Ranting on.

[mindforge]

That is a great view... Just to clarify a little bit too.

"Just because you can play a piano, doesn't mean you can outdo Mozart."

There will always be someone better. I think being a professional doesn't mean you take the best pictures out there. It means you consistently take good photos. You can be relied on for a great shot. A great shot your first time out really means nothing.

A good example here:

I consider myself a pretty good photographer. I know what to look for and how to expose a scene to try and tell a story, etc. Well, I just got all my gear to create a home studio. I got my kids on my seamless background and started shooting... strobes going off... came back and looked.... horrible. I realized how much I have to learn about shooting in a studio. So, take me out of looking for natural light and relying only on my strobes... whole new animal. I think that right there is the difference between the full time pros and the weekenders like me. Your family member might have an eye for the morning sun or what not... change their situation and the pictures are probably gonna come out crappy.

[Ben H]

Well, I just got all my gear to create a home studio. I got my kids on my seamless background and started shooting... strobes going off... came back and looked.... horrible. I realized how much I have to learn about shooting in a studio.

Hehe yeah, I went through this a few months ago. Those first setups were *ghastly*...