The photo is magical Charlotte, I've just seen it on the 1x site. There is no fluke here, just a magnificent image.

Best wishes
David

A warm welcome to you Angelo, I hope you like the site and will post some of your images for us to see!

Best wishes
David

I think this thread once again illustrates how differently we all think and approach things. None of us is always right, none of us is always wrong, we just see things differently.

When I made my post, I wasn't suggesting that Nigel should stop taking photos in Surrey, just that some alternative locations might inspire something different and challenge him more. I spend far too much time in my own back garden, an area that is far smaller than Surrey (!) and far less picturesque. In this environment I challenge myself to get something different every time I take photos there and I don't think I will ever run out of opportunities to do this. However, the approach I take is probably very different from Nigel's. The last thing in my mind is technical details, the first things are visualising how the image will look, what the background is like, will the subject stand out etc.

Personally, I don't like taking photos of birds with tangled branches in the background, or birds on feeders (although I have done this in the past), what I want to do is come up with something that I'm proud of. This is just my way of doing things, it doesn't mean this is right and it doesn't mean it's more valid than anyone else's approach. I'm not a professional tog, I don't sell my images and I don't count myself as being particularly good at it, but I do try to do my best, as I'm sure Nigel does too.

I don't think many of us are in a position to denigrate what others are doing and that is certainly not my way. What's great on here is that we can offer our views freely and (usually) not get lambasted for doing so.

Long may it continue!

Best wishes
David

Great stuff Simon, #3 is brilliant timing and #8 is just a superb shot.

Regards
David

I agree! It's worth a lot more than that! I would not be surprised to see a used DA L going for around this amount, but not a DA. Congrats to whoever snapped it up!

Regards
David

Hi Alistair

Sorry to hear the 50-135 didn't live up to expectations on this job. Regarding the photos posted here, all but the first one look to be a little over-exposed; this is not typical of your shots, just wondering why?

Regards
David

Welcome to the Forum, hope you get the camera that's right for you

Regards
David

Great lens, someone should buy it, especially if they own a K-01, it works like a dream with this body.

Regards
David

I'm not going to pass comment on these images, purely because I think it's not going to benefit Nigel any more than the views already expressed. What I will say is that I think you should make the effort to travel further afield Nigel and visit some more interesting locations. I can't see anything here that is taxing you from a compositional point of view and I think you need greater challenges to move your photography along. I would tend to agree with one of the posts above in that you probably need to work more on the compositional / framing elements of your images than you do on the processing. Get it right in the camera - that's what I always strive for, not just from an exposure perspective but also from an artistic and framing point of view.

For example, if I'm photographing birds, I won't bother unless the background is right, as the resulting images will not be worth processing, no matter how technically competent they are. I'm not suggesting you should not take any photos in locations that are not stunning, but I think you do need to find more interesting locations and see what you can do once there.

Regards
David

That's much better Dave! BTW, got my DA*300 last night, it was dark when I got home from work so tried a few shots today. First impressions are that focus is absolutely nailed on with the K-3, no adjustment required and boy is this lens sharp wide open! Can't wait to get some birds and butterflies in range!

Regards
David