya buggers somebody else post a picture this is looking like a monologue


water and light by Learnin' Curve, on Flickr


darker water and light by Learnin' Curve, on Flickr

Too busy drinking.

I like the dandelions shot showing one in flower and one in seed. Nicely done.

curses, I went and re set up the bubbles thing and got 10x better shots, was hoping to stealth edit.

*post above above has been edited

edit: as has this one - last one looks like a shop but only thing I did to that set is crop

Interesting stuff going on there, Decca. Good to see some experimentation.

I was trying my hand at something tricky with the wrong lens and lighting - I have unlocked the "holding a DSLR with one hand and no image stabilization while holding down the AE-L button and pressing the shutter in the dark" achievement.

I should probably stop waffling on the internet and go to bed.

Those are awesome, Decca. I love the water and light ones.

As it's a lovely weekend, some flowers from the garden.

This is going to sound a bid odd.
Just had the jehovah's witnesses round. They handed me a booklet called "was life created", if you have a chance to get hold of it then do, I get them round every week and I've never seen anything of this quality from them before, the pictures in it are simply stunning.

Nice pictures everyone, I really like that first water and light one Decca.
I really hope I never see that Jehovahs magazine though...the best thing about moving house is that the Jehovahs no longer know where I live. They kept asking for me by name, leaving me notes and reading me passages from the bible before I moved.

My wee pal has to look at this every day for the next 5 months. I am not jealous in the slightest.