kja

emus! Love the group shot and the surrounds Can't help with the post size - I just upload mine to photobucket and paste the link in here so I know more or less what things will come out like :)

I think a dedicated C&C area or at least adding C&C to the thread title is a great idea for those who want it. My goal with this enquiry is aimed more towards those who just want to share - they may or may not want to do more with their photography, they may just be sharing something that is just pleasure instead of "art" or any other reason. They are sharing and want people to appreciate that fact, in addition to any appreciation of the photo itself. @huga - I don't think it's second nature. I think it's something we learn and possibly crave as we are evolving our own styles, our own skills, our own eye and our own approach to photography. We project our needs onto other people's images. Sometimes to genuinely help, for sure. But other times we know that the poster doesn't truly even want help - they just want to share. Yet we feel this impulse to "help" or "advise". We might not do it physically, but we are thinking it as we view the images! Those who simply enjoy an image as it is presented don't feel this need. People who ASK obviously are in a totally different category than the general sharers I am talking about. I still do it in my head on images that have been put forth as wanting critique or from those that I know are looking for input or on those images that intrigue me, but now I do it for myself - to improve, to think outside of how I usually approach things. I've come to see that just like taking photos, seeing photos is an evolution, too. When these thoughts come to me on photos that clearly are not suited to them, I let them flit across and then out and simply come peacefully to the image. It's how I can say truthfully that I do find the joy in terrible baby/puppy/vacation photos even though they hurt me :D

Almost everyone I know who has ever posted a photo to share would love to hear this. Sharing photos just for the joy of sharing - appreciating photos just for the joy of viewing them or acknowledging that the person sharing had this moment. I'd love to be able to help people realise that saying "awesome" or "I enjoyed looking" or anything just simple IS valuable - you don't have to know squat about photography to let someone know you appreciate the image and/or the time/effort it took to create & share it. I don't know why so many photographers feel this great need to offer critique or are seemingly only able to view a photograph on it's supposed quality or technical skill. I think every person with camera goes through this. I know I did but now I don't and it feels awesome!

Awesome insight so far, guys. What I'm hoping to encourage is more interaction and more support. Just in a sharing kind of way - critique and technique comments are for other threads where a poster has asked for those types of comments. The threads I'm concerned about with this little project are those where people are just sharing part of their lives. so it's interesting so see so many add "I don't have anything to say" or "I don't really like the photo so say nothing" as a reason - whether it's because they don't feel they have enough photographic knowledge/prowess to contribute constructively or because they really don't think the photo is worthy and don't want to offer unsolicited advice. I'm trying to figure out how to help people realise that those "wow, what a great experience" or "thanks for sharing" or "fun day out" etc comments are valuable to the person posting and get more action happening. If that makes sense - it does in my head LOL I know I love to hear that people actually enjoyed - for whatever reason - seeing a photo I've taken. I don't need smoke blown up my skirt or criticism on what I could have done better unless I've stated it specifically in the post. I just appreciate the acknowledgment that I took the time to share something I thought was pretty/interesting/intriguing/fun/funny etc. and I'm hearing that this is what most people want, too. @Monet - that's a good point. Viewing on a device that makes it tough to comment easily & quickly.

How much fun are they having?!

@Leanne - hehe I'm not sure why I'm brave, but I appreciate the comments!! This olive sea snake was a right pain - all he wanted to do was curl up around me. Finally I just gave up and let him tuck up under my belly & chin instead of trying to shoo him out for more photos. What do they say? Never work with animals or kids!! And I choose to believe this turtle is merely sleeping, not ignoring me :D

Happy birthday, Alera! So pretty - even if unconvinced about the frivolity of the hat!

DOL has a fairly active photo section and there is a nice variety of people who comment on photos some days. I'm a mod on another forum and the comments have really dropped off so I'd like to ask DOLer a couple of questions to see if I can't encourage more of a community feeling like we have here (and if more ppl here start to comment, that's even better!) Q1 you can have multiple answers - if you can, please leave a comment about what you think your TOP answer is, too. Q2 please just choose the one that best applies most often in your opinion. Any other factors you think about please leave in the comment section :) Really appreciate it!

Cuties!!

Awwww!

Thanks, Monet :) Bit of a blog is up now including a little video action -> click me!

**english.ivy** Because what Barcoo Kennels has said is different to what information I was given. Last time I was kindly delivered a bag to Joondalup, Barcoo Kennels said that it is too far and I respect that as it is a long way. I expressed my thanks for that one delivery. My email wasn't replied till a week later [sent to your BH address], my mobile phone call wasn't returned [i don't have your home number] and my text was never replied to. In the reply I did finally receive was very basic and said not a word that you were doing other deliveries to Joondalup. Last time we spoke you made it clear that Joondalup was too far for you to deliver yourself. I agree, $6 delivery is a very good price. But you need to have the time and be willing to drive that far. Anyway communication is never to be trusted all the time. Yes, I have been buying BH from BarcooKennels for over a year now. I have found other ways to continue feeding my dogs Black Hawk.

MTD - are you going to catch up for a visit with me while you are here?!

Thanks, Frodo's! Yesterday's first dive was one of my top ten dives ever - maybe even higher than that. I'm going to try to find time today to do a proper blog post with photos, maybe some video and some of the highlights - please stay tuned. In the meantime, here's a very (almost too) friendly hawksbill turtle that let us hang with him for ages and when we finally left us he circled back to try to engage our attention again! Most of the time he was too close to me for photos! My friend Junko in the background Trio of moorish idols I'm guessing you are all about over all this underwater stuff by now :)

Another scene from yesterday - soft coral with glassfish in the background

@marion - glad you're enjoying the photos :) @ari.g - thanks!! One from today's 2nd dive - bannerfish

..

..

Have you done a proper test? 9/10 times it's user error. google focus test and you'll find some handy charts. You can use the front/back focus charts for side to side, too.

Thanks, Monet! Appreciate your kind words :) More baitfish Blue spotted stingray

Kja, and English Ivy who actually wrote the post, live in WA so it is doubtful that a Victorian company will have a branch close by ;) **english ivy here again** Hopefully over time BH will be stocked by more people in Perth. WA is a huge place! I will just have to keep checking the stores nearby and just hope one day soon it won't be such a hassle.

First dive site today has a cool mini-cave and canyons - all totally filled almost solid with glassfish. There are so many you can hear them - it's totally freaky and so cool as they swarm around you.

Dell 23 inch IPS FTW I just bought an Asus 23" IPS that is lovely, too (and was cheaper than the Dell by about $40 @ www.ple.com.au)

..

Not a fan of the Olympus mju cameras - agree the photos aren't great from those models. I would not pay $600 to have it repaired - you can buy a fabulous little Canon brand new for half that (or 1/4 that if you go with the SD series). Yes, the G series is a few steps up the range - lots more control and features, bigger (not a pocket camera), and more expensive. I'd probably search for a gently used G9 if I were going to go that way, though the new ones are very nice. You'd know if you could change lenses ;) and none of the powershot series are interchangeable lenses.