First shots with Canon 30D/Tamrom...species ID

[Swimmer]

Had a great time on a backyard "adventure"...trying to cyborg with the new setup. Maybe some one can help with species identification. Primarily, the tree. We have a confirmed Mountain Ash which we like...showy, but not long-lived. So, I found a sapling in the brush that matched the caracteristics, mostly, of said tree. Now, we are not so sure it is the same species. The leaves of the questionable specimen are identicle to the Mountain Ash except that they are more serrated and there are no berries attached to the stems. Both trees have palmate leaves with 7-19? "fingers" on them. Also, the sapling is spindly while the mature Mountain Ash is short, bushy, and robust. Could there be Male/Female caracteristics? I would appreciate your opinions. You can see the mature Mountain Ash to the right of the vertical shot of the species in question.

Purple Clamatis...set to basic Macro Mode on 30D/tamron

Messing with the scary "M" manual settings...wanted lower exposure

Catepillar ID??

Is this a Mountain Ash (Male/female???)

Why can't I "size" my images in photobucket...any suggestions. PS, I looked at the how to post pictures thread and am still dumbfounded. Do I need to size them before uploading them to photobucket? Does this entail manipulating them with a software program? Thanks.

[Steve Foss]

Swimmer:

Congrats on the new tool. Keep it sharp and it'll keep you sharp.

Nice manual exposure on the daylily. Auto exposure setting would have yielded blown-out highlights on that one.

The caterpillar is a monarch, and your suspected mountain ash is a mountain ash.

I size all my images in photoshop as jpegs before posting them on a link site like photobucket. Verticals I size to 400 pixels across, horizontals to 600 across, with resolution at 96dpi. I've never had problems when I do it that way. Leave the sizing to the online link site and you're at their mercy.

[Dbl]

Nice shots Swimmer, I'm sure you will love the new camera.

[Swimmer]

The wonderful thing about digital is that you can practice! I remember shooting Kodachrome 64 slides (the best quality for the amature) back in the late 80's, and also remember the cost of development...maybe one shot worth a darn. With DSLR, shoot away...5 shots a second, UNBELIEVAVLE, and a lot of fun...at least the dog thinks so...and it is a "dog's life" afterall. Anybody who goes from "IT" to photography obviously doesn't have the soul for "real" photography...just joshin you Mr. Foss! Seriously, I for one, wholely appreciate the goodwill, interaction, and advice of such a skilled professional (and thats not the beer talkin). You too Dbl.

PS, at the risk of seeming beer-soaked and pretentious, what is with jonny? Talk about prolific...nice shots.

[jonny_redhorse]

Lol!....just on vacation ....Swimmer......just on vacation...... ....and enjoying it.....and spending some time with the camera(and the canoe).....I work 5 days next week and another 9 days off...gotta love it jonny