Right....

Maybe 15 minutes - but then, I am still just learning my way around the program....

I seldom get a decent photo of her

When we retired eleven years ago, our Son bought the wife and I LEKI Sierra Photo walking sticks that extend from 30cm to about 150 cm. They have a tungsten foot with a rubber overshoe on the bottom, and a camera mount with a wood knob cover on the top, a wrist strap and a carbineer to clip it to your back pack completes the package. I can tell mine from the wife's because I have a Denali USGS Souvenir Elev. marker on mine.

I want to tell you what I saw, and how I enhanced YOUR photograph. I really like the picture, but as I looked at it, I realized it was a picture in a frame - and the picture and the frame were in counterbalance.

So, I brightened up the picture to bring up the image in the window to full prominence. Then, I masked the window to allow that portion to settle back to its original intensity. Topaz Studio is a great platform for these kinds of manipulations.

Reevaluation with the picture full intensity and the frame left as you have it allowed me to see that this picture is not just framed, but also has a beveled mat. So, after applying the previous effect, I darken the whole image, and then I masked the walls but not the "mat" of the picture to again turn the walls back to the original intensity, and I masked the picture in the window to return it to full intensity. SO, now, I have a frame with a darker mat, and a brighter image.

I offer this - not to tell you I think my way is better than yours - it is not, but to give you some ideas as your text seemed like you are not completely confident yet.

I believe it to be a sign of the times. After watching the latest Star Wars movie, and seeing several people throw hissy fits - and throw other things as well, I went back and watched the first star wars movie. In 1978, the characters were polite. Lia hated the emperor with a passion, but she had respect for him, Darth Vader and Obewan were enemies, but they each showed respect to the other. Not so today. The members of the dark side threw at least three violent fits where they threw thing, broke things and yelled at other people.

I reject these behavioral changes and refuse to allow them to control my life. If I like or dislike the creation of others - here or anywhere - I will comment on the creation not the creator, and I will provide reason for my comments and suggestions for improvement. I have not and will never block another member for anything they have said.

If photographers did not do exactly what you are doing, then there would be only one photograph of half dome and many many other wonderful photos.

A few years ago, I wanted to get an Atlanta cityscape. I wandered around the city for a day, until - by accident, I found a highway bridge where the cyclone fence had a nice 4" X4" opening cut into the fence - I had found the spot where photographer after photographer shot their cityscapes.

The real trick is to turn these trips into a loop: look at photos others have taken, find their spot, take your photo, Compare and take notes, reshoot, compare and take notes, reshoot.... Research how other photographers have interpreted the same location. Discover and implement YOUR style.

I would like to see parabolic sensor planes. A parabolic sensor would greatly simplify lens design and would result in a crisp image corner to corner.

A thought for you...

Try taking this to a B&W layer using a red filter; then with a soft eraser, bring the store lights back into the photo.

Or use hyperfocus...

To successfully stack, you need a tripod, and with a tripod, you can step back a few steps, set your Aperture to f/11 or better and hyperfocus between the bench and the Light. yes, your shutter would drop to around 1/15 - 1/20, but that would also act to smooth the water.

Take the body but not the lens. Tell the wife that, "when we get into town, you want to look for a lens for your camera". Should save you thousands of dollars over the course of your vacation.

Just a thought for you - for about the same price, you can buy a second body. The 18-400 lives in the ranges you already own, and thus is just weight (although there are some conveniences). A second body gives you the same capabilities with the added assurance of that backup body. But... it is only money....

So many time when carrying and using the camera, we are so interested in camera settings and in the activities of taking a picture that we fail to enjoy what we see, what we photograph. I believe you received a couple blessings by not being able to distract your viewing with the intricacies of capturing that owl, that hawk on film - you were "forced" to just sit and enjoy their presence.

Rather than a missed opportunity, I think was a special opportunity

For the record, my T6i does not have a focusing motor, so I have to make sure there is one in each lens. My Sigma 18-250 is noisier than my Canon 18-55 and my Yonguno 50 - is it a function of the size, the number of elements or the motor design. Does it matter? only when shooting video - or birds. If I prioritized lens features, all but one feature (body color) would be more important than noise level. Lens noise level certainly would not be the deciding factor between Canon and Nikon.

It is easy to forget! It takes work - effort - to do the job right every time. In Photography - what does it matter - you lose a few frames, maybe the shot of a lifetime - so what!

Professionals in their field don't forget; they use a checklist - written or mental - depends on the importance of the subject. For Airplane pilots and Reactor Operators, there are multiple, thick manuals and the operators practice their trade daily/weekly because it is important.

When your photography becomes important to you, you will create routines that you will do every time you touch your camera. Easiest routine is to always put your camera in Program with all the settings at their default setting when you return it to the camera bag. That way, you can pull it from the bag and start shooting; If you default all of your settings and shoot in RAW, then you will not have to worry about the style or the balance or any other setting.

My point was that, until you develop a procedure, you will make misteaks . People that don't develop routines and procedures make mistakes - today it is a blue picture, tomorrow you could run over a child's tricycle - or a child.

I didn't say you were an incompetent fool - it was you that said "it is easy to forget" almost the definition of incompetence.