Dear KGOldWolf,

Thanks for being the asshole that can't keep his political opinions to himself; so much for a previously informative Photography site.
Enjoy all your nasty responses to my comment and remember I could care less what you think.

Love & Kisses,
Daisydog

Here's an improvement to pretty much any neck strap. It's a 'swivel & clip' that can be purchased in any store that sells fishing equipment. They're strong (100# test or better), rust proof (stainless steel or bronze), allow you to easily un-clip your device, and cheap (less then 75 cents each). I put them on all sorts of hanging stuff like binoculars, keys, etc.

Here's an improvement to pretty much any neck strap; add a 'clip and swivel' that you can buy at any store that sell fishing supplies. It allows any twists in the strap to 'easily' be straightened out.

Defiantly Picture 2 (50mm). It 'features' the statue rather then just including it in the composition. Picture 2 tells more of a story; the perspective draws your eye to the head of the statue and you realize he's looking over the town . . . as least as much as anyone made of stone can to.

Not that I'm cheap but highly discounted stuff has always had an appeal. With camera stuff, especially a lens, what's the frequency of problems that might warrant (no pun) it being shipped back to Nikon? In the 45 plus years I've been into photography I've never had a piece of equipment break.

Also, does any of you sports know if the gray market stuff is manufactured to the same standard, with the same parts, as the stuff with the warranty?

My pocket camera is an Olympus TG-4 (has been superseded by the TG-5) which is definitely pocket size, good ZOOM, shoots RAW, lots of settings to play with (if you want to), and has the added benefit of being waterproof, freeze proof, dust proof, drop proof, and crush proof. If you want to use it in your boat, snorkeling, skiing, in the desert, or while you're cage fighting. I'm very happy with mine and carry it wherever I don't want to take the expensive stuff and camera bag.

I think the first composition is the more powerful of the two. The 'composition' being the classic 'railroad track' with the end of the bridge at that so important pin point end. But that's just me. Nice shot by the way.

Composition is the essence of visual art. An understanding of it can be learned but creating it takes a lifetime.

Architecture is my profession, painting and photography are two of my hobbies, so I deal with composition daily. I'm turning 70 next month and when I'm asked 'which was my best design' my answer is always 'my next'.

You've probably entered the world of photography with the desire to understand what makes some photos art and others pixels on paper. I would say to you learn a little about composition every day and when you think you understand it break all it's rules.

Enjoy!

. . when people can't paint.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Here's my scooter. I use to race these things so I've never been a HD fan. That's a sacrilege to most riders my age but I like to lay them down on the corners and you just can't do that with a HD.

My first 'real' camera was a Nikon FM that I bought when I was in my 30's. I read several How-To photography books, took a darkroom class, and used it at least once a week for my work. I'm 70 now and I'm still learning how to use manual mode.

Instead of rectangular they could make them triangular and eliminate one bump . . .

I understand and appreciate aweisbach's approach but I respectfully disagree with it. There have been countless examples of herculean efforts made in the pursuit of solving minute problems with little expectation of comparable financial gain and I believe this especially applies to the arts. My own experience in my architectural business has had me spending way too many hours solving inconsequential design problems but I've always had more clients then I can handle and have made a great living. I believe the two are related . . . of course I might just be a little slow.

As photographers why would we differentiate the quality we want to achieve shooting a 'real estate sale' photo or an 'architectural design magazine' photo or a 'multi-million dollar real estate' photo? Shouldn't each photo be taken with the same care and attention?

In the Architect business there is a saying about design magazines: "they display excellent photos of architecture not photos of excellent architecture". If you look at a photo array in most any design magazine pay particular attention to the interior lighting. One of the well known pros I used would set up numerous (3 to 5) artificial light sources for each interior shot. He would back-light certain areas, remove shadows from other areas, etc. His set up time always took hours to do. He would not do an exterior unless it was the 'correct' time of year because of sun angle, intensity, and condition of landscape.