AzDavid

With all due respect Sandy, it's been about six months since I followed your advice about deleting my account and, as far as I can tell, my account is still active. Can you please forward my request again? I want my Photo.net account cancelled. It should go without saying that I also do not want my credit card billed.

Please delete my account. There is no way to alter the auto-renewal and no way to delete your account on your own.

fototakernandaluci ... You are not alone. I ask the same questions about this site. Sandy, the administrator, has been very kind and as helpful as he can be. However, beyond him I have run into the same wall of silence/non-action. I've been a member for a few years and recently retired ... so I'm more careful of my spending. When Photo.net automatically renewed my annual membership I sought to edit my account settings so next time they ask me first. I could not find a way to accomplish that change. In frustration, I thought I'd just cancel my membership. Guess what? I can't find a way to do that, either. I think they figure $29 a year is just pennies and they don't feel obligated to provide any customer service. What else can you conclude? I'm to the point of calling the credit card company and asking them to block any further charges from this site.

Here's a screen shot of the "update payment method" window that I managed to open. However, there is no way to alter billing frequency and there's nothing about auto-renewing.

Thank you, Sandy. I guess my problem is the "flickering" bar ... you said it yourself: "I don't think you can move quickly enough to actuate that." All I am able to click on is the "Extend your subscription" option. Is that REALLY the only way to update my payment method? All I wanted to do is check on the Auto-renew setting. I saw that I'm renewed through 2020 but I don't remember agreeing to that. I don't do "auto renew" for anything.

Can someone please tell me where I might view (and possibly change) the auto-renew setting for my account?

I frequently use Google Drive to share photos. It's easy, simple and quick to access ... if you use Chrome, just click the "Drive" icon in the collection of Google apps. You can share the folder you create with anyone and ... it's free!

I love my Canon G9X, which I believe was mentioned earlier in this string. One thing I'd point out ... a lot of cameras in this category don't have viewfinders . The G9X has a nice, crisp LCD touch panel. However, it still can't compete against glare on a bright, sunny day. Next time, I'm looking into a version that offers an electronic viewfinder. The price goes up but you might find the extra cost justified.

Interested in a trip south from San Francisco down the peninsula? There's a place called Filoli, an estate that offers wonderful gardens and countless photo opportunities. (Homepage | Filoli) It's located within the town limits of Woodside, CA., and was the location of the 1978 film, "Heaven Can Wait" starring Warren Beatty. Check the website for details. It's also a good idea to call ahead to get an idea of the weather, any private events that might impact public accessibility and the current state of the gardens.

Thanks for the info, Rodeo_joe. I am open to suggestions regarding alternative camera/flash combinations. Budget is an issue, though!

I've been considering a Canon G9X to use on trips where I can't carry my 5D III and associated gear. The specs say the G9X supports a wireless external flash. Any suggestions? Does anyone make a small, light-weight wireless flash that I could carry around with the G9X?

Sometimes life seems like a constant slog through stupidity. Back when business was starting to get the hang of things online my newspaper actually ran a story outlining ways people could get around "pay walls" that were starting to pop up on Web sites that wanted to earn money for their content. I argued that running such a story was no different than telling people how they could steal televisions from the local electronics store. Nobody listened. Today, of course, the newspaper has its own pay wall and expects readers to cough up cash once they've read their allotment of free articles.

With all due respect, the original post contradicts itself and offers conclusions without supporting evidence. First off, "Teaching photography is pointless" leads one to believe the post will focus upon ... teaching photography. Instead, it careens off into a body slam on all teaching. It concludes, "Teaching is an ego trip, plane and simple." (For the record, it's "plain and simple.") Such a statement makes little sense after the OP previously notes that "Of course English, Literature, Biology, Mathematics, etc. didn't really interest me. Those were subjects where the teacher REALLY helped so I could get my grades up." So, apparently not all teachers are bad, only the ones who try to teach us something we already love? Fred G makes excellent points. Please avoid labeling all teachers based on limited personal experience. The vast majority work literally night and day to help students of all ages. And they do so for wages lower than those earned by the average bartender. (Source: New York Times.) There is no room for ego in the typical teacher's life. The demands of children who arrive at school hungry and unwashed, of single parents looking for support, of educational systems that require constant professional development and evaluation and of public schools struggling to serve amid the onslaught of unending state and federal funding cuts keep your average teacher pretty busy. So if you've got a beef with a couple art instructors, great. But before you cast your "harangue" across an entire profession, I suggest you visit a few schools. See for yourself the work that goes on each and every day. You're a photographer. You should be able to get the picture.

