June, People shouldn't have to hit the "ENTER" key when typing a post. Instead, people posting pictures should be aware of the image sizes that they are posting within the threads and not post images that are so large that they will require everyone reading the entire thread to scroll. As Jel was saying above, people have different screen resolution settings on their computers. I just looked up some statistics, and as of July 2006 (according to w3schools.com), 58% of Internet users have their screen resolution set to 1024x768, 17% have their screen resolution set to 800x600 and 19% are set higher than 1024x768. Changing your screen resolution is not too difficult, and you can play with it to see how it affects what your looking at on your computer. Here are some quick directions: While your desktop is visible, right click and select Properties from the options that appear. The Display Properties dialog box will appear. Select the Settings tab from across the top. In the area for Screen Resolution you will notice a slider bar that you can drag left or right to change your screen resolution. Once you change the screen resolution, select the Apply button in the bottom-right corner. You may see a prompt that says something like "Your desktop has been reconfigured. Do you want to keep these settings? Reverting in X seconds". Select "Yes" (you can always change it again). Now, open up a browser window to see the affect. However, knowing what screen resolution most people are using doesn't take into account that not everyone has their browser window maximized. If the window is not maximized, horizontal scrolling may be necessary even if the images are not too large. It is probably a safe assumption that if your images are sized to be no wider than about 750 pixels, most people viewing the thread with your picture will not have to scroll horizontally to see the picture or all of the text within the posts. Simply adding the "width="XXX" as Jel mentioned will cause the image viewers see in your post to resize, but the image that is being called from PhotoBucket (or wherever your images are hosted) is still the original size, and the file size can still be quite large. The file size is different from the actual image dimenions being viewed. Large file sizes for images can cause the posts to take a long time for people who do not have a high-speed Internet connection to download. The best bet is to resize your images appropriately before uploading them to PhotoBucket. You will not need to include the width code, and the actual file size of your image will be much smaller. ~Angie

Hey Lerissa- I just read your reply to me. My B&B ended up with FIVE blooms, it is only about 1 1/4 ft tall! It is so funny seeing this huge flower head on such a small "bush". This was the only macro I did the winter protection on(put a wire fence around it & filled w/leaves last fall) I also had put in a new macro this year called "pink ribbons"(search for the thread), there I have a pic posted of it next to a potted B&B I had bought at Walmart this year. It looks like a B&B, but the sepals are smaller & more pointed-looks like it's in the "Frau" series according to my Hydrangea Encylcopedia. As for Endless Summer, I finally did break down & buy one at Walmart, I just planted it last weekend-it is VERY floppy at this stage. I haven't decided if I really like it or not. My approx 8 yr old Preziosa is my #1 favorite this year, I am going to try to post some pics-it is gorgeous! Speaking of Frank's I don't know if you remember or not but I work at a dental office that was next door to Frank's-well I sure do miss it! They have put in a "furniture warehouse" What a joke!

Sharon, while I haven't been posting directly to your photo tip threads, I've been following them avidly. I so appreciate all the effort you've gone to to explain in such an easy way so many aspects of taking good [better for some of us] pictures. The last week or so I've been very busy organizing and then hosting our family reunion at a local fancy diner and have not had a real chance to digest the latest installments. The macro stuff interests me very much. I've tried to use my macro recently and found when I did the camera refused to take the picture?? Odd. LOL.. I'll figure it out but I suspect I'll have to dig through the manual to see what the problem is. Your post makes me suspect it has something to do with the camera not being able to focus on what I'm trying to do or the distance, or something..heh.. and it won't fire as self preservation. Smiles. I'll figure it out and then be back to digest more of your post. Btw, I got a tripod for my birthday! Yay.. I relative I had staying with me for a while apparently absconded with my last tripod. Grrrr... Needless to say I'm looking forward to using the tripod to work on some of your 'lessons'. Thanks for all your great work on our behalf.

