Thanks! It may be some time before I'm in Dublin again, but I'll remember what you said the next time I try night-time photography!

I'm sorry if I gave that impression - it's certainly not so. I did say that the pics were experimental and part of my "learning curve." They were unplanned and unprepared equipment-wise, so I wasn't expecting any praise, but I thought it was worth posting them in the hope of getting some advice on how they could have been better - which I got, so I'm grateful for that. I totally agree that they are not sharp enough - what I am not sure about is whether a tripod would have been enough to achieve the required sharpness. What settings would an experienced photographer expect to use in these circumstances?

Hi John - that's what I expected would be said, which is a shame as the subject matter is OK. I was waiting for the ferry home so had nothing except the camera and was just passing time really. I'm sure you're right to suggest camera shake - it was cold and quite windy, with not many options for standing the camera on a wall etc. Still, I was pleased with the relative lack of noise in the shots.
Thanks for commenting!

Thanks to all - much food for thought as usual! Alan, I've sent you a message on the back of your Bury station appearance - was it you at Fairburn last Saturday? I remember you posting a shot some time ago of a sparrow hovering next to a feeder - I thought of that when I posted the tree sparrow topic the other day.
We must meet up at Fairburn on a sunny day!
Regards,

Hi Neil and welcome! This is a great place to learn, with lots of people kind (and honest) enough to offer constructive criticism. I've learned a lot since I was in your position and am still staggered by the quality of pictures posted by those who really know what they're doing!

I like all your shots here. My only comment would be to watch the composition as mentioned above. I find the trees in no.1 a real distraction from the subject.

Good luck!

Like everything I've posted in the last couple of days, a steadier base ie. tripod would have been handy! Was torn here between trying a slow shutter speed to give a bit of blur and a speed fast enough to catch the spray. Probably fell between two stools.
But thanks for commenting - it all helps the learning process.

Trying all sorts of different things in the learning curve. Now some night time shots. All K-5 + DA 18-135mm, some cropping, straightening and distortion removal, b ut not much PP otherwise. Did find quite severe barrel effect (is that the right term?) on most of the originals ie. trees and buildings at side edges leaning inwards.
1
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/Dublin%20Quays/IMGP6014a.jpg[/IMG]
2
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/Dublin%20Quays/IMGP6016a.jpg[/IMG]
3
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/Dublin%20Quays/IMGP6023edit.jpg[/IMG]
4
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/Dublin%20Quays/IMGP6033a.jpg[/IMG]
5
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/Dublin%20Quays/IMGP6020a.jpg[/IMG]
6
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/Dublin%20Quays/IMGP6024.jpg[/IMG]
7
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/Dublin%20Quays/IMGP6036b.jpg[/IMG]
8
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/Dublin%20Quays/IMGP6044.jpg[/IMG]

Appreciate any criticism!

These are all K-5 + DA 18-135mm, light generally very dull with just a few glimpses of sun, but I didn't mind too much as I wanted to try out the low light, high ISO, low noise reputation of the camera. I wasn't disappointed! Just a little exposure adjustment to brighten things up a touch.
1
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/The%20Hook%20Peninsula/IMGP5869a.jpg[/IMG]
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[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/The%20Hook%20Peninsula/IMGP5873a.jpg[/IMG]
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[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/The%20Hook%20Peninsula/IMGP5865a.jpg[/IMG]
4
[IMG]http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i479/jvs49/The%20Hook%20Peninsula/IMGP5810a.jpg[/IMG]

Thank you all for your comments! First, my limited experience of serious photography still makes it hard to judge sharpness at times - what looks reasonably sharp to me and my eyes sometimes needs a direct comparison with a better shot to show me what real sharpness is. While being quite pleased with this set, I can see nevertheless that they could be sharper; second, to answer the first question, all bar the bullfinch were taken resting the camera on my hand on the lip of a hide window - haven't as yet got a bean bag; the bullfinch was handheld, crouched down and very uncomfortable - didn't have my stool or tripod with me! So lucky to get anything anywhere near sharp, I suppose. Finally, I tend to go for RAW + JPEG setting at the moment, but I'm beginning to think that takes too long to write to the card, so am undecided about what to do - any advice seriously considered!
If anyone would care to look at a couple of other posts later, I'd love your views on those.
Thanks again,

Thanks for your comments - a lot of luck involved, obviously, but they gave me a bit of a laugh when I got home.