Could be an experiment to bolster tourism. A story I saw mentioned that now everyone is talking about the small town. It also quotes the town's tourism director as saying, "The whole story is not finished yet. By Friday evening everyone will know what the idea was behind this law. It's a surprise."

I agree and even drafted a photo release that they could have used on site. However, the museum insisted it wasn't necessary because there's a sign at the entrance that says visitors might be photographed while in the building. They used photos I produced in everything from social media posts to email marketing. Personally, I turned over all photos to the museum and never entertained the notion that I might use them on my own. I volunteered for the experience. The museum was a very challenging place to photograph and gave me a lot of opportunities to practice.

Thank you for the continuing input on this topic. I learn from everything stated here. Just a couple updates ... Due to the ambiguity of how the photos might be used in the future, a lawyer who specializes in this topic helped me create a "hold harmless" release form that I then had the non-profit organization sign. They were nice about it but a little baffled because "nobody ever asked for anything like this before." This is typical of what I find when volunteering for non-profits. I shot for a major museum that often held off-site events at businesses and schools. I was always the first to ask about releases and/or parent permission to photograph minors. The museum's reluctance to address the issue properly was a factor in my ending my volunteer service there.

Thanks, Sandy. But the problem with "All Recent Posts" is that it lists the most recent post in every forum and you have to open up each individual forum to see what the latest post is about. And, usually, the latest post isn't a completely new thread. (Unless I'm just doing it all wrong, which is possible!) It's usually a new comment added to an existing thread. Under the old Photo.net I could get one long list of honest-to-goodness new threads made since I last logged in. And I don't see a way to duplicate that under 2.0.

I apologize in advance if this question has been answered ... but I can't seem to find any mention of it. In the old version of Photo.net, I was able to log in and check a list of the latest new threads. I really enjoyed this feature as it provided timely information across all forums. With Photo.net 2.0 all I seem able to find is a list of new posts to existing threads. Some of these threads are days, weeks or even years old. So it's not anywhere near the same thing. So ... is it possible to get a list of all new threads like before? Or has that feature disappeared?

It depends upon the "non photographers." Traveling with easy-going folks who enjoy pausing on trails to take in the scenery might be just fine. But team up with people who want a few quick snaps on their phones so they can go shopping or lunch at a pub might be miserable for a photographer. The ideal situation is to travel alone or with other photographers. But life isn't often ideal, is it? So the best advice is to seek ways to do both - spend time with the people you're with and also make time for your photography. For example, professional photographer Jeff Cable explains in a B&H video that a lot of his images deal with nighttime simply because that's when he has a chance to venture out on his own ... after meetings and other obligations during the day. I've been known to negotiate personal side trips that allow me time to photograph while the non-photographers go do their things. You know what they say ... where there's a will, there's a way.

Can't you get insurance from the company that's renting you the van? Every time I rent a vehicle, the company tries to sell me insurance. Also, what about your own automobile insurance? Have you investigated whether that covers a rented van and passengers if you are the renter/driver? If all else fails, I agree with Bob ... seek out an insurance broker. He/she should be able to find you something appropriate.

Funny how things turn out. You did the right thing in the beginning by declining the offer to be the paid photographer. And, I believe, you also did the right thing by photographing the event in the absence of any other photographer. You stepped up when needed and proved to be a good friend, indeed. However, I'm not surprised that you say "the friendship will not be the same in the future." IMHO: Your friend took advantage of you. I'd bet that they expected you to photograph the event from the beginning and offered money only after discovering you were planning on attending as a guest and had no intention of bringing your camera.

Well, I'm no bird expert! The Wikipedia entry for the Moscovy duck notes that the bird is native to Mexico but does mention that its territory extends north into southern Canada.

Might be a Moscovy duck. (S. M. Garver - Wildlife Photos - Adult Muscovy Ducks)

I've purchased cameras and equipment from B&H but I'm also lucky enough to have an excellent local camera store in my area (Tempe Camera). The sales staff at the local store is always kind and helpful and they match any online price I might find. When I've gone through B&H it's because the local store didn't stock a particular item. As for Amazon ... I've bought camera equipment through them, as well, and have had no problems to report. Just be ready for targeted ads to appear in your browser whenever you search for something or try to do a little advance research.

I use a 100-400 Canon lens and an extremely light weight carbon fiber monopod. The latter can be put to use only when needed ... such as waiting for wings to spread or a head to rise and turn. Without the monopod the lens can become heavy and there's a tendency to let it drop ... which, invariably, leads to a missed shot. I agree with others here that 400mm is a minimum.