Only a few of the people with cameras in their hands are photographers and damn few photographs are art. Faster, cheaper, even better, cameras just mean more chaff to sort through to find the stuff worth looking at.

"I've been really lucky; and the harder I've worked the luckier I've been," Jack Nicholson. You had the "luck" to be ready to take these great shots and to be able to see them when they were there.

If the D3300 is worth half again as much (the price difference) as my D3100, it must be one awesome camera. Have fun! One suggestion; I bought "The Nikon D3100 for Dummies" and love it. There is a D3300 version that I am sure you will find helpful.

I've been using the paint program that came with the computer for some time, but thought I would try something more advanced. I downloaded "Paint.net" but can't find any tutorial that I can follow to get started. I know nothing about layers and I'm sure there are many other tools that I can't even name. I've tried the "help" button but I haven't been able to figure out how to navigate to any useful information from there. Any ideas?

Walterdad, you are right; I cannot know what an artist's "intent" was. Photomarvin77, thank you for sparking an interesting discussion that I have helped lead astray. Keep taking and looking at pictures you enjoy and ignoring the ones you don't. As a teacher once quoted to me, " 'Each to his own taste,' said the old lady as she kissed the cow."

"Opinions are like a******s; everybody has one and everybody thinks theirs is the only one that doesn't stink."

What was the question? This discussion is starting to remind me of the last hour of a college sophomores' all night bull session.

Thank you for your input. I'm a total novice at this so I don't yet know how to selectively saturate or even if the program I'm using allows it. You've given me a new avenue to explore so I really am grateful for your advice and for the respectful way in which it is offered.

Interesting subject for discussion. I was tweaking some pics of autumn colors on the computer yesterday and felt a little like I was cheating, creating fakes that were more colorful than the reality. As for art, I have always preferred a certain amount of realism, but also like some works by Magritte, Dali, Picasso and others. I believe Maplethorpe's intent is to offend so I call what he does "protest" not "art." The art of photography is seeing and capturing and, yes, manipulating images to please ourselves and/or an audience.

Interesting subject for discussion. I was tweaking some pics of autumn colors on the computer yesterday and felt a little like I was cheating, creating fakes that were more colorful than the reality. As for art, I have always preferred a certain amount of realism, but also like some works by Magritte, Dali, Picasso and others. I believe Maplethorpe's intent is to offend so I call what he does "protest" not "art." The art of photography is seeing and capturing and, yes, manipulating images to please ourselves and/or an audience.

We can only hope that the jerk reads this forum and recognizes himself. Keep shooting and enjoying and don't let clowns like him live rent-free in your head.

What's on the front of the camera is less important than what is on the back of it. If you've never shot a wedding, get some friends together for a party and ask them to let you practice by shooting the party as if it was a wedding. I'm only suggesting this because you don't get a do over at a wedding. Friendships have been ruined when the pictures didn't turn out.

It's always good to "bracket" your photos when shooting in marginal conditions. Take at least three pictures, one with the settings you think will work, one at half the exposure and one at double.

Fords n Chevys, right?

Canon-ized? Does this mean some of us have sold our souls to Old NIK-on?