@MWAC - I put nearly 400,000 clicks on my 40D, and it's still going strong... and under a million on my 50D (it JUST died a couple weeks ago... finally). If you take care, don't bang them around, and keep them clean & serviced, they will last a really really really long time.

Average basketball game = 1,000 clicks... 3 to 5 games twice a week... not counting play offs & tournaments... evacuation add up really quickly! Average yield: 600 usable, 200 good to great, 50 to 100 for magazines & new papers... per game.

The most challenging thing about Humming birds is the lighting, I think. Because we know their path, usually. We know they will return. And we can fine tune the shutter speed. It's the lighting that is really the most challenging. Flashes tend to scare them away... and too much movement will scare them. BUT, if you want a trick, put your camera on a tripod... manually focus on where you think they will be... get a remote shutter release... and just wait. You'll be amazed at what you can articulately capture. Fine tune AFTER they leave, for their next return... and soon you'll have some amazing and incredible shots.

Personally, To 'stop wings' I use 1,000 to 4,000 shutter speeds, and the widest (usually) aperture I can get. ISO is the adjustable factor for the lighting.

One of the best, IMHO, articulating (vari) screens (if you are shooting in live view verses the view finder) is the Canon 60D... it's sweet, big megapixels, and fast... both in shutter speeds & reaction time.

What is really cool, it to get a remote trigger, put the camera on a tripod, and flip it upside down... and lower it to ground level, or over stuff... to get some perspectives that are seldom ever seen. Except with guessing, getting real dirty, or risking your life. Bugs and critters usually find JUST a camera invading them less threatening than a human body.

I'm sorry... but I have to laugh (loudly) and ask a stupid question... and hopefully make a point.

Of all the professional & semi-professional photographer's you know... how many do NOT work out of their homes? And what TYPE of photography do they shoot??

Personally, EVERY professional photographer I know has a home office, and the majority work out of their homes... UNLESS they are strictly high profile portrait photographers, or pornographers. I've yet to meet a sports or nature photographer with a retail store front... unless it's mobile. And I've yet to meet a 'products' photographer with an out of home studio in a commercial (off their property) location, unless they are shooting for Fortune 500 companies.

So, personally, having had a couple multi-million dollar a year 'home businesses' over the years, and coming from a family of 'cottage industry' (farmers, ranchers, orchard growers) and being all about keeping over head down, and things real... and understanding that there are some 'scammers' out there (Maddoff clearly didn't work from home, and he stole billions on Wall Street)... there are a lot of good honest 'home based business' operators. And, unless you have a studio of your own, not at home - or in your garage - or another building on your home property - ya really might want to think about the negative generalizations of 'home based' businesses. I know quite a few that generate hundreds of thousands to millions... FROM THEIR HOME! Even more so in rural areas. Personally, I detest commuting!

Next, some of the best 'deals' I've ever made came from estate & divorce sales... from people that were selling on principle or need, verses really knowing anything about what they had - or what was wrong with it. As the buyer, it's out job to wade through the situation, and to determine the truth by asking the right questions. My Canon 300mm f1.4 IS was a STEAL of a deal at $800... so what I had to send it off to canon and pay $100 to have it cleaned & serviced. (goggle what one of those babies run). Many of the 'too good to be true' deals really are scams, especially when people are out of the USA... won't give you a valid phone number or address... or won't answer your questions directly. But, once in a while, some are OMG awesome. It's having the cash ready at the times opportunities come up that is wise. It's being able to ask the right questions, and sort through the BS that is necessary to keep from getting scammed. Honesty is a tough thing to gauge... and if you aren't great at it, or can't afford the risk, don't bother with used goods... and stick to the warranties of new goods. Personally, my good to great deals purchased out weight the scam crap 500 to 1 minimum. Twice I've had someone try to scam me that actually got money from me in the photography world, for equipment that wasn't 'as pictured' or 'as described' and would have been too costly to repair... or once, that it was hot (I nearly lost a bit of money on that one). But, if you can prove it is a scam, or clearly not what was sold... or that you didn't receive it... refuse payment on your credit card if you have tried to otherwise work it out... and you're good, out nothing but some time. That is one of the only great things about credit cards. They are there to protect you on purchases, and some cards actually have or extend some warranty on your purchases. It's the cash deals that you have ZERO protection on.

Anyhow... ya just have to get to know the person. If you don't (can't) trust them... walk away. If you do, then protect yourself, and move forward knowing your risk, deal, and investment. Seriously, the majority are NOT out to get you! Craig's list & eBay... be careful, but there are seriously some great deals to be had. I just picked my step son up a Canon 30D entire setup for $300... with 4 lens, extra batteries, a basic flash, and some filters. Heck, three of the lens were were worth more than that, each. A lady's daddy died, and was selling off his stuff through a private estate. I didn't even bother to dicker with her (I almost felt guilty giving her her asking price - knowing what some of that stuff was worth). I bought a Xsi with massive accessories from a college kid... that didn't like still photography any more, now they were down with their course... $500 cash... about $4k in stuff NEW, and still $2k used. Good deals are out there, just have to look, ask, and know what questions to ask. Don't get too excited, and let them set the price of what they want (or will take)... and you'd be surprised at some of the deals that can be had from those that don't know the value of the stuff they are selling, because if was purchased as a gift.

IMHO - Buying a computer from a camera dealer, is sorta like purchasing a motorcycle from a car salesman.

Memory & CPU are important... but ultimately & mostly meaningless if you have to wait too long to copy or back up large files, or if you video bottle necks in photo editing. My large jpegs are generally in the 7 to 20MB each range, with the RAWS topping 100MB each... those USB-3's come in handy (as a time saver) every day I shoot.

