PossumCorner

You could increase the ISO a whisker or two, then use a higher shutter speed (shutter priority) and a tripod. A good tripod. And you will hate it, and trip on it, and the dog will trip on it, and you'll forget to take it in and leave it in the rain. All that. Persevere. Tripod can make a huge difference.

In the past I've seen them do some not-so-good work: but I just had a new raft of business cards, "photos-with-care-do-not-bend" labels (just to keep Australia Post amused), return address labels, gift vouchers etc. done by VistaPrint. It was a pretty quick turnaround and I am really pleased with the finish. Not an expensive order overall, as some were full-price, some 50% special, and some on free promo special. (and all without any vistaprint ad on the reverse). I didn't get postcards, but will now get them with my next order of a small banner etc. I guess I would say they are acceptable good quality and good value, but maybe not fine quality. A downside could be their regular "specials" e-mail once you've ordered something but I like to see their offers now and then.

Your images are lovely - and yes that's the thing with Smilebox it takes forever to load (and when it does the music is a bit on the morbid side, just too sad and meaningful or something). Not that Animoto is much better, it has some lovely transitions and effects - but the music isn't great, well it almost isn't music. Here is an Animoto short clip for comparison (not mine, it is a support for shelter dog placement, a Pit Bull in the USA). Shows some nice treatment for limited number of shots - but the music, umm - although to buy copyright use for better clips is not that straightforward, at least Smilebox and Animoto give free use. http://animoto.com/play/GrCgW0kPmJfz0BSeGVamGA# - feel so sorry for this little dog having his ears chopped off and then becoming homeless.

Thanks for that one also. When they send canvas prints to you, are they sent flat or rolled? I need to set up a reference file for suppliers and services "not yet used but highly recommended" for future reference. I don't "get" the framer spoiling the canvasses. Do you know what he did to them? (The bit I don't understand is how anyone would send work of that value for framing without knowing the framer's work inside out and back to front). We are lucky to have one of the best close to us, she is passionate about it, with a waiting-list, no quick jobs. Back on topic - RedBubble did an excellent job with my roses calendar: the colours are all very true, and with the dark backgrounds I had been a bit worried about it printing too dark. Very pleased: and it created an order for a duplicate, plus two "commissioned jobs" for calendars, (of owners' horses) so go RB calendars.

Here's the link to it. There is another thread here somewhere about the winning shot of the wolf, and there is a little (or a lot) of reasonable controversy about how fair it is relative to the rules. http://australianmuseum.net.au/event/wildl...her-of-the-year It would be great to see, be nice if it comes down to Melbourne, don't know if that is planned. Let's know what you think of it after you've been PD.

Not going off-topic. Does anyone watch Top Gear? The landscapes and scenery on some of the car testing segments are worth watching it for. And they can go totally overboard with the arty effects. Extremely heavy on the vignetting, I'd never noticed it before as a routine system for video clips. And as well as heavy vignetting they are extreme with whatever the movie equivalent is of a polarising UV filter for rich sky and cloud effects (as well as colour filters used a lot, pale golds and pinks). I think everyone is a little heavy handed with vignetting at first, just because it can be done (same with saturation, sharpening, contrast, dragan, HDR) then commonsense and good taste or realising less-is-more take over. Well, sometimes.

A great general book is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Assuming you mean a DSLR. Generally SLR refers only to film cameras (not digital). Anyways no matter, the principles she will need to get her head around are the same for both. And this book covers both. There are dozens of beginner type books, including as you say there is a DSLR for Dummies. "Understanding Exposure" is at the top for being well written good information. I wouldn't particularly recommend the Dummies one to anyone starting out: it isn't dreadful, but it is not as good a book as Understanding Exposure.

