Thanks for the update Martin, its a help.
david

Same happened to me when I was new to PU and won a comeptition a year ago. Lost all the comments in a second and had to do them all again.
There is a list of all competitions, weekly and fortnightly, prepared by Rob in The Forum and updated a few weeks ago by Malo. It needs updating again now.
david

The next subject is Texture, or Textures. How you go about it it is up to you. This thread is open for discussion.
david

Getting back to the photo...I'm not a fan of 1960s concrete brutalism in architecture but I like the way you have framed this shot Paul. Unlike Martin, whose opinions I respect, I don't have a problem with the pure black areas. The bottom triangle balances the top one. For me these triangles are not cut off corners of the picture as Martin suggests but part of the geometery of the image. It may be a photograph of concrete housing blocks but for me it's an exercise in shape and form.
I happen to like some pure blacks in mono photos.
david

I assume you shoot in RAW as noise can be more effectively controlled in the RAW converter. I use K10s which I believe are 'noisier' than either the K20 or K-7 but I've shot at up to 1600 ISO.
I couldn't agree more with Martin when he says it's better to have a sharp noisy picture than a blurry one which is less noisy. Noise, or grain, can often add to the effect of action in a sports picture.
david

Back I May I went to Paris for a short photographic trip. On the way, waiting for, I took photos in St Pancras without any bother.
david

Well done Martin, it's an eye catching shot.
david

Ken,
Lincolnshire is a big county so it depends where you are staying. In the north there's the Humber Bridge which is spectacular. Then there's Lincoln itself, a historic city with a cathedral. In the south there's the Fens with miles of fields full of vegetables in a very flat but striking landscape. Boston is a busy sea port near The Wash with the highest church tower in England, known as the Boston Stump. Its a good haul to the top up the narrowest spiral steps but the view is worth it. There are also historic houses and gardens, such as Belton House near Grantham.
I'm not an expert on the bird life like you but I'm sure the Fens and the mudflats of the Wash area must have some interesting specimens.
Have a good holiday, David.

Mike, the RPS isn't a camera club, it's a national society with international members. The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain, PAGB, has lists of camera clubs affiliated to it, region by region. If you google PAGB you'll find all the camera clubs in the West Midlands listed. The most notable, because they are nationally famous with photographers who have huge reputations, are Smethwick and Solihull. Don't make the mistake of joining a small camera club just because its nearby, you'll get a much bigger buzz joining up with top class photgraphers in a large membership society.
david

I like your abstract picture Paul. I don't need to know what he original was to appreciate the lovely curving pattern of the stepped shapes. If you had taken the whole sculpture it would then have just been a record shot with all the credit for creativity going to the original artist. As it is, your selectivity has created a new work of art for us to appreciate.
david