So, what's worse, the democrats taxes and spending or the republicans cutting taxes and continuing to spend anyway?

I like it. Nice color combination, nice balance. Well done.

Bruce,
My apologies for making light of your question, but I've been hearing versions of it as long as I've been involved in photography. Back in the days of wet darkrooms when color processes were expensive and the learning curve steep the lament was similar to what we hear now when the cost of software is prohibitive to many and the learning curve is still steep.

Just as B&W was not necessarily the "true photographic art" in days of film photography, unedited files will never constitute "true photographic art" in the day of electronic technology. Art is created in the heart and soul of the human emotional artist who uses any and all tools available to him/her.

For example, here is a link to a portfolio I recently discovered. The artist shoots with a Canon DSLR, and uses probably several software packages to create his art, I don't know what all. The point is, he uses a variety of tools (one of which is a digital camera) to create incredible images. He could not create this artwork with a camera alone, nor with software alone. There is, however, a great deal of heart and soul in what he does, as evidenced in the medals and awards he has won internationally. Here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/44h8pvu.

By the way, here is a link to another site that provides galleries of outstanding photography, equipment reviews, and forums of anything photographic: www.photo.net

The more meaningful question is: What do you wish to achieve with your image? If you can accomplish your goal without editing, all is good. On the other hand, most digital images can stand at least a little tweaking - sharpening, saturation, contrast enhancement, etc. When it comes down to it - do you consider yourself the artist and the camera a tool, or are you the tool and the camera the artist? To edit or not to edit, that is hardly the question.

Dougi,
Pack it up, send it back. Take your funds, head down to the local drug store and buy a couple nice disposable cameras. You'll be just as happy. :lol:
Seriously, don't expect to buy a new camera and expect professional results out-of-the-box without having read the manual and becoming thoroughly familiar with your new system. After you totally understand your camera system, you have to be equally familiar with the sport you intend to shoot. Then after tons and tons of practice you might get one or two shots that are saleable.

My first camera for sporting events was a Rollei twin lens reflex. No motor drive. No zoom. No auto-focus. No auto-exposure.

I made a nice living with that camera for several years.

Last time I was there the air base was still open at Oscoda and B-52s were constantly flying overhead. It's still a magnificent place.

Hi Tracey,
I like the second one because establishes the environment better. I took the liberty of editing: In Photoshop I duplicated the background layer, changed the blending mode to multiply, added a mask to that layer, and then painted out the middle third to reveal the original layer. The result darkened the sky as well as the foreground and enhanced the notion of the rule of thirds. Hope you like it.

original

Too early, Virginia, TOO EARLY!!! :-D

Bob, I'm not seeing the noise, could be the difference in our monitors, also the 72 ppi for the web diminishes the quality quite a bit. I'm guessing at 240 or 300 ppi it is a gorgeous shot. I rather like the exposure just as it is.

These images are part of a series I created using various shots of rocks, clouds and water to show my tongue-in-cheek impressions of the beginning of time, i.e. Big Bang Theory vs Scripture.

My question is, do the images "speak to you?" Do you derive any personal meaning from them?

Thanks

In The Beginning there was Physics


Time Begins


Nookular Fishin

This was taken with an Epson Pen Ep-1, high pass sharpening in Photoshop CS5.

What say you regarding composition, color and sharpening?

Autumn Color

I also like #3, but contrary to Mary P's comment, I think it needs a little less at the top. I cropped and did a content aware fill to eliminate some of the greenery at the top. Hope you approve.

edited version


original

This is one I took while salmon fishing last week. It was a few minutes before sunrise; I liked ethereal nature of the light.

Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Fog on the Lake Before Sunrise

If you are already familiar with Photoshop Elements, I suggest upgrading to Elements 9 or wait for Elements 10. Elements 9 made masking available, which all by itself makes the upgrade worth while.

I see a compositional conflict: the trees beg a vertical composition while the bridge demands horizontal. I would suggest trying alternative views, perhaps with a wide angle shooting through a part of the bridge to emphasize the vertical (as in the magenta frame). Another alternative: If you moved your point of view to the center of the bridge, could you frame the colorful trees with the bridge rails on the left/right sides of your shot? Place your camera on a tripod, use the smallest f/stop available for maximum depth of field. See if you can create a visual contrast between the texture of the bridge and leaves. Also, think about this: What is it about this scene that visually excites YOU?