Yes, I personally think the noise in this image adds a lot to it to give it more feeling. if it was all clean and perfect it would just look like another pretty modern lady without the same richness. looking at clean pictures of modern women dressed up in old style clothes just doesn't have the same appeal as a photo taken in the old days by a good photographer... at least thats my $.02

Yes I agree, my darkroom days in college were invaluable. When you learn the root methodology for film you will be better equipped to take good digital pictures. I think of it like the old karate kid movie... "wax-on, wax-off"... it might seem mundane but it will greatly improve your overall ability with any camera. I for one am glad they still teach with film in those classes, and I'm even more glad that I took all those classes.

Generally "kit" lenses are smaller aperture and wider zoom range. They tend to be good at most things but not great at everything. Of course you can get great pictures with them but depending on the circumstances you may have been able to get a better shot with a more specialized lens. It's always best to use the best glass you can afford for any given shooting situation.

I agree with this 100% well said.

Not to be picky but it's also against the forum rules to use all caps...

May as well just buy his Lightsphere and use the white globe from that for WB... they grey top makes sense but costs dollars, I'm not sure the difference is really worth it. Perhaps with the set that has all three domes, but $20 for a grey balance is steep. will you really see the difference in your photo compared to a card? I saw his video too but I sell much cheaper alternatives and don't think the difference will be perceivable. Can anyone show a comparison set with the grey dome vs card vs nothing???

Eat lots of carrots to keep your eyes healthy. ;)

When going to the beach bring a rain cover. One of those $10 2 pack ones with the drawstring that goes over the lens will work wonders to keep sand out of your zoom on windy days. I saw a guy bring in a $2000 lens for repairs after taking it to the beach and a simple cover would have protected his investment without an expensive warranty. Since he didn't have a warranty it was going to cost him around $400 to get the sand out sending it in for repairs.

Hey Hedgehogs,

I finally registered for the forums and just wanted to introduce myself. My names Todd and I've been taking pictures as long as I can remember. I'm making some mid life changes and pursuing photography in a more full time manner, aspiring to become a self employed photographer someday in the not too distant future. For now I have changed career directions and found a full time job at my local camera shop and am job shadowing/assisting with local wedding photographers so that I may build my skills and portfolio.

This, so much this. Just get prints from your local camera shop or Costco or wherever does prints in your area. I used to buy printers and ink but the quality is just better from the shops with the 10-20,000 dollar printers

Also,

A wise man once said " Never underestimate a good photographer with a bad camera."

In other words: your Nikon won't make you or anyone else a better photographer.

An EVF just might though, since it helps to see the effects of setting changes in real time before taking the shot. It's a powerful tool for learning the differences in the settings. It's also a powerful tool for a good photographer with a good camera.

I read a post once that described the different brands as simply being three different flavors of awesome...

I took this a step further and got a day job at the local camera shop :-o :shock: :mrgreen:

I recently traveled to Vancouver out of SFO and had my rolling backpack/bag as my carry-on. At the airport I realized that my gear was too heavy for the 22lb limit for carry-on's and needed to remove my laptop (put in checked luggage) and my camera as well as a lens, which I put into my shoulder bag as my personal item. This brought my weight down to below the limit and I put the rolling bag in the overhead and kept my shoulder bag at my feet where I played with menus and settings during the flight.

It was a bit silly to need to separate my gear into a carry on and a personal item as it all fit nicely into the carry-on... but regulations are regulations. Luckily I had my shoulder bag in my checked luggage so I just took it out and rearranged things a bit.