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i hope youve got a big bucket to throw up in! :nurse: it's all pretty healthy even in the bits where its 6 inches thick! Luis, Thanks mate for such kind words. The intention of getting the woodland moss into the house wasnt meant to be pushing new ground, but somehow, it does kinda open up...

Thats how close the moss is to the surface Ad. It's not had a water change in over 4 months. The water is imaculate! To get this tank in any kind of order, i'll have to be pretty heavy handed with the snips. :wideyed:

There's a fair few in there mate lol

Cheers Aron. I've added the blue in PS. I find PS pretty handy sometimes to see how something could look, if you added the 'real thing' such as a graduated blue background. but for convenience, it's easier to add in PS. For my FTS' i tend not to use PS too much. Colour correction and thats...

And with a blue sky added. So a bit of real nature + modern technology = False beauty Maybe a good way of designing scapes i guess?.... blue-sky by saintly's pics, on Flickr

here's a pic of the 120cm. no water change in maybe 4 months now?...very little ferts. the tank is 80% moss now lol moss-tastic by saintly's pics, on Flickr

not unless it can breath out of water mate :-) Thanks Viktor. Certainly a new line of photography i'd like to follow up. Even getting into vivariums could be cool. No mate, just my trusty 135mm f2 @ F2 At home, but can you imagine the shots you could get taking the kit down to the...

Some prety good Guesses. I went to coolect the moss, and photographed it at home using a lighting tent. A pretty awesome bit of kit to have. light-tent by saintly's pics, on Flickr It's given me a new lease of life, something to expand on. Not just the aquatic side of photography, but the...

my local woodland area is really starting to look nice again, with winter in decline...(ehhh?) Anyway, here's a snap of the various moss down there. Was the image taking at the woods, or at home? :snaphappy: woodland-moss by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Sorry for the rehash of an old tank. I've re-edited this with hopefully, better colour management. I've got to grips with Edius colour management, and correcting W/B is quite easy now. Best to watch @ 720p or higher, and Preferably, on a mobile device....(cough*Samsung* cough)

I just need to expand my mind now. A slightly different background shot.

Sorry to use the forum as a sounding ground, but i just wanted to test a video. I've worked out how to add multiple files, and also combine Edius and Photoshop to work at the same time. Anyway, i wanted to see how it looks in a youtube window. Thanks.

Vimeo is better for quality, but you tube gets way more hits. I'll take hits over quality. At higher res, you tube still stands up though. Not too shabby.

Cheers Antoni. The camera is OK...a bit scratched. I put the tripod down so that i could take a pic with the wifes camera. I didnt do the leg clamp up properley and the leg just decided to slide right up. I just watched the whole thing fall flat on it's side....on concrete! ouch. it snapped...

Here's what i managed to put together before my tripod fell with my camera rig attached! :twisted: It's bit of a randomvid, but theres a few trees, a bit of water so i thought it'd suit the forum. I went with my wife and son, with my son just learning to ride his bike. Always watch in 720p...

creat a new file in photoshop as big as youd like the background to be. click on the gradient tool (its where the paintbucket tool is. click and hold to bring up gradient. top left is the colour. pick a light blue. Next to colour (top left) theres a choice of gradient styles.(5 in total)...

Get on printed. create a PSD file, take it to your local printer (a good one) and get them to print it. On matte paper NOT GLOSS! you'll get horrid reflections, and odd bright spots of light with gloss finish.

Look in the right places, and you can find some great 2nd hand deals. I've recently see a Canon 5dmk2 for £600..... :shock: good condition too.

I really dont think film is needed. With the power to change white balance, hue and saturation, digital is far better than film. Hands down. hence why hassleblad are now producing digital backs for their cameras

It all depends on whether or entering competitions or not. If you are, the remove all hardware. If its just for forum use, then leave them in.

Re: A Collection of Pictures Theres some really nice and sharp images there. Well done.

Give me a tenner and i'll tell :lol: No, really, I'm just trying a couple of things which seem to be working. Once i'm fully sure, i'll elaborate. Light and Iron seem to be helping....light, as in less not more. If i could give you a 'man hug' i would :angel:

Cheers Ian. A tad wild maybe, but at least i now know how to get a bit of colour in my scapes now. :mrgreen:

Give me a tenner, and I'll tell you :lol:

And a quick ripple test... I so crave the 'Amano' ripple :geek: ripple-testing by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Wise move Ady. Coupled up twith lower light intensities, aquariums should become easier to manage.

I'm using the 'up' in-line diffuser. I swear by in-line diffusers now, and have done for a couple of years. Lighting is moderate on this, powered by a single ADA solar 1, suspended way,way, above the tank... for 6 hours. Very little glass cleaning etc.

To go with the above image, here's a shot of them in their fave spot. There's 4 altogether. Please excuse the dirty rim of the tank. right-side by saintly's pics, on Flickr

Here's a snap of the Gouramis. I thought they looked kinda nice against the halo. Shot taken during a shoot of the 90cm Gouramis-blue by saintly's pics, on Flickr

getting back on track, UWA can add drama to any image. I find it important to have distinct fore/mid and rear ground subjects to enhance the effect.

