KumaAkita

Week 8 of Kuma. We had a visit from our next door neighbour - Sanchez the Pug x JRT. 08/52 by KumaAkita, on Flickr They have such a bromance going on.

Week 8 - This is Aus Ch. Armahani Bloodstone Bilaidit - or Mischa to her friends. She competed at the Canberra Royal Show today in the Neutered Sweepstakes. W08/52 - Mischa by KumaAkita, on Flickr My DOF is a bit off but I think that it is still a lovely photo.

Pretty! That's sure to keep your head warm this winter :laugh:

Jenni87 - Nice w5 shot of Ella, I've downloaded instagram just need to explore it. I adore her w6 shot such a brilliant face! Rosie doesn't seem to impressed in w5 at the beach, you mean mummy :laugh: and she's a bit wild-eyed in her pre-zoomie shot! gazellehound - I the expression on Bella's face here in your w6 shot. Hmmmm, get on with it! And she has such supermodel long legs in your w7 photo! Beautiful. tlc - beautiful family portrait, they seem so happy together. Your w6 bath time photo is so cute! Lacy looks so very happy in your w7 photo. I like the B&W for your w8 shot - she has a lovely expression on her face ktig - your w6 is brilliant! Poor Paddy, so put out by your injury. Your w7 shot is great too, he's really owning your bed :laugh: Your out-take is cute too, cheeky boy. Jack n dash's mum - Dash loves that toy! Snook - Oooh Justice, you rule breaker, you! And I'll be his Valentine in w7, so handsome. Stonecutter - Cute shot of Ziva. She's more animated in the bath than Kuma is. Your w7 shot of Ziva is adorabe! MnDM - Monet is so cute Roaching, Diva with her tongue out is adorable. I love that shot of Benson, such clear eyes! And I said it in the other thread, but Juddy is beautiful. Your w7 collection is great too! Did Monet get the butterfly?? Benson looks so relaxed and Juddy looks like he's upto some mischief :) AnnieK - Phoebe has the most expressive ears! She also makes the most darling Valentine in w7. GregW - Zoe looks like she had fun at the park. I love your w7 shot, they look like they're off exploring. MrRedDog - Bella is adorable, she really "pops" out of the white background. And she looks so speedy in your w7 collection. You've really capture the pace of her movement well. pixie_meg - Adonys is growing into such a handsome boy Helen - Happy birthday to the lovely Tilly! I like how you've incorporated your props into the shot. DSO - Brilliant photos of Bailey for w7, just brilliant! Your w7 of Jess is brilliant, she's so agile :) Sorry if I missed anyone... should keep on top of this better :laugh: I've fixed my broken links - dunno what happened there!!

AnnieK - Meg is just beautiful. Maxine is cute too! She looks a bit shy in that shot. Hope they find homes soon. pixie_meg - your kids' school looks awesome! MnDM - How adorable is Juddy? Seriously cute :) Great capture of the bird on the grass for w7 - such beautiful colours. Evolving - Alera looks like she's lovin' the rain and a romp in the grass ;) Oh and Echo Bunny - very cute! MrRedDog - Hope you got your "crap" back on your 'puter! The macaroons(?) look yum - did they turn out?? I love your w7 shot - the reflection is fantastic. MTD - Lovely shot for w6! They look like they adore each other. How adorable are all those guinea pigs in your w7 shot! Very cute!! gapvic - I love your selfie for w6, such a cute photo. The light painting is brilliant - So very clever. I love your w7 shot - you can really pick up on the emotion in that shot, well done. Huga - another fabulous selfie. You really evoke such doll-like qualities in your photo. Your week 8 is brilliant, so menacing :laugh: dogfan - great monochrome, it's a really interesting shot. I like your w8 shot - the way you've managed to get the water droplet, great timing. Misteri - Yummmo! Happy birthday :) Flaves - so glad you decided to stay. Your puppy is just adorable :) dwynwen - your w6 and w7 shots captured all the things that make me miss Sydney. Sitting by the harbour drinking booze watching the sun go down. Sigh. Don't miss much else from there tho! :laugh: redangel - cute shot of Rosie! She has a bit of spunk :) Oh and wow at your huntsman shot, how dare he be so unsociable, hope he's enjoying life on the 'outside'. fattima - What a nice way to lose a weekend :) How adorable is Kiki in your w7 photo!? Don't worry,I can't keep anything on Kuma's head either :laugh: kja - cool ta-ta! I really like the colour in your photo. And wow at your dragonfly shot. Just wow. crazy_cresties - Wow that there is a helluva lotta ants! Making my skin crawl. And awesome gecko shot for w7.

Hmmm... I somehow managed to delete two files from flickr! Will haves to fix

Week 7(b) - my real week 7 07b/52 - Bottle Brush by KumaAkita, on Flickr

Geeze, you're fast TLC! I'm just getting around to posting my w7! :laugh: 07/52 by KumaAkita, on Flickr love, love, love my new camera!

