That drink looks positively evil . Are you aiming for the full set this weekend - white and blue to go with the red?

Steve

Having previously given my ultimate, Q-based 'avoiding muscle rub and achy back syndrome' 3 lens set, it's time to come clean on APS-C.

For general purpose wanderings: 16-85mm + 55-300mm with an option on the Tamron 10-24mm if it might be useful. Replace the 16-85mm by the 16-45mm for less weight to carry around (and nostalgic memories of my first foray into digital SLR) at the expense of more changes of lens.

For bugs, birds and beasts: DA*300mm + Irix 150mm macro + 1.4TC. If feeling more weak and feeble than usual, replace the Irix with the Sigma 105mm to reduce weight.

For the challenge of light weight, prime-only general wanderings with APS-C: FA28mm + FA135mm with one of F50mm f1.7, D-FA50mm macro or FA77mm depending on how the mood takes me.

And with all of the above, there's always room to sneak a Q plus a lens or two into a pocket as well.

Steve

Anyone doing anything celebratory this weekend? Or taking photos of flags and bunting?

Steve

Easy. The 01, 02 and 06 - for the Q, of course. No muscle rub or achy back syndrome with that lot. In fact, I'll sometimes take both the Q and Q-S1 with the 06 on the Q (slightly longer reach** than on the Q-S1) and 01 on the Q-S1 (slightly wider angle** than on the Q) with the 02 going on either camera as and when the urge takes me. Still no muscle rub or achy back syndrome, even with 2 cameras as well as the 3 lenses .

** Yes, I know it's really just the crop factor, but you can see what I'm getting at!

Steve

Yes!! Perfection .

It would look good as a painting (watercolour?), too, if you're handy with a paintbrush...

Steve

Gareth - you might be interest in this, found by Google. It's minutes of a 2021 meeting to discuss progress against the 2014 'Condition Assessment Report' for ) Pysgodlyn Mawr/Hensol Forest. It includes: "rotational tree felling in the surrounding forest also allowed for further diversity, which gave a positive slant to the devastation experienced as a result of recent felling." ... "NRW are preparing a draft plan for future management of the Forest. Rotational tree felling for timber would continue and management of the lake and a fringe area around would be holistic and integrated to encourage biodiversity.".

It does look like your pictures have captured a small part of the working out of a grand plan that is for the good of the forest.

Steve

+1 for #3. And taking a very critical viewpoint, I wonder whether it would be even better with a slight crop at the bottom to remove the darker, shaded lower end of that big, green rock - a subtle change but to my eye (brain?) it helps focus attention on the bridge rather than the rock.

Steve

It might well be like that for the long term health of the forest. In a natural forest, some trees would fall from old age every year, swathes of trees would be blown down by storms once in a while etc. Nobody would remove them, it would look a mess in the short term, but it's all part of the great cycle of forest life and necessary for a rich ecosystem. With a managed forest, human intervention is needed to achieve the same. My son-in-law is an ecologist for a water company (not in Wales) and is involved in maintaining and improving habitat in the forested areas owned by the company. Leaving fallen tree trunks and branches or even deliberately putting them there - and stopping contractors with JCBs removing them! - is all part of ecosystem management.

Go back to the same spot in 5 years time then 10 years time and see how it has changed (and post some pics on the forum, of course :wink. Change takes time, but I wouldn't be surprised if a flourishing ecosystem is already developing that's a lot more varied than when there was an almost solid tree canopy shading the ground - you might need have a macro lens with you, though, to see it in its full glory!

Steve

Yes, that crop definitely works better to my eyes.

Steve

Really like these . Agree with others - the last one stands out for me. But if the 3rd one were cropped to remove the in-focus flower heads sticking up from the bottom edge (which I find distracting), it would be up there with the last one.

Apparently yes. It's all to do with static electricity. A bee in flight picks up a charge from friction with the air. It can also detect an electric field. During a visit to a flower, the bee's static charge helps pollen stick to it. Some charge also transfers to the flower while the bee is doing its business. The next bee to come along senses the electric field from the charged flower. It recognises this as the signal for "don't bother to drop in because I've just been done" so it looks for another flower. The moral of this tale is if you're trying to photograph a bee, the last thing you should do is focus on a flower that has just been visited. No help in working out which flower you should focus on, though!

Steve