I'm a big fan of creating the single best image in camera possible. By all means, take advantage of all the good advice and work to take terrific photos. I came into the arena of using editing software kicking and screaming, and I'm certain there is no shortage of people more skilled than I am.

I've made a number of subtle changes to this last edit and I hope you find it useful compared to your original. You are welcome to contact me directly and I'll happily walk you through the steps and work-flow used to get this result. Let us know which of these (if any) you picked as the final product.

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Pretty girl . . . she's adopted, right?

Sure, although I suggest a phone conversation. It is a bit more involved than a simple chat here on HedgeHog. Send me a private message and I'll share my phone number.

Since you mentioned you thought the kitty was a bit too black, I've added a bit more light to her and removed the remaining glare from the barrel of the pitcher coming from what might be a window shining in from the left part of your frame.

I hope all this has helped.

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This last version removed almost all of the reflection: You decide which you prefer.

Thanks for letting me kibitz

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This is actually a more refined edit. I've softened the reflection on the pitcher still further and brightened her eyes just a bit.

I somehow feel that you don't want to get rid of the reflection entirely since it no longer seems natural -- at least to me.

I welcome your thoughts about all this.

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I forgot to store original so you can download it.

I've taken a stab at this for you. I increased the exposure, judiciously added gradient filters, decreased the glare of the softbox on the rim of the bowl and on the pitcher, enhanced the colors of the ceramics, sharpened things a bit, fiddled with brightness, contrast and levels, cropped it a might as you asked, and brought out some of the details of her sweet face.

I hope you find all this appealing.

Bearded iris don't lay eggs: you might do better with chickens.

This is a well done photo.

Let me know when you succumb to the urge and I'll discuss taking that 300mm L lens off your hands.

Any one who can afford an 11,000 lens is likely to be able to afford to fly to Florida to examine the lens deal personally with the owner before concluding the sale -- not much of a risk really.

Like both of the fellas in this teaser, I too know when the girl's birthday is.

I used one of these lenses for some time and was always THRILLED with the results. As photographers, we should all be adept at manual focus, and in fact, can often achieve better images than with auto focus since the photographer doesn't have to rely on metering to decide which part of the subject to focus on. There is no need to be nervous about manual focus.

I had the F-stop ring replace with a smooth ring which allowed for infinite F-stop adjustments in between the normal F-stop settings. This provides incredibly smooth transitions to any F-stop desired without locking into a particular 1/3 or 1/2 stop setting and is particularly useful if you are making videos. (This is sometimes known as declicking)

This is also a fair price for the lens if it is in good shape and for the money, is one SWEET lens at this focal length.

I've tried repeatedly to take advantage of your generosity without success. Each time I attempt to open the download my browser crashes. What are the chances I can talk you into emailing the PDF file you've put together?

Personally, I like the photo, although I confess that I'm not overly fond of the way you've cropped it. Let's be realistic, it's really hard to get wild like to cooperate -- they never seem to read their contracts.

I have a list of 64 people with direct ties to the Clintons who have all died violently and/or mysteriously -- certainly, their deaths have been described as coincidental by those not interested in having the t***h reach the light of day.