I nearly always use my SMC-A F4 35-70 to get up close and the results are excellent. It looks like your F series is just as good. 1 and 12 are my favourites.

I always make my own resized versions to upload, I think the quality comes out a bit better.

Do you shoot jpeg or raw? Raw will give you more leeway in adjusting levels and extracting the most detail. I like the first shot as it is. There's a potential for some dramatic skies in the other two, particularly no. 3. Black and white conversions may help in that respect.

I seem to remember Miranda as a Dixons brand. Anyway they they are excellent pictures, you got a bargain for £5. I find my 35-70 to be a very useful, in fact my favourite.

Folks here are always willing to offer some constructive criticism. The worst that happens is no one says anything!

Nigel, apologies I suggested the idea but didn't notice until late last night you'd reposted B&W versions.

This is just my opinion of course, but with these sorts of images I often find the originals are just the building block of the final image. I often have to apply some heavy adjustments to get the most out of my conversions. I hope you don't mind but I've taken the liberty of applying some to your colour originals. Boosting the contrast brings out the texture of wood and helps make shadows more dramatic. These were done quickly so perhaps could be better.







I also did a bit of cropping. When I shoot abstracts I like to fill the frame or get in close.

I think you should definitely continue with these types of shots and develop your own approach.

I like both pictures, the poppies are ideal for colour popping.

I think I might have got closer for no. 1 to exclude more of the tree and background, maybe shifting the cross to the right a little. On no 2. I'd also have moved the view left slightly excluding the car in the road on right, Obviously I don't know the whole scene so maybe you couldn't.

Stan, it sounds awful but is not so bad. I had eye surgery for a tear in the retina a few years ago the surgery was short and painless. Good luck though.

Browsing the Internet for interesting images I came across the website for Cole Thompson. He only shoots black and white and has a large image portfolio, many of excellent quality. Although he sells prints he primarily shoots for his own satisfaction.
I signed up for his newsletter expecting to be just added to a list but got a personal response the same day asking about my photographic interests. He also said some positive things about my own images. I’ve exchanged a few emails with him and he seems very down to earth.

http://www.colethompsonphotography.com/index.htm

IE8 was at work. I noticed later it was fixed.