Mainly because both Digital Works and Croydon Camera House are close to me, so I can send an order overnight to either, then go and pick it up in person the next day, and if everything okay cross the road to Post Office and mail it. And if not okay they can do a reprint for me on the spot usually. But my orders are only small beans compared to full-on pro work and the in-person contact works well for me. I've always found that forum-bashing of DW strange. One photography forum (no longer with us) thrived on it, and they seemed to have the mental capacity of the anti-Canon/anti-Nikon brigades, sort of pathetic juvenile pack-attack types. Maybe there are real grounds, maybe some people do/did have ongoing bad experience. But like KJA and Helen, I always had brilliant service and a great attitude and full-on helpfulness from them. And small amounts matted or mounted very acceptable quality. Warragul Camera Club had a 'field trip' there one night a few years ago, I went along and we crawled under and over every step of the process, full tour from computers to printing to mail room. The place is huge and impressive. Must try The Edge though, only heard good things of them.

I also think the key is having the monitor correctly calibrated. We use the Spyder that Ashanali mentioned. But your monitor can suit one pro lab's printer and not suit another's. For me there is now a problem with prints from the new "Rabbit" business too. We used to get some lovely quality 5x7 printing done at the old Rabbit. Now that they have been overtaken by another company, everything they print is badly yellow-cast and they just shrug it off. That's at two of their outlets, so won't be going back there (and know of two local pros who have said the same: it's disappointing when they were so good before this take-over or whatever). Digital Works are a top name, but everything we had done there came out a bit too dark. We re-calibrated our monitors to their specs but couldn't get a reliable result, had to have quite a lot re-printed. Again it was our calibration that was still 'out' before we got the new Spyder. Now with Camera House we get exactly what we have on the monitor, so it's worth perservering to find a lab that suits you. (And as AmandaJ mentioned, we also work with a PNG file, and convert to jpg when ready to send for printing). Anyway - I've just done a RedBubble calendar of a friend's roses, so looking forward to seeing it and fingers crossed, as it will be too late to re-print anything before Christmas.

Ditto ... Taken with a Nikon D90, Sigma 28-300 cheapey lens .... Ditto. (But I take heart from Rugerfly's comment re un-prepared). These two were in a tree by Lysterfield Road (near the feed store on the Wellington Road corner). And yes I also had ISO set at 200, and no I didn't have time to re-set anything as they were about to move as I pulled up. Then the magpies took after them, then I almost got run down by a Mack truck because I wasn't thinking about OHS. Almost killed these shots in photoshop to find an image, then Photobucket finished them off. Oh well, one day we will be ready for them eagles. (Think I had shutter priority 1000th as I'd just done some pony shots).

Must use a tripod for best result. Even a monopod, but tripod better, to avoid squiggles. (Unless you want an arty effect like lines of tail-lights moving along a highway). Close lens up, f16-ish or more for max depth of focus. Experiment with shutter speed: start off using aperture priority or whatever the buzz-word for that is with Canon, could be av, Canon people will correct if that's wrong. Then experiment on manual with slower shutter speed, higher f-stop. But you can't hand-hold at the slow speeds without causing light squiggles, so the tripod is the key to a good shot with the lights pin-sharp instead of movement blur. If you over-expose it is a problem to fix in photoshop. But if it is slightly under-exposed the tree lights should be okay, and just put some detail in the tree shadows with fill-light, tiny amount.

Yes she's so good. Freaked me out for a moment as I thought you meant the other Julie Ward photographer who was murdered in Kenya a couple of years ago. Anyways, this Julie Ward has a great Smugmug site at www.juliewardphotogaphy.com - and I mention this for the bird people - Ripley etc - as she also has some nice macaw etc. shots. Another good whippet-owning pro photographer (also USA) is Julie Poole. Her whippets are Champions plus have all their coursing qualifications. Her website is www.juliepoole.com - the Animoto slideshow there of whippets is nice.

