Thank you Lilly.

I would also like to express my best wishes to all on this forum for a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Special snuggles to Alvin too.

These are my two "God's creatures", and their names are Mary and Joseph...... they were named at the rescue centre before we adopted them.

Yep I like 1 too

What sort of photography are you intending to do mostly? No lens is pointless unless it is not the right lens for the job in mind.

The fisheye you mention will give you some great wide effects but will not be a good choice for classic portraits.

If you want cheaper lenses and don't mind putting more effort in yourself, you should perhaps look on an auction site for second hand M and A series lenses. You will have to focus manually (no bad thing), and if you plump for an A lens you will have full automatic exposure. The M lenses will require manual exposure (again no bad thing as you will learn a lot about exposure doing it).

If you fancy the challenge have a look for the Pentax M 135 f3.5 which are plentiful on ebay, and the quality of the optics are first class.

Just to clarify, M series lenses will work in manual and with limited functionality in AV mode.

The Av mode will give you correct exposure, but always at wide open aperture. If you set the lens to f5.6, the camera will still use widest aperture. Only manual mode will allow you full use of the aperture ring.

Congrats to Lilly for a very worthy first place , and thanks to McBrian for judging.

Well done to all the entrants too.

Taken on the Island of Ischia with K10d and DA40mm

Shhhh... there is still time !

Nice pics Chris. Can you tell me where exactly you go to get these pictures, and can you park nearby ?

I would like to give it a try sometime.

sussexsurfer

As I said at the top of my judgement I am not an expert, just a keen amateur. My opinion on any photo can differ from the majority, and as a subjective evaluation that is exactly as it should be.

I have learned an awful lot from listening to comments and criticism on this forum, and I feel my pictures are improving as a result. Most importantly I find myself thinking more about the shot before I take it than I ever did before.

So keep posting. I, like you, have a lot to learn too.

Ok here are the results.

I am not an expert so any views are just my take on the picture. I hope I don't upset too many people.

McBrian
Lovely shot, beautifully composed and exposed. The texture and detail of the dress keeps my eyes wandering around the image. The stool itself adds to the composition by dividing the image of the dress into 2 distinct parts. Finally I like the fact that the background and seat cover are also reds and compliment the main subject. This week’s winner.

Niblue
Interesting shot. Slight grainy appearance which is because you had to use a high ISO I guess. I like the way my eye moves from the Union flag; to the motorcyclists jackets; to the officer’s jacket and leg stripe; and finally to the cone. I would have cropped a bit tighter to remove the three lanterns. Ps. Is the chap on the right falling off!

Clarky
Very interesting and angular skyline, it could almost be a section of a large warship! I would have preferred more of a silhouette with less detail of the buildings, but that is just personal preference. A little bit too orange rather than red for me, but that is splitting hairs really.

Justgetoutandride
Great picture which would look super printed in the letter box format you have used here. Reminds me of cross between Dante’s inferno and a scene from Lord of the Rings. Lovely combination of textures and colours in the sky, an egg yolk setting sun and an added bit of interest from the lights of the town on the side of the hill.

Prieni
Glorious colour here, and you have picked up the fine detail of the rim of the flower. The out of focus background has a very warm feel to it. I am not sure about the three shadows at the front though, I think the picture would have been better without.

Amoringello
River of fire ! I really like this shot. Obviously a fun firework display, but the image has a vibrancy that keeps my attention. The fall off of light on the river just over half way up the picture leads me to think there is a steep waterfall there, and even though I know there probably isn’t, together with the red tones, this adds an air of danger (or am I just getting carried away).

Nimitz
There is certainly red in the picture, and the whole Christmas thing is strongly associated with the colour, but I am afraid this doesn’t do much for me.



Ericp
Lovely vibrant red in this image. I really like the contrast between the sharp lines and colour of the scooter, and the soft colour and texture of the wall. I personally would have cropped this some more, and I think it could benefit from applying a bit more sharpening.

Johnriley
I don’t know what to make of this one. I am pretty sure it is a Sutton Hoo style mask that has been given a “makeover”! This gives it a very psychedelic 1960’s feel. It is a very striking image and I keep getting drawn back to it.

Ernie
Red berries…very seasonal. The main subject is sharp enough, but I think the background a bit flat, and the picture lacks punch. I think a wider aperture than 9.5 would have blurred the background more, and a tighter crop would help.

Ammonyte
The “Trevor McDonald” shot! Very nice. Despite shooting in what must have been difficult conditions at ISO 800 you have a noise free image. It appears the point of focus is slightly in front of “Trevor”’s head, but I don’t think that matters as you have “captured the moment” perfectly. The background is devoid of distracting elements, and I like the fact that the “red” is not the main subject. Well done.

Malo1961
Interesting shot which I think works very well in total monochrome. The eye wanders from the different frames behind the woman to the patterns on the pavement. You have captured the woman very well, and she provides a contrast to the other neat and angular lines. I don’t think the red pillar (water hydrant?) treatment adds anything to the shot, sorry.

