Paul,

Lovely series, and commiserations on not getting the hatching one/s you were really after! Mother Nature is an interesting lady...

For me, it's 1 and then 3. The colours are better in those two, IMO. The lines and angles don't seem to 'click' in the second image.

Top shot Bob, lots of character. Be prepared with a very large black ink cartridge before printing this in A3!

I like 'Cap'n Hearty' best David, but 1 and 4 are good portraits also.

Angles, Curves and Cannon Street for me Mat - and the 70 is a great lens too. Like it.

S-J - top acts, no wonder you had a balst! I still listen to 'How Dare You' now and then (on vinyl). Supertramp are legendary of course...

All the best with your new venture then James - and welcome back.

Everyone here would truly appreciate the book I've been reading this last weekend - Usage & Abusage, written by one Eric Partridge in 1942. It is an overlooked gift to the English language. It is still published as a Penguin paperback (and hence I'm reading it) - what an excellent gift for those so afflicted...

Guys,

They may or may not be 'full' size, but the site lets you blow the individual pics up until they are bigger than the screen. Go to the photos section, click on the individual pic, and then click on the bright red square, which is the expansion option.

Hi! No worries re the spelling - you have made your request clear IMO.

I note that you shoot in RAW (DNG) - great start!

I'm going to risk complicating your life a little further. Lightroom 3 beta 2 (by Adobe) has superb noise reduction control and performance. At the moment, it is the best NR there is IMO. It's free (for now) as it is a beta release. It is pretty much all I use for my RAW workflow, and for conversion to jpg.

I look at it this way - if you are considering an additional piece of software for noise reduction anyway, why not get one that will incorporate industry-leading NR right into your RAW workflow?

I'd hesitate to recommend universal settings for NR or for sharpen - this will vary from case to case: not only for the amount, but in the masking you apply, and in the detail that you wish to be included in either sharpen or NR.

You've got a good bit of kit in your signature line, so we should see some great pics from you down the track

The link to the free (for now) Lightroom download is here (the beta expires in a month or two, and then we will have to shell out dollars ) -
link

All the best with it.