Tere was quite the outcry about the content of these photos from some really uptight members, one in particular, but overall it was a good round of critique. Don't know where the rest of the info went?

George and Horseart,
Thank you so much for your insightful advice. As a long time print designer and lithographer the tendency for perfection has such brittle boundaries that it shows in my photos and the way I approach photography. Your comments will be taken seriously and will now find the time to take a painting class or 2 maybe more to see how it effects my skills. Thanks again. R

yes I am not surprised this exists. There is probably many things on the market to aide an artist with their skills. I taught offset printing and sold printing equipment in the early 80's. We competed head to head with Xerox so had access to all the latest and greatest cutting edge technology but after opening my print shop and the evolution of computer graphic technology I lost touch. Still trying to catch up but probably never will. Am happy to learn new things as I go. Thanks for your info.

George,
Very cool...the evolution of printing has been taken for granted by millions and millions have benefited so much. It is a fascinating process. Thanks

The reason why cmyk works is because the image is "ripped" electronically (digitally) into the 3 basic colors plus black, converted into a halftone which is made up of thousands of dots of various sizes (halftone screen normally 133-300 lines per inch) 4 metal plates are made and each are attached to a printing press cylinder, then all the colors are brought together on paper...normally using a white glossy surface stock, using a single, 2 color or 4 color printing press using translucent ink. It is the dot pattern of the halftone screen when positioned correctly (registration) which creates what is called a "Rosette Pattern"....an overlapping circle of cmyk translucent dots. Lightest color goes down first, Yellow then Cyan, Magenta, then Black. This mixture of the basic colors creates the illusion of hundreds of colors but if you take a powerful magnifying glass to view the surface of the paper you will see dots of each color. Similar process is used with digital Xerography (color copier) For a more detailed explanation just google 4 color process definition.

Dogs are so great!!!...natural posers and so beautiful. Love your work. A few more from this side.

well yes you can get too wide but software solves that

Birdie,
your work is good. I may have to look into painting on screen instead as it seems to be so relative to photography. Thanks for your response. No worries. I think Elle was asking for some samples of my work so here are a few pics.

You are brave to take on this challenge..or maybe your friend is. You will need a wide angle lens...at least 12-14mm, zoom is ok. small aperture is ok...(above 2.8) but 2.8 is preferred. Use a tripod. and take long exposures. If you have advanced experience and if you are familiar with HDR photography it is a great way to take real estate pics. Otherwise you will need a flash and it will cause undesirable interior shadows. Shadows will kill the best of real estate photos. So brush up on how to use multiple speed lights strategically placed out of pic frame to illuminate your rooms or use strobes. Exteriors are more fun...take in early morning within an hour of sunrise if ness but I prefer late afternoon or twilight. Turn all lights in house on..landscape and exterior house lights too. Replace burned out bulbs. Make sure all blinds, window coverings look the same by being open the same angle, windows should be closed...the point is you don't want one window standing out...it will show in your pic. Make sure there are no dressers or doors obstructing any windows etc. You want the light to flow from each window if poss...sort of like a jack-o-lantern...get my drift? There is a lot more. Go to your local MLS web site and check out what the pros are ding to get some ideas...hope this helps

Thanks...I thought so....for those who don't possess natural artistic skills like me, classes will probably be in my future too. I appreciate your input. R

Really beautiful work Elle

I prefer to mix the passion of photography with the passion of survival. One drives the other...without either it is just wasted passion or a hobby with no purpose other than to create meaningless pics.....I don't get the question about my passion. If I don't have a pure enough passion for photography I don't deserve the money or is it the other way around? When a customer hires me to take pics of their dogs my connection to the dog, the family, their home, the light is so intense that after the shoot I am so charged with passion it takes a good hour or 2 to come down. Its like a performance...so for those of you who may think I am only in it for the money you are wrong...but it sure is nice to get paid. I started as an amateur like anyone else....but need to make a living too!! I find it humorous when I post a question on this forum that there is always someone who questions my integrity as a photographer like my credentials may not qualify or measure up.....jeez people lighten up. Elle's response is exactly what I was looking for. Learning the theory of art might be something to explore as a photographer. So will possibly get a book or do some online research. Thank you again Elle for your response...and Allen you both make perfect sense to me. rrg6481...Rich

So Elle, I am intrigued with your art. Would you mind expanding on how this was created and with what tools and programs. Its very nice. Thank you for your response. R

Okay guys...just was asking if taking a painting class helped or not and if so what aspects of the class helped...not interested in anything else if you get my drift...I think I am already a good photographer as people are buying my stuff but am interested improving my skills so that i can sell even more stuff...thats how it works...get better sell more stuff..always worked for me.

Love all your lighthearted responses. Thanks. I have been a printer for 30 years and have a good grasp on technical mixtures of color but it is in a very rigid form. As I have progressed as a photographer it is a painful act of what seems betrayal to my trained eye for detail and symmetry to move off the beaten path of order to chaos where the real creativity seems to happen. That's why I thought I would ask if anyone has simply taken a class to "Loosen Up" and allow more creativity. Thanks all...