lee_derrickson

<p>Because of the Adobe hack, Bank of America cancelled my credit card account and issued me a new one as a precaution. This action caused major inconvenience for me and came at a bad time. Thank you Adobe.</p>

 

<p>I have a new iMac purchased in March with OS X Lion 10.7.4. It had no problem reading my NTFS drives over the home network; of course, it could not write to them. Also the iMac read all of my USB drives with no problem.</p>

<p>I picked up a refurb 27" iMac this spring. The screen size and quality is nice and plenty good for my needs. With 3rd. party ram to bring it up to 16 gb I came in under $2000. There has been a bit of a learning curve making the switch from Windows but no big deal. BTW, am running LR4 and PS CS6. It's also great for video editing.</p>

<p>Great pics so far everyone. Frank M., like that picture of the mouse. Missed last week; went to Australia for my step-daughter's wedding. Took the S95--easier to carry than a DSLR. This week my picture is from the archives, last year's trip to see her graduate from medical school. This is the "Three Sisters" rock formation in the Blue Mountains near Katoomba, NSW. Shot from the cable car with a Rebel XS and the 18-55 kit lens.</p><div></div>

<p>Yesterday morning the river was glassy smooth. A juvenile bald eagle passed by driving the all the ducks away.</p><div></div>

<p>Another shot from the "World's Largest Truck Convoy" fundraiser for the Special Olympics. This was one of two entries from Mountaire Farms.</p><div></div>

<p>Refurb Canon 5D Mk II runs $2000 direct from Canon. Refurb Nikon D700 runs $2160 direct from Nikon. Both of those full-frame options don't include lenses. <strong>Smooth Carrots</strong> idea will get you full frame capability at a much lower cost. Even though it's older technology, it is still quite capable, and you can get a used (likely well used) one in your price range.</p>

<p>Special Olympics Delaware teamed with law enforcement and the trucking industry last Saturday to stage the World's Largest Truck Convoy. The event featured 143 trucks running a 28 mile route. They raised $35,000 for the cause and offered rides to Special Olympics athletes. Fire trucks, big rigs, tow trucks, antique trucks, etc. were all there. This tow truck was just one of the beauties that participated.</p>

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<p>Been busy. I'm retired--this isn't supposed to happen. This was taken on my front porch this afternoon. Not sure what kind of spider it is, but it's been there for a couple of days. Nice photos everyone!</p><div></div>

<p>We're finally having some nice weather. There was a fly-in at the local airport Saturday, and I was able to to do some shooting. This shot was not cropped--as it appeared in camera with some tweaking in Photoshop.<br /> <br /> EOS 7D<br /> EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM @ f/11, 1/250 sec.<br /> ISO 100<br /> Gitzo tripod<br /> Wimberley head</p><div></div>

<p>Nathan and Arie--we thought perhaps a Cooper's Hawk also, but the wife leaned toward's the Sharp-Shinned. She was using the guide also. But we're not experts.</p>

 

<p>Arie Vandervelden--not 100% sure on this, but my wife thinks your bird is probably a juvenile Sharp-Shinned Hawk.</p>

<p>Every week there are some really nice pics on this thread. Keep up the good work!</p>

<p> We've had lousy weather the past week, so I have not had the chance to get out and shoot. This one is from the archives. It's an Indian Pipe, which was growing wild in the woods behind my house. I paid a hefty price to get this photo. These plants are small and seldom getting over 10" in height. I had to lay on my stomach, and it just happened to be in a nest of chiggers. I had bites all over my abdomen, back, and legs. I was miserable for a couple of weeks. Now if I have to lay down to take the picture, I carry some sort of ground cloth to come between me and the critters.</p>

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<p>My contribution this week is another Morning Glory. You can see that this one is growing up a corn stalk. The bees have been going in and out of the flower leaving the white pollen on the flower. One visited while I was there, but I was careful not to bother him as bee stings are potentially fatal to me. (Epi-pen was close by.)<br /> Nice pictures so far this week everyone.</p><div></div>

