Gwyn - I have audio books on an iPod - very handy for holidays etc - saves carrying lots of books with me for reading on trains etc

George

I'm getting a teeny weeny bit tired of being patronised .

What is fantastic to one person is not to another. I can say that Mike-P's lovely tern picture is fantastic - because I [ note I ] have not seen better. On the other hand you , with your vast knowledge of photography and photographers have possible seen hundreds if not thousands of better ones [ sorry Mike - your pic was the one that came to mind so I used it ]

Don't bring what Andrew said about Emma's coast pictures into this - I don't remember seeing them so they are not open for use in this discussion.

Perhaps you and I were taught English and the comprehension of it in a different age from some of our younger posters - therefore our use is slightly different.

Now in modern parlance - geeez a break and let us get on with posting and making comments that are not guaranteed to cause a storm to break

George

That is far too harsh a comment - the sort of thing that drives folk away - or perhaps that's your desire ?

Now can we get back to a reasonable thoughtful posting style ?

Now how on earth can you bring up the flower [ clematis ] like that and yet manage to keep the foliage dark ? That is most effective and totally beyond me.

The second one sorry - not my cup of tea at all . I'm not sure what the subject is here - the clump of flowers could be very nice - but the centre seems to be lost . Technically I'm sure it's clever - but it's not for me

Believe me - I'm not missing the point. Andrew does not always post on every thread .

I may be a real beginner but like others I'm working on it at my pace .

Encouragement is always needed and it should be given . I don't enjoy seeing posters shot down in flames - this can be, and often is, crushing .

The bitter pill can and should be sugared

I think that can happen when we don't actually find the subject matter appealing to us .

However we all need time to develop - for some the learning curve is not as steep as it is for others .

We are all individuals - what appeals to one will not appeal to another - and we would do well to remember that.

correct - and we need to get other people's views as to our own progress .

None of us can afford to rest on our laurels

Well now - we are posting our pictures for comments but I notice that some people are not .

There is absolutely no hope for this Forum if it is treated as a private playground for some posters.

well enjoy your rest in the garden drinking your 'little refreshment ' I understand the weather is not likely to last .

I wonder when one ceases to be a beginner ?

At times I often get the impression that some of our posters think that their particular style is the only permissable one.

Given time and encouragement we all develop our own particular style and realise that at times our style has to change for a particular series of shots.