The first two are pretty bad but the last one isn't too bad. Most newer DSLRs have a "snow" program setting. It's preset to automatically adjust the white balance to compensate for the blue reflection from the sky.

I think it just fine.

I was once hired to photography a graveside service. I was a little creeped out and haven't done another one.

This is a good camera and well within your price range.

http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Stylus-Digital-Camera-Black/dp/B0031RGEV8

Shooting in RAW records 100 percent of the available light (optic) data that hits each pixel. Bracketing your photos in RAW has no affect. Whether you are +1 or - 1 it is still recording all of the light hitting each pixel. For more information on understanding RAW you can read this article: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/u-raw-files.shtml

I've done this on a couple of photos that are now in art galleries. Use two lines. The title line should be about 30-50% larger than your name on the second line. Select a "burnished" (no shine) brass plate with the engraved letters in black. Have it professionally attached...oh! and by the way...Have it professionally attached.

A lot of what you're interested in was covered in a previous thread. There was a lot of input on this which you may find useful. Here is the link: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-87706-1.html

This is wonderful.

Blue hour photography is a wonderful thing.

If you are looking for a camera that is lighter and smaller then Pentax is the one for you. However, if you want a camera that has better battery power, wider range of lenses, more features, better performance, versatility, etc., then go with Canon or Nikon.

I've purchased a number of items from 42nd Street. While I've never had a problem they are about 1-2 days slower on delivery than other places like Adorama and B&H. Compare prices at all three and if speed of delivery is not an issue go with the least expensive.

Probably one of the best explanations around:
http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/215/what-does-the-mm-mean-on-a-lens/

Believe it or not the best portraits of children are candid. They are natural and reflect the child's personality. I've included two shots taken on the same day just a few minutes apart. One is of my grandson. Its technically good and his mother loved it but its posed. The second is of a little boy just being a little boy. His mother was so taken with the shot that I was hired to follow her children around a local park for two hours and just take shots that I thought captured their unique personalities.

I bid a lot of jobs with formal proposals. Usually the client will tell you approximately how long they expect the job to take. They notoriously under estimate the time by 25-50 percent. I base my estimates on $250 per hour (any part of an hour is an hour), $.75 per mile each way (minimum 25 miles), plus cost of prints. Print pricing is a simple multiple of 3. If it costs $5 to print then the client pay $15. If they want the photos on CD or DVD, each disk is $500 (you can't control the number of prints they will make off of a disk). Don't forget to include sales tax. Here the tax charged varies from county to county and city to city. Your state tax commission can provide you with a table (usually online) that shows what to charge for each city and county. Remember, your time is valuable. The client expects to pay for that time as well as the product.

Actually the Kodak Brownie model "F" had a shutter speed of 1/50 sec. The "S" model used 1/40 sec. When Kodak introduced the Instamatic and 110 cameras the shutter speed increased to 1/80 sec to allow for 400 ASA films.

Considering that a D700 (refurbished) body sells for more than $2K that's a great buy at $1800. I assume this is just the body and you already have some lenses for it?