Me too. Tini! Your photographs are excellent! The gaping eagle! The roiling flames! Where did you take that frightening picture of fire? Please post more of your work.

Ken Rockwell makes me cry... The man knows his stuff, but he can be...Harsh.

Ken Rockwell makes me cry... The man knows his stuff, but he can be...Harsh. His staunch advocation for shooting in JPG makes me very sad. His opinions are very controversial on many topics. His stuff is valuable to read, as long as you take it with a grain of salt.

His staunch advocation for shooting in JPG makes me very sad. His opinions are very controversial on many topics. His stuff is valuable to read, as long as you take it with a grain of salt. Yeah. I sort of look at it like Georgia O'keefe painting flowers, it's just his thing. He gets images he likes that way. It doesn't mean anyone else has to do it.

I read this and I'm feeling a little chastened. http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm I didn't buy the 5D today. If I decide to get serious about event photography, I may pick it up as a second body. I need to decide how I'd configure everything. Gah the head spins right now. Good night. It helps to read that article every once in a while. I don't agree with it 100%, but it makes the point that all the equipment in the world doesn't make you a better photographer. I feel happy saying that I noticed an improvement in my photos when I bought my new lens because my old one wasn't doing what I saw. So I have no regrets with the purchase. Dude, those are amazing. How'd you get those insane angles? They look like you took 'em out of a helicopter with a huge zoom lens or something. These were all taking out of the window of my flight from OKC to Houston and from Houston to Tampa.

These were all taking out of the window of my flight from OKC to Houston and from Houston to Tampa. Very cool shots anable, I'm really liking the series. Especially taken from a commercial airline.

I took this while goofing around with a friend I hadn't seen for years at a bowling alley. I know its kind of blurry, but I love how it came out...and I'm not exactly sure why.

I took this while goofing around with a friend I hadn't seen for years at a bowling alley. I know its kind of blurry, but I love how it came out...and I'm not exactly sure why. Quoted for ya. I'm...not sure how I feel about the shot. One one hand the blurriness almost fits with the chaotic bokeh in the background, but on the other hand I still think it would look better if the person was sharper.

I'm...not sure how I feel about the shot. One one hand the blurriness almost fits with the chaotic bokeh in the background, but on the other hand I still think it would look better if the person was sharper. I really wish I had planned this shot - than I could've had her sit still while I took it (As I said, we were just goofing off while waiting for our turn to bowl). When I put pictures on my computer that night, I almost deleted this one just because it was blurry, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Its...I don't even know. Chaotically eye-pleasing.

I read this and I'm feeling a little chastened. http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm I didn't buy the 5D today. If I decide to get serious about event photography, I may pick it up as a second body. I need to decide how I'd configure everything. Gah the head spins right now. Good night. It helps to read that article every once in a while. I don't agree with it 100%, but it makes the point that all the equipment in the world doesn't make you a better photographer. I feel happy saying that I noticed an improvement in my photos when I bought my new lens because my old one wasn't doing what I saw. So I have no regrets with the purchase. Dude, those are amazing. How'd you get those insane angles? They look like you took 'em out of a helicopter with a huge zoom lens or something. These were all taking out of the window of my flight from OKC to Houston and from Houston to Tampa. I still don't get why you guys just don't read Ansel Adams' books. He wrote 3 books that will do more to improve your photography than a thousand posts on a thousand blogs will ever do. Just buy them, it's the best $60 you'll ever spend (and will do more for your photography than any $1000 lens will). That's my opinion, but the best photographers I know all read and/or study his stuff intensely. That says something.

Too boring? I took a bunch of other shots at 2am walking through downtown Denver, but my exposure on those was even worse than this.

Ooooo. I like it dagook, the contrast is great. I've been wanting to make a trip up to denver some evening to take pictures, but 2am... you get any pics of the crazy bums? Or make your way to Colfax?.. if you know what I mean

I still don't get why you guys just don't read Ansel Adams' books. He wrote 3 books that will do more to improve your photography than a thousand posts on a thousand blogs will ever do. Just buy them, it's the best $60 you'll ever spend (and will do more for your photography than any $1000 lens will). That's my opinion, but the best photographers I know all read and/or study his stuff intensely. That says something. So...at the risk of starting a hate war....I honestly don't understand why Ansel Adams is treated as the god of photography. He was obviously talented and knew what he was doing, but I see his name used like Jesus Christ and I don't understand why. His photographs are good but I don't see them as life changing. Was it just because he was the first "great" photographer? What am I missing here?

It's easy for a well-known and respected professional to turn into an idol. I'm surprised it hasn't happened to Carl Sagan to the same degree.

dagook, i really like that shot. how you've chosen to crop it makes it seem as though the arc is trying to expand to burst its way out of the shot. for such a central photo it really makes the most of what it has.

It's easy for a well-known and respected professional to turn into an idol. I'm surprised it hasn't happened to Carl Sagan to the same degree. Carl Sagan is my Jesus.

