Right, here's how this works. Share your photos. Good ones, mediocre ones, "I have no idea what went wrong here" ones. All welcome. If you're waiting until you've got the perfect shot before posting, you'll never post. We all started somewhere rubbish. Tell us what you were trying to achieve. Context matters. "Here's a robin" gets polite thumbs up. "Here's a robin - I was trying to freeze the wing movement but it's blurry, what did I miss?" gets actual useful feedback. Include your settings if you want real help. ISO, shutter speed, aperture. If you can't remember, that's fine - just say so. But if you want to know why your heron looks like a grey blob, settings help us tell you. Celebrate other people's wins. When someone nails a shot, tell them. We're not competing here. Their success doesn't diminish yours. Community means genuinely being pleased when someone gets it right. Equipment doesn't matter as much as you think. I've seen stunning shots from phone cameras and terrible ones from £3,000 setups. Technique beats gear every single time. So don't apologize for your camera - just show us what you captured. One rule: Be kind. Critique the photo, not the photographer. "This composition would work better if..." is helpful. "You clearly don't know what you're doing" is not. We're here to get better together, not tear each other down. I'll kick things off with a few of my own shots - including some disasters - so you can see it's safe to share the imperfect stuff. Who's posting first? Gareth

I totally misunderstood something very important. When out shooting with pre-capture I used BBF and shutter both pressed in at the same time. I got hundreds of photos, none of which were focussed. I had ti set to AF-C and it had crossed my mind that I might only need to focus once but decided I was being daft and over hopeful. I wish I had taken note of my own self. The camera is much smarter than I had realized. I tried when I got home. John was woking on his computer. I focussed on him using bbf and then let go and pressed the shutter and kpt it pressed. Now John rubbed his nose, tilted his head, scratched his head-in other words all the nrmal movements people male. each photo was in focus. I am amazed by this camera and by my own stupidity. For someone with a well above average IQ(135ish) I can be very thick.

Finally had weather decent enough to get out. I discovered a local farm has a flock or Pea birds. Theyroam as they please. I thoo these from the roadside in my car/van.

My first shot with an A1 ii.John is 79 nad has been my husband for 45 years, legally since 2012.

There’s always that tiny flutter of panic when you head off on a long expedition. You can be as seasoned as a cast‑iron skillet, but the moment you close the front door your brain starts whispering, “Did you pack everything? Did you actually pack everything? What about the pets? The family? The socks?” And then come the classics: the “what if I leave something behind?” and its equally charming cousin, “what if I lose something important?” These thoughts are universal. No amount of resilience or experience seems to grant immunity from the last‑minute gremlins. Over the years, I’ve managed quite the highlight reel: leaving my luggage at home, leaving my wallet at home, picking up the wrong passport, booking a hotel for the wrong day, and—my personal favourite—turning up at the airport bright and early… twelve hours early. Morning instead of evening. A bold choice. And all of this despite having everything written down, planned out, and checked twice like a nervous Santa. It’s astonishing how one tiny, unrelated hiccup can trigger a domino run of chaos that ends up far bigger than the original problem. But that’s travel for you: equal parts adventure, preparation, and sheer comedic timing.