I've always thought it was the chasing bird(s) defending their territory (Nest?). Sometimes we get a mockingbird nest in one of the trees in our back yard and if I even so much as walk out the back door one of the "parents" is there to give me an earful.

I didn't see it mentioned, so here goes. I really like, and recommend, Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure. He really explains the big 3 (ISO, Aperture, and Shutter speed) well. With plenty of examples along the way.

It's mine, all mine.

I subscribe to Outdoor Photographer and Shutterbug. They are such different magazines and it's nice to get different sorts of info. A friend managed to get me a free subscription to Rangefinder, but I don't find it as useful.

It almost always seems the magazines themselves offer the best new subscription prices, but then they get you on renewals. I've been using Amazon's renewal service and have been getting real good prices through them.

Getting a nice blue sky is just scratching the surface of what you can do with a CPL. Aim it at a tree and rotate to remove the glare from the leaves. The tree will suddenly become this amazing green color. Clouds. You can really highlight the different colors and textures of clouds. And, you can even use it as a 1 to 2 stop neutral density filter for getting somewhat soft moving water shots.
Be careful with large expanses of straight blue sky. You can end up with banding (blotchy?) skies.

PS. The reflection in that building is pretty neat. I like the mix of old and new.

What a great model. Fun pics and it looks like she had a good time posing for the pics.
In #2, it seems her hands are in focus and her face is slightly oof. Was that the intent? I'm no expert in portrait photography, so I may be off on that.

I was looking at Nikon's website and checking out their assortment of factory refurb lenses. All had 90 day warranties.

Have you tried squeezing the lens shade to try and reshape it while unscrewing it? I know you won't have a lot of room to squeeze as it will be close to the lens body, but hopefully it won't take much squeezing.

And, I hope your face heals quickly and well.

The lighting looks nice. I think the background, especially the area just above his head is a bit distracting.

My Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5 lens if a factory refurb and works like a charm. I wouldn't hesitate to go factory refurb for another purchase.

Wow, ISO 3200! Are you using any noise reduction software?

I think the 3rd one is the best from a lighting standpoint. The first 2 look blown out to me.

Thanks, Natasha.

Yow, llindstrand, that one is impressive too. Is it as big as the first?

That's one wild looking moth with what looks like snake heads (?) on each wing tip. How big was the moth?

Same backatacha, Mike. From the Easter Egg criminal. Heh.