"The Outsider"

While this area is much like high desert, the vegetation is quite lush. This tuft of grass was isolated among other ground vegetation. What caught my eye is the quantity of tiny seeds that seem to explode from the tuft. The detail in the original file better conveys that detail. Still, I felt it might catch the interest of a few viewers. Thanks for your time!

The seeds are almost floating here in the scene Mark.  The green slopes of the Sierra make for some good color contrast. 

wonderful shoot, beatiful compotition and colors

This is certainly an eye-catcher, with the humble grass even more striking than the majestic mountains.

Another typical M.G. image......it strikes me how many layers you achieve in your photos.......all complementary, yet each is distinctly different.  The DOF you achieve is really extraordinary in so many of your shots, this one included.  How do you get such great focus throughout the entire image?  I understand how DOF works, but still......this just seems particularly great to me in that regard.    Thanks again for your help on our CA trip.  It was probably one of our best and most relaxing vacations yet, and I think that's largely because for a change we didn't try to do too much.  :-)  My PC with my photo editing program crashed, and I haven't had time to pursue getting a new computer.  So I'm out of commission for awhile.  :-(

Thanks Steve, Eduardo, PJ and Christal! Steve, they do almost float. I only wish I could better show the detail here. The original is so crisp with each little seed head. As you say PJ, the humble grass steals the show here. Christal, good to hear you had a relaxing trip. It's something we all tend to do on vacation; fill our time with too many activities. You end up stressed and then exhausted. Not what vacations are for. Ouch and double ouch on the fried PC. If I were out my computer, I would have withdrawal syndrome. BTW, I have been teaching my sister how to use Photoshop Elements 8. I didn't realize how robust it is. Not sure what you were working with, but PSE 8 really has most of the features you would want for editing. Anyway, just a thought. I say go with a MAC if you are starting new!

Christal, I almost forgot. DOF! I think that many photographers make the mistake of focusing at infinity with their wide angle lenses. I know I used to when I shot film. I now use the hyperfocal methodology and find a focal point closer to the foreground subject. I have found that if the foreground subject matter is tack sharp, the distant elements could fall off slightly and still appear sharp. Meanwhile, more or less everything is sharp. The other thing that has helped me is using F16 to F19 for such situations. Yes, I know that the sweet spot of my lens is closer to F8 or F11, but the DOF gained by stopping down 2 more stops is significant, the loss of sharpness due to diffraction or aberration is minimal. So F16 is the setting that gives me the results I want and then focusing on the near plane more so than infinity. Make sense?

Mark - thanks for the lesson on DOF - I use the sigma 10-20 mm and I have been using the infinity setting most of the time based on advice I received - I must do some experiments - perhaps using the infinity setting for one shot and then a hyperfocal distance of the object close to me and see what i get.

Tony, if using infinity is providing satisfactory results, then it may be OK for your particular lens. I use the 17-70 Sigma and I have found at infinity, I don't get edge to edge sharpness in the foreground. Then I was using F8 and F11 (based on advice and reading forums) and found I was losing even more shots to edge softness. Only in the last several months have I rebounded by using F16 again and concentrating my focusing point more to the foreground. From my recent trip, I have an image of a flowing cascade. I just printed it at 20X30 and it is amazing from top to bottom and side to side. I only have 10 megapixels and I am getting beautiful large prints. If I only had a dime for every photography expert who said it can't be done. Experimenting is safer than just taking advice for advice sake. I've been there!

Yes, thanks Mark!  For a change, I actually understand what you're saying.  Very helpful info!  And again art mimics music.  I can get lovely sounds out of my fiddle though it's not a top of the line Stradivarius.  You're doing remarkable work on a 10 megapixel camera, proving that you don't need the latest and greatest equipment to do quality work.  

Beautiful!