The green canopy gives everything under it a green cast, so the camera is capturing what it sees. Have you tried using the Polaroid filter (about $6-8.00) or domed lens cap (about $30.00) to set your white balance? I tried it sometime ago, got away from it and found that on cloudy days the AWB gave me blue photos. So I have been working on it again for a week or so. It really is wonderful. No more blue photos. The color is true.

It is my understanding that if you step to the side just a little so that you shot at an angle, the glare from the flash is eliminated. I am told that just a 10 degree angle will eliminate it. Has anyone else found this to be true?

Photogirl, I have long admired your photos and your ability to find such wonderful images day after day. I loved yesterday's hat and coat and crock. They are wonderful. At long last I am inspired to show you a couple of my images. I think my dog is really cool. Hope you like him.
I love the friendship and respect that seems to have developed within your group.

He was a found as a puppy.


H now weights 95 lbs.

I have also experimented with background changes. I will attach one of my efforts. On your photograph of the calla, I feel that the background distracts because of the highlights. I darkened the background in the upper portion of the image and burned down the highlights in the lower portion. You can decide if you feel it helps. I would also like to see the image with very dark, but still green leaves, especially in the foreground. The white of the other lilies would need to be burned down considerably.

I downloaded it.

I did talk to Adobe. They said, "We no longer support CS4. The only way you can re-install it is to upgrade to CS5". BTW my computer problems are related to the work of having to re-install everything after getting the new hard drive.

Recently my computer hard drive lapsed into a coma. When I tried to get my PSCS4 installed on the new hard drive, I was told that CS4 is no longer supported and I had to buy the up grade to CS5. I have installed it only on my new hard drive. I wonder if I could install the other copy on an external hard drive, so that in the event of another failure, I could move it to my hard drive to use. The computer repair shop told me that it would not run well on an external hard drive, but it seems that I could store my other copy on an external hard drive. Have any of you experts tried that? I am tired of computer problems and all the re-installment problems. My policy for PS has been to buy upgrades every other edition in order to get the most for my buck, this lack of support is a problem I did not expect from Adobe.

After thinking about it, I think the most difficult bird I have tried to photograph is the chickadee. If the black cap has any detail, the white is blown and vice versa. They are also small and very fast, so two shots of the same pose is nearly impossible. I have never gotten a shot of a chickadee that I love.

I also have difficultly attracting hummers early in the summer. Try sweeting the feeder mix. I am told that they go to the sweetest thing available. One trick I read about is putting a flower in front of the feeder so that it looks like the bird is feeding from a flower, not a feeder. My favorite bird to photograph is the Cedar Waxwing.

I have never had my Canon battery fail for a full days photographing. I fail to understand why anyone wants to carry a heavy load of batteries with the camera all day when just one spare battery in a pocket gives all the back up anyone could want. I know some just like the "feel" of the weight, but it does not make the photograph any better.

Very nice. I would not have guessed that you are new at this obsession.

Sorry about the first failure. I just read the instructions. Hope this makes it.

The building is the focus of the image and seemed too dark to me. I selected the building, lightened it just a tad, saved the image, re-opened it in RAW, and vignetted it a little. This brighten the house and gave the sky a little definition, putting more emphasis on the house. See if you like it. This is my first attempt at posting. Hope it comes through.

Attached file:
(Download)