tombest

<p>Great shots today... as always. I was out this weekend at a local wetland called Wakodahatchee. Bird life was somewhat scarce so I did some macro work. These flowers are commonly eaten by Purple Gallinules that roam the wetlands here in S Florida. Beautiful delicate flower. I thought I would contrast it with a not-so-delicate background since I am in my 'experiment with Photoshop' phase. Hope you enjoy.</p><div></div>

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Orb weaver from S Florida<div></div>

<p>Some really outstanding shots today. I love Wednesdays. Roberta D, love the peek-a-boo Heron. Hamish, nice portrait. Love the lighting and mood of the shot. And Neven, what a moment! Shot of the day for me.<br>

My contribution is of a bee I chased around Fairchild Botanical Gardens in Miami in an attempt to get one decent shot. Constant movement in a difficult setting. After the post-process crop and adjustments I wrapped it up in a frame from the On-One Essentials Frame-It plug-in for PSE. D200, 60mm Micro-Nikkor hand-held @ ISO 400.</p><div></div>

<p>Great photos. I especially like the contributions from Shane S, Kevin D and the shot of the Bodie Hotel. I was at a local wetland here in S Florida called Wakodahatchee Wetlands and got close to a Great Heron with my D200 & 70-200 VR. </p><div></div>

<p>Lot's of great feedback and terrific advice on this post. For me, one of the unspoken things that goes on in photography on sites like this is that we are all exposed to a staggering amount of phenomenal photography. I am literally in awe of some of the portfolios on display and the total body of work on photo.net. The quality and imagination seen here can be inspiring, sobering and everything in between. One can't help but compare their own art and work with what others have done. And if you are like me, you are very interested in the gear, technique, lighting and settings used to get their shots. So I understand Greg's frustration in looking at shots where unobtainium was used to capture the moment. I have lens and camera envy all too often even though I have a decent camera and one great lens... gear that I will have for a long time because of the cost of upgrading.<br>

But, I so agree with so many posters that remind us that technique overshadows gear almost every time. I shoot with a used D200 and was privileged to have a wife who allowed me to purchase a 70-200 F2.8 VR Nikon three years ago. Awesome lens but it will not compensate for exposure errors, focus mistakes and general photographer error. I have lots of proof. <br>

My advise... get really good with what you have and be thankful for all of it. Know your camera and lenses well, read a lot and experiment as much as possible, use the best possible techniques to improve quality with the gear you have and give it all some time to make sure the direction you think you want to head is actually important to you. I find that if I have a desire that won't go away even after 6 months or a year, it truly is important and I need to take steps to see it to fruition. I also find that the burning passion I have today for the latest/greatest frequently goes away after a month and I realize I was just letting advertising or other influence tug me along.<br>

I would be interested to hear the resolution of your decisions. </p>

<p>Shun, I didn't mean to hijack Frank's post but I do appreciate the reply. As long as we're not totally confusing Frank, all this is good information and helps to make an educated buy. A lot of factors are being covered and suggested like build quality, features, megapixels, focus speed, sensor type, etc. All important to a certain degree but we all know that having the latest camera does not automatically equate to great pictures. Joe McNally could get great shots with a point and shoot. From what I have seen, the CMOS sensors handle low light better than the CCDs do (all things being equal otherwise) and if I had to choose between a D80 and D90 I would go with D90. I bought my D200 used from B&H when the D300 came out thinking I would save money... and I did. But I regret the decision and wished I had spent the few extra dollars on the D300. <br>

Frank, have you indicated what type of photography you intend to do with the camera? Will it be used casually or do you intend to shoot wildlife, sports, macro,...? That might help narrow the field. What is your price range? </p>

<p>Shun, I was a little surprised at your comment regarding the D700. I have a D200 that I feel is soft and have been looking at suitable upgrades and could find nothing but praise for the D700. I understand that is 12mp and FX but picture quality seems to be excellent none-the-less. The D200 blows highlights out so easily that it is frustrating at times, especially with S Florida wildlife like great egrets. Could you be more specific on what about the D700 is limiting your photography besides the video limitation? Thanks,</p>

<p>Tom Best</p>

<p>Here is a shot I managed to capture of a Flamingo at Lion Country Safari in WPB, FL. The bird was busy and the background was messy... but leaning over the fence as far as I dared allowed me to get one decent shot of it. Nikon D200 with 70-200 VR + Nikon 1.4 teleconverter @ 280mm - F7.1 with -.3 stop compensation, 1/400 sec, ISO 800.</p><div></div>

<p>Hey, Aleisha. Sorry for the lesson you had to learn. We all have done it at some time. I have, use and love Topaz DeNoise. Version 5.0 is out and is better and faster than before and what it can do will astound you. I have added a Topaz Denoise'ed version and added a little sharpening with the High Pass filter technique.</p><div></div>

<p>Here is another re-edit including removing the circle appearing around the middle knuckle of the index finger. I also tried to tame the light a little bit by multiplying a layer and then removing the middle to draw more attention to to the heart. I mostly used copy and paste techniques in small bits to make the finger unique among the rest. I use (gasp) PSE8. Since I do not have a web page or URL from which to post the edit, I will attempt to add it after this is posted.</p>

<p>Tom</p><div></div>

<p>Here is another re-edit including removing the circle appearing around the middle knuckle of the index finger. I also tried to tame the light a little bit by multiplying a layer and then removing the middle to draw more attention to to the heart. I mostly used copy and paste techniques in small bits to make the finger unique among the rest. I use (gasp) PSE8. Since I do not have a web page or URL from which to post the edit, I will attempt to add it after this is posted.</p>

<p>Tom</p>