Is number one the top of a sculpture outside a museum in Washington DC?

Here are a couple Bob.

Center point. I dont want my camera deciding exactly what spot I want to focus on and guess the wrong one. Yes you can take your finger off the release, do it again and it could focus on another spot, but sometimes your subject is gone by then. Use center point, then recompose and shoot.
Landscapes would be the exception. They dont move much.

Dear GoofieNewfie. I shot weddings for 32 years, starting off with the Mamiya C330. (I still have it for sentimental reasons). One of the first thing I did was to put a carefully placed drop of epoxy on the sliding lever keeping it on X forever. I also made my own distance scale that I attached to the side. Some wedding guests thought it was an "old fashioned" camera, but the 2 1/4 format, and once you got used to the parallex correction...it was a sweet camera. Andy

I took this of an edible fruit arrangement someone sent so they could see what it looked like. I used bounce flash, straight up with a white ceiling. Fruit looks pretty natural to me even though it was shot with flash.

Fog is so surreal. Three shots. Found one when opening the curtains one morning, and the other two while riding around NH in the fall, looking for something special.

Buddy I think what Wheezie was talking about by putting the roses by a window and using window light, was to change the angle of the lighting so it would "wash" across the flower from the side. I took this photo of a flower on a table in a restaurant. The table was next to a window, so Id say the flower was maybe 6 feet away. By the time the light traveled through the window and to the flower it was very soft. I used no flash, and used my elbows to make a tripod. Andy

I missed one of the most beautiful shots Ive ever seen, but it was only half my fault. For years I have always carried a pocket camera with me. I dont call mine a point and shoot, because it has Aperture priority, full manual, exposure bracketing etc. Anyway, I was flying to Washington, and did think to have it my carryon. As we rose up through heavy clouds I found myself sandwiched between heavy solid clouds below, that looked like a comforter, another layer up above, and the sun setting in between! It was breathtaking, but the turbulence was so bad, the keep your butt in the seat light was on, and the flight attendant was watching me. I couldnt get to the camera 3 feet above my head. After the sun set "through the bottom layer of clouds" its rays came back up through, and it was like nothing Ive ever seen. Im so disappointed my camera wasnt in my pocket.

I know you already realize, I meant to say Shutter priority.
Andy

I shot this in my backyard also with a Nikon D-90 and the 18-200 lens. I had lots of light and wanted the background blurry. I did use aperture priority, but it couldve been as low as 1/60th or even 1/30. With that slow of a speed, letting in a lot of light I set my ISO for 200. With this setup panning is key to get the effect of movement. I shot in manual focus mode After observing these two birds flying back and forth from point A to B, I prefocused on the distance. Lastly I dialed in luck, and persistance. Shot at least a half dozen shots. This is the one I had in my mind before I shot it.
Andy

I shot nearly 2000 weddings in the 32 years I did it as a pro. The one I turned down was my daughter's wedding.
I told her that I wanted to just be the Father of the Bride, walk her down the aisle, and as someone already said, enjoy the day through my eyes, and not through the viewfinder. I recommended a couple photogs and helped pay the fee. ( They said they wouldnt let me pay it all).
I kept my mouth shut the day of the wedding, although there were poses I didnt think were good, or because I thought she missed shots I wouldve gotten. When the photos came back, I found perfectly good photos, taken in the photographers own style, that she was comfortable with. I even saw poses that I said to myself, "Wow, why didnt I do a shot like that?" My daughter and husband were thrilled with the photos they received, and I enjoyed a very special day. Don't shoot the wedding.

Photo taken in Cortona Italy. My old Nikon N80 I believe, with a 24-120 lens with film.

This is a photography forum, not an English Literature final exam. Do you circle the spelling mistakes on your monitor with a red grease pen? Relax and just enjoy the others talking and sharing photography.

Ive read 4 pages of posts, and there are many valid arguments. Ive got two stories for you. After working for a pro for 7 yrs, I went out on my own shooting weddings. My business lasted 25 years without a single complaint to the BBB, and often got thank you notes from brides. This was my living. Im shooting formals at a wedding, lining everyone up, being friendly, and making everyone comfortable while moving at a pace that the owner of the hall appreciated. The package they chose included a parent album for the bride's side only. A relative of the groom's mother is standing next to me shooting every shot I am. Im not stupid, I know what hes doing, but if a pro speaks up (in the contract or not) then HE is the bad guy from that moment on, possibly losing the cooperation of his subjects and probably not being able to give them the at-ease look he had previously been able to accomplish. This bonehead, actually had the nerve to say out loud, "Dont worry Lorraine, Im going to make copies of each of these for you and put them in a book for you, as my gift to you. Thats the problem with the 4x6 shooter.
The second instance was about 20 years into my career, and yes the economy was starting to tank, a bride calls.
"You did three of my friends, they all loved you, how quickly you worked, how professional you were, and how great the photos turned out. I saw all three albums, and they were great! HOW MUCH?" I told her that I have 5 different packages, some with parent albums, some that you could add to later, and 3 styles of albums to choose from, so the price varies and she should come in. We could talk about the wedding and she could see everything. Her question was the same... "How much?" So not being a jerk and refusing to quote prices as some pros did, I said, "A really nice package for $1,000. Includes my time, all the proofs in a proof album, two parent albums, and 36 8x10's.
She said thanks and hung up. Now I had 20 years of experience that she had seen in three friends' albums, rave reviews from all three of them, we hit it off on the phone, and still price was the only thing important. When youre making your living at this, and have worked hard at it for many years to achieve a certain level of professionalism, its like a slap in the face knowing that three of her friends with new cameras they just bought at Best Buy were going to attempt to shoot this wedding. I might not get another bride who wanted that same date come along, and would be sitting home not making any money to pay my bills that day. This was my living and 4x6ers cost me money that day.
So this is why I have to agree that the digiital point and shoot cameras ruined the business. Ive since given up the business, sold all my equipment (did I need 3 backup cameras, two flashes, brackets and wireless flash triggering units now in a case under the bed?) I saved one of my best flashes, an 18-200 lens, and bought a Nikon D90 body just for myself. If someone asked me to do a wedding for them as a favor to save money, I would politely decline and suggest they hire a professional instead. So I just cant agree with these comments about people looking at 2 identical photos and choosing the $10 one over the $2 one. Times are tough. If you really can't afford a pro, then don't insult he or she by pitting them against the 4x6er. Hire your friend(s) and HOPE that they dont miss half the key photos, call attention to themselves during the ceremony, and that their photos turn out halfway decent. What a shame if they don't.

These were taken with my D90 and 18-200. The deer love to roam through very early in the morning in the winter. The bird in flight was an experiment in panning.