Hi Steve... reading about creativity, I found that creativity is high in childhood and with schooling, creativity is diminished, and learning is tightly monitored with tests... This is evident when seeing that grownups draw like children....Furthermore, more and more schools downplay or eliminate art classes.. I am not sure you can recapture artistic talent in adults that have been schooled and in the business world, working for a living....
I have seen paintings by adults that attended continuing education classes, only to see they can only copy what the instructor shows them, & it looks like middle school art...
The inherent creativity you are born with is more like, what I experienced, that is, the passion for creating... Without the inner motivation to do creative things, there will be little effort and passion...
At age 11 I was way ahead of my classmates as far as my art work... I was way past stick figures and was coloring in shading and shadows & perspective... I do feel that some of us are born with inherent creative talents, but not all have had the opportunity to develop them... I developed them all on my own.. My son is a pastry chef that does remarkably creative chocolate sculptures & cakes.. I feel strongly that it has to do with genes..
Anyway, creative talents are different from learned skills.. Further more, I do feel that, photography is an attempt to capture with a camera beauty and drama, & an outlet to express creativity.. Not all can master painting or other mediums, where a camera can..
I encourage everyone to continue to dig deeper and find your creativity...

Hi Gene.. AutoHDR in JPEG only is a red flag for me.. I just don't work with JPEG. I have used JPEG shooting a soccer game under the lights.. The reason I shot it in JPEG was to speed up the uploading buffer... Other than that I don't use JPEG for shooting..

Image quality is independent of size & is compression. Compression has less pixels. I think we are saying the same thing?

Raw is data (code numbers) not pixels (a picture).... Raw contains all of the data from the sensor..... JPEG is the actual picture in pixels that are created by the RAW data.... JPEG, is compressed, that means it throws out pixels that are the same to make the file "smaller" not larger... When you throw away pixels you have less pixels....Further more if you edit a JPEG, you compress the file even more when you save your edits, resulting in a lower resolution ( less pixels).

Getting exposure right is a matter of getting it in the "ball park", which a histogram will show you.. Its more about knowing how to interpret what the histogram is telling you. If I'm in an environment & not sure of my exposure, I will bracket.. There is no other way to tell what your exposure looks like but in playback histogram mode. PP will correct exposure to your liking, so its only important to get it close when shooting...

Ken... what in your opinion would be a well-designed course. Seems like an art school might be more beneficial, then learning photography history, 4x5 cameras, film, lab development, without any business info, as how to make a career out of photography, or starting up your own business.. Just how valuable is a certificate to an employer????

I own my photography business, and a degree or certificate is meaningless to me as an employer... I prefer someone that has a passion for photography and only knows the basics, & most important has not created any bad habits that are hard to retrain.... I prefer to train my employees to my standards, not some class or college... Its amazing how some schools still teach film and development, & history of photography. It is also amazing how little some graduates of a photography college know on a practical level. Actually what they do know has no practical use in the real world of photography.. I speak as an employer.. I have hired a women that had no understanding of how to take pictures.. It took a few sit downs & she is a valued photographer, always following my procedures and has a gifted eye and attitude with people...

thanks for the heads up

dilly 2 |ˈdɪli|
adjective (dillier, dilliest) Australian/NZ informal, dated
odd; foolish.

?????? dilly dilly????

First of all you need a good tripod to take HDR.. Each image has to be aligned... For only $10.00 per month, you can download Adobe CC (creative cloud), and get LightRoom and Photoshop... LR will have HDR and merges.....
If you really want to do HDR, you will need to spend a few bucks...

Photoman.. "Now I want to make EXCEPTIONAL photos". After you know the basics of how a camera works, comes the real test of "making EXCEPTIONAL photos, its called talent... You can know all about cameras even engineering knowledge and if you don't have talent you pictures will always be mundane. However, If you just know the basics and have a creative eye you can produce above average photos.... I don't know everything about cameras, but I have an art background that others get excited about.. I capture that something special, character, interest, I tell the story, but not all of it, leaving the viewer free to add their perception... Maybe you need to take an art course Photoman.... Learn what composition is, texture interests, shading, highlights, cropping, and so on... Its the content of the picture not the perfect camera settings... Some famous painters do not paint well but are famous for their colors and shapes... Did you know that Van Gogh, "Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime Red Vineyard at Arles".

Hi shooter... I worked, hands on, for a successful studio for 5 yrs, doing remotes, special events, tons of studio work.. I must say I could not have learned what I have learned in a class room filled with other students... Class rooms are for basics, and basics are available on line for free... Its the application of what you learn that creates experience!

Hi Guyseman... I think you should consider bracketing 3 shots..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKxihcKLOwk

Well reading your comments, I feel you have a issue with feeling confident. You feel you need others to make you feel "good enough", like a certificate on the wall, or paying out 100k or so just to have a BA after your name.. As you reported, "you knew more than the teacher".. Heres a suggestion, that is more valuable than a certificate or another's assurance,.... Its money... When someone takes money out of their wallet to pay you for your skills, that is a clear indication you are good enough!!!!!!.... Don't compare yourself with others, but have the passion to be the best you can be....