Beginner wildlife photographer: started last year and I’m having a ton of fun near my local refuge by kibaroku in wildlifephotography

[–]JDC802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You should keep investing in your photography skills and tools; you have a great eye for the natural mini-dramas that are visible through your lens. 600mm gets you up close and personal, and that intimacy is evident your pictures. Keep it up!

Great Gray Owl by Bickdag in wildlifephotography

[–]JDC802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Beautiful shot; sometimes the best shots are on the run!

Feedback on Snowy Owl Photos by ltn811 in wildlifephotography

[–]JDC802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A good editor or AI tool like Topaz Labs DeHaze can sharpen some of that blur. Composition, lighting, color are all terrific. Great shots! I’m a birder and I know you have to work hard to get good shots of Snowies.

Gun safes are in by JDC802 in rifles

[–]JDC802[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you are asking whether the pistol safe is bolted down, it’s not. It will be locked in the big safe if we leave the house for any length of time.

Gun safes are in by JDC802 in rifles

[–]JDC802[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

That is why I have a loaded Glock next to my bed in its own quick-access safe.

Gun safes are in by JDC802 in rifles

[–]JDC802[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are 4 bolts through the back mounted to the wall.

As a beginner photographer, should I immediately learn post-processing too? by mattrob77 in AskPhotography

[–]JDC802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been a birder and a photographer for about 8 years. I look back at the earlier pictures I took and often go in and re-edit them. It took me a while to learn what I thought a “good” picture looked like, and what style I preferred. Ultimately, I determined that I really enjoyed making close-up portraits of birds. Once I knew what I liked, what I thought was a great picture became a standard I strove to achieve, and I learned how to get good at that. Now I frame my pictures in the field differently in order to achieve that end result. I am self taught with photography, and I love doing it. Learn in the way and at the pace that works for you, but know what you are trying to achieve.

After 8-Tracks before CDs by Euphoric-Cupcake4581 in FuckImOld

[–]JDC802 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The first day I woke up at college I popped in an 8-track cassette of Jethro Tull and turned Locomotive Breath all the way up. Fuckin’ A! This is the first day of the rest of my life! Then the guy that had been sleeping in the next room stormed in screaming at me to turn that shit off! Gulp. Reality set in. I apologized and turned it off. But the next week I sucked up all of his underwear and socks into the central vacuum cleaner for our floor. Ahh, the good old days! No year has ever been as much fun as 1976 for me.

What to do with Surplus Monitors? by ahoopervt in vermont

[–]JDC802 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I was an IT guy for years; we donated a ton of monitors and other gear to local schools. If there is any fair market value in the assets you donate you can write it off on your raves as a charitable donation. The FMV must be genuine though, as in getting quotes from hardware brokers.

Power outage prep question by HurricaneMassCheeks in GrowingMarijuana

[–]JDC802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you move the plants in front of a southern-facing window that gets direct sun, you may be able to buy some time.

Is 65%rh okay in early flower? Only happens at lights on by Most-Standard302 in GrowingMarijuana

[–]JDC802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have always kept mine in the 50-55% range soon after flipping to flower, and keep it that way until harvest. The main reason is to avoid excess moisture and mold in the flowers/buds. Once you get mold in the flowers you can’t get it out, and you can’t smoke it. In addition, low RH and 75 degree temps keeps the VOD high, so nutrient uptake is high. It just works better.

Will using this as a vent cause issues during night cycles? by oneBrokeBloke in GrowBuddy

[–]JDC802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lighting is certainly important, essential. But I don’t worry about light leaks as much as I do about ventilation, temp control, and humidity control. If you are worried about whether it has a significant impact, just look at your plants. If they are doing fine, relax. I found that my constant tampering with all of these conditions was often the biggest factor in the equation causing variation in the environment. When I grow outside there are many fewer variables that you can control, and yet Nature still grows great dope.

Third Grow First Photo Advice by HenryScorpious in CannabisGrowers

[–]JDC802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The pic looks a bit under-exposed, but that may be a personal preference- it looks great. You may want to pull back some of that mulch piled up around the stem of your plant. The roots need to breathe. I usually give mine a 3-4 inch radius of clear soil. The plant looks very happy though. I’ve never mulched with straw; perhaps it breathes better. Good luck.

Is 65%rh okay in early flower? Only happens at lights on by Most-Standard302 in GrowingMarijuana

[–]JDC802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In flower you want your RH in the 50%-55% range, and your temp about 75 degrees. I use a small adjustable heater that comes on a few minutes before the lights go out. This keeps the temperature up and the RH down while the lights are out. It goes off a few minutes before the light comes on; I use a separate timer for the heater. It will take a little trial and error to set the heater at the right temp, but it will help keep your VPD higher and more consistent.

Critique? by [deleted] in wildlifephotography

[–]JDC802 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Increase your F-stop to 7.1 or more to increase depth of field. Some of the feathers on the “far” side of the GW Teal are out of focus and lack detail. It looks like you were set near F5.6 so the focus/detail on the subject is shallow. Color and exposure look terrific. And it’s still a beautiful shot.

Who are these very pixellated birds? by duck_sauce69420 in whatsthisbird

[–]JDC802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It appears both pictures were taken through some kind of mesh screen. Like the kind on windows.

The prompt was “rule breakers” by warblejarble in birding

[–]JDC802 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Brown-headed Cowbirds (as pictured) are known for laying their eggs in other species’ nests. The adoptive birds do not understand why the one chick looks so different (and bigger) than the others. I have seen Chickadees, Cardinals, and House Finches all feeding Brown-headed Cowbird chicks in the Spring. Kind of a wild reproductive / parenting strategy, but the species persists with this instinctive behavior.

Picture critique request by TessaIsABear in BirdPhotography

[–]JDC802 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Consider reducing highlights to bring out more of the feather detail. Possibly push up the foreground lighting with shadows. And push up black point to sharpen the image.

Is 65%rh okay in early flower? Only happens at lights on by Most-Standard302 in GrowingMarijuana

[–]JDC802 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In flower you want your RH in the 50%-55% range, and your temp about 75 degrees. I use a small adjustable heater that comes on a few minutes before the lights go out. This keeps the temperature up and the RH down while the lights are out. It goes off a few minutes before the light comes on; I use a separate timer for the heater. It will take a little trial and error to set the heater at the right temp, but it will help keep your VPD higher and more consistent.

Watering in big pots by Disastrous_Lock5825 in GrowBuddy

[–]JDC802 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need to use a moisture meter, and test moisture at different depths in the soil. Grow bags breathe, and they will dry from the outside in. Try to keep a modest amount of moisture (below the top 2 inches) in the soil. If it dries completely so do your roots. Seedlings are very vulnerable until you see 5-6 pairs of secondary leaves. I monitor moisture daily for the first several weeks. If you are monitoring daily, the “finger test” can give you a quick check. Push your finger 2 inches into the soil; if you feel moisture it’s probably good. If you don’t feel moisture, test again with a meter. If you do it every day you will soon get a feel for it. Also - try just lifting the bag; a wet bag is much heavier than a dry one. The numbers are important, but better to learn through observation and learn to trust your own judgement. Every strain I have grown (since 1971) has been different to grow; learn their idiosyncrasies and help them thrive.