<p>Federico, that outfit is a pretty good choice--especially if it fits the budget. I believe the Rebel T3 is to the T3i as the Rebel XS was to the XSi.<br>

After years of 35 mm and then digital point and shoot, I purchased the Rebel XS in 2008. What a step up from the point and shoot! No shutter lag, improved auto-focus, etc. The T3 is a few generations ahead of the XS, so go for it!<br>

When upgrade fever hit me I was able to sell the XS kit for a nice price--it's still a nice camera.</p>

<p>Morning glory vines like to grow in the field wrapping themselves around cornstalks. Trouble is the vine is a real nuisance for the farmer at harvest time as it gets tangled in the rollers on the corn header. However, their flower is pretty, and this one is close to blossoming.</p><div></div>

<p>Some great photos this week. The youngest grandson paid us a visit, and we took him up for a ride in a "big truck." Then he got the opportunity to sit behind the wheel and pretend he was driving. This was a big deal for a 5-year old boy.</p><div></div>

<p>I started with Elements, went to CS4, and then CS5. After listening to a lot of arguments, many presented by various contributors in this thread both pro and con, decided to give LR a try. I got a nice financial incentive like Steve. My first impression of LR was not good. It seemed confusing and not at all intuitive. But on the recommendation of some photo.net members I purchased Scott Kelby's <em>Lightroom 3</em>. With just a few hours of that book I learned more than several weeks of trial and error. Of course, I'm still learning both programs, but I have really warmed up to LR and use it often. My inclination is to buy it but only if you will be getting instruction or using a good guide. I highly recommend Kelby's <em>Lightroom 3</em>.</p>

<p>Hurricane Irene passed through here Sat. and Sun. We were fortunate--especially when compared to states further north. As the outer bands of Irene rolled in bringing wind and rain, I went down to the river and saw this cormorant (and others) sitting on a piling. It was facing into the wind and rain.<br>

Mark Kissel, I appreciate your critiques and thank you for them. However, I understand that like most of us you have a life outside of photo.net that takes your precious time and can understand when you don't get around to it. Nice photo this week as is everyone's.</p>

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<p>Dan Fromm--the perfect answer. Unfortunately my philosophy (am I in the right forum?) is, "as many as I can afford," which keeps me from buying all of them.</p>

<p>Nice pics so far. Mine is <em>ipomoea alba</em> (a type of morning glory) taken on my morning walk a couple of weeks ago.</p><div></div>

<p>Great pics today as always. Last Thursday I took a walk down to the river. Along the way I stopped and talked to a neighbor. Upon arriving at the river, the sun had already slipped below the horizon, however this is the view I saw.</p><div></div>

<p>Some awesome photos already this week. I'm recuperating from eye surgery (cataracts). Everything went well. I had the other eye done in March. As soon as I the right one clears and get new glasses I'll be good to go. We're having a home improvement project done (new septic system) that necessitated the removal of some trees. I did what I could on my own, but we needed to call in the professionals for a few of them. A fellow named Chip led the crew and climbed the trees to top them. Of course, I had to grab the camera and document the process. I told him that he had a better view up in the treetops than I ever had in my office. Here's my meager offering for the week.<br>

EOS 7D<br>

EF 70-200 f/4L USM @ 172mm<br>

ISO 400<br>

1/500 sec., f/7.1</p><div></div>

<p><em> You should also ask is it something new? Because there are millions of people who spend time in making repetitive images of certain subjects that are technically fine but lack any novelty. A good photograph is not enough if it has been done over and over again.</em></p>

<p>People do that?</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I let the artsy-fartsy crowd figure out whether or not it's art, and I could care less about their conclusions. I like to take pictures.</p>

Sounds more like you <em><strong>couldn't</strong> care less</em>.</blockquote>

<p>You're right Steve. You caught me.<br>

My statement being said, I do ask, "Is it a good photograph?"<br>

That's my focus.</p>