Sunset...

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This time of year we get beautiful sunsets due to the afternoon/evening thunder storms.  Great picture!
On the extremely rare occasion we get rain this time of the year it does make the sunsets more vibrant looking. I wish I had a better understanding of how the manual side of my camera works...and had the knowledge to use one of the editing softwares....
 
I wish I had a better understanding of how the manual side of my camera works...and had the knowledge to use one of the editing softwares....
Great shot!! You're already 99% of the way there. You seem to have an interest and an eye for it, so the rest is just kinda filling in the blanks. One of the best photographers I know rarely if ever changes from the "auto" setting on his camera. His thinking is he lets the camera take care of the technical stuff, freeing him to worry only about getting the best picture. He also takes a LOT of photos. The nice thing about digital is that we no longer pay for film and processing, so the more we shoot, the better the odds we'll get a keeper.
As for editing software, while its a useful tool, a lot of people, myself included, tend to overdo it sometimes. I went through a phase where I spent as much time at the computer as I did shooting, and ruined a lot of decent shots. Then I realized if I took a little more time on the shooting, I could usually get by with only minor adjustments of white balance, contrast and maybe some sharpening. By doing less processing I started getting better results.

Here's one where I went WAY overboard:


And here's one I don't think I did much with at all:

And another where I was careful with the lighting and composing, so didn't do much post processing:
So if you enjoy it just keep with it!
 
Big part of my problem in learning the software is I lack the comprehension it takes to learn it.
I have a Canon 40D body, couple of cheapo lenses from my old 35mm Rebel, and one decent lens. Talked to a friend, he does ALL manual stuff. He thinks, keeping in mind my comprehension troubles, that I would be better off getting high quality lenses vs a better camera body, Ay least for staying on full auto. I chatted with someone else and he suggested a better body...but then, if I remember right, my lenses won't fit a better body.
I go thru phases where I won't even pick the camera up for months.. then I won't be seen without it. We live near a lake. Few years back when we had a good amount of snow was down at the water 2x a day, taking pictures. Have some beautiful shots....essentially considering they are from a Digital rebel I got in 97 or so...
 
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