Actually there are a number of options for taking macro photos. Technically speaking the term "Machro" means that you can produce an image on the film that is between life size and 10x life size. (Image magnifications greater than 10x actual size are referred to as "Michro Photography". Without question, the simplest and most user friendly method of producing Macro images is by means of a true Machro focusing lens. Call me old school if you like, but when I began my serious interest in photography back in 1966 Machro lenses were not yet even heard. The simplest method of producing Machro images with a manual camera is by means closeup lenses, but close up lenses often introduce some aspherical aberrations on the edge of the image. While I doubt that the average amateur would ever notice the difference, none the less, to a died in the wool purest, they offer the least quality in the final print, especially if you intend to make big enlargements. Another drawback is that the close up lenses block some of the light, which means you may loose an F-stop or two. The next method of producing Machro images is by means of a "lens reversing ring". The normal lens is taken off the camera body, then the lens reversing ring is screwed into the lens filter mount on the front end of the lens and the lens is then attached to the body backwards so that the rear element of the lens is now out in front. (This can only be done with manual aperture lenses or auto lenses that have an auto/manual switch lever). While this method does work very well, with no loss of light the downside is that you are limited in the amount of magnification it can produce. The next method is to extend the distance of the lens from the film plane by means of "Extension rings". Generally the extension rings come in a set of three rings, each of a different overall length. The extension rings are simply hollow tubes that fit between the rear of the lens and the camera body. The longer the extension, the greater the magnification, and the extension rings can be used singly or they can be stacked to further increase the extension, thus greater magnification. One advantage of extension rings is that you can get a set of "Auto-Extension Rings" which means the rings have the necessary internal mechanical linkages to maintain the cameras auto aperture function. (You can generally find both manual and auto extension rings in brand new condition for sale on Ebay for about $30 to $75) and if your willing to take your chances you may pick them up for half of that through the bidding process. Another advantage of extension rings is that there is no internal lens element so there is no loss of light. Now if you are a true purist and want the ultimate in machro images you must use a "Bellows Extension". A bellows extension has a metal frame with a lens board on one end and a camera mount on the opposite end with an accordian type cloth bellows that will extend or contract as you adjust the position of the camera or lens board. The adjustments are made by means of micro fine screw knobs on the frame. There is no mechanical linkage between the camera body and the lens board so typically you must us a manual lens to set the F-stop, however they do make high end bellows units that have an aperature control mechanism built into the lens board and it uses a dual shutter cable release so that when you press the shutter release one cable will stop the lens down on the lens board while the second cable will press the shutter release to snap the picture. i once used my 1966 Pentax Spotmatic body with a Pentax Auto-Bellows and a Pentax 50mm f1:1.2 Auto-Tacumar lens to shoot a Ladybug sitting on a rose petal, and I got a full image picture of just the face of the ladybug. i later had that image enlarged to 11x14 with full clarity. Here again, you can always find brand new extension bellows units on Ebay for immediate sale or you can take your chances on bidding and perhaps save a lot of money. NOTE: When searching for a Bellows also look for "Bellows Slide Duplicators". To duplicate 35mm slides they use a bellows that has a special second bellows and slide holder. They can be used as either a slide duplicator or the slide holder can be removed and the main bellows used for Machro. In fact, My Pentax Auto-Bellows originally came with the slide duplicator attachment. Now if you are really serious about shooting a lot of macro there are a couple other accessories that will prove invaluable. 1.Right angle finder. Generally when shooting machro images of insects, flowers or other natural subjects you will be using your camera at a very low angle. Most SLR cameras have two small slots on either side of the eyepiece to allow attaching a rubber eyecup or other accessories. A right angle finder snaps on the eyepiece and extends the eyepiece at right angle to the camera body. In this manner when shooting a low angle you can place the camera close to the ground then look straight down into the eyepiece as if you were looking in a microscope. Come of the extension eyepieces even offer a slight magnification to aid in focusing, and there are even some that can be fitted with a corrective lens so that people who wear glasses can use the eyepiece without glasses. 2.Quite often when shooting extremely close machro shots the camera and lens will be so close that they cast a shadow and normal flash is difficult to use in this situation. If you are serious about shooting a lot of machro you might want to consider a "Ring Light". A ring light is a circular flash unit that attaches to the front of the lens and it will produce shadowless lighting on the subject. 3.When making machro images the depth of field is always extremely limited when compared to normal photography. For best results one should always use a tripod or other means to support the camera and insure it will remain steady during the exposure. If using a Machro zoom lens you can generally get by with a basic tripod, but most tripods will only close down to about 18" high and that means you will generally be looking down on the subject. For very low angles you might want to use a small table top tripod that is only 5 to 8" high, of course you would then need the angle finder eyepiece mentioned above. I hope this information was not too confusing and be of value to you Richard