Janel,

I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from taking notes or using any other methods of learning, we all process these matters differently. My simple mind wants to reduce things to either a donut or a hole. This alone can be suffieciently complex.

I look at it this way -- if you are going to photograph in natural light you have to accept the fact that every moment is different than the moment before. You could break it down into larger categories like outdoor light, indoor light, but unlike a studio setup which may remain stable, the natural light is too elusive and varied to define, as it relates to our settings.

Therefore, we must trust that the camera is friendly to our purpose. I think you should determine, through trial, error and practice, a good and sufficiently broad combination of settings and then let the camera micro manage those subtleties and nuances of condition. The light between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM can be so different, and the changes happen in degrees that are so imperceptible, that it defies our ability to define it in any meaningful way. I say allow your mind to give this duty over to your camera. It was born to this purpose and if we will give it some up front attention It will do this remarkably well.

All this to the notion that the more we can delegate the mundane matters to those things that are better equipped to deal with them the less our mind is taken away from the matters of creation. This from a fella that, while I fully appreciate a good and proper canvas, I would never set out to build one. I take comfort in the fact that there are those that seek to perfect these materials, I just want to know where I might pick one up. I can't help thinking in this way any more than I can alter my height.

I can appreciate that others approach these matters completely differently and attain results far superior to my own. So to the extent that these meanderings help I am glad. I hope they don't hurt.

If I might further confuse my point.

The following images were each taken with exactly the same camera settings. And these settings are not eclectic, but very close to out of the box.

With one exception -- in the case of the evening shot I had to raise the ISO to a point that would give sufficient shutter speed to allow me to stand and take this shot hand held. I have trained myself to understand the need for this, and how to make it happen. The adjustment took seconds.

Mike, it looks like you're really loving Florida!

These oranges are growing outside my door in the February! I left my windows open until 11:00 PM last night.

Point well taken. Thanks Mike.