First, I apparently have to confess to something that I didn't know probably will make a big difference in your last statement. I did not shoot these in B&W. I converted them to B&W and then tweeked them to what I liked. The water was a very cloudy green (that I didn't like) because it had rained very hard earlier that day.

I know some think I should have cropped the pictures and all I can say is, why am I going out of my way to find a nice location to take pictures of my granddaughter when I can just find a wall to put her up against at home? This is where everyone looses me with the cropping. I love cropping, most every picture I JPEG has been cropped. Although the last picture here........I did cut off her feet. I will keep a better eye out for that. Would it have been better, instead of cropping, to blur the surroundings so there is just a hint of the surroundings and the focus is on the "kid"?

I understand there are rules that apply to photography and I have to admit, I don't have any idea what they are which is why I am sure most of my pictures are snapshots and not good ones at that. But do all rules apply to all pictures?

I have a photo of a little girl and a puppy...it's really cute but it is a hunting family and we were taking pictures with a gun and such hunting supplies. Well, when I was taking the photo I didn't see it but now that it's on my computer, there is a shotgun in the background and it looks like it is pointed at her head. How do I get that out!!? (The gun was actually about 15 feet behind her and pointed at an angle and NOT loaded) I use Photoshop Elements 8. Thanks for any help you can give me! :)

I don't know about everyone else, but I am having a hard time deciding just where my screen on my laptop should be at so that I get a correct picture. Some of my pictures might be to dark or light depending on where my screen is at......and actually, that also can apply to others. What I am hoping is that you have a desktop and your screen is showing you exactly what the pics look like.

I feel like the lean on the screen could really be messing up my pictures. Does anyone else have that issue?????

I do have a Nikon, however I don't live near IL and I don't have a spare camera so I can ship the one I need fixed. Thank you though!!

If you have a Nikon and want it professionally cleaned, APS (Authorized Photo Service) in Morton Grove, IL is the best. Their turn-around time is incredibly short.

Nice to hear from you. It's interesting to hear how different peoples ideas are. Photography is so subjective, you can have 5 different people view it and have 5 different opinions.

The shot of the 4 year old with the steps and the rose bush over the walkway made the finals when I entered it in the BetterPhoto.com monthly contest. There were 14,900 entries and I made the finals with that photo. This is only the 4th time I've made the finals. I get many Editor's Picks but it is hard to make the finals. Once you make the finals they then choose 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. I hope someday to get one of those. So I just keep entering the contests and keep my fingers crossed. As a rule I usually shoot portraits very tight but that shot I loved the backdrop and wanted to try something different. That is a neighbors backyard and she let me use it to shoot these portraits. This would make a perfect spot for a wedding photo.