I love all of the suggestions made in this thread. Dave, Kudos for building on the goodwill of the moment to effect a Real change here. Thanks to all who've responded.
I've always believed that that the Forum is what we make of it. Put more in, and you'll get more out. The decision and manner in which we contribute is up to each of us individually of course. Some will post pics, some will critique, some will offer technical assistance. The simple truth is that if enough of us try to make it better, statistics alone dictate that the forum will be improved.
And it hasn't been the act of image posting, or hard critiquing, or debating that has wracked the forum, or caused folks to leave. Plain and simple, it has been the Manner in which differing ideas and opinions have been expressed. Or to be more pointed, the Lack of Manners. We just need to keep cool heads.
I learned a valuable lesson this past week (re: Sky and Marion's ruckus) and that is that ONE person can make a difference here, that ONE person can change STF (for the better or the worse). And Each of us is that One person. Just think of the Funk STF would be in if Sky hadn't returned. That scar would have lasted a long time. And contrast that with the huge uplift we are now experiencing. Sky, if you've ever questioned whether you did the right thing, you have your answer here in this thread.
And personally, I'm so excited that I can't even wait until tomorrow to post a tip (though this one was in a previous thread)...
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1009&message=24751414
snip
The sun is behind the bird and there is no way to get on the other side.
I'm usually thinking the opposite, LOL!
How do I get a shot of this bird with the bird not mostly just a blackish shadow.
As the others have mentioned (and you have experienced), backlighting
presents some serious photographic challenges: Exposure, Focusing,
Blowouts, Composition, Contrast, Flare, etc etc etc. It's far from
an impossible task though, and using some very basic techniques will
result in some spectacular shots.
Exposure: Increase your exposure until you have the look you desire
(the H9's live preview is great for this). Highlights may "blow
out." This may or may not be critical to the composition.
Aperture: I like to shoot at Maximum aperture (lowest f-number). The
depth of field will be at minimum, so you will isolate your subject
as much as possible (this will help make the subject stand out from
the background). This will also have the effect of keeping your
shutter speed as high as possible (keeping motion blur to a minimum).
ISO: Keep the ISO as low as possible (to keep the Noise down). Raise
the ISO only when motion blur becomes too much of a problem.
Focusing: Use Spot AF (Single AF). Focus on vertical lines of high
contrast.
Image Stabilization: Set Steadyshot to "Shooting." Turn off
Steadyshot when panning.
Filters: Take off any filters for this type of shooting.
Lens Hood: ALWAYS use a lens hood (for all types of shooting). If
possible, shade the lens from direct sunlight with your hand, a hat,
a tree...
Flash: I almost never add fill flash. I like the natural light look.
A "touch" of fill flash (use [ - ] Flash Exposure Compensation), can
help. IF it's completely "unnoticeable" in the resultant picture.
Just IMHO.
Shoot a lot. Vary the exposure. Expect a low keeper percentage.
Here are a few of my successful shots. EXIF is generally intact...
Use the same principles when shooting people too...
Bottom line. Don't be afraid to experiment. Shoot a lot.
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I'll be up early tomorrow (Super Tuesday).
R2
ps. Some non-Sony shots in here. Please excuse.
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You are free to offer critique of any of my images.
Editing and reposting them on this forum is permitted, and even encouraged.
http://www.pbase.com/jekyll_and_hyde/galleries 
