I have used snapfish to print bulk photos and they cost 9 cents a print and have had good results with the photos. They also have postcard services that have gotten good reviews. I also used Shtutterbug to make prints. You can send your images online to these companies and get your postcards back in a timely manner. I have had good experiences with these two.

I like to print my own, but for large batch, depending on what printer you have, I can say the cost of the ink can be prohibitive. And you have a business which makes you invested in the process and thus account for the costs. My printer uses a lot of ink and I like to buy the xtra ink cartridges and to buy the whole colors at one time costs $100.00. That is a lot of money. The paper would add a lot to the cost and it takes time to print. For cost, time and getting a professional touch at a lesser cost I think is the way to go.

My best ones I post to YouPic and to Flickr. The rest I store on my computer and I make my own cards to send to friends and family. I like the personal touch.

When I first got my first digital point and shoot, I did just that; I kept every image I shot. It started to get to be too much and too much time. I now edit my photos and delete the ones that do not make the cut. It really saves on storage space.

When a thread comes to really no conclusion and this thread can go on for many a year, I tell the Hog to go to my flickr page and make your own conclusion as to whether I take pro photographs or not . I am an eclectic photographer and I take my photos that fit my style and if it is considered worthy of the printed page, hooray! Other than that, I do not have infinite patience after the 15th page. I saw many points of view and many valid and insightful and great reading. But, photography is a point of view and how we look at that point of view is as diverse as we are. This can go on to infinity. Let us at this stage that we agree to disagree.

Is it not a subjective question? If my photos are in demand for websites and used quite often; does that mean I meet the requirement for editorial use. I may not be paid but I have a body of work that speaks for itself. So, who decides what pro quality is? It meets the need and the response to my photos have been mostly favorable, unless one is a notorious nitpicker and there are many out there. I continue to do what I do best regardless of what people think and my work gets used. Is it pro or amateur, I guess it is all up to you to decide for yourself.

I have used everything from simple point and shoots to bridge cameras to shoot my photos. I have sold two photos and the rest I have in the creative common license in flickr. Many of my photos have been used in many websites. So, in a way I can say I am a published author but not a paid one. Would that still consider me not a professional? I have a feeling that in this day and age the term professional has become a loosely coined term at least in the photographic world. In time, terms change their meaning as technology improves and photography has been the purview of a few, now many can join the ranks of photography. Some take better photos; others, well, nice as they can be probably would not be used or considered by an editor. The choices today are enormous and everybody has a chance to sell something and make money.

I sold my two photos on Flickr. I have been a Flickr member since 2006 and I post my best shots or those that interest me. I have found out that shots I consider my best got less reviews than the ones I considered OK. The ones that I got paid for were two of my bee photos.

I post on Flickr and Youpic. I am not interested in selling my photos, although I got paid for two photos of mine that were used in textbooks. My photos on flickr are under the creative commons license and have been used in many websites. My flickr address in under my name for anyone who is interested in seein what kind of work I do.

I have been on UHH for a few years and have noticed that there are many kinds of people on the hog. I have seen some very crass remarks and some very nice ones. Some people like to trash someone's work just for the sake of it. There was a discussion sometime ago what constitutes a photo and a snapshot. I will not go into the discussion, but it got to be a heated subject and some good and bad words were put down. I have long found out that photography is a purely subjective subject as it means different things to people who take photos. I try to understand people's point of view and see how the photo presents that view. I have my own biases, we all do, and if someone asks for a critique if I feel strongly I will give it in a way that does not denigrate the person's work. I have no idea how sensitive a person is about their work or how they will react. But, I try to be mindful about that. I also realize that the trashers will be a part of the hog and I read them quickly and move on. I accept that humans come in all temperaments and talents.

The rest of the photos

Here are some more.

These mushrooms were taken in my garden many years ago. I had bought on Ebay for $75.00 a used Olympus 3.2 MP point and shoot. It had a killer sensor and a fantastic macro feature which I used to the hilt. I got some great photos from that little camera. After thousands and thousands of photos, after 5 years it gave up the ghost. It was my very first digital camera and since them I have acquired a few more.

These are mine. The two seagulls were interacting in an interesting way and I had to take a photo of that. That was taken at the Allyn Pier, Allyn, WA. The little bird was taken in my back yard with a long zoom. The deer was taken at Hurricane Ridge at National Park north Washington. The deer are not hunted so as they are wild, they do not fear humans at all and will eat and sit without being spooked.

I have always been a dog person, but when 8 feral cats were born in our yard in California, one of them was the runt of the litter and we fed her milk and then she was ours. She chose us and today Casey is 14 years old and she is the boss lady. She knows how to tell me what to do. She owns the yard and lets me know it is time for me to come out and walk the yard with her. So, Ted and you have the same bond. You were meant to be with each other, you just did not know it at the time. Ted is a gorgeous dog and you are lucky to have him.