One needs to clearly define HOW they are going to be using the computer now, and in the next 3 to 5 years. What size and quantity of files will you be opening, manipulating, saving, and copying?? More memory, and a dedicated video memory are helpful to any CPU.

Battery life is important too, if you travel much... or use it in the field.

Love how you dealt with the eye... impressive...

That's the really cool part, digital only costs you actuations... and some time; but the learning can be incredible.

Personally, in general, I set the shutter where I want... as slow as necessary to stop the action I'm shooting... then I set the aperature as wide as I can... for the light... only narrow it if wanting greater DoF or in real bright light... or if I'm wanting to blur water (water falls or rapids)... once those two are set where I want, everything else is adjusted with the ISO (using the lowest I can that allows for the lighting). Some times I'll mess with the exposure controls, but usually allow the camera to play with that for a shot or two.

These were shot with 'that' (above) logic: http://mercer.smugmug.com/HighshoolBasketBallOregon/Oregon-State-6A-Highschool/Published-in-Mail-Tribune/16205654_9VGnTm/1217327282_LvE4V

LOL - Absolutely real... I have a full set of that butterfly (and another) 'eating' off the dead fish. Seems that is where the butterflies get extra minerals & nutrients, and though I'd never seen it before then... I've seen it a couple times since.

@Rocky - those are AWESOME looking... almost unreal, if it weren't for the slight prop blur (great advice BTW - it definitely makes them look real). You sell these type of images to the model plane makers, right? They are awesome. Don't know who organizes air shows, but I'd guess calendars & cards & puzzles AT shows would sell also. Best of luck... really cool shots.

What size are you planning to produce for display?? That will effect a whole lot of the decision making process...

I agree with SQUIRL033 about the museum glass potentially being 'hellishly expensive' - and I've done (and like) Lustre, but the local printer I use doesn't off that option. With them, it's gloss, matte, or metallic... or glicee' or canvas (in order of cost - least to most). Some photos are INCREDIBLE in metallic, but it's all on a case by case basis usually.

Going in HOPING, and not expecting sales... but looking for free advertising and hopefully meeting some people that will be able to help promote you in the future is (IMHO) the best way to go. Best of Luck...

Some info you might find interesting:

http://www.ehow.com/video_4467544_understand-different-styles-picture-frames.html

http://www.reuels.com/reuels/picture_frames_glass_mirrors.html

I've been shooting for about 40 years, but didn't start to get really serious about it or start making money from my photography, until about a dozen years ago. Though I have some landscapes & such, most of my non-sports action work are close ups of critters (head shots... or in motion).

My specialty is motion - sports action is always fun & interesting. People or critters. I enjoy shooting a wide variety of things on land and in the water. Basketball, Football, Track, Equine Events, Motor Cross, Paragliding, Zip Lining, White Water Rafting, Scuba diving, etc.

I usually shoot ambient light, freehand about 80 to 90% of the time, unless doing studio work on still objects or underwater. I shoot primarily canons... but have over 20 different cameras (currently a half dozen are Canon dSLR's). I've owned over 100 different cameras over the years. I bought my first 'digital' in 1988... one of the first in the USA, definitely in my area. Worked great for the net, but sucked anything larger than 4x6 back then.

I refuse to shoot weddings, though I'd probably shoot divorces, and would consider conceptions (that's a joke... but, it normally ends family & friends from trying to talk me into shooting weddings). A) I've had a couple (weddings), and the divorce rate is way to high, B) I don't have the right personality required to do that type of hand-holding & babying... and one-time sales, and C) critters & athletes are more fun for me to shoot than wedding parties. So, I just don't do them. I'd rather shoot a funeral! Koodo's to those that enjoy that type of shooting... I hope y'all are making bank, and enjoying it. I have a couple friends I refer that stuff to when asked, and they love it .

If interested, some of my work can be seen at: TerryMercer.com

Some things I'm still figuring out, sales wise. I've had stuff published in text books, magazines, news papers, posters, puzzles, greeting cards, t-shirts, etc. over the years. Permanent displays in a few museums, travel visitors centers, and a whole lot of web sites, brochures, and other marketing materials. The upside is it's helped me justify some nice equipment over the years. The downside is that it's my secondary business & income source, not primary as I'd hoped (those damn weddings, not doing them is costly, LOL).

EXIF settings for the Borate Bombers was:
Exposure 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture f/9.0
Focal Length 350 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

Some really awesome photos posted above... other the the fire fighting Borate Bombers & Copter water dumps, I hadn't shot many airplanes. Here are are few from a big fire a couple years ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/terry_mercer/4096504067/in/set-72157622584885908

Thanks... the Eagle was actually taken with a Canon A650 Pro (pocket camera... which I normally use for scuba & underwater & kayaking/white water stuff).

Personally, I'm most happy & proud of my Butterfly IN FLIGHT shot, as they are friggin hard to capture (follow & predict). But most people don't think about that, UNTIL they try to get those type of captures. Dragon Flies IN FLIGHT are touch too, but once you figure out their territory, focus & framing is the only challenge with them.

Birds with things IN their talons... those are always fun... but usually very time consuming.

Don't know if this will work or not... but here's a hummer I shot with my 400mm 5.6... very little cropping (ISO 1000, 400mm, f/5.6, 0.0002s (1/4000): http://mercer.smugmug.com/NaturePhotography/Birds/Birds/15683609_9DVWFJ/1201232057_ixaYx