Definitely equally addicted, no tips though. I think the biggest thing is endless patience. It does help to use a macro lens on a DSLR up to a point. But sometimes it is easier to work a bit wider (so a point-and-shoot is fine) and nail the focus so that you can crop within reason and not lose too much quality. This one is from the other day with a Sigma macro lens (150mm 2.8 - I got this so I can shoot bees and spiders without quite the risk of being bitten (or just scared witless). It might compromise quality as against a 60mm or 100mm, not sure. And as a prime lens for normal use, like portraits without being in someone's face the 150 is lovely and very sharp. I do a lot of messing with settings: this one was shutter priority at 800th, gave a 5.6 fstop, and had ISO on 400 (the camera a Nikon D90). It was almost sunny but very late afternoon early evening, thin wispy clouds. Bees working Capeweed Separately, our camera club (Knox Photographic Society) has an exhibition just now as a local fire brigade fundraiser at the Warratina Lavender Farm in Wandin. Lovely setting, it is in the lavender drying shed, which is used for art exhibitions when not in use for drying lavender - that starts at the end of November when they harvest. So just now there is a ton of lavender in flower, thousands of bees: and it is just as hard to get that good shot as if there was only one. But lots of scope to practice: some of us have taken hundreds of shots over the last few days in the quiet times while baby-sitting the exhibition. Yesterday I got only a few out of 150 that I feel quite happy about. Today I haven't looked at my results yet, and also tried some shots with a "cheap" 70-300 Nikon kit lens, set at about 200mm and with a polarising filter. I think it has richened the colour of the lavender, but I had the lens on an older Nikon D70. If your camera has a macro setting and you can turn auto-focus off, it's better to focus on the subject, then fine-tune the focus by moving the camera rather than trying to auto-focus. The shots on your page are great, you're probably using your gear to its limits anyway. Edit to add: this is one of yesterdays, same lens set normal not macro, standing a couple of metres away, huge crop.

Yes, (reaches for sunnies). Worked for me. Welsh Mountain Pony In Retirement Nikon D90, Sigma 150 lens, manual 800th f8, Cropped excess background for square format. (Edited as the guinea fowl was ineligible).

I think the most useful website/forum for birds-in-flight (or in any other position) shots is the Smugmug support forum at www.digitalgrin.com - the wildlife photographers pro and amateur are really generous with information on what they shoot with and how they get the results. Look in the Wildlife threads, its easy to go through (don't need to join or have a Smugmug account, though it is worthwhile joining). The bird shots there are wonderful, aside from the squirrels and bears and prairie dogs (yes it's American, with lots of Australian members). Another good section there is "People", some great street, portrait and people shots, and again generous advice if it is asked for (relevant now because of this month's Challenge). And it's a friendly forum, not snarky or jealous like so many of the photography ones.

For the matted prints, the printing is excellent, the mat is a much better quality than most Framers supply as their basic mat, and the packaging for delivery is superb. For anyone in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne who would like to check out their finished work, there is a small exhibition, about 20 matted prints, at Elevations Restaurant in Emerald (all images from the Dandenong Ranges Group on RB). Some "shots of the shots" taken at the opening are on the forum page of the DR Group at RB.

Yes it's the new entry level, which went from D40, to D40x, to D60. I had a good look at one the other day, was vaguely thinking of selling my D40 and buying the D3000 as the new "handbag camera". The new features are good, it is really really lovely. But I decided to stick with the D40 as I can't justify the expense, as the D40 is so reliable. Agree with people who have also recommended D80 and D90. I have both, and both are excellent, without going to the big price jump for a D300 or D3. (There are still the lens restrictions with the D3000, but that is trivial, really a non-issue). Can't you declare Christmas early this year?

Something towards 50 years, not much less. Of course I could be majorly wrong (as so often) but that's my guess. My old one is positively over 50 and in a box "somewhere" I think. They are still made under the Sekonic name, a new one is about $300-600 depending on model - they still are not a waste of money. The old ones though, I guess just a collector's thing. Reminds self to have a clean-up and a chuck-out day.

Whenever you want to get the exposure right. Set the ASA (which is somewhere equivalent to ISO these days) - film comes in ASA of 100, 200, 400 or whatever - you can't just set it in the camera as you do with a DSLR, the light sensitivity is built into the film emulsion. Then point at what you would like exposure to be set for, whether an animal in general, a wide landscape or a close-up of a face/flower. The needle moves according to the light, the lines drawn from where the needle comes to rest will show you the recommended shutter-speed/lens aperture combinations, but the ASA dictates it, same as ISO dictates what exposure we can use on a DSLR. Everyone had that base model, or the Sekonic Leader Deluxe, or something seriously better if they could afford it. They're not redundant by any means, professional photographers use them to fine-tune the exposure in many circumstances even with DSLR. Maybe more up to date models though, digital readout and all that. Nice to see a blast from the past now and then.

