The last picture in your set is my favourite. Lighting, colour, appeal - it has it all. Its also a very good scan from a colour slide - most of the few transparencies I had copied to digital were pretty poor copies.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

The pier picture, #1, is beautiful, expertly produced. Of the viaduct series I much prefer the first, the shadows of the bridge supports seem more clearly defined.
In #3 the vibrant colour of the leaf have a wonderful abstract feel to them which I find very appealing.
#4 is a well handled contre jour image with a lot of atmosphere and lovely light.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

Its good to hear he's OK. The last time I saw him was when a handful of us met up at Beamish Museum about January or February of this year. He was with his wife and seemed OK then.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

This is another fine set of autumn pictures and from a beautiful area which doesn't get so much coverage from photographers as do The Lakes, Snowdonia, The Peaks or The Highlands. All are expertly handled but the stand out for me in the close detailed #4. I don't think the HDR is overdone, it seems to be carefully balanced. I just love the detail in the foliage and the dry stone wall. The composition is enhanced by the perfect position of the tree branch curving over the distant hill.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

The expert use of light makes this set standout for me, its so expertly controlled and gives the images a wonderful glow. You can almost feel the chill of the North Sea just by looking at the pictures. It was well worth your early morning trip up the coast Alan.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

Its a fine set of autumn colour pictures Nigel; we've had some excellent ones on here recently so perhaps 2014 is going to be recorded as a vintage autumn for photographers.
As John says the lens must share the credit with your expertise and that of the camera but the lens seems to have been a very good investment.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

Yes, but that's not overcooked. You have used HDR as a valid method of producing an accurate image in very difficult lighting conditions.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

I'm very surprised to read this. These are the three organisations world wide that set the rules for international photography salons and competitions. As a contributor to some of these salons I'm becoming increasingly impatient because of the rapidly increasing number of acceptances that are hugely successful yet clearly contain very little content that originated in a camera. Many are purely digital art.
I think the rigid rules you refer to do not relate to general photography but to specific subject related categories such as natural history, travel or record photography. These subjects have to be presented in an authentic manner.
Artistic photography is positively encouraged, as it always has been since the dawn of photography. Pioneers were dodging and burning in their dark rooms long before even Ansel Adams was born.
I always shoot in RAW, process my images in Photoshop and tidy them up by removing distracting detail or untidy objects.
I don't care for over cooked HDR for aesthetic reasons, not because I feel its somehow 'cheating.'
And I've got to admit I'm not clever enough on the computer to do advanced manipulation or produce some weird and wonderful confections.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

You won't get much work done with such an appealing view outside your window. I'm not sure I agree with Nigel about going for a lower angle and higher horizon. I just love that sky.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout

Our motorway system makes it possible to travel quite long distances for a day out with other photographers from other areas. Its rewarding to meet photographers whose work you admire and spend a day sharing picture making, coffee, bacon sarnies, or even a beer if you're not the driver.
Barrie and I have been all the way to the East Lancashire Railway to meet up with CliffP several times on a day out basis. The last time Neil (Gtis), from Barnsley, was also there and Pete Webber made it by train from the Nottingham area. The previous day we met locally at Beamish Museum along with Alan, (Blythman) and Neil turned up there as well as did another Alan (Fat Spider) and his wife.
At the Whitby Goths I've met quite a few members of this forum, among them Carl (Fritzthedog), Dave (Hardgravity), Gareth (Greyreynolds)and Gary (K10D). Barrie has been to more of these meets than I have.
It becomes a social occasion as well as a photography expedition.
The first meet I went on was to Sherwood Forest, along with a former member Ken (Beginner) and it was there I met Fatspider for the first time and had a brief chat with Womble.
David

PPG: http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/davidtrout