It's like William Shakespeare, actually. He wrote great, awesome plays, and, over time, was elevated in social consciousness to the arguably undeserved level of Ultimate Master of the English Language Forever. Most fields have at least one, really.

Prop: Thanks for the props, prop! Heh. Um, I do have bum shots actually, but they just turn out blurry with the lens I have right now. I have a 50mm f/1.4 coming which should alleviate a lot of that...Trying to shoot people with a tripod on Colfax is mighty conspicuous, and dangerous. The Ansel debate: I can see the merit of reading his work, as reading anything will help you develop your craft, but to say you will take better pictures by reading than by buying 1k dollar glass is a bit...romantic. This isn't playing guitar, where a 2k dollar guitar sounds tonally different than a 50 dollar guitar, but just as good musically. There is this universal concensus that sharpness = good photography. No matter how tonally different you make it. At least that's my 2 cents.

Prop: Thanks for the props, prop! Heh. Um, I do have bum shots actually, but they just turn out blurry with the lens I have right now. I have a 50mm f/1.4 coming which should alleviate a lot of that...Trying to shoot people with a tripod on Colfax is mighty conspicuous, and dangerous. The Ansel debate: I can see the merit of reading his work, as reading anything will help you develop your craft, but to say you will take better pictures by reading than by buying 1k dollar glass is a bit...romantic. This isn't playing guitar, where a 2k dollar guitar sounds tonally different than a 50 dollar guitar, but just as good musically. There is this universal concensus that sharpness = good photography. No matter how tonally different you make it. At least that's my 2 cents. I don't know that you'll find a consensus on the notion that sharpness is the only factor. I've taken plenty of terrible images with my P&S that were nice and crisp.

I don't know that you'll find a consensus on the notion that sharpness is the only factor. I've taken plenty of terrible images with my P&S that were nice and crisp. I think you're saying the same thing MKR. I think Dag is just saying that "Sharpness" as a term isn't defined completely by the glass you use but more how good you are at capturing a moment in general (or having a good eye).

So I realize that we're a bit of a distance from a new thread but I wanted to put together an OP that's a bit more...functional. Here's what I have so far. In this thread, we post photos! All photos are welcome, though most people post with the intention of receiving criticism so that they can become better photographers. For photography newbies: What type of camera should I buy? This can't be answered the same for every person. There's little difference in the photo quality between most major brands (Canon, Nikon, etc) so it comes down to price and personal preference. Make sure your camera lets you control settings like shutter speed, aperture, and ISO and preferably lets you capture images in RAW format. Other than that, get a bit of hands on time and see how the camera feels to you. Also remember that if you're buying an SLR, camera bodies come and go but lenses usually last while. For this reason it might be worth it to buy a cheaper body and spend a bit extra on some lenses. Speaking of lenses, which ones should I buy? Most kit lenses are a good starting place, though you'll begin to find them more limited once you're more comfortable with your camera. A good entry level prime lens for Canon cameras is this little guy. Other than that, you'll probably want to pick up a telezoom lens with a macro feature. This should get you set for a long while. Any good books/sites I should read? Lots of people recommend Understanding Exposure or the first Ansel Adams book. Don't bother buying any book that tells you how to use your specific camera model. All of that information can be found in your user's manual. How do I become awesome at arting? The best advice I can give is: keep taking pictures. That being said, don't just randomly point your camera at something and hit the shutter button. Stop for a moment to think about why you're taking this picture. What are you trying to show people? Is the current lighting/angle/etc going to help you show that? If so, proceed. If not, adjust your settings or body to capture it another way. Resources/Tools: Lightroom - Awesome software for managing your photo collection and editing RAW files. LR Mogrify - Unfortunately Lightroom doesn't have a border option so use this tool. It also does watermarks and the like. Canon Firmware Update - Unofficial firmware update that allows more options one some Canon cameras. Strobist - Fantastic source on getting into off camera lighting. Don't be put off by initial complexities. It'll come. Flickr - A free photo hosting site. Also has a pro option if you like. There's also a PA flickr group. Photoshop Pyramid - Helps regulate your daily dose of Photoshop. I'd love to hear what anyone else wants to put in there.

Anable: You might want to toss in something about spoiler tags...I was yelled at by like 10 people when I first posted stuff here... I got a 55-200mm lense today for my little D80, and as I walked outside to play with it, I found this: (I found a bunny!!)

Anable: You might want to toss in something about spoiler tags...I was yelled at by like 10 people when I first posted stuff here... I got a 55-200mm lense today for my little D80, and as I walked outside to play with it, I found this: (I found a bunny!!) Good point! ;) Also, quoted.

I bought it. Gheeeeeee.

Wow, gorgeous colors, focus, and composition, Pilcrow. I would normally say the subject is a bit boring, but they way you've done it is just too dang pretty. Nice work. Edit: what time of day is that? Early dusk? Edit 2: added the image as a quote, since it got BotP'd, and needs more love.