Davem

Another strong vibrant red in this shot, but I am afraid the rest of the picture is a bit too busy for me.

Gartmore
Very nice. Exactly what I was looking for. Bold colour with the rivets and joints providing added interest, topped off with the blue rope providing contrasting colour as well as pattern. I do think it is sufferers a bit from vignetting however, or it could just be my eyes. Second place





GlynM
I bet you were cleaning it all weekend! I have to say I would have preferred to see more of it in focus especially the front nearside headlamp, but I do appreciate you are working with a narrow depth of field. Also possibly a black background might have given it a bit more punch. Nice model though.

Pnjmcc
Our first film entry of this week. Filling the background with a single colour in this case the red garage door, has made this an interesting picture. It contrasts with the boy and focuses our attention on him much more than a distracting background would have done. Perhaps slightly overexposed (front of his head), and another picture which would benefit from some sharpening.

GaryMoffat
Come clean Gary, just an excuse to show off your car!! Seriously though I think there was potential here for a slightly better image. The three red doors with the red framework beneath it do keep the eye moving round the picture. Different framing, avoiding the grass and brick behind the car, and I think you could come up with a more interesting shot.

Freetobe
Very interesting, I would like to know how you came up with the image. It is very striking and I like it a lot. There are a few blown highlights on the flowers, but I don’t think that detracts from the image which overall shouts movement. If I can criticize I would say this picture is crying out to be resized in a square format, and a bit more saturation of the reds would make it even more striking.

Sussexsurfer
I think the most interesting thing about this picture is the red reflection on the pavement, where the squares and lines change the shapes and give us more than we would get with a flat surface. To this end I feel that the cars on the right and the bright shop windows distract from the scene. I cropped your picture vertically removing everything to the right of the car in the centre, and I think it worked better. Have a go and let me know what you think.

HowardJ
Image of our native red squirrel, from another film user. I don’t know how much the original was blown up to produce this image but I am afraid it is too noisy and unsharp for me, sorry.



ThePup
Great portrait with just the right amount of subject sharpness. I think you have captured the moment perfectly…. Exposure spot on and just the right aperture to blur what otherwise would have been a very distracting background. Great angle too.

karma mechanic
karma, you had my office playing a guess the car competition last Friday so be prepared for more requests.
I really like this shot. There is something about raindrops on metallic paint that works. Some might argue that the exposure might be too much at the top of the picture or that the reflection of the trees (?) at top left and centre are distracting. I don’t, I think as a complete image it is very attractive, well exposed and sharp. Commended

Aunt Sally
Ah, one of my favourite tipples. Great lighting, very sharp, nice bit of out of focus area at the bottom. Expertly captured. I also like the close image. I can remember one of the first books on photography I ever read said “fill the frame”, and I personally think it is great advice.

AdrianP
Beautiful image, taken in what I guess was quite tricky lighting. Very Kodachrome reds on the tree, but what I think makes this image is the carpet of leaves under the tree and its neighbours which contrasts nicely with the green grass beyond. Commended

Lilly
I am not normally a fan of a coloured section in a monochrome image, but I think in this case it works. Lovely delicate detail on the leaves themselves, but what really captivates me is the way the light has caught the “hairs” on the stems. I would like to see the original.

Lenscape
Very good image. I don’t take glamour shots so can’t possibly critique from knowledge, but seems to me to be well lit and exposed, and a natural looking model. I would liked to have seen more detail in the dress, perhaps that could be lightened a bit. I note the shadows from the studio lights forming an X behind the models legs, could that be removed with photoshop ?






Viewfinder
Finally…..Santa makes an appearance. Is it me or does he look like he has fallen asleep? A very colourful and busy scene, but that is what one expects with this subject. Personally I would have cropped to remove the overexposed highlights at the top, and zoom in a bit closer. I think a bit more saturation to boost the redness would not go amiss also. But overall a good representation of today’s Christmas scene.

Tyr
He is quite a cute little dragon. Tyr, I had a look on your picasa site and preferred the version I saw on there! Seemed sharper. Anyway, Red Dragon at his altar surrounded by mystical stones other mystical things….I like it, probably because he reminds me of a song I liked when I was a boy.
The cloth draped on the laptop did well here to give the impression of a cave, and seems t have a luminescence of its own

LiamD
I have no idea what the flower is either, but it is beautiful capture. Focus is spot on, and the out of focus leaves and background give a warm soft feel to the picture. Very nice. Commended

Daniel Bridge
A cracking shot here Daniel. A well executed sharp picture which grabs my attention. The warmth and texture of the aged red leather is contrasted with the red coloured wood at the top. The silver door handle finishes the composition perfectly. Third Place

hefty1
Not what I was expecting but it fits the bill. There is plenty of detail and the texture makes for an interesting picture. Not sure if it’s one for mantelpiece though !