Ripley

I just discovered a praying mantis in the house. Caught her/him and relocated it outside in a nice green bush for camouflage and where I know lots of small crickets hang out at night. The look she gave me was pure comical - she tilted her head on the side most indignently and gave me a real stare. I wish I had a macro lens to take a photo, but I don't, so I left her alone. I was wondering, what is a good, reasonably priced macro lens? There seems to be quyite a few pretty beasties in my backyard, I have a lovely garden orb I fed a blowfly to last night (killed it first though) and there are butterflies about.

Bryan Peterson has a new book out now called 'Understanding Shutter Speed' if anyone is interested. I loaned my copy of Understanding Exposure to a work colleague and typically have not received it back. She's resigned so I'm going to go down to her floor on Monday and get my book back! eta: here is the new Bryan Peterson book http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Shutte...y/dp/0817463011 I've noticed he also has a few other books.

You can do the effect in PS if you have it.

Sometimes guilty of this. I was editing a shot the other week and my husband came in and said, "The ocean isn't that blue"

2.8 or 4.0? 4.0. Couldn't afford the 2.8 but most of the photos I take are in good light anyway. It has IS too which is great. eta: I also have a 1.4 extender which makes it longer.

I have a Canon 300mm prime which is bigger than the 30D and stands out which I hate. I've ordered a khaki cover from wildlife watching supplies to try and hide it. If I hang it around my neck it reaches my belly button.

I think the texture looks great on this, ILTBY. Is that a white out with mist at Echo Point? If so you've done a great job editing the shot to fit the mood of the day. Your photos are usually so colourful and pop right out at you so I think doing something different challenges you even more.

I was paranoid my camera might seize up on a wildlife photography outing I booked out on a boat, so I borrowed a friend's 500D as back up. Worked out well as I affixed the wide angle lens to the 500D and the telephoto to my 30D and didn't have to change lenses once during the day and didn't have to worry about salt spray affecting the sensor. If I could afford two DSLRs, I would have two. Fortunately I have a friend happy to loan me her's.

Anyone in Melb who can help becandcharch out? If you were in Sydney, I'd be happy to loan you my 30D.

My wedding photos were the pits. It was just before pros went digital and was on film. The guy didn't even do any editing. There are rainspots on my dress, on OH's suit and because I was nervous leading up to it and because we got married in the Daintree in FNQ, it was high humidity and I developed a big pimple on my cheek, which he didn't edit out. You can really see it too, it was a big one I know I paid for a package with Silky Oaks Lodge which included photographer, cake and flowers, but a friend could have taken just as good shots with a tripod and flash gun. At least I have the negatives though, I might get them scanned and PS them myself. eta: I was asked to take pics of a friend's baby recently but I said no, pay a professional. There are enough amatuers out there doing crappy portrait shots, they don't need another one. I'll stick to what I enjoy and what I'm more confident in, which is wildlife and places. Anything else I'm out of my comfort zone.

I'd like to buy a smaller, lightweight one that goes over my back but trouble is, when I don't pack the telephoto lens, I end up seeing wildlife. I think there is a smaller version of my backpack around.

You can fit the kitchen sink in there, I swear.

I have a Lowerpro Nature Trekker (pictured). It suits my needs as I wanted something comfortable to fit my gear and that I could hike with. It has a padded waistband and a sternum strap to take the weight off your lower back. It's designed for people who like to get off the beaten track I think. It comfortably fits my gear - 30D, 300mm L, 10-20 and 17-70, plus teleconverter, filters plus binoculars and mini tripod if I take one. It also fits a bottle of water and a jacket, wallet and sunglasses. It has a wet weather cover in a pocket in the bottom so when it rains, you can cover the entire pack and protect it. I've used this before when I've been caught in the rain and it's kept everything dry. I've taken it overseas as my carry on luggage as I can also fit all that plus my toiletries and make up purse, it's that roomy. I love it, but it wasn't cheap.

