cat

Very nice Peter. What camera are you using it with?

Oops, I missed it too

makes me feel slightly better!

If it was a joke then ignore above.... glad I resisted the urge to just type **** you

Risso - Thank you.

Juju - How is that kind of comment helpful? It does nothing to help me improve and discourages me, and others, from contributing.

Sorry can't help with lenses - Clueless!

Bit of a breeding frenzy going on in my back garden at the moment - look away now if you're offended by insect porn....

Did you have to look down from the tower?!! :eek:

Saw Russia take on the Czech Republic at the lane yesterday ( U19 ) final score 3-1 to the 'home' side. The future for England looks bright - they were shite in the air and weighed down by dodgy haircuts!!

Couple of pics. Not great but I've reached my limits with my camera, lose all DOF when I use the zoom!

more here http://www.snappycat.co.uk/under19s/U19.html

Cheers for that - would like to take the references out, not hugely keen on black either but whenever I start playing about with colours I end up taking forever and then defaulting to black anyway! All I've done with it thus far is resize the box somewhat and reduce the size of the frames. When I first uploaded it I lost my home page for some unknown reason, am now slightly tentative about uploading another one in case I do something even more dramatic!

.....errrr righty then

Can anyone do me a favour and see if this works ok? Trying to improve my website but knowing nothing about HTML ( but pedantic enough to want to do everything for myself! ) it's all rather trial and error! Current method just isn't sustainable as it's way too time consuming..

http://www.snappycat.co.uk/trial.html

would be interested to know what everyone else uses!

Cat, I really wish you hadn't posted those shots.

I've spent half the evening researching macro lenses, and I feel a purchase coming on. I hold you responsible.

Bah don't blame me - my lens cost £15!

Another arghhhh day for me... found a couple of shield bugs mating but they were far too busy 'doin' their thang' to oblige me with a decent pose!!!

I really need to start carrying an emergency macro kit as well... gloves for when I find myself resting on stingers, something soft to kneel on and a pair of scissors for removing unattractive foliage from my background!!!!!

oh and b23avfc I think those are cracking - anybody can be technically perfect, having an 'eye' is a far greater thing :winkold:

Thank you! Have to say I've only really got into insects since acquiring a macro lens, you start to look at these tiny things in a completely different light.

Have always had an affection for spiders though. We used to have two that played dare about the same time every evening and would take it in turns to dash in front of the TV!

Sadly they came to a premature end when my sister, returning after a lengthy stay in Thailand, swatted them. There was a huge uproar in our house over it!

Cracking photos bickster & b23avfc.

I'm still macro obsessed! First damselfly put in an appearance today - expect to see a lot more damselfly's in the near future!

I seriously dont think you can over estimate the affection the fans have for Angel. I'm gutted he's gone. Really want him to know that he was more than just a player for us. Please make sure he leaves knowing how much the fans respected him. I don't remember ever feeling this sad to lose a player.

Absolutely anything as long as its Canon lol - and black! ( The S2 is silver and I ruddy hate silver!!! )

Seriously - my first digital camera was a little Canon A60 and the S2 was such a natural step up to switch to another brand would just seem wrong! That and the fact that all the pictures I keep favouriting in flickr always seem to be taken with Canon's. I have a bit of convincing to do before the other half will consent to me 'wasting' more money on a 'hobby' mind.

Aye the compact'ish' S2 can definitely go places the 70-300mm Sigma can't!!!! Can certainly see it still having a use when I scrape together enough pennys for an upgrade.

holte - Donington is not a habit I can afford to indulge! My photos from last year are here http://www.snappycat.co.uk/donington1.html . Not in the same league as yours but was happy with them as a first attempt ( I don't have an add-on zoom lens either!! ).

Incidentally I use a Canon S2 which whilst fully manual does have its limitations over a 'proper' DSLR. I seem to fare best with macro stuff as the Raynox DCR-250 I use does a stirling job for a £15 lens!!

drstupid - will certainly look out for that book, about time I started picking up some photography books ( problem being I have a pile of about 30 'to read' by my bedside at the moment!!!! )

holte villain - cracking shots, went to Renaults freebie World Series at Donington Park last year and it was a real buzz, am in mortal danger of becoming a very laddish lass!!!

Few from me, I love holidays - gives me oodles of time to play!!!! A ladybird in the garden, a couple of shots of a peacock at The Camp Inn at Grimley and a couple of my last butterfly drying out in the sun before flying away ( I'm totally bereft - sob sob! )

I find boiling water rather effective for that particular problem... but then you have to deal with the emotional trauma of watching the survivors bringing up body parts for the next 24 hours.....

Indeed it was!

Another from me... Bought the kids a Butterfly Garden for Chrimbo and our caterpillars have just cocooned. Quick pic before I transferred him into the net where he can safely emerge. Will then set him, and his siblings, free in our garden.

totally fascinating process and none of the trauma we had with our ant works ( they dug a solitary tunnel and then proceeded to die en masse in it... )

In fact cat here is the perfect opportunity to get that third one published

A competition in DigitalSLR User Magazine - click link for entry details

2 4GB Compact Flash Cards (fast expensive profesional ones) and two card readers as a prize!

If only I was using a DigitalSLR!!!!

and cheers drstupid - the first one is growing on me!

Thank you guys. I was torn with the first one because I'm amateur enough to make mistakes like having the lens not zoomed out far enough and that shadow at the top looked worryingly like vignetting!! ( It isn't - but it looks like it! ) I think the third is probably my favourite....

anyway finished taking these, stood up and promptly fell over!!! Anyone else do that? I forget the time, sit waiting for the right light and end up with a dead leg!!

I ruddy love it when the weather starts to warm up - finally have an opportunity to play with my macro lens! Can't decide which of these I prefer, which I guess is a good thing as at one time only one would be in focus!!!, would welcome feedback.

This is the closest I get to an exotic location....

still persevering with the fish shots. At least the latest additions, a couple of Platys, are easier to catch than the ruddy minnows!!!

Oh I love that Bickster - very dreamy :notworthy:

Nice effect!

Bugs have started to appear so prepare to be inundated with bug shots from me - first one of what will no doubt be many!!!!

Bickster - Really like the first one. Can't make head nor tail of it - but really like it!!!!!

Iain - like the low angle on the pine cone, shame you lost the colour in the sky. And is that your garden? Looks huge!

Last moon shot from me, I promise!! Couldn't resist a montage!

Thank you guys :winkold:

Should have commented on others last night - but was zonked after trawling through 80 identical distant shots of the moon!!!!!

IianG - very atmospheric really like it.

G_A_M - I'ld have been tempted to crop it so that you lose the black bit at the bottom and a bit of the sky, your colours are lovely though.

Wurzel - fab shots!

Bickster - your squirrel is adorable, we are overrun by grey ones and none have the grace to pose!!!

Wurzel - I love your cat! Love the goose as well but would have been nice to get the whole of his reflection.