I can understand your frustration with sites saying free, then wanting to charge you! As one person pointed out, Wordpress does have a free level. I have not looked into it lately, but my impression is it is more of a blog site than a website. Don't know if you can do more with it. Worth checking out.

Another possibility is a Facebook page. The photography club I belong to has one, designated as "Secret", so only members can see the postings. We share photos, schedule events, and discuss things without all of our other "friends" being able to see. There has to be an administrator, who can do things like update the cover photo, post events that stay at the top of the page when other communications are added. No charge!

Susan

Not familiar with the programs that come with Mac and Windows. That said, have you fully explored the possibilities of these programs? If there is a way to combine photos, you will have to search for it.

That said, I use LR and PS. This is not something covered by LR, but fairly easy for a simple subject like the moon in PS. It can also be done with more complex subjects, just takes more time and attention to detail. In PS the process is done with layers. One layer is the original, then the second photo is selected, copied, and pasted onto the original. They then become two separate layers that can be worked with together. PS also uses "masks" and they are key to the replacement of one background with another. With the new background on top of the original, and a black mask on the new background, simply paint around the moon with a white brush. The new background will appear with the moon in it! "Simple" as that... (Learning curve gets you there!)

If you are looking to do more types of editing than the programs you currently have can handle, consider getting the PS CC subscription. You can get a free 30 day trial of LR and one for PS to try them out before signing up. I have been a LR user for a long time, decided it was time to learn PS, so signed up first for the LR trial. After checking it out and making sure I was comfortable with it, then signed up for the PS trial. This gave me 30 days to figure out if I could learn to use it! Not easy, still learning, but there is so much you can do with it to get great results.

The first photo here is replacing the background with solid black. The second photo is a partial replacement of the background with semi-opaque green, retaining the leaves from the original photo. The third photo is a full replacement of the background with a photo of sky taken expressly for the purpose of using it this way. (I keep a file of skies to choose from.) Also used some PS "magic" to put the middle branch behind the heron instead of in front of it!!!

Sorry I could not directly answer your question, but at least you can see the possibilities when the right editing program is available!

Susan

It is very true that there is too much violence against women. And against all people! I think about this when I go somewhere alone to take photos. But seldom wander too far from my car, and always carry my tripod. Figure I will at least have a chance at resistance because it is a sturdy RRS tripod and head! Even with another person or a group, there is a tendency to wander away from others. They may not be far away, but it is still important to remain aware of your surroundings.

Wayne, I bet there are "photo addicts" closer than you think! Unless of course you live in the middle of an uninhabited area. SC has a lot of beautiful scenery and surely there are other people who enjoy photographing it. If you talk to people you meet at the seashore, in the mountains, etc. who are taking pictures you might make some new friends. Look online for photography clubs in South Carolina - there might be one near to you!

You are welcome Chuck. I am confident you will get the answers you need. The people at B&H are generally knowledgeable and helpful.

Susan

Even though the refurbished will not come with full warranty, I believe B&H has a warranty you can purchase that will go a lot longer. Good luck! You will love your new camera, I am sure.

Sorry about the cancellation. It is always nice to learn from a pro, and other photographers in a group can be helpful and informative too. Especially when it is inexpensive. I have done workshops and learned a lot, got some great pictures. But am not doing that as much now. Rather put the money into new faster lenses and (eventually) a new camera!

I also tend to have better luck alone or with one other person than in a group. But when alone I have to be extra careful in uneven terrain and carry my cellphone! Even a maintained trail can have places to trip and fall. My husband and I like to do "day trips" to explore places. Some of those trips are so he can go fishing and I can take pictures - that makes both of us happy...

The recent cold below freezing nights have helped a lot with the foliage here. It is now moving toward peak which has already been reached farther north. Hope you find lots of brilliant colors and pretty scenes on your walk.

I think the best way to decide between the D7100 and the D7200 is to look at the specifications. If you still have questions after viewing them on B&H, go to Nikon's website and download the manuals. Near the end of each you will find a more complete list of specs. Whether or not the differences between them are worth the extra $300.00 is a personal decision.

Keep in mind that you are upgrading from an entry-level camera, which is a lot bigger jump than from a D7100 to a D7200. I am still using my D7000! While the improvements to the models following are nice, I, am not eager to spend that much on something so close to what I already have. My next camera will be a full-frame (probably the D810) and the D7000 will be my second (backup) camera so as not to need to change lenses so often in the field. If that $300.00 is too big a difference for you, and you are not interested in the "improvements", then go for the D7100. You cannot really go wrong with either one. However, my personal philosophy is to get the best camera you can afford. Same thing with lenses. After all, you want them to take you through your photographic journey for as long as possible. Then, only purchase a new camera when the one you have either breaks or you have encountered limitations that a different camera will not have!