So after much discussion and thought I finally have a new camera. I ended up with a Nikon D5100 and a 50mm f1.8 to go along with the kit lens. It arrived on Monday, bound in a mountain of bubble wrap. I have had so much fun taking photos over the last few days! My lovely Porteen Gear bag is perfect and it's all just sunshine and rainbows :laugh: I especially love how heavy and "proper" the shutter button feels - not tinky like with my hubby's P&S that I've been using for the last little while. Now, I'm not a briliant photographer by any stretch of the imagination - but the two 52 week challenges are really pushing me to get more creative. Anyway, this is just a small selection of the many photos I've shot since Monday:

Huga - your photos are divine. I also have the 50mm 1.8 - I am really enjoying it. I've only had it four days and am having so much fun. I suggest checking out a Nikon D3100 - by all accounts it is a great starter DSLR. You will be able to find some good deals online if you're willing to go that path. I'd be wary of the Panasonic Lumix range - I had a G10, and while it's a great little camera, the lenses are ferociously expensive. That's what led me to change, to purchase a new set of average lenses would have cost me more than my new kit and woulnd't have upgraded the quality to the same extent. Plus their lens range is considerably smaller that those of Nikon or Canon - and you can't use the other interchangeable lenses (Sigma/Tamron/etc)

Change Husky to Akita and you're set! In fact, you could probably change that to say don't get a spitz breed if those are your requirements. :laugh:

She was a beautiful girl, Run Free Sharnie. Hugs to you Weibritty.

My sister is a Canon. She offered to loan me her kit for a while "just to save me money and make sure I like photography before jumping in". Shyeah, right. She wanted to convert me! :laugh: I am super jealous of your D7000! I decided that starting at a D5100 would be just fine. I can always upgrade (again!) You know you're hooked when you pack your camera to take to work for the day, when you're mostly going to be deskbound :D

Because I am a clean skin to photography, I had no allegiances and the Nikon just felt better in my hand. Gotta say, I am thoroughly in love. I've had a bit of a play with the 50mm lens too and will have a look at the pics later, Mr KumaAkita is hogging the Mac! So much better than my old camera and a bajillion times nicer than my iPhone And thanks Huga! I'm enjoying the Darkside mwahhh ahhahahah :D

OMG Flaves, that is just adorable!! See, it's the ears. They're amazing. :laugh: Anyhoo, I'm going to cheat a little and do a week 7(a) coz this was delivered to me today: 07a/52 - Upgrade! by KumaAkita, on Flickr A brand spanking new camera, to go in my very lovely Porteen Gear bag (swoon). I'm loving it so much already, and I've only just started fiddlin'

So sorry to hear this, Rysup. Run free Sarah.

Flaves, I can only echo what everyone else has said. Please stay! I am, by no stretch of the imagination, an ordinary photographer. I'm just learning! I look at the amazing shots taken by this group and think "Wow"! I'm inspired by the creativity of this group, and I can only hope a little bit of it rubs off on me. Like MTD said, the diversity of the subjects, the different points of view and the imagination makes this thread so much fun to be in. Annnddd... if you don't stay, how will I get to see photos of that adorable baby? Honestly, those ears are beyond cute.

TLC - I'm into week 7 now (i.e. Sunday 12/02 - Saturday 18/02)

Week 6 Kuma got a bath, and he wasn't impressed. 06/52 by KumaAkita, on Flickr After we'd finished drying him (and after his post-bath zoomies) he grabbed his skunk and sulked. :laugh: Loving all the shots this week, will come back and comment later.

Week 6... 06/52 - Growth! by KumaAkita, on Flickr Not very imaginative *sigh* Loving everyone's week 6 photos. Will come back and comment on them all soon.

Thanks for the info. Will give it a burl when my new camera arrives!

They are fantastic photos, thanks for sharing!

cooool! I wanna give that a go :) They are awesome shots ;)

Ordered it yesterday, fingers crossed it arrives on time - should be here tomorrow or Friday. I am desperately excited. :D I'm kinda holding out, just in case it turns up.

TLC: Nice windswept look on your crew, so adorable! AnnieK: Phoebe looks like she's on a mission. So pretty. Snook: Nup, you can't stay mad at that face! ktig: Paddington looks like he enjoyed his sojourn in the rain! Stonecutter: Lovely shot of you and Lil Z! Your outtakes are fantastic. Helen: Look at Tilly run! And thanks for the explanation on your flash/no-flash shot. I like both, but the flash shot has more of a broody stormy feeling to it. MrRedDog: Great walkies shot. I tried one the other day but couldn't keep the camera still enough! Jack n Dash's Mum: Hope my PM made sense, your photos are great! DogNerd: Great shot of Barn, what was he after?? DSO: I love your w4 of Bailey, another patriotic doggy! I love the studious Jess, too! What would you have changed in post? Your w5 Bailey is classic! Your w4 of Jess is so pretty. W6 of Bailey is brilliant, enjoying the simple pleasure of rolling in the grass. I prefer your first shot of Jess for w6. GregW: Zoe is so shiny! She looks like she loves that toy. Gazellehound: Bella's got such lovely long legs! I adore her close up. Think that's everyone since my last round of comments! Sorry if I missed anyone, it wasn't intentional :laugh: I'm still working out what to do for this week, hope I can come up with something.