Bill & Michael seem to have this topic covered, with Michael obviously having some professional experience, even if he hasn't been a professional photographer, I don't know?. There are a lot of misconceptions about what makes a "good" photograph and some of them are born from the "good" being so subjective anyway. Some people like the specular highlights from a point light source. Some like the super soft shadowless effect which comes from an overcast day or light boxes. So no one is right or wrong - just different. And those who are just not happy with their photographs, are here to learn. I am just starting out with wood turning and haven't even put a blade to a piece of wood yet! So I'm here to learn too - we all have our skills and sharing is cool. I'm still refurbishing and upgrading an old General 160 that I bought for $300CDN. Just need to wire up a VFD and controls to get going. But I digress. I was a professional photographer for a number of years in England and understand the principles involved in achieving a desired effect. What would be nice is for our friends on here, to upload a few of their pictures. If they're good, we can admire them (I love looking at other peoples photographs, good or bad) - if they're bad, then perhaps the more photographically inclined amongst us can help out, which is the whole point of this thread. If you're not good at taking photographs, then don't just upload your imperfect attempts, also upload a stolen (borrowed) sample of a photograph showing what you would like to achieve. The pioneers of photography had no forums or books - they learned from experimentation and feedback, taking note of what looked "right" and what sold AND constructive critique. So post those pics!!