Sorry . . . replied to the wrong response. My son gave me the Canon and a couple of kit lenses so I was kind of stuck. I had terrible results with the kit telephoto so I bought one I'm using now. Better but still not as good as I wish it was. Maybe not the best reason but that's how I ended up with Canon.

I'd love to see it! I tried with LR6 but as I said, I'm just starting to learn.

I'd love it! Please do!

First let me say that I am new both to the Forum and to photography. This is my second post. The last time two really helpful suggestions were made . . . single spot focusing and trying to take advantage of early morning and evening light. My principle concern now is that some of my photos just don't seem to be focused. I'm posting two recent pictures. The first is the antelope, taken at 1/1000 @f/5.6, ISO 800, 300 mm with my Canon Rebel and an EF 70-300mm lens. Regardless of where I look, nothing seems to be sharp. I took multiple shots by holding my finger down. I generally try to focus on the animal's eye. Maybe I didn't focus the first shot correctly so none of them are focused???
The second picture of the wild horses in Wyoming was taken with the same camera and lens but at 1/1000@f/7.1, ISO 200 at 190 mm. It seems much better to me. I'm wondering if maybe the lens I have just won't produce the results I was hoping for at 300mm . . . or is it just operator error? Thanks so much for taking time and your suggestions.

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Don't feel bad . . .we were home, live in San Tan Valley and I only saw half of one rainbow!
A great opportunity missed!

Love this picture! What a great shot . . .almost makes me want a cat!

Great picture! Haven't we had the rain lately??!

Sounds like a great trip! My husband and I visited Peru and Machu Picchu just over a year ago. Although we normally rent a car and drive ourselves, we hired a guide and a driver for the trip. The streets in Cusco are something else.
Although others have cautioned you against eating salads, etc., we ate everything without any problems when we were in upper scale restaurants in Cusco. We actually spent a bit more time around Cusco than I would have liked to so I think your "quick trip" to Machu Picchu will serve you well. We found the people very welcoming and I cannot wait to go back . . Maybe next year.
I'd like to explore some of the other parts of Peru. You might consider Ecuador for you next adverture. We loved it as well.

Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for the post. I am just switching to raw and noticed you are a Canon user. Have you tried their software? I'm wondering if it's adequate or if I need to purchase something else.

Hi Susan . . .First, let me thank you for your help. I posted the pictures because I really do want to improve. My camera has tracking focus and I'm using it . . .except it's counterintuitive to the old days when it was just one shot at a time and sometimes I forget to keep my finger down. I'm shooting in raw and jpeg now. I was out again yesterday. I've looked at the jpegs but haven't tried processing the raw yet.
Thanks again.

Thanks, Susan. You're right, there was a breeze when I was shooting. While I'm careful about shutter speed when I'm shooting horses, I guess I should have upped it. I have found that when I'm shooting the horses, if I take multiple high speed shots, I've got a better chance of getting at least one that's pretty well focused.

Next tome I'll be sure to check store original. I just tried to focus o a single flower with a shallow depth of field but I agree, it doesn't seem to be quite in focus. This was hand held. I'm going to try with a tripod next time out.

Some of the horses have become pretty desensitized by people like me who hang around to take their pictures. As long as we take it nice and slow, we can get pretty close, especially if they're preoccupied with something else. I love watching them and seeing their family dynamics.

I agree that these were not taken at the best time of day . . . unfortunately, when I've been out late in the afternoon, the horses seem to be more interested in just lolling around . . . I'm going to post a couple that were taken afternoon light. I have trouble deciding if action or lighting is more important! Wish they'd perform on demand.
Thanks for your time.

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Thanks, I'll try to learn to use it then!