How do you guys take such great photos? Examples included.

[rockstardoc]

By no means do I consider myself a photographer. I prefer to consider myself a weekend photography warrior. No official training, but just some observations from many of the great photographers on this forum. I currently use a Nikon D80 with a Sigma 18-300mm macro. Nothing special. I'm sure the quality of pics are both a combination of the equipment, photographer, and post-photo editing...but how much of it is really equipment? Will a better lens produce better images than I have taken below? I think some of the pics below are alright, but nothing close to what I see some of you all take.

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[rvhpno80]

wow, really nice pic's.... they look professional to me. I like especially like the one in the tunnel.... i could only imagine what my car would sound like in that tunnel.

[rockstardoc]

[rockstardoc]

[wa1127]

Those are some good pics. Yes the quality of the lens helps the quality of the image. Post production is a touchy subject. Some people live by it and others wont touch it with a 10foot pole. I love the look of your tunnel pic. For the 5th photo in the second post I would say add a polarizing filter to make the sky pop more blue. Play with levels in photoshop and boost the reds. The reflection in the canal is amazing. Overall, some really nice shots. In your camera bag I would suggest a polarizing filter, and ND filter. Other then that play with photoshop to get the hang of it.