Awesome picture. Reminds me of Ansel Adams. (I think that’s who it is)

Yes, reminiscent of AA but, to me, more textual and interesting. This is really lovely. Thank you.

I suppose it has an Ansel Adams “look” to it… although, I feel a little sheepish making the comparison myself.

The scene was very difficult to shoot. There was a really wide dynamic range between the darkest shadows and the sun (actually, I guess dynamic range can’t get much wider than that!), so I shot quite a few exposures in an effort to get things right. It wouldn’t have been so bad had it not been 5 degrees at the time. The final result was worth it, though… especially since it was the only product of that day’s photo expedition I cared much for.

Well, you succeeded very handsomely. The effort was well worth it.

I think I’ve asked before, but do you shoot with a digital or film camera? Which do you like better, and why?

(Those questions are by way of learning about you and understanding what you do a bit more. For me - for a gift - is there an under-$500 digital that you would recommend for a serious but not professional photographer?)

I use a Digital SLR (Canon Digital Rebel and Canon lenses). It’s been years since I shot film on a regular basis… clearly, I prefer digital. Film still holds some advantages over digital in landscape photography (especially if shooting medium format), but otherwise, the ease of processing digital images is impossible to beat. And, of course, processing doesn’t cost a dime, as I’m not sending film off to a lab.

In my opinion, digital has become the standard for most serious photographers. It’s definitely the standard for photojournalists.

Regarding sub $500 digital cameras…

I’m a Canon man, so I have to recommend some of the high-end Powershots. I believe the S1 IS and S2 IS retail for near or under $500, and the G6 can be found for just at or above. All are excellent cameras, offering similar image quality to a lower end DSLR setup. Panasonic’s “Lumix” line is also worth taking a look at, as they contain Leica lenses (very high quality). Check out the DMC-FZ5.

I haven’t paid much attention to the Point-and-Shoot scene as of late, so I don’t know if there’s one particular model currently on the market that puts all others to shame. Typically, however, Canon products satisfy.

Thanks, Jeff. I’ll check those models out. The Canon ones you mention had made my radar already and I’ll look at the Lumix too. Jill Krementz wrote an article once about how she carries a point-and-shoot to snap things that she wants to go back and spend more intense time on. They always seem like Instamatics to me, though, even when they’re much more expensive and better cameras. Anyway, thanks a lot!