Substitute coconut shy?

I tend to keep the K1 on -1/3EV. It might be worth playing with the button at 3 o'clock on the 4 way controller too. It might have defaulted to 'Bright', when you actually want 'Natural'. These two options are almost like having a built-in low-value ND filter!

Thank you Michael. You've made a bit more sense of a long standing puzzle - and thank you all for those nice comments. And DROFMIT - if you are watching, can you post your lovely image from Photocrowd onto the end here? It's bang on topic!

They have identical ones in Eire from colonial times. They simply painted them green. I have a similar image to this one of a green box with almost identical corrosion damage to the flap!

When a ladybird larva gets the call to pupate it has no choice but to stop where it is and let nature take charge. Consequently, you can find them anywhere.
This one had been climbing a coping stone in the garden. I saw it due to its bright yellow colour just after it had pulled itself from the pupa and when I had fetched the camera it had climbed to the top of the stone. At this point they can't figure out what to do with their wings, which often drag around behind them.
1.



Just then the heavens opened and when I returned half an hour later not only was the ladybird soaked but it had opened its wing cases to try and do something with its wings. Consequently, it was wet inside as well as out and its wings were dragging even more. Notice that, in this short time, spots are beginning to become visible almost as if exposure to daylight develops them.
2.


3.



About an hour later it had dried off slightly and it had become a lot more ladybird-like, the yellow having become orange and its spots having become much more pronounced. Its wings are supposed to dry out but there is still a lot of moisture inside.
4.



Well, that's my excitement for the day done.
All taken with a K1, 1st one with a Tamron 90 and the final 3 with a 50mm Preset MacroTakumar around f8 and ISO1600.

Thank you Gareth. I was afraid it might involve dark magic with incomprehensible software. All I have ever got out of Photoshop is a chequerboard pattern that I can't do anything with. It doesn't work any more anyway since Adobe changed everything so it is now a non-problem.

#3 has got something extra special over the others.

That makes a super subject.

Looks great.
For someone who doesn't understand complicated software, how is it done?

I bought a Manfrotto geared head for much the same reason. DA*300, FA*300, Meyer 300 are murder to keep steady and you hurt afterwards. IQ and keepers certainly went up rapidly after that. Even with a good ball head it's difficult to get the shot right with a heavy lens. Leaving aside chasing birds in flight with a gimbal head, if you lock it in place, having decided on your shot, does gravity cause it to slump slightly as happens with a pan head?