Which ever direction we travel, I would like to hope anyone here would be willing to meet up for a group photo tour within their state. So post your state and the desire to have a photo group tour your state while we travel the united states.

Although I really do not like this community because of harassment from several users in the past, In fact moments ago, two other photo sharing community banned my account. This seems to be the new normal for me as a struggling artist/photographer I'm not able to get my images out to the public because those main stream sites continue to hound, harass and mock my images.

Comments like those above are a welcomed relief and a pleasure to see.

In association with this topic: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-669025-1.html I posted this topic in the reference section because we're watching and using these sites to check how the weather is going to be for our next vacation, how much haze is in the area and how the jet stream is moving.

https://fire.airnow.gov

https://smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/

https://www.wunderground.com/maps/wind/jet-stream

Why are these sites and a few others important, these elements can reek havoc on a photography plans of getting a clear blue sky during his exploration. As of yet, we haven't decided what direction we'll be heading this year. But I suspect it going to be somewhere anywhere there's no smoke/haze or bad weather.

Book mark these sites and make plans for your next photoshoot and if you ever wonder why that image didn't turn out.. might be haze or other weather factors you didn't check before leaving.

It's a well known that hobby lobby, chick fill a and many other retailers are religious stores that close on Sundays. I/we were never approached in this manor and if we were, I would have told the store manager. The reason for using Hobby Lobby for this print is because Aaron Brothers is no longer in business and Michaels is scrambling for a new printing company. Even Michaels software is fowled up and not functioning correct.

6 times Michaels online and in store has deleted our account and our images. I would not suggest using Uprinting or any online printing company because once the image is printed and not completely cured, they roll the image up for shipping, They claim the turn around is very quick, but our images got damaged in the process.

If anyone is going to do large format printing, seek out local printers and use an artist portfolio binder/case to store and carry your images. These carry cases/portfolios carry the images or drawing flat. DO NOT roll your images up. Because Michaels, Aaron Brothers, Uprinting, Shutterfly & Vistaprint have all damaged our prints, we're having to search for a local printer or break down and by a printer. But there is a small glimmer of hope, The company has larger format printers, the only trouble is, I have to know someone in that department to have images printed for me there. It's worth a shot.

They say: "If you don't post pictures, then it never happened" well it happened and I'm pleased with the results. Had Uprinting.com do the printing (I don't recommend using Uprinting was a big hassle) & had Hobby Lobby do the framing. Picked up the framed print yesterday evening. But the photo had ripples in the picture, so hobby lobby did what's called a "Dry Mounting" which heats up and adheres the photo onto a poster board suitable for framing. The only drawback to doing the dry mounting, is that the heat could change the color of your print. I feel it might have changed the color of my print slightly darker. If this positive outlook continues, I'll be framing more of my work.

As always any of my photographs posted here can be printed & framed for sale, Contact me for more details. NOTE: I'm willing to trade framed prints for lenses and other photo gear. Currently searching for a gently used 85mm EOS Lens or a 200mm EOS or better Lens

It's all in the timing, time of day etc. the sun behind the subject doesn't not do these image justice. A fixed lens would benefit this image better along with a diffident time of day. filters or shaded natural light would be the nest best thing. Low level light from a setting sun again would best suit this image. If you have a fixed 85mm lens this would be the best suited for this type of image. Keep practicing as you have the right idea.. just not the correct lens or light source. As for the ring, this has nothing to do with the table as the ring would flow over and under the leave. This ring is merely sitting on top of the leaves which means its something within the lens or sensor. How long has it been since you done a sensor cleaning?

If your camera has a live view/touch screen it's best to select or force focus on the subject you want the camera to focus on. You can touch the screen and either a blue or green block will appear. you can drag the block to a location and even resize it. Doing this will force the camera to focus within that block thus keep anything and everything within that block to be in clear focus.

As mentioned. haze, humidity and even a spec of dust inside the lens. But I feel it's more of a smudge on one of the lenses. I suspect the cloth you're using to clean the lens may not be the one best suit for it. One might even say the smudge is on the outer lens when it could be on the inner lens. Best check and clean both sides of the lens with a microfiber towel and if you have a carry case, best use desiccant packs to draw out any moisture.

It's all in the timing or time of day when one used the natural sunlight to its fullest.

This lens has been known to cause lens flaring. Ways to avoid this is zoom in or out to look beyond the flare, change the angle of your approach, Meaning move around as to look beyond the flare, change the direction of your lens, use a lens hood or consider a better lens that's not been known to this type of flaring.

Use a lens with a higher aperture/f-stop (f/4-5.6 or higher) for better results

You need a better lens without the use of an extender. The suggested lenses should have a wider aperture as your lens has been designed with a max internal app of f/2.8. You need a lens with a higher aperture or fstop to be able to capture a better image of the moon. Lenses like Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 or Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM would be best suited for images that you're trying to achieve. Plus you need a longer exposure setting.

Just to add, there could be other factors involved in taking an image like this if the moon is low on the horizon, you could be getting heat waves or haze from your surroundings. This can and will distort your images.

So I was about ready to get into this, but we're having an issue with Michaels & Hobby Lobby. Both of these places offer printing and framing services. But Michaels is having an issue because Aaronbrother (their printers) has closed their doors for good. Now we're having an issue with Hobby Lobby and the way they framed or attempted to frame our prints. They did not adhere the images to a poster board then frame which left ripples the full length of the image inside the frame totally unacceptable. Lasty, no matter where you get your prints done and if you have them done through an online services like uprinting.. your prints will arrived rolled up.. which is not wise and can damage the prints. We discover all of these issues the last 3 weeks and now we'll have to give refunds to those who ordered my images because I'm unable to locate a reliable printer and now a reliable frame shop. I'll need to locate a printing shop that does not roll the prints up and allows for a 1/4 board around the images for framing. So far we're out 349.00 plus 688.00 from the possible sale on these framed images.

Shadow corners on this image is due to a newly developed polarizing filter.

Q:What causes vignetting?
A: Mechanical vignetting typically happens abruptly and only in the corners, since this is caused by matte boxes, filter rings or other objects physically blocking light in front of the lens. If one is not using a filter, there could be an issue with the lenses and some of the lens blades could be misaligned or you're using a cheap lens in conjunction with an extender. Either way, light is being blocked from entering through your current lens. In the case on my badlands image, I happen to like the results.

Here's another image that shows what a red filter can do while being held close to a lens that doesn't allow for ring filters to be attached. Resting my Kodak Easyshare camera on the roof of my car, I held a red filter in front of the lens and took this picture (shadow trees) back in 2006.

been there, done that. Sunrise Rockland harbor, Maine