When it comes to pre-owned or refurbished, keep in mind that they do not come with the same manufacturers warranty as a new camera or lens. Yes, you can save money, but if something does happen, you have a much shorter time-frame during which you can get the problem fixed or the item exchanged. For this reason, I buy cameras new. Lenses I have bought two pre-owned and one (directly from Nikon) refurbished, and have been satisfied with all of them. I deal with B&H and Adorama for the lenses because they are trusted vendors.

Hope this helps with your decision.

Excellent response to the question. I would like to add one comment. Lens hoods and lens caps are important for protecting the glass. The hood also prevents stray ambient light from affecting the image, such as sun glare. However, when using a 50mm macro lens, you have to be closer to the subject than with a longer focal length lens. If the sun position causes the hood to cast shadows on the subject, then it would be good to remove the hood.

Of course, you can counteract the shadows by using an external flash, positioned so it enhances the subject. I have the Nikon SB200 and generally hand-hold it.

Some people love editing, others don't want to bother! Personally, I love it. Eventually you will discover how much you are satisfied with doing, and from my experience more is sometimes great, other times less is better. Depends on what vision you have for the photo.

Some photos I do minimal editing because the light in the image speaks for itself. Others I do a lot so the final picture expresses (in my opinion) something that I see in it and want to make sure others see it too. And then there is the "busy" image, which can be simplified with editing.

There are times when HDR is useful and fun, but usually I prefer to do my own edits. Also, I will make changes to HDR images to make them better! Combining images can also be done manually in PS.

Here are a couple of examples:

The first one only has some sharpening, no other editing.

The second one the background was very busy, not attractive at all, so I totally eliminated it.

The third one is an example of combining multiple images in PS without HDR. Macro photography has such a shallow depth of field, that parts of an image are sharp, and others are blurred. There is a way to combine images taken at slightly different focal distances with software, which I don't have. This group of flowers, I took multiple photos from the same spot, but with different areas chosen to be in focus. Now more of the image is in focus than originally.

I can understand wanting to imitate the best!

You don't mention your own level of experience with a camera, but that is an important consideration.

If you are in the beginner category, then you should learn the basics of photography first, then continue to develop your skills. That will both help you find your own style, and help you be able to understand what it took for Ansel Adams to take great photographs.

If you are an experienced photographer, then you at least have a starting point for how to take pictures of the same quality as Ansel Adams. It is all about understanding the light and knowing how to capture it with the camera.

There are a lot of websites that can help, you need to search around to find ones that you like. I have read some of Ansel Adams' books and that would be a good place to start. He used film and did a lot of his editing in the developing process. If you are using digital, you have the same opportunity to edit using programs like LightRoom and Photoshop. And even if you do not have access to some of the same subjects, you can use ones local to you that have similar characteristics!

Develop your eye for composition, for seeing the light, and experiment! Eventually your ability to interpret a scene and capture it will improve.

Hope this helps.

The best way to answer your question would be for you to go to Adobe's website and download the 30 day free trial of LightRoom. If you are happy with it and with using it with PSE 13, then you have part of the solution.

Next, before upgrading to PSE 15, download the 30-day free trial of Photoshop. Try using that with LR instead of PSE 13. Once you have done that, then you ought to be in a position to decide which way to go!

I was using LR alone for a while, then decided to try and learn PS. With the free trials I was able to play around with it before committing to the PS CC subscription which includes both LR and PS. The regular upgrades to LR actually make it worthwhile to have the subscription even if you don't want to use PS. But since PSE has some of the features of PS, it could be more cost-effective to get the PS CC subscription rather than upgrading PSE every so often. Also, you can bring your PSE catalog over into LR very easily.

Hope this helps with your decision-making process!

Jack, if you have any more questions, let me know.

Susan

It's a long ride from where you live, but it will be pretty! I suspect you should stay more than one day, though. Otherwise you won't have the time or energy to take some good photos!

I was just up on Mount Tabor last Sunday and the foliage was almost at peak. Beautiful! Around my house, further south, the colors are still spotty. You should be able to find some foliage. This photo was taken from the Overlook, in a rest area on the Mount Tabor Road. If you are traveling on Route 7, you turn onto Brooklyn Road. Fairly close there is a silver bridge and down below the rocks all look like marble and the stream has good flow. I also found some streams and swamps further up the road.

There are other places you could explore as well, but Mount Tabor is one that I know well, go there every year more than once all seasons except winter! I don't know what the foliage is like in western Massachusetts, but it is possible you will find pretty scenery before even reaching Vermont.