This was my first idea on the "Scales" theme in the recently closed comp.
I overlooked it in the end after my Chameleon shed it's skin & presented a different opportunity.

[IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q105/RR76/newscales.jpg[/IMG]

Congratulations to Martin & thanks to Prieni for his comments.

I went for the more abstract approach with the high contrast rather than a technically accurate macro as I couldn't achieve a sharp enough result. (Like Hyram, it's probably my focusing or part of my technique that's off - will be getting a proper macro soon so no excuses then !)

Subject was wide open to interpretation here & I enjoyed the varied entries.
I hope Martin can invent an equally inspiring theme to keep my brain ticking over.

If you want a fast lens that's near 50mm in full frame you'll want the 31mm f1.8. The downside is, it's gonna cost more than all the kit you've already bought.

If like me, you haven't won the lotto lately then you might want to look at the Sigma 30mm f1.4. I'm gonna see if I can find one this weekend to try out. Not as pin sharp as the Pentax 50mm (or sigma 50 for that matter) but a more useful length for me

I think I will add a 50 to my kit, but I'm hoping a few will appear on the used market once the 55 is released.

He must have one of those new Manfrotto bow mounts

As Womble says, get a suitable length lens with a nice wide aperture, apart from allowing a faster shutter, it'll also give more light in the viewfinder.

If you haven't got the cash for new gear right now your gonna have to shoot at a high iso & try & deal with the noise with software later, so shooting Raw is your best bet.

Search Youtube for " k10d focus screen " & a nice little vid will show you how.

Make sure you get the dust out rather than blowing it further up into the viewfinder too.

I'm tentatively looking at investing in a decent printer for use at home.
If anyone has any advice for me it'd be appreciated. In particular, many claim to be "better than photo lab quality" - does this ring true ? Obviously over time you're going to get the colour dialled right in but how do they in general compare to a decent lab print ?

I'd be printing a mix of colour & mono & it seems this is an issue too, with changing cartridges etc.
Is it worth the investment or best to find a good lab & stick with them ?

Not sure if I got bored of looking at my original capture, but a bit of fortune allowed a re-work of my idea & a more pleasing image & it's now entered. Looks like you have plenty to ponder already Prieni, not counting a glut of late entries !

Shed chameleon scales.

[IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q105/RR76/hcscales2.jpg[/IMG]


Taken: 20/01/2009 17:10
Kit: K20d, 18-55mm mkii kit lens, 68mm super paragon extension tubes, Tripod.
Exposure: 3 secs, f27, 100 iso.

I also prefer the colour. How about more saturation ?