Few more recent shots. Pink-eared Duck http://i1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj576/Snowfella/DSC01032_zpsowklz8iw.jpg Grey-headed Lapwing, mega rare in Australia with only the 4th ever recorded bird http://i1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj576/Snowfella/Dyxum/DSC03261_zpsugvzqfuk.jpg Red-rumped Parrot. m...

Warmer for sure though I'm not 100% sure about dryer, get a mean rainfall here of over 700mm.

Main stem is just over a meter tall now with a second stem trying hard to catch up. It's the blue "stick" thin columnar just right of the center in this photo from last year. http://i1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj576/Snowfella/DSC02528_zps012c7319.jpg The San Pedro breaking through the top...

First flush for this unknown Pilosocereus a few days ago, unfortunately I didn't get any better shots of the flowers.

Looks more like a C. peruvians monstrose to me.

That doesn't really help though, as there's growers here downunder actively making these kinds of hybrids from already local stock. I could head out to my local hardware store and pick up several "named" Epi hybrids.

Colour overload. Found a very friendly Azure Kingfisher in a local park and have been doing the most of the situation. First shot I've already got printed as a 12x8 to go up on the wall along with a Rainbow Lorikeet shot..last image in this post but with some added post work. http://i1268.photobucke...

Could indeed be the reason as I do notice my outdoors plants growing all through the year. It's just about as cold as it will get now (creeping close to freezing during clear nights but still climbing up to high teens during the day) and been getting lots of rain lately so plants would still have an...

One day shy of the winter solstice here downunder and what do I find when I get home from work but N. lenninghausii in my outdoors bed in bloom

Mammillaria polythele inermis

Here's mp overload for you, almost 70mp in the full sized shot :lol: http://i1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj576/Snowfella/Dyxum/Stitch%20HDR%201EV_zps2bou36lf.jpg Currently working it up for a large print, think 3x1 foot so I'm going to need the pixels. Though it's only ~50% of the mp of the 6 images...

Wouldn't call M. geometrizans columnar, mine's more of a bush than straight up stem

It's all just a trade off really, getting the shot or not getting the shot :wink: Sure I would of loved having taken it at base ISO but if my math's correct backing down to ISO100 would of had me shooting 5 stops lower shutter speed, ie somewhere around 1/2sec...doable from a tripod and after a visi...

Well, not 100% can be attributed to just bigger megapixels but you would also have to factor in sensor generation. The higher mp cameras are generally newer and newer sensor tech has done wonders for image quality. Plus it's also a fallacy in the way people look at photos on their computer and compl...

I've got an old bellows rig for whenever I want to do extreme macro shots, about once in a blue moon.
Cost a pittance and will get me well past 1:1 magnification using an old manual 50mm lens.