There's a piece about the Reichstag photograph and the photographer in this week's AP.
Well worth a read.

The Red Flag being hoisted over the Reichstag was definitely retouched by the Russians. On the original neg
one of the soldiers was seen to be wearing two watches and this suggested looting by Russian troops . Something Uncle Joe Stalin was not keen to publicise.
A few years ago there was an excellent TV programme about a lot of these images. I seem to remember it was called something like 'A moment in time" or the "Definitve Moment"
Also I thought the guy who took the image still worked as a pro photographer in the states but I might be wrong.
The guy who took the image of the Vulture stalking the wee girl definitely did commit suicide shortly after winning a Pulitzer Prize for this image. Read the book "The Bang Bang Club" or watch the film of the same name.
Thi Kim Phuc works as a UNESCO peace ambassador.

Just stopped form a wee tea break and thought I'd relate events earlier on this morning.
Roughly about 8.30am and my wife and I are outside, I'm chopping logs the wife is supervising and telling me where I'm going wrong!
Car pulls up and out jumps a chap wearing DPM cammo gear .."scuse me are you the photographer?
me; " I like to think I am"
Chap; "Oh good can you tell me if there are any deer near here?"
me; "Yes there's about two dozen stags down there about half a mile away" I point in the right direction
Without a thank you or any other comment aforesaid chap jumps into large expensive 4x4 and hares off down single track road at high speed. The deer which were just about to cross the road panic and run of up the hill about 600yards.
The chap, leaps out of his car, slams the drivers door shut opens tailgate retrieves tripod, huge lens and camera slams tailgate shut
and hurriedly and clumsily tries to set up tripod, lens and camera trying to get images of running stags.
Meanwhile lady companion gets out of car, slams door shut , opens rear passenger door retrieves binoculars
and slams door shut.
After about three maybe four minutes couple put kit away and drive off down the glen. Now a point to remember is our glen is a dead end, one way in one way out. Half an hour later car is coming back up the glen again at high speed and the deer which had been approaching the road ready to cross promptly clear off again! This time car carries on and sweeps into our drive and skids to a halt on out gravel drive.

"These deer are not easy to photograph are they"
me; "Well yes, if you approach them slowly and quietly. In fact young stags will walk towards you to see what you are"
After a wee bit more banal inane chatter from this chap off he goes out of our drive at high speed after reversing over part of our lawn in his 4x4 and leaving wheel ruts in the grass.
Prat!
Ten minutes later two elderly ladies and a younger lady turn up and...
"Hello are you the photographer ?"
me; "Err possibly"
Lady " Well my daughter got married in September and we've just got the DVD with all the images on and they are terrible, it really is heartbreaking. Could you take a look at them and sort them out and make some nice prints from them?"
me; " Sorry no can do"
I then went on to explain carefully all about copyright, and that the answer lies with the person who took them. I then asked why they had chosen someone who's work they hadn't seen prior to the wedding?
The answer. "Oh you where much to expensive But if you could sort these out and print about twenty or so we're prepared to pay about a £100 "
"Sorry you need to talk to the photographer who took them"
With that they climb into Nissan Micra and leave.
I then spent the next half an hour searching my property thoroughly looking for this huge bright neon sign that says "Eeejit lives here, please feel free to be obnoxious"
But I just cannot find it anywhere.

Oh well back to the logs, only another 7 ton to do.

I agree with everything Dr Orloff has written.
No3 hands down superb image.
What glass did you use?

As the government spokesperson for Extra terrestrial Life, UFO's, Aliens, Close Encounters (of any kind)
I wish to draw your attention to the official Government White Paper (available from HMSO) in which we
firmly state "There is no such thing as UFO's and or Aliens"

This means that Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy do exist because we haven't published a white paper
denying their existence.
If Jules you are alluding to the fact that Flash Gordon is about to land his rocket ship on a cunningly disguised
and allegedly disused airfield then I am afraid the "men in Black will be calling round to invite you to take "a wee holiday". :

Fritzthedog has made some very common sense and articulate statements.
I will certainly not rush out and buy the next generation Pentax DSLR, if there is one.
Just because it's better specified doesn't mean I'll necessarily take better images with it.
Eventually I see the digital camera market going the same way as the home computer/laptop.
Initially loads of fast paced developments between the various manufacturers and the release of a new model every day.
That seems to have largely slowed right down now.
I'm typing this on a four year old iMac which still produces superb images via photoshop and a five year old printer.
Am I rushing out to replace then anytime soon? No. They still produce excellent quality images and I have scrutinised images I've taken and printed out on the latest 'faster than light more processing power than a nuclear submarine's computers' Mac Pro and the very latest Epson wide format printers and I genuinely cannot see such a huge difference that I would need to spend 6-8£K.
I do sometimes hanker after the days of yore when my SLR's lasted forever,a new model was often only every five years or so, and yes John R, I too couldn't afford or justify spending the extra tenner to have the 'Black' version of
my chosen SLR.
Strangely enough when I'm out using the Pentax DSLR's I often get pitying looks from Canikon owners.
But hey, when the Mamiya RZ or the 'Blad come out and rolls of film are being used everyone wants to be my friend.

I've bought from all three, both on line and by mail order.
I've also visited Park Cameras (only because they are fairly near to my daughter's house).
SRS have been very good, Daniel especially so.
However we have over the last few years spent tens of thousands with WEX and only once had a problem.
Which in all fairness to WEX was fairly promptly resolved. They genuinely tried to move heaven and earth to
sort things out but in the end it was all down to Epson.

I've just been browsing thru flea-bay looking at macro ring flashes and LED lights.
There seems to be a plethora of cheap specimens from China which would appear to be
very poor quality.
I have never ever done macro work before so after buying either the Sigma ,Pentax or Tamron
macro lens I was wondering if any one out there has had any previous experience with these cheapo
lights. Good , bad or indifferent.

I don't want to spend fortunes initially, but if I like the genre of macro work then I think
some serious kit would be bought.

No's 1 & 2 for me.
Especially No1.
Great shots.

Overall a really nice set of images.
For my taste they are perhapsd a little oversharp.
I agree with Fatspider that a spot of selective cloning on the odd twig or two wouldn't go amiss.