Just for you, here's another

A Dog Fox in The Snow

Hi Shelly, We don't have the Rebel range in the UK. I think they are equivalent to our thousand series models (1000, 1100, etc)

That sounds like a neat trick, I must give that a try next time I get the chance. Always keen to 'another string to my bow'

Comfortably Numb

Can any of you 'regulars' or 'Old Timers' tell me if there is a way to set up a gallery of my images, or do I just keep attaching them to these posts?

Surely there must be some way to go & see all the images of a member whose images you like!?

Thanks Raymond

Ta very muchly!

Ta very muchly

Thanks dachs, you're too kind but, if I can do it, so can you.
It just takes practice & perseverence, that's all!

To quote a James Taylor lyric "That's Why I'm here"!!!

Thanks to all for the welcome messages & compliments that I've received so far

Thanks Rusty,

That's very creative, it must have taken a lot of work to create that image!

I really like Barn Owls visually, they have lovely plumage.
It's almost as if they have white feathers trimmed with gold.

Personally, MY favourite part of the whole process is to be able to put myself in a postion where I can capture an image of a wild animal acting as naturally as possible. Either not knowing I'm there or, even better, if I can gain it's trust enough to get the picture even though it does know I'm there & doing what I have to do to make sure that I get the shot I want.

My second favourite part is being able to show people, not for the praise (though that's very nice) but so that other people can share some of the 'wow' feeling that I had.

Yes, that was at Bushy Park.

A runner had to climb up into a tree to get away from a lusty stag.

I also had a close encounter in Bushy Park, but the deer are not so 'hemmed in' in Richmond Park.

Even so, I had to back off last Saturday when one stag chased another away, it ran past me & stopped so that I ended up as 'piggy in the middle'. I quickly got my shots & backed away.

If you mean setting the rear button closest to the viewfinder, on my 50D you have to set it using a custom function.

I find that it comes in handy if I want to re-focus without re-metering, so that I can partial meter from one part of the scene & focus on another.

I take mostly wildlife shots and, though I don't use this facility often, there are occasions when it comes in handy.

It was taken from a hide.

I knew it was an area that the cubs frequented regularly, so I baited it with small pieces of apple, set up the camera ready to shoot & waited (I have immense patience).

The prep work meant that all I had to do was point the camera in the right direction & press the shutter when the cub turned up. I think she's (I think it's a female) very photogenic & has an appealing nature, especially when she plays, or explores, or has to scratch an itch (as in this image).

Fortunately she is very relaxed at my presence & very, very curious. Sometimes she comes too close for my lens to focus. The closest she's been is about 3ft.

I've seen her several times over this summer and, though she's grown larger & more like an adult, she's lost none of her inquisitive nature, though now she hunts the squirrels rather than being afraid of them as she was at this time. She's still inquisitive about that clicking sound that comes from the box.

A few weeks ago, I was watching a Woodpigeon having a drink & thought, 'Wouldn't it make a good shot if a fox pounced on that pigeon' and, as I thought it, I saw her come flying through the air in a half hearted, humerous attempt at a pounce.

Let's just say that my loud, involuntary laughter did nothing to improve my chances of seeing any wildlife for the next 30 minutes! ;o\

Here she is playing a few minutes later

Fox cub playing

Hi Shelley,

As you are keen to take sports shots there are a couple of other things you might like to take into account.

Firstly, the more light & contrast there is, the easier the camera will find focus! Some bridge cameras just don't do well in low light or low contrast subjects.

If you're considering an SLR, you might want to think about the number of Frames Per Second. Personally, I wouldn't go for anything less that 5fps for sports & active subjects. Also consider that you will be wanting to use higher shutter speeds to freeze action, so a fast shutter is important, as is a high ISO setting.

Until recently, I used a pair of Canon 20D (5fps, APS-C sensor, ISO 100-3200, up to 1/2000th of a second shutter) and, when I found I wouldn't get much for it second hand, I gave one to my son & now only use the other for Misc 'snaps'.
My point being, that you can get a 20D cheap because it's not the latest model! (And this has nothing to do with the fact that I just happen to have a spare one going cheap hehe ;o)

The other advantage of the 20D is that it has an APS-C sensor which means that the focal length of your lenses will, effectively, be multiplied by 1.6 so that a 250mm lens becomes a 400mm & a 400mm lens becomes a 640mm lens.
This can be useful if you have to take shots from a distance, as in sports.