Tony Parsons

Gup, surely it is not 'wasting away', it is being recycled into nutrients to support further growth.

In view of your thoughts and feelings about the matter (and I entirely agree with you and those who have supported you), when your friend's daughter is choosing her photographer, maybe you could sit in on the discussions and ensure that a high level of professionalism will be maintained. The bride and groom will have many other things on their minds at this stressful time, and it may not occur to them to question the manners of the photographer. You could also ask any potential photographers for feedback from other couples whose weddings he has photographed, to ensure that his actions live up to his words. If he is not willing to provide this, I would be wary of using him.

Quite the reverse - the evidence shows that this is not a myth, humans are ubiquitous, and the regulations under which MIN operates excludes images of them and their products. Many other forums accept, tolerate or even encourage such images - MIN does not, and I am profoundly grateful. Humanity is a biological irrelevance, not forming a part of any other species' food chain. Surely this one fact alone serves to separate them from the Natural World.

To me, this forum provides a singular place (as it is the forum with the stringent regulation to refrain from posting obvious human artefacts) to AVOID such shots (apologies for raised voice). I have to live in a human-centric world. I do not have to like it.

There are many many fine forums where evidence of the hand (or other attributes) of man / woman are not only welcomed but practically obligatory. I cherish MIN as being one place where I am, I hope, unlikely to find evidence of the depredations of the most destructive species ever to befoul this beautiful planet.

My choice is dictated purely by subject matter and the impression I want to convey. I suppose my basic 'cut-off' point is that the type of images I would have seen in black and white while I was 'growing up' (as much as I have done) during the fifties and sixties still seem to me to work well in the same tones. When I decide to retain an image in colour, I often choose strong vibrant colours in PP, to enhance the effect, but for an image of muted, limited colour range, then i will do what I can to enhance that in my view. If people like my approach, then that is fine.

9F Loco

Privy privacy ?

Bad attack of Spring here as well

Mute Swan on nest

Ordinary bicycle

North Norfolk Railway

I have absolutely no idea - just how I found it

Big Bang Theory

. Cromer, Norfolk

Might have improved the music too. BTW, why was Sale using flash from (his words) 2000 feet away ? How would it have improved his images ?

Laura, I came here very late, having for a time neither camera nor computer. I have always enjoyed your postings, your gentle attempts to keep us unruly mob on the strait and narrow, and your unfailing patience. We'll all miss you, but may I leave you with a quote in Latin : 'Nil illegitimi carborundum'. For those unversed in antient tongues, it means 'Don't let the (offspring of unmarried parents) grind you down'. All the best Tony

. Hurricane flypast at Dog Show, Swanton Morley

Must agree, here, Fred - in the days of my youth, I entered a print in an open competition (i.e. no restrictions apart from home-processing) with my local camera club (which I left soon after). It was an image of a cat. The judge's comment : 'I don't like photographs of cats'. When I mentioned this to the chairman, he said the judge was internationally respected.

. This was my favourite tree, till Doris arrived

'I exist only to serve'

David, I whole-heartedly understand your feelings about being crowded. Some 15 years ago I moved from London to Norwich for that very reason. Now Norwich is getting overcrowded (for my taste), but as a pensioner with limited mobility, moving would be too much. Luckily I am close (and hour or so on the bus) to several vast areas of Norfolk's coastline, where I can be joyously alone with Nature and my thoughts. Have you read the poem 'I Have No Gun, But I Can Spit' by W.H.Auden ? Tony

Long time since I did any wet darkroom work, but some possibilities occur to me : maybe the developer wasn't quite deep enough to cover the entire width of the film; maybe the agitation was insufficient to ensure even development; maybe the tank was at an angle, so some of the film was not submerged some of the time. Are any of these likely ? Tony