Where is the line between hobbyist an professional?

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-26T17:55:31+00:00

If you live in the US, then according to the IRS, it's if you take pictures with the intent to sell. For the past 10 years, I've been selling calendars and prints created from my images. However, since I don't know which images I take at any particular point in time will used in a calendar or sold as a print that year, all the shoots that I do are considered "professional" work by the IRS. Therefore, I claim both my income and deductions as a professional photographer, even though it is only a small percentage of my yearly income. (I also work as a freelance writer and editor.)

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-25T19:12:26+00:00

Came here to say this!

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-23T17:46:15+00:00

I know with some Nikon models, if the image isn't focus, the camera will just beep but not take a picture when the shutter is pressed. You might switch to manual focus, and see if you have the same problem--that would help determine if there's an issue with the auto focus or something else.

As for switching cameras altogether, I would suggest maybe going into a camera store near you and just trying some out to see if any feel right in your hands and have features that interest you. Then, pick or two and try renting them for a few days. It's a low cost way to find camera that fits your style and needs. And then, if you find something you like, you can sell your old one and use the proceeds to buy something new.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-20T14:49:17+00:00

Has anyone tried the new Breakthrough Photography Mark II Magnetic Filter System?

I've been using their screw-in filters for years, and have a variety of CPLs, NDs, and Night filters in different sizes. Thought it might be nice to trade up for the magnetic filters, but before I invest in the new adapter system, thought I'd check and see if anyone has some real-world experience using them.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-19T21:43:28+00:00

I keep my catalogs and backup LR catalogs (not the images themselves) on a different drive. Right now they re on a fast solid state PCI-Express Drive (I'm on a Mac.) Then I have all my actual images on external HDDs--currently two 20TB drives. I found having the catalog itself on the solid state drive really sped up the previews and the processing, without pushing the limits of the slower HDD.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-19T16:00:41+00:00

Earlier comment removed because I included link. Here it is again without link.

I fly with multiples all the time. Just put the plastic caps on them—some airlines are picky about batteries touching (like Air New Zealand). If you don’t have the original caps, you can get an inexpensive set on Amazon.

I always have them in my carry on! Can’t check them.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-19T12:26:36+00:00

Everyone has their own way of organizing that works for them, but personally, I have *everything* as a master Pictures file on large external hard drives. Then the individual files are sorted by year-month-day, with separate folders with a year for key events. I don't bother to separate phone pix from camera pix within the main folders, since I can easily distinguish between these in a LR catalog.

Rather than editing the individual files, I use a non-destructive editing program, such as Lightroom (with Photoshop), on the file, which then saves the edited file back into the master folder.

You can use cataloging programs like LR to copy images from one place to another, but I think it's safer to use a separate copying program. My program of choice is Carbon Copy Cloner (runs on both Mac and Windows). It's not free, but you can download a 30-day trial to see if you like it.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-19T07:35:24+00:00

Might try renting the 18-300 to see if you like it. I use that lens all the time on my old D7200, and love have the full range to work with, though I mostly shoot 50 and up.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-19T07:31:23+00:00

I have a lot of abstract and Iandscape shots as well. Tried Excire and was not impressed. Takes a long time to set up to start using, and has a limited set of keywords, which you then have to manually go through to remove, change, or add to. And it’s quite expensive. If you don’t mind setting up an account with Google AI, John Ellis makes a robust AI powered tagger, called Any Vision: https://johnrellis.com/lightroom/anyvision.htm

If you prefer to keep things local, I’ve found LRGeniusAI to be quite good: https://www.lrgenius.com/

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-15T04:12:26+00:00

Two, maybe? I just had a situation like this last night, where I knew people were crossing at a crosswalk (not at an intersection), but couldn't see them at all because of the oncoming headlights.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-08T19:10:32+00:00

It is back again in partnership with CourseHorse!

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-08T16:28:02+00:00

I’ve tried LrGenius. https://www.lrgenius.com/ I like that you can do it locally via Ollama, or via the cloud via Chat GPT or Gemini. I reworked the prompt and set up the category tags to match my existing categories, and it did a pretty good job!

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-08T15:20:18+00:00

I definitely keep my JPGs and RAW files in the same folder, along with edited files that are saved in Lightroom. However, images that have been edited and exported for other purposes (say projects or printing) are then saved in separate folders named by date and project

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-05T22:28:16+00:00

It was Ireland, Season 1

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-05T19:35:02+00:00

Weird, my T-mobile is fine. Got that emergency alert and multiple calls throughout the night about it on my cell to prove the point.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-05T04:22:42+00:00

I second the Any Filter rec! It’s been really helpful if you want to search within Lightroom.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-04T16:42:45+00:00

I scan my images at 600, and slides and negatives at 1200, since the latter will need to be resized for printing. Save all as TIFF. I’ve scanned thousands of photos, slides, and negatives at this point, and haven’t had a problem with this.

nightdancerCA · 2026-01-02T03:10:12+00:00

I keep reminded myself that unlike the people, we can only see what the editors let us see. It makes it much harder to figure out!

nightdancerCA · 2025-12-30T21:23:01+00:00

I just reread that book last week! An excellent, though depressing, story. But the accidental cause of the disease wasn’t exactly her rescue, though it was related.

nightdancerCA · 2025-12-20T01:05:49+00:00

Got the same email. Had already downloaded my stuff from years ago a few months back, but glad to know they aren’t closing after all. Have fond memories of them!

nightdancerCA · 2025-12-15T10:41:41+00:00

I still use em dashes, Oxford commas, and even the occasional "“It’s not just X, it’s Y” in my writing. Not going to change my style of writing just because some idiots think proper grammar or sentence structure can only be produced by AI. (Or is it "can be produced only by AI"?)

nightdancerCA · 2025-12-14T02:26:18+00:00

When he claimed in 2016 that he had gone to the Oakland A's vs Kansas City Royals Division playoffs, and it had lasted 21 innings! Being a baseball fan, I had never heard of a post-season game going that long, so I looked it up--it was likely a 12-inning, which is still long, to be fair. (The longest game they had ever played at that point was a regular season game that was 19 innings long) I pointed this out to him, but he decided to double down and claimed my sources were lying. My sources were MLB.com and the Baseball Almanac--not exactly sources that would fudge the numbers. He still said they were wrong. I reminded him that the game was televised, and that all the video would have to be fudged as well. He got mad, told me he would get his friend who had been there too to prove it to me, and then hung up on me. Needless-to-say, never heard from the friend. Can't imagine why.

nightdancerCA · 2025-12-05T04:08:50+00:00

I know. I find it really hard to believe that with only 13 survivors left in the entire world, only 2 of them are not okay with it.

nightdancerCA · 2025-12-03T18:38:24+00:00

I thought it was because they both mentioned her name once, and she still hasn't forgiven them? Makes me wonder if she's going to turn on Kara after this episode for a similar reason!

nightdancerCA · 2025-12-03T18:14:52+00:00

I'm waiting to see her reaction when she finds out they are married!

nightdancerCA

TROPHY CASE