Hey BuBu,

I am wondering if you might still have this Cannon lens for sale or if you might have sold it by now... ? If you have sold it, then I understand and send my hardy congratulations.. if not we might be able negotiate a deal... First off, however.... upon looking at the pics you have provided .. on the full length pic... could you tell me about the signature that shows up on the barrel of the lens in that picture? Thanks, E. R. Hales

Hey Rob48 very nice shooting for this series... Your focus is spot on and that is very important for bee shots to be
taken seriously. Keep the eyes as sharp as you have them here and your viewers will always "bee" in awe of your
honeybees. :)

Hey Corolyn,

You are lucky living in Tennessee if the weather is good enough to be taking these kinds of shots this early in the year! Here in Idaho it will be some weeks before I will be venturing out for outdoor shots.

I would like to help you improve your results so I am going to point out some things that you may not have thought of or just have not learned yet. Please don't think I am picking on you... we all have room for improvement and can be open to constructive pointers from those more experienced.

Your bird shots are mostly out of focus on the subject of your posts... the birds. There are parts of the images overall that do have focus.. but the subjects, the birds are not focused well. Since there is focus on parts of the image and not in other parts I don't believe you are having a problem keeping the camera still and stable. If you are using a camera with auto-focus then perhaps your focal points are not properly adjusted within the camera.

A general rule of thumb when shooting animals, people, birds etc. is to focus on the eyes. Try to get the catch light reflection from the eyes in focus. I believe you will find the effects much more satisfying.

That dude is completely wasted!! He must have been hanging around with DOOK's friend "LARRY" the lounge lizard!

Earl!!! You have managed to do what many a photographer has tried to do... You captured an informal smapshot of Larry without being photobombed in his natural habitat ... he is frequenting other digs than the proverbial local bar or pub.. but maybe being Larry the lounge lizard is his alter ego when he visits the states... And you say he has been absent for an extended period of time? ")

I have to agree with Earl... the frame being black on black was an exercise in futility... only a distraction here. Nonetheless, it is a very nice image and it can still be tweaked. I am duly impressed with the amount of DOF achieved. No question you have a good feel for CLOSE-UP work.

EXCELLENT

Well.... now I have no idea what quoting me with no comment afterwards means... I must have been WAY OFF the mark with my first comment.... Please.. no offense was meant or implied!!

Very Nice Donna.... These are really great shots..

I may be wrong here, however I believe G M P meant to type "Advice".... not adive. Perhaps???? Maybe???

Now there's one for "All Seasons", Thanks for the good laugh.

Interesting shots... really like the second shot, down on his level and eye to eye.

This guy looks well fed and well groomed...

Nice shots Bozsik

The president of our local photo club came across this article about photographing soap bubbles outside in the winter... upon researching the topic I found several informative pieces explaining the process... Those interested can begin here...

http://www.ignant.de/2015/01/26/frozen-in-a-bubble-by-angela-kelly/

The day these were taken it was about 7 degrees fahrenheit, closing in on 10a.m.

Shot in RAW, Cropped, with colors brought up in Photoshop.

It is the same thing every year... the hordes have been waiting and waiting for the chance to hit the beach and the first real chance they get, OFF they go, taking everything to enjoy a day in the sun EXCEPT the SUNBLOCK... these are fine examples of nearly sun stroked Wasps and they are crazy anxious trying to get some medicinal benefits from these fine white floral bouquets to relieve the pain

Nice shots Earl.

Thanks Billy for your comments. I appreciate your honest opinions... I was not looking for a pat on the back when I posted it... I was looking for honest reactionary commentary.

Linda, Thanks for looking... I appreciate your comments and do understand your feelings on abstracts in general. At this time last year I pretty much felt the same way. Last year, at the Eastern Idaho Photographic Society's Open Photography Contest, I got my competitive chops busted by a photographic abstract. The same thing happened this last spring... SOOO as the old saying goes, "If you can't beat 'em, you may as well join 'em."