Best warranty I got was from BH New York. I got my boss to pick up a 70-200mm f/4 L (non IS) when he was in New York in 07 and he also got this warranty for an additional USD$50. I didn't think I'd need it, then I dropped the lens and it smashed and I did need it. The repair quote was more than the lens was worth (and I went to 2 separate places for quotes) so I sent them the repair quote and they sent me a cheque for what I paid for it, which I put towards the 300mm prime, which is much better for what I like doing, taking pics of wildlife, especially wild birds. eta: now I have insurance through my home contents which covers theft and damage as I cannot be trusted with all this nice stuff.

She is a sweetie but still very timid. Not with mum though, she's great with mum. She will let me pat her as long as I reach down from the table and stroke her. If anyone apart from mum looks at her, she will bolt into the bedroom and jump in her bed. I was surprised how easy she learned toilet training, smart little girl. No accidents at all after she realised where the other 2 dogs go. She walks on the lead fine as well. eta: see how timid she is with me, I had to corner her in the fernery outside to take a photo. She ran in there and wouldn't come out until OH and I left. This was last year though and she is getting better.

Anne, I just got off the phone with mum. She taped it (so I can watch it next time I see her) and she said her dog was the KCC who was put in the crate and loaded into the boot of the car. Her dog is female (now called Charlotte). When Charlotte was found in that raid, she had 3 puppies with her. How mum came about adopting Charlotte was she noticed this lovely KCC being walked around her neighbourhood by a foster carer and went up and asked the person walking her about her. She found out she was going to be available for adoption shortly so she asked if she could adopt her (they did a house check and 'interviewed' mum and met her other 2 dogs). Apparently there was cannibalisation at that wretched place and other things way too graphic for prime time tv. Charlotte is still very timid and hides from people when they come over. She peed on my husband when he picked her up last year, but she's getting better. Mum can do anything with her, she loves mum. She has really taken a shine to mum's sheltie (who is an ex showdog owned by a DOLer) and the sheltie has taken this timid girl under her care and even been grooming her like a pup. They hang out together most of the day. It wasn't very hard to toilet train Charlotte either, she learned from the other 2 dogs (mum has a sheltie and a 14 year old, half blind shih tzu she's had since shih tzu was a pup) This is Charlotte, one of the dogs from the story last night. eta: PTS figure as mum heard it the wrong way on the tellie (she must be going a bit deaf)

I've bought all 3 of my lenses (Sigma 17-70, 10-20 and 300mm f/4 L) from Royal Express in Sydney (they are part of the Camera Warehouse co I think). They have beaten any price I've come to them with that I've been quoted elsewhere and they are just downstairs from where I work.

Gorgeous! I love the gannet shots, they are really great. Where is the gannet colony - north island? I'm off to the South Island next month. Your shots are beautiful, MTD.

Note the tide coming in if you are with a tripod at the beach on dusk. Worst position I've been in, on bare knees with broken coral cutting them, crawling along to photograph an uncommon seabird. Or banged up against the boat and its railing photographing albatross, timing the shutter click with the roll of the (smallish) boat so as not to get any heads in the shot.

The full M would be good, ashanali, but it's broken on my 30D. It's not on the safety catch either, it just won't work anymore (I'm not doing anything wrong, I've shot M before).

JusticeShades, I'd be roasted alive on another forum I browse if I put up a wild bird photo with an effect like that (so I've kept the original one). Just playing with effects for this challenge.

Sorry, haven't had the time to join this year. There are some beautiful photos in this thread. Last evening a few white cockatoos came by on Australia Day to scream and just hang out in the Liquid Ambers. Gave it a vintage faded effect in PS due to the strong backlighting for something different. Taken from the front porch and I was rather pissed when I took it (thank god for IS in the lens).