Sure. Google them. You can pick up some great deals for not a lot of money :thumbup: Actually, you dont need them. I've taken some aquatic imges recently that are to feature in a company catalogue. All taken with just tank lighting. Here's one with tank lighting... Half-FTS by saintly's...

This is interesting. You do realise that Amano uses film and a large format camera?...not that expensive.you can pick up a Mamiya Medium format camera for next to nothing. So in actual fact what you see in his images is exactly what is there in front of you. He doesn't even get to change white...

As nice as it is to have UwA lens. It's still takes knowledge when to use it. Uwa does not work on every aquarium. I can still take a great full tank shot of a 60cm with a focal length of 135mm Yes amanos tank look like everyone else's in reality, but his skill lies in plant placement...

It is, but lens maketh the camera. I've put the canon 135mm f2 on my wifes 550d....It's a whole different beast 8)

Now availble on apple products :thumbup:

:lol: you know you want one! I've looked into it for ages, and always backed off the idea. Thinking 'i dont need one of those' but boy, i'm glad i did. I now need to learn to compose for documentary style videos.

It's on the hot shoe mount at the moment Stu, until i can invest in some 'proper' mounting equipment. I can see me spending a small fortune on gear. Even for stills, the Zacuto zfinder 3x would be a great investment.

Bless ya matey :angel: A compliment indeed. I've just changed it to something a little more conservative. I did initially have a nice plain text. I've made changes to the vid, and re uploaded it. The green border is now black, and text is different.

Thanks Chaps. Antoni. You can achieve great vids without an EVF, but be prepaired for a ton of fiddling and incorrectly exposed shots. I gave up on it, until researching EVF's I've just tried. I'm not sure why but it wont let me change the setting. Maybe because it's HD. i'll try uploading a...

Guys! I know there is one or two that shoot video, on their DSLR's I for one am a massive fan of videos on DSLR's, but live view mode in bright light can be unusable at times. Focusing and exposure are near on impossible. (That's why you never see videos from me, that feature outdoor shots)...

here's my test....same image, same dimensions. Flickr.... wet-fly by saintly's pics, on Flickr photobucket...

I have an account :shock:

If that is the case, i'll change right away. I currently use photobucket, but if flickr is better, count me in on the change.

Remember guys, you may already have it, but for me, i was a bit behind. The unsharp mask is just brilliant.

For anyone running an older version of Canon's DPP and shooting in RAW, I'd maybe look at an update. I've just installed a newer version and the 'sharpness' tool has been revamped...for the better. Much nicer sharpening than previous :thumbup:

In captivity I take it?

I do miss this lens :(

video wise, there's nothing between them. You just need to decide whether you want full frame or not. If i were J Starkey, I'd choose the 7D and if i were you, i choose the 5dMK2

Cheers big ears. :thumbup:

It is nice George. Do the flowers grow off a stalk? Here's the leaf as it gets towards the surface. The green vein, does disappear as it gets towards the light. You can see the immature leaves top the left and right, just below the main one. I've got a few ideas in mind for a future tank...

Not really. it's doing it's own thing mate. Under T5, it's not so 'flamboyant' in colour. Get lower done for a pic, and the red shows up a treat. I saw some @ TGM and it looked very different to mine. Even in the pic on tropicas website, it looks quite dark. Maybe, mine isnt looking how it...

My Aponogeton crispus 'Red' is really taking hold now, and looks rel nice. It's becoming my current fave plant.

lovely john. Dragon flies have to be in the top 3 for me, in terms of photography subjects.

Re: New toy - EOS550D. HD Vid tips? I tend not to use auto focusing. Try instead, to pick stationary shots,from different angles and then string them together with software.

Edius all the way. Real time effects and editing. A breeze to use stu!

Re: Three Rare bird's John, you keep on doing it mate! Not just brilliant pictures, but for me, just finding these birds, then photographing them is the most impressive part :thumbup:

Oh man, they're great images! ...even more impressive that they're not HDR!

I dont remember reading that in the rules :eh: where did you hear that mate?

unreal! With such precision, how do they do at such speeds? :shock:

can you elaborate John?

I've said for a long time, that In my very honest opinion, and quite possibly a rule that would put many entrants 'out' of the comps, that a RAW image should be entered. This way, you know the image you see, is the image that was taken. Some really interesting, and mystifying comments on this...

odly enough, they can vary. I used to have a mamyia med format camera and tried it....way out. all lenses can throw this out. I had a meter, that you could point at an area-grass-sky-face, and it would take a reading from this. :thumbup: it was about £100 though. then things were good.

I'm bit of a 'twitcher' myself, and to capture this bird is quite amazing, and shows dedication. Your getting some great images John. I know of a place (in summer) where you can stand a watch a spotted fly catcher. to hear the audible 'click' when their feeding is awesome.

I reckon that's out your league tony. I think you'll need to try harder :mrgreen:

maybe the retailer part in my comment is wrong, but only slightly. I've never been hassled into buying something i didn't want photography wise...unlike aquatic retailers for example...constantly telling us what we need, but ultimately these products just dont work photography is a little more...

