I followed this little butterfly around for a few minutes - it would land here and there and then fly off. But finally it rested in the grass long enough for me to get a few pictures. I'd like to reshoot it with my new Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens, but I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out.

I like the vivid colors and details of its wings.

Its only been on Dreamstime for a day or so, and already 36 views. Wonder if it got featured somewhere/somehow?

A while back, I somehow stumbled upon the fact that there was a need for high quality images of solar panels. I live in East Texas and there's plenty of oil and gas activity in this part of the country.

They come into an area, clear it of trees and other vegetation, and drill a well. When they're done with the actual drilling process, they leave behind a well-head and some equipment. The equipment obviously runs off of battery power, and they use solar panels to charge the batteries.

Anyway, I've enjoyed taking pictures of solar panels and these are a few of mine that have been well received. I love the vivid blue colors and crisp details.

I reckon that interest in climate change and renewable energy sources helps account for some of the downloads on these images.

...

On a recent trip to Washington D.C. I spent some time making pictures at the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

I love the reflections you can see in the Vietnam Wall. I especially like the fact that the names of those who died meet the images of those who come to pay respects.

Past meets present.

Here's a pic I took several months back. I saw a group of Texas

Longhorns in a pasture so I stopped to get their picture. There were only a few thin strands of barbwire between me and this guy - but he seemed reasonably friendly.

At just the right moment, he sort of stuck his tongue out at me and thankfully I got a reasonably good picture of it.

I used some hdr (high dynamic range) enhancement on this photo. Since I almost always shoot in raw format, I usually can improve the shot a bit with some hdr techniques. I like the fact that the sky retains some good cloud texture, the grass retains its vivid gree, and yet the nose and tongue of the bull still holds good details.

In East Texas, we're blessed with an abundance of lakes. This year, we've had plenty of rain and the lakes are full and thriving with life. Recently, I stopped by Lake Cherokee for a few photos. Almost by accident I took this shot of the pier and reflections in the lake.

Always room for improvement, but I thought it turned out pretty good.

Recently visited Ellis Island in New Jersey. What a great place to visit - all the history and all the people that passed through those halls. Toward the end of the day, we took a stairway down to another floor and I look over the railing and was impressed with the dizzying view. This photo resulted.

I can't help but contemplate all the various immigrants that passed through these stairs - peering over them with a little bit of vertigo just as I did many years later.

Here's a topic for discussion - I'm interested in the feedback of my fellow photographers.

Must we use Photoshop?

I've grown somewhat wearly of what I guess I can only call the "Photoshop" look. I'm talking about beautiful pictures that just don't appear quite real.

As for me, I'm interested ...

I got the idea recently to pluck a nice-looking green leaf and hold it against a blue sky. I thought the simplicity and purity of this green leaf against a blue sky with just a touch of clouds was an effective image communicating: nature, purity and "green" concepts, etc.

Constructive criticism for me?

I had fun shooting these strawberries the other morning. We had picked up a large box of them recently. I wet them down, put them on a plate, and took them outside. I prefer the natural sunlight and the natural green background that is possible outside.

Anyway, I was fairly pleased with how they turned out.

I'm shooting with a Canon Rebel Xti and a new 50mm f/1.4 lens. I'm pleased with the sharpness that's possible around f2.0 or so.

But always glad to get constructive feedback for improvements.

Ok, this time a question. Of my brief and limited time submitting photographs to this and other stock photography sites - my best selling pictures are solar panels.

30 sales on this site, 39 on another site, and a half-dozen more sales on various other sites.

Samples of my most popular solar panels:

Questions:

Why so popular?

Is it the interest in climate change and renewable energy sources?

I wonder how they're being used?

What other "related" topics might be of great interest?

Now I'm not urging you to run out and take a bunch of solar panel shots. I'd rather have the market all to my self... (grin, wink, wink)... Seriously, competition and the free-market place create improvements for everybody - so I'...

I often think of lousy weather days as lousy days for making photos. But, sometimes the worst of days can present unique opportunities for beautiful shots.

Back in the winter, we had an ice storm. Lots of freezing rain and precipitation. But, I decided to venture outside and see what I might could photography.

Here's one of my resulting photos. This perfect little frozen raindrop. Perhaps a good concept shot for cold weather, or bad weather, or freezing conditions.

