I have used Gitzos for years, but I recently purchased an Induro for about half the price. I am quite happy with it. I have the 213 model which allows the legs to spread. So I can get about 4 inches from the ground with it. It cost about half what my Gitzo cost and seems to be comparable in function (although smaller). I use the Gitzo for large lenses (600 f/4). I am pretty certain that an Induro of comparable size would be quite good and a good bit cheaper.

When I teach photography I suggest that my students consider "what is the largest lens you can imagine owning" and then buy a tripod that would match it. If I had been given that advice, I would have owned far fewer tripods in my life.

I essentially do what the poster does: file by date (eg.20170716) If I shoot with different cameras on a day, I use a subfolder for each camera. I would do the same if I photographed different jobs on a given day.

I have always thought of a skosh as about a half of a smidgen.

I would not buy photoshop elements. Just jump into lightroom and photoshop. Lightroom is pretty obvious if you just move the sliders and observe the result. I recommend working in layers on photoshop. (When you start to use photoshop, it will be clear what "working in layers" means.) That way everything you do appears on a separate layer, so if you need to adjust some effect, you can easily do it. I have never taken a photoshop class (just learned by doing), but there are several possibilities for online . CreativeLive may be the best.

I go to Yellowstone every fall. For wildlife I use a 600mm lens on a crop sensor camera. I frequently add a 1.4 teleconverter. I find that this is the most useful for bears and elk.

I taught college mathematics for 38 years. The disturbing thing I saw the last few years I taught was that students no longer know how to figure things out. They avoid that intellectual endeavor and just look everything up on-line. Consequently they do not developing problem solving skills (applicable to all areas of life) that they will need to compete in today's job market.

I have the 180 Canon macro, and the 150 Sigma f/2.8 macro. I think the Sigma might be a hair sharper, but really can't confirm it. Searching on-line suggests that these are the two best macros for the Canon (Naturescapes.net or wwwEJPhoto.com). I much prefer the longer lengths because I frequently photograph insects and the increased focal length keeps me farther away so I don't frighten so many before I capture the image. The narrower angle of the longer focal length also helps make backgrounds less of a problem.

I second what Gene51 said. Renting PS and LR from Adobe is cheaper than buying updates used to be. With a few books you can teach yourself to use it. Once you do, you will not outgrow your processing possibilities.

Another recommendation for considering the Canon 7DII.

All 4 of my cameras are set up for BBF. It speeds things up considerably, especially with wildlife.

The Really Right Stuff ballhead (the largest version) is the best I have ever used, and I have had several others. Highly recommended.

Welcome to the club! I can't remember what it is like to have a memory.

The reason I prefer to use a macro lens rather than cropping from a long telephoto is that I can make larger prints from the macro image.

I have some from ReallyRightStuff that work well.

I own the 11--24 and am very happy with the lens. The resolution is better than any other lens I have had that overlaps part of its range.