2007 Photo Contest... What camera did you use?

Yes I had the thought that some did look like puzzles. Actually I thought of making some of my own photos into puzzles. Walmart photo does that I think. I will go look at those entered again too. So many nice ones that didn't even place-totally agree!

I used to take so many more shots when I used my Nikon with the rotating LCD screen, I could never quite tell how it was going to look until I got it up on the computer but now with my new SLR, I had to get used to using the viewfinder all over again. Oh drat! I thought I would really miss that LCD but I was happy to discover that now I can see exactly what the shot is going to look like and often I end up taking only one shot because I see that I like it already. I can be heard talking to myself, 'ohhh, that one's gonna be purdy". Thankfully, I am alone :-)
Some of my favorite shots I have taken within the last couple of weeks are in the late afternoon, with the sun lower in the sky. Makes wonderful soft lighting. I rarely shoot in the middle of the day unless it's slightly overcast, just too harsh.

Now, that is one pretty picture!



I need to practice!

Beautiful! I always try to take early AM or late PM photos and avoid the harsh sun. I really miss a viewfinder when I use my little Z5. So often I use my older S3000 with the viewfinder. It has the added bonus of shading my eyes too!

I took some good pics, I thought until I saw all those others LOL they where great. I had so much fun viewing them and voting was tough. most of what I picked where winners, and I like the Idea of making puzzles of some would make my mother happy she loves them, and another thought would be greeting cards there where so many that would make my day if someone sent me one.
After watching this tread for awhile I thought only point and shoot take pic be done, never thought about cropping, ect. oh well next year.
I chased a butterfly all over my yard to get a good pic. that I liked but when I down loaded them it was hard to chose with one would be good they where all good then to pick the right one for the contest? There where so many better than mine, maybe need newer camera or learn camera better?

I had a lot of fun and enjoyed all the pics congrats on all the winners and runners up.
Tills

wow, till, that coulda been a contender.

Marlon Brando, "On the Hyacinth!"

That is very nice. I have gotten some nice butterfly photos by setting my camera on "Sport" setting and then sitting myself near the butterfly bush. I entered a few in the contest, but like you said after I saw the others I know why mine didn't do too well! Sometimes I think it does just take patience when a butterfly or animal is involved.

Hi all,

Sorry I'm late to this thread - been a very busy week! I had two number twos - in Annuals and Scenic - and two honorable mention - in Scenic and Trees & Shrubs.

I use a Sony H1. I'm not crazy about it, though the 12X zoom does come in handy at times. I think my previous camera - the Nikon Coolpix 995, took better photos. The white balance was certainly way better.

I thought the photos were amazing and it was almost impossible to make choices. And keep in mind that people choose for different reasons. Sometimes a great subject will impress more than a great photo.

No one should think that they cannot take similar quality photos! And though I do like to see what equipment people are using, great shots are the result of the photographer, not the camera. A good photographer with a cheap camera will always take better shots that a not-so-good photographer with an expensive one.

Best piece of advice on taking better photos - take LOTS of photos and look at good photos and ask yourself what makes it good.

As I stated on another thread, I would like to see Foliage added as a category, as well as best caption. Some of them were hilarious.

G'Day Everyone,
I have recently (about 18 months ago) bitten the digital bullet with my Kodak Easyshare Z700 4mp camera after about 30 years of being a dedicated slide film only SLR photographer. My previous film camera is a semi- pro level Ricoh SLR that was rarely ever used without its macro rings, tripod, and extension cable. I used to spend 10 to 15 minutes on a single photo, framing, testing exposures, thinking about depth of field, etc etc. - now I just get out there and shoot! I am loving it. Since I got the Kodak I have taken over 4000 photos, I find it very easy to get out in the garden for a few hours with the camera and fill up the memory card nearly every weekend.

I do find that my current digital has some limitations - it is fairly easy to saturate the colour sensor in bright light - especially with strong blues and reds, and the macro distance isn't short enough to suit some of my favourite subjects such as very small succulent flowers like Crassulas, but I am finding it a good basic camera to learn on and I really love not having to pay through the nose to develop pictures that haven't turned out well! If I ever win the lottery I am going after a really good digital SLR with decent macro capability as I have serious ambitions to be a really class act in documenting my plant collection but in the meantime I am having enormous fun just learning. To anyone who feels a bit intimidated by their camera my suggestion is to take it slowly and concentrate on one setting or feature at a time.
I felt like that at the age of 11 when my father gave my my first SLR and I graduated from the "snapshot" brigade to being a "real" photographer, and I went through it again in 2006 when I got the digital, but the best way to learn is by doing!

One thing I think I should have done was make a list of which photos I entered - by this time next year I'll have no Idea which ones they were and several were personal favourites so i'll probably run the risk of accidentally entering some of them again. I guess when I get time I'll have to go through all the thumbnails again looking for my username - wheee!
Anyhow, to close, here is one photo I KNOW I entered, because a fellow member was kind enough to dmail me personally after the competition to tell me how much they liked it, for which I thank you very kindly. Of course the beauty of the digital format is that this is only one of about 20 photos I took during a period of several minutes; during which a lot of the time the evil subject creature was either A/ moving, B/ not looking at me or C/ out of focus due to the difficult lighting conditions - this just happens to be the best one of that set of photos!

Happy snapping for the next twelve months, Kaelkitty.

I love the composition of the photo of your "evil creature."

Thanks Nap, FYI That is Kael he will be five on December 13, that shot was taken in November 2006. He is the reason I am Kaelkitty online, because he thinks I am HIS kitty and will come up to me and wash me, if he thinks I need cheering up. It was originally Kael's Kitty, but that doesn't work as a username for a lot of websites, so I shortened it. KK.

That was my personal favorite of all the photos in this year's contest.

My kitties wash me too, though I suspect for a different reason.

I just posted this in the photography forum, but thought I might ask here as well...

I will be going to Ghana in March and am considering selling my camera, and buying a new one before I go. I like my camera, but it goes through batteries (AA) fast. I am going to be gone for three weeks and don't mind taking a couple of extra batteries with me, but I don't want to have to take 5lbs of them with me and / or try and find them there. I am not sure about rechargeable batteries as Africa runs on 220 I believe.

I will also be spending a few days in Amsterdam on the way home, right in the middle of spring!!! So I anticipate taking about a billion pictures there as well.

I am looking for something in the $400 and (preferably) under range. It would be great to be able to swap out my lenses, but that might be over my price range. I would like something that takes a good macro and has a good zoom.

So, I want the perfect camera for cheap. LOL

Any suggestions?
Melissa

Why not re-chargeable AA's?

Hi Melissa,
I'm not at all a camera buff, so don't know if mine is good or not. I've got this one- it was cheap and the battery is not AA but a stocky type battery that is rechargable and seems to last forever (it says on it: 1600 mAh Kodak rechargeable digital camera battery Li-Ion KLIC-8000 3.7V)
http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-EasyShare-Z612-Digital-Optical/dp/B000DZHA6O/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1197313396&sr=8-1

You might want to check and see what kind of outlets and electricity they have there before committing to rechargeables.

Ghana adapters.

http://www.international-electrical-supplies.com/ghana-plug-adapter.html

If you do decide a new camera is the way to go, you might post on the Photography forum to get advice on which one would be best.

Here's a good site to use to review digital cameras. I'm assuming that's what you want. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

FWIW, I've had Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji and Sony, and I much prefer the Olympus.