Camera House in Melbourne or Ringwood (Vic) have a good range, so Cam House in Sydney maybe would stock it. Ilford have a high quanitity limitation on their retail outlets so you can't ask a shop to order in just one box at a time. Tis the loveliest paper though, worth the effort to find, they have pearl and art-paper finishes as well as the gloss and semis. Like you I'd only home-print for own prints, everything goes to pro-lab. They are on-line at this site but I haven't used it yet: and prices are lower than I've paid in stores - http://www.ausmedia.com.au/ilford.htm - this shows the full range. Luke do you get a better deal in Melbourne anywhere? We used to buy from Harvey Norman, but they stopped stocking Ilford when Ted's stopped.

Optical zoom is real zoom - the glass, the lens. Digital zoom isn't "real" zoom, it's just cropping, like editing in-camera. So will not be as clear/sharp an image as optical zoom (assuming in focus anyway). Quite a few of the digital point-shoot cameras have both. I'd run away from it. But as kja said, you don't know til you try, and it could give exactly the outcome you are after. And some fun trying. Some mobile phones give a reasonable shot, and if people didn't always apologise for posting an image from their phone, often no-one would know - or just assume it was a snapshot from their DSLR. Is that the Protax model with the video mode, you could do clips for u-tube with it as well if that's the case. There are no necessities on a camera, simple cameras give absolutely superb results if used within their limitations by photographers who care enough to learn the camera. It's a circular conundrum though, because the more you understand the basics of light and composition, exposure and depth of field, (which you still need to understand anyway, to get the best result from the el-cheapo camera), the more you realise that you can use that knowledge to better effect with a better camera. So using a cheap camera is not a cheap ticket to not doing any homework. If you buy the Protax, or a better known brand P&S, spend a few of the dollars you've saved on a book like "Understanding Exposure", and you will still take lovely shots of the new godchild that will blow some of the expensive-camera shots here out of the water. Edit to add: Snap, Perseph.

I so agree. I was quite narked when I was put in the "purist" basket a while ago, and read it as a not so veiled cheap and nasty shot at my age rather than purism. So I backed off big-time, sensitive thin skinned me. I don't do polls because the results are always skewed, for the record here I only shoot Raw, I edit everything in CS4. In general, I don't think anyone in our photo threads has a superiority complex, or the opposite. There is a bit of ego bubbling which is good, artists need to have some ego or wouldn't cut it. Group hug in Aisle 4.

This is an amazing website I think, it includes a lot of the first lines in Australia before the breed became more refined (or Americanised). I think it is still open for contributions from past breeders, are yours there Stonebridge? I found the listings from the old Wandra lines in Victoria and our first NZ import foundation stock. http://www.pedigrees.zandebasenjis.com/contents.html

11.30pm there is a good night owls' photography doco on ABC TV just now, photographer 1930s-50s, b&w of course. Edit add: Incredible photographer, she was fashion photographer for Vogue Magazine. Then documented the blitz in London for Churchhill. Then went with the USA Army through Europe as a war correspondent. Beautiful photography, concentrated on line and composition not just PJ and content. She was among the first batch to liberate Hitler's concentration camps. She continued documenting there when the "tough American soldiers" couldn't go on doing it and were all outside vomiting. (This fits with the thread of scepticism of the Moon Landing which mentioned disbelief in the holocaust. If anyone has any doubts, google Lee Miller, she was there and saw it and recorded it, recorded survivor stories on the day of what had been done). Miller married after the war, boxed up all her photographs and negatives in an attic, and stopped doing photography. The photographs and negatives were just recently re-discovered by her middle-aged son (who she had not raised) and he had been unaware of her history with Henri Cartier-Bresson and of her being a war-time press photographer. Bit of a shock to the system for him. If the Lee Miller story is shown again, more than worth watching.

I'd like to do their Rwanda trip which includes the walk-in to see the gorillas. And it seems reasonable cost ex UK. But it's the little tour companies that tend to go broke and leave people stranded, maybe I'm not that courageous these days. The cameras concept is good, I've seen something similar work, but it usually comes unstuck because the repairs/processing side of it becomes too difficult.