I shoot in color and in RAW, that way my camera is recording the most information (and color information is still important even when you know you're going to convert to B&W). I have tried shooting in B&W, but the results were not as good as when I started with a color photo.
Oh, one thing that you can't see on the compressed version of these photos is that Nik lets you add film grain-which is very cool and reminds us of the darkroom days. They have many presets based on popular B&W films of bygone days or you can create your own.
You might want to try their free trial.

Thank you :D

I have Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 and absolutely love it! I use it in Lightroom 3, but the company does state in it's literature that it is compatible with elements (as long as it is PSE 6 or higher). Make sure that you get the one for Photoshop, the one that is for Lightroom will only work with Lightroom (I know, I tried to load it into PS CS5, no luck). It is really easy to use and it gives your B&Ws look like they were shot with film. I'm attaching a couple of shots that were processed in Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro 2. Hope this helps.

P.S. Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 is one of the highest rated B&W programs out there (check reviews online) and is recommended by Scott Kelby.

Just a suggestion on where to shop for your filters-www.buyphotogear.com They are a small camera store in Corvalis, Montana that also sells accessories online. They have the best prices I have found on the internet for filters and they carry quality brands. I have purchased from them several times, the service is great and usually shipping is free. I've mentioned them on UHH before so everybody probably thinks I have relatives that own the place, but I'm just a satisfied customer. Do yourself a favor and check everybody else's prices (Amazon, Adorama, B&H, etc.) and then check their site.

Joyfullee, the difference between 4GB and 8GB is simply about storage space, not quality or speed (speed is determined by the class of the card and your camera). The 8GB will roughly hold 2x as much data (photos) as the 4GB. Hope that answers your question
8-)

If I might recommend a place to buy quality filters at really good prices http:www.buyphotogear.com. This is actually a small camera store in Montana called Spotlight Photo that has it's own website. Their prices usually beat Amazon, B&H, Adorama, etc and usually with free shipping and no sales tax. I have bought from them numerous times, service is excellent, extremely fast shipping and they beat just about everybody's prices (but not in the "too good to be true" range). Plus, you get to feel good about supporting small business. Check them out!

If you are using a Canon camera with mirror lock-up you will need to press the shutter twice. The first time locks the mirror up (you will not be able to see through the viewfinder at this point) and the second exposes the image. Don't forget to disable mirror lock-up when shooting hand held-I always forget to turn it off : )

What programs are you trying to use to open the CR2 files? I had this same problem with my files from a Canon T1i using PSE 6. Problem was that Canon had a new RAW format that PSE 6 did not recogonize, updated photoshop elements and everything works fine now. If you are using anything Adobe, check with them for updates.

These are really good! In B&W, they would be very reminiscent of Ansel Adams :thumbup: Great shots, I'm glad I got to see them!

Howdy! Welcome to UHH. Used to live in Newport News myself now I'm out west in Colorado. Beautiful area around Williamsburg, I look forward to seeing some of your shots from there!

Steve, I too would like a 7D, but why would you take it over the 5D? I'm just curious, always thought the 5D was the BOMB....

Photos on your site are great! The only crops that I didn't like are the ones where you cut off the rider's head but had everything else there (the entire horse and rider to the shoulders). Remember you're more likely to sell the photo if the horse and the rider are recognizable (the rider is your most likely buyer)! As a horse show veteran I have purchased numerous prints from photographers at shows, so here's a little advice (take it for what it's worth).
First-make sure you have plenty of business cards with you to hand out to competitors, parents, spouses, etc. These are the people most likely to buy prints.
Second-make sure you get photos processed and on your site in a timely manner. Horse show competitors usually have another show coming up and will forget about the photos you took of them (or their horse) if they have to wait beyond a week or two.
Third-make sure you get shots of the class winners and Grand and Reserve Champions, showers almost always want prints from a big win. Try to get shots with the show banners and the winners with ribbons or trophies. I know they are not very artistic shots, but they will sell and help finance your more artistic endevours.
Fourth-make sure you are getting signed releases and are recording rider and horses names. Your shots are nice enough that at some point you may end up in some of the horse magazines. You may also want to name horse/riders on your site.

These are just marketing tips, artistically I think your photos are stunning. I don't take photos at horse shows, but I used to do a great deal of showing so these are just ideas from the customer's view. You may be doing all these things already, so just give me a big "DUH!" if needed. Good Luck!

You just can't take a bad picture of an Australian Shepard 8-) But #2 is probably my favorite.

WOW! :thumbup:

It is amazing when a photograph says so much that it takes away the words of the viewer....