I think 1 or 2 would agree with you whatok, but on the other hand most would disagree. 8) Photography retailers/manufacturers dont go about trying to 'catch' the consumer in a big net and making them buy 'flashy' gear (excuse the pun) Nearly all things in the photography hobby are 'needed'...

When i bust the sensor on my old 5D, i claimed on my house insurance. The cost, all in was about £850 for new senor and service.

with good reason mate :wink: i owned the f4 version...L series right? but a fraction of the cost. By all account's it's glass is as good as the more expensive one.

Nice bit of kit. I used John Starkey's a while back and really liked it. After one myself at some point. I'd really recommend you try the 135mm f2....You WILL fall in love with it. happy 21st BTW

Arghhhhh!!!! i want it now :lol: i'll do that. Some of the effects in that video, i do have, but it's incorporating them, and making them look good. Do i sense you do a bit of editing? :D any advice would be great. :thumbup:

cheers mate :D however, I've invested in edius 5 which was a small fortune. It's just time i need to get to grips. I think once I've got a 'template' i can just switch the pics and text, and all should become easier. :thumbup: thanks though mate.

Thanks mate. I've gone through a couple of hard drives, and i could do this type of thing 10x over. Too many pics :crazy: It would take time, and commitment, but it's certainly possible :thumbup: It's time consuming mate, just the opening titles takes me forever. It's like anything though...

it's a holiday matey :D unlike your good self, as a pro, i have to make do with trying to be creative at home. I guess the more i push myself, the better chance i have of breaking into what the professionals are doing....and maybe earn some money nothing has ever been gifted to me, and...

no mate, i used old photos 8)

and to think i was going to wrap it up and send it to you :crazy: it's not staying there mate, just to 'flatten' it so it can go in my folder

cheers guys. I'll do a proper edit of it then :D happy new year guys. John, the Beatles rule mate!

Here's a collection of pics. Best viewed@ 720/1080p Could i have some feedback on whether it'd be worth doing properly? For this one, i just grabbed images from different folders and compiled it quite roughly. I've also used one of my fave tunes of all times, The Beatles, here comes the...

£20 mate Thats the lens i'm using mate. :thumbup: cheers bud. impressed, but not enough to frame it :lol:

A pic of a pic This from a HP, and to be quite honest, it's not a patch on an epsom. It's still good though.

well, initially, i wasn't using it. Now though, I've looked back at pictures I've taken, and i'm swiftly changing my mind. I'm just about to go and pick up an A1+ print of this one. Should of seen the guys face when he opened the image :lol: We then proceeded onto a 30 minute conversation...

Ever tried your own in PS?

here's another. These are not meant to be 'landscape' shots. More to document what i see in the country side. It's not the sharpest image, as i used the 'softer' end of the F-stop range on my 50mm 1.4, to try and get DOF. So the following shot shows, the trees, base of tree and moss. The...

cough-nikon?-cough :lol: it's an awesome lens. looking back on some of the images I've taken with it, i may struggle to part with it. :lol:

here's some more Antoni i took with this bad boy. This next shot, i sprayed it with an atomizer. I copied the idea from another images i saw on the net.

Re: upside down shrimp cheers mate. The full res shot is quite something. It'll blow up to A1 easily, without any degrading in any way. If you want the high res image, give me a shout. It's a large file mind.

Thanks Tom, this means a lot coming from you :thumbup: I'm always in awe of your work mate.

Yeah, yeah, I've done this before, but believe me i'm bored :lol: just sifting through old pics. I dont think I've posted these, and they help to inspire me. Thanks for looking, and sorry if some have seen the last one before. :oops:

Re: upside down shrimp yes mate, the 65mm MP-E which i am still selling :wink: Thanks Antoni. :thumbup:

Re: upside down shrimp here's a slightly closer shot...not too extreme though i think if you click it, it'll open up to a larger size

Re: upside down shrimp Thanks mate. It is an older pic mind you; I must take some new stuff.

I think i've covered this shot before, but i was bored and re worked it. It's actually a crop of a bigger image that i took some time back.

here's a quick snap with the sigma 70-300. ignore the line on the background :oops:

I like the sigma 70-300. For the money, it's brilliant.

you really need to talk them around. you'll miss out on some great deals. The second hand market for camera gear is brimming with deals.

i'm actually selling mine. for a bargain price to. flies are grea subjects for macro photography. here's a couple more

here's some @ 65mm I must admit though, this lens is in a class of it's own, so it's not really fair to compare with other macro lenses

Mate, pic 4 is just uber class! made me smile :D sell em mate!

John, Bin that camera! :evil: your getting a bit to good at this! :lol: Awsome mate. The poses of the birds are cracking!

I'd guess med/long telephoto...100mm maybe George? It'd be ideal for you john, with your longer lenses' :thumbup: it depends where you stand with firworks, what lens you put on, and also the quality/size of the fireworks.

I always like your questions George. :lol: quite possibly, but for me, it's rare I'll shoot with little contrast good point, and something i do think about a lot. I've often viewed my images on different monitors, to see how they look. My dads is the worse! The colours are way out. It does...