mat carruthers

I must say I am of the "prefer comments over ratings" school. I can't learn anything from an arbitrary number other than the fact that public opinion varies greatly. The way I see it, I know I'll never be Helmut Newton or Herb Ritts, but that doesn't mean I am incapable of creating something beautiful and interesting that other people might enjoy - the only way to find out is through interaction and exposure (no pun intended). I would say ignore the rating system altogether and simply go by the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" maxim. It may not be a solution, but it is an alternate approach to your goal of improvement. You could also use the "request email" function on member bio pages and specifically request critiques from artists you admire. I haven't done it on PN, but in other times and places have asked advice from persons I considered experts in their particular craft. The worst that can happen is that someone doesn't respond - and then you're only out 30 seconds of typing a boiler-plate email. Even if someone says no, you know that they at least took the time to read the email, so that in and of itself is a moral victory.

Those look like they could've come from my grandparents' basement. They had the same type of fake cardboard fireplace and a mixed ceramic tableau of Santa's sleigh and reindeer & the Nativity. Brings back memories...

If you want light-weight - go with a range-finder. They're also fun and easy to use. And inexpensive (though prices on eBay have been steadily rising in the past month). I got my Canonet QL19 for less than $10 and it produces better images than most of my SLRs. If medium format images are more important and you also want to use multiple film types - maybe try the Yashica 635 - you can use 120 or 35mm.