That is a Cock's Comb. They also dry just like that to add vibrance to a dried bouquet.

I have an old Minolta SR-T-101 with 5 lenses. I also have a Nikon D90. Is there an adapter I can purchase to be able to use the Minolta lenses on my Nikon. I can't bear to part with the Minolta although I never use it anymore. It gave me years of great photos. I also heard there was an adapter that I could get that would allow me to use two lenses attached to each other for a wider range of uses. Currently - I just hold them in place but, as you know, even slight motion reduces the sharpness. Thank you :)

Thank you - This girl is just naturally beautiful - she rarely wears makeup so it was important for me that they could see that as well. You nailed it - Natural :)

Ashley - Model Portfolio for Forbes Model Search in 2009

Wow - Cooper's Rock - I camped on the Cheet River one summer when I was 17 for 6 weeks - survival training - no nails - electric, etc. I LOVE it there!!! There was FoxFire every night on the trails and the river was so clear you could see 20 feet down with no problem. Fish everywhere and I would have loved to have a camera back then! We went deep into one particular cave and were gone all day. It was a wonderful experience. I caught lots of fat crawfish and took them back to the camp and cooked them til they were bright red - just like the lobsters I later had when I lived in Monterey Bay, Ca. I would love to go back there someday. Some of the group hiked up to Cooper's Rock and were gone three days to get there and back. It sure is beautiful there!

Thank you so much - I don't know how to judge what I do so I really appreciate your imput. I'm sure I'm going to be spending many hours here learning and looking at all the awesome photos. :)

Howie - I look forward to picking your brain about your passion and checking out your view of nature :) I had to get an external drive to store all my photos on - I'm a crazy person with my camera - I get so into what I'm doing that I totally forget everything else... I'm sure you know the feeling - and as feelings go - its not too bad.

Hello CES308 - is ces for cesna - your plane? I really appreciate your comment! I just do what I love and somehow it has been working out but there is still so much to learn! That's ok - I love discovering new things - an lifelong student I guess. Thanks again :)

You are obviously not into GOTH or it would look PERFECT to you :) I like it myself - although I'm not a goth - it think the Spanish Moss in the trees above the cemetery are a perfect blend. I also think the overall grayish tint of the tombstones, the moss and the tree bark convey a cohesive ambiance that would not worked with any other combination. I like it -

Nikonian72 - I LOVE YOUR POST!!! I'm still laughing!!! Good one - although it might be good to warn that there might be a stiff fine for that wire cutting solution.... I'm just sayin' :)

DAMN - it IS later than I thought... I get like this when it comes to art of any kind - lol What is the purpose of a thread? I save all my photos in JPG since is the most commonly accepted at the moment and the size is manageable for most people. Do you also find that to be true?

I'm afraid I'm very good at some things but don't know a thing about others - lolol so I'm going to be honest in an effort to learn what I want to learn. I have no clue how to make "threads" but I'm willing to learn. The best I know how to do is to add links - like to my Facebook page where I do most of my communication with the people I work with. It's easy and almost everyone can use it. How do I add threads and what exactly to I want to include? Linda

Both Photoshop and JASC Paintshop Pro have "noise reduction" as well as other abilities in their programs. I only know that because I use both of them and have for about 12 years. Each upgrade has gotten better.

OMG - your daughter is so beautiful! Great JOB on her and the photo :)

I read your explanation of how you did it but I don't know that program so it didn't register for me to be able to repeat the procedure. I'm going to save it though - do some research and then once I get enough basic knowledge - I would love to try this technique myself! You did an awesome job and I appreciate this step - can't wait to see the final peice :) Do you mind if I add you to my Buddy List so I can find you again and see how this turns out? I just joined tonight so you are one of two - lol Linda