I'm delighted to say we don't have the promised snow. It is in other parts of the Netherlands, but missing us very nicely thank you.

A lovely cold (1C) sunny day today. Truly delightful.

Snow is threatened again for next week, but I am keeping my fingers crossed they are wrong.

Amin - I sold my wide angle. I didn't like the landscapes it produced. Even with foreground interest they didn't look right.
Now I use my 17-70 and make a panorama if I want a sweeping landscape. Works much better for me. It may only be a two or three photo pano, but it just looks and feels better to me. The wide angle always made the landscape look cramped rather than sweeping somehow. I know others love theirs and swear by them, but it didn't work for me.

I have used the Bigma for landscapes too.

Have fun in Africa. Another forum member I am deeply envious of.

Wrap up warm, and have emergency supplies with you. January in the Rockies, even as far down as NM will be vicious. Many mountain passes will be closed by snow I expect, and you will almost certainly need a set of chains in the car.
As Don says check the road conditions regularly - all states have their own website giving road closures and the like, plus the Weather Channel on TV is invaluable for getting the up to date info.

Where are you starting from? What do you hope to see along the way? Apart from mountains that is .

A couple of links for road conditions to get you started: http://www.nmroads.com/

http://www.nmshtd.state.nm.us/main.asp?secid=15536 - this also includes conditions in Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

I have been to the New Mexico/Four Corners end of the Rockies, but not made it further north yet.

When are you going? How long do you have for your trip? any advice depends on that!

Timing is important - roads can be blocked by snow well into June.

I am more than a little envious.

Edit: off to bed now so I'll reply if I can tomorrow

#2 is my favourite too. I wonder if cloning out the red light above his hand would improve it. I'm being picky I know but my eye is drawn to it.

I like the others too, but that one is definitely the stand-out shot.

I agree to some extent. However it is useful for others to be able to read about different cameras and their properties. Likewise different lenses.

I don't post photos. I do take them.

I don't list my gear. I do own some.

Squirrels are regularly eaten in the US by the rural poor of areas like the Ozarks.
Can't see a rat would be much different tbh.


I never did biology at school so never go to dissect anything. To busy trying to blow the place up in Chemistry .

He is now "head of sound" so he was sat outside in the OB lorry mixing and messing. No one fainted apparently.

And he didn't get his name in lights. He rarely does on Dutch TV - they just name the company providing the facilities, and don't always do that.

Read this and substitute pound (or Euro) for dollar in the text.

Somehow open heart surgery sounds more palatable than those awful concoctions.
Now I've won my bargain PSE9 I'm off to watch the end of the op and see if my son gets his name in lights. Probably not, but always worth looking.