Someone just sent me this. More developments here with photos and debate on whether it's the same wolf: "The pieces of evidence are apparently collected by a group of Spanish photographers. They are conCerned about the reputation of all Spanish photographers and, thus, want to bring the evidence in public. ”I hope the truth will come out finally”, one of the photographers says to Suomen Luonto magazine, ”there are many of us (Spanish nature photographers) who have strong ethics.” Well, is it the wolf from the zoological park in the winner picture, then, or not? To clarify things Suomen Luonto showed the comparison photos to an internationally merited wolf researcher Ilpo Kojola from the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute. Kojola has a long history in field study of wolves. "Yes, it seems to be the same wolf in the pictures”, Kojola says. ”For example the dark, scar-like sign under the right eye seems to be a unique mark of this individual.” Kojola, however, finds one clear difference between the wolves: "The wolf in the winning picture has beautiful flawless ears, whereas Ossian wolf seems to have a visible mark in its right ear.” Kidman Cox admits that the WPY organization is pondering over the same detail: ”Yes, I know about the ear.” She presents one possible explanation for the difference: "The wolf has had a fight. And so the ear looks different.” "It sounds like a plausible explanation that the ear has been damaged in a fight", says wolf researcher Kojola. One thing in the behaviour of the wolf makes Kojola very suspicious: "Why is the wolf jumping high over the fence? It's behaving like a trained animal. It's definitely not natural behaviour in this kind of situation where the animal obviously could sneak between the crossbars." Article and photos here http://www.suomenluonto.fi/bbcs-nature-pho...aud-allegations

The exhibition is still running in London, Sydney and probably other major cities. I even bought the soft cover book of images where it features this as the main photo. Here is what The Guardian in the UK says: "The Natural History Museum's wildlife photographer of the year has been stripped of his £10,000 prize, after judges found he was likely to have hired a tame Iberian wolf to stage the image of a species seen rarely in the wild. The judges of the award, which attracted more than 43,000 entries from 94 countries, said they were convinced José Luis Rodriguez hired the wolf called Ossian from a Madrid wildlife park, contradicting his claim the image was taken in the wild after months of patient tracking of the dwindling species. Competition rules prohibit the use of animal models and this morning organisers took down Rodriguez's image from the exhibition at the museum in London, banned him from entering the contest again and announced they were "saddened" by the disqualification. Apparently without irony, he had titled his image The Storybook Wolf, but headline writers have since dubbed it the "loan wolf". Rodriguez could not be contacted, but the competition organisers said he continued to strongly deny the wolf was tame. "I remember thinking, my God, this really is a wild wolf, what an achievement," said Mark Carwardine, chairman of the judging panel. "I don't understand the mentality at all. People feel very disappointed with the photographer." The organisers said they were planning to erect a notice at the Natural History Museum explaining to visitors their belief that the photo was staged, although it is too late to remove the image from the thousands of books that have been published by BBC Worldwide. The controversy is thought to be the first time the competition's expert judging panel have allowed an animal model to win a prize and there was concern the revelation could damage a contest which has a reputation as the most prestigious of its kind in the world. "The wildlife photographer of the year is the one institution that has pushed us [animal photographers] to be more creative, so it is very sad it has happened to this competition," said Chris Gomersall, a wildlife photographer who was involved in judging. "In wildlife photography there are ethical guidelines and there has always been an explicit understanding that if you take pictures of a captive subject, you declare it on your caption." Rodriguez had told the judges he had sketched the shot he wanted to get on paper, but "couldn't quite believe it when he got the shot of his dreams". He said his main fear had been that the wolves "would be too wary". Jim Brandenburg, a judge and a wildlife photographer with 45 years experience of taking pictures of wolves, marvelled at the image of the animal, captured so clearly and apparently hunting a farmer's livestock. He declared it "a masterfully executed moment", but having studied pictures of Ossian and Rodriguez's image, he is now "99.9%" sure it is a tame wolf, according to Carwardine. The organisers were alerted to suspicions about the image by Spanish photographers who recognised the wolf and the location as the Cañada Real wildlife park. Wolf experts also questioned why the wolf would jump the gate when a wild animal was more likely to squeeze between the bars. The judges said they asked Rodriguez for corroboration of his story and if there was anyone who could act as a witness to back him up, but his answers were inadequate."

Wow! I saw that photo up close at the museum the other week. Wonder if they will take it down now as the exhibition is running until March.