Either way, for me, its a reminder that the worst of weather can sometimes bring great photo ops.

On a recent trip to NYC I tried to make the most of my visit with various photographs of the major sites. The conditions were not ideal - it was hazy and there was a lot of glare.

But, I like the way a few of these turned out.

I especially liked capturing Lady Liberty with this airplane passing behind her. In a way, a little disconcerting though - reminded me some of 9/11.

Otherwise, I liked these various other images of NYC.

I liked the view of these sail boats against the busy backdrop of the NYC skyline. But on the other hand, without the WTC towers, in some ways its just another city skyline.

This one without the boats may have more marketability. Both of these skyline views were shot late in the afternoon with the ...

After blogging here for a little while, I've wondered - what should I do with these credits I'm accumulating?

I'm a photographer, and I don't buy photos. But I've got 13 credits now with which I may buy photos. What should I do with them?

Perhaps you're in the same boat.

I was thinking perhaps we should "vote" with our credits. That is, use them to buy photos and reward our fellow photographers for their good work.

So, perhaps I'll be looking for:

** An undervalued photograph/photographer that needs the encouragement of a few sales.

** A beautiful photograph that takes my breath away.

** Some undiscovered gem buried in the halls of Dreamstime - just waiting to be discovered.

** Or perhaps when I read some useful tips posted by a fellow photographer I'll reward ...

Based on our discussion about using our credits that we've been earning by blogging, I've purchased this photo from Maigi.

I love this shot. Here's a few things that stand out for me:

1. Obviously this photo is significantly cropped - but it was done in a way that really works. The crop is tight on the left side with the car and the highway draws your attention off to the right - toward infinity. Great job with the cropping. I think without the cropping it would have been an interesting shot, but with the cropping I think it is a great shot. I like the panoramic feel.

2. The whole photo has a great "high-speed" look to it. It just oozes "speed" which is perfect for the image. I feel like I need to fasten my seat belt just looking at it.

3. The colors are really ...

Ok, I'm using the credits I accumulate to highlight particular photos that I find particularly effective. These little "mini-critiques" are designed to call attention to what I think makes these particular photo's great.

Today's feature is from Hobbyink.

I think this photo does a really effective job of carrying its intended message. Here are the things that strike me as particularly effective:

1. The field of focus is just right. It takes my eye right to the action (literally) of this gun. The whisp of smoke is just perfect. It lets me know that this is not some staged shot in a studio. This is the real deal - smoke, fire, guns and bullets. How much better does it get?

2. The shooter's hand is also in focus and speaks "action" and he's ready to fire again. Had ...

This is a continuation of my effort to offer a mini-critique on various photos I like. In fact, I like them so much I bought them with the credits I've earned from blogging here.

This one from photographer Lukasztymszan and is titled "Cathedral."

Here's what I like, and why I bought it:

1. The jet black sky. Looks like Indian ink. This sets the tone for the whole image. Clearly it feels like nighttime. Had this been during the daytime, I think it would have been just an ordinary shot.

2. In spite of the jet black sky, we've got great lighting in the windows. And, the bricks of the building are well lit. Yet, there's no "spotlight" kind of affect. Quit well done in my opinion. How do you do that?

3. This paradox of jet black sky and well-lit windows, (and bricks)...

Another little mini-critique, using the credits I've earned from blogging. If you read these blogs with any regularity, you've seen the very helpful tutorials put together by Tonygers - so I thought it was time to shine a little light on one of his photos that caught my eye.

I like this photo a lot - and here's what really works for me:

1. Perfect exposure. Notice all the white in the walls of this building? Notice the perfect blue sky? Obviously, this photo was shot on a very sunny, bright day. Yet, all that white doesn't totally washout - the photo still maintains good details in the white. I think this is hard to do. Too many of my shots of "white things" in full sunlight get all washed out. Nice job here with exposure.

2. I like all the rounded curves in this ...

Was out in the fields the other day looking for some interesting photographs. Found this one which I think turned out pretty good. I had to crop it some - as I couldn't focus quite as close as I'd like.

Here's a green garden spider in a deadly embrace with a beautiful butterfly.

Will it sell as a stock photo? I'm not sure. Perhaps there's a concept out there (danger, risk, predation, etc.) that it illustrates effectively. Either way, I thought it was interesting and perhaps the editors here at Dreamstime did as well... thus they approved it.

David.