Art of seeing vs. equiupment talk: I think most people serious about photography understand the importance of the art of seeing, but there are some quite understandable reasons there is so much equipment and technical talk on this forum. First there is a world of books and DVDs which seek to stress composition and the art of seeing. Second, thoughtful time spent on the internet provides access to the study and appreciation of the works of many fine photographers (unfortunately with little discussion by the artist). Third, it is often the technical issues of fumbling with equipment that gets in the way of a focus on the art of seeing. This forum more than any I know fills the void many of us need to explore with the help of those who have experience with equipment issues and the challenges of technical processing issues. It is the sum total of all these things that is needed and on balance this forum fulfills those needs due to the contributions of its members. However, I will say that it might be good to have a thread on the topic of the art of seeing and composition issues with more posting of images and more discussion of those images. The art of seeing is a very subjective topic, and too often when an image is posted, there is not enough discussion of how the composition affects us as viewers and what the althernatives might have been. There is often the typical comments like "great image joe", but not enough discussion of what is so great about the image or our personal preferences relating to the image. A standing thread (which I may have missed) dealing with compositional and art of seeing issues with more input relating to the images posted might be worthy of consideration. Such a thread could be equipment neutral. I stand corrected if I have overlooked such a thread. I know it is scattered everywhere in this forum, but I think many would go to a specific thread dealing with that subject who don't always have the time to wade through all the threads. I am thrilled to be a part of this forum. Charles