I was on a bus recently in St. Maarten, enjoying a mid-winter tropical vacation, and happened to ask another passenger with a Cannon Rebel camera for some advice on how to adjust some manual settings.  After not being able to provide me with any assistance whatsoever, he quickly diverted the conversation to his prowess as a photographer…and then, I remember this word for word…he said, “The thing about digital photography is that it has made everyone lazy”. Self righteous? Yep. And coming from someone who didn’t have a clue about manual settings on his own camera. Being someone who normally comes up with the  wittiest remarks for offensive situations at least a week late, I completely shocked myself by quickly and calmly proclaiming, “Well, interestingly enough, my photography skills were sub-par until I got this amazing camera.  I’d say, if anything, digital photography has elevated my skill, interest, and desire to work harder at taking great pictures”. He remained quiet the rest of the trip. Thank God. I’ve never fancied myself a photographer…just someone who really likes to dabble in framing the world as I see it…sometimes, especially now that I have an awesome camera, it’s via photos, but occasionally through other mediums as well. As usual, I do have more to add to my response to the uppity-wanna-be-photographer I met on the bus:  photography is not in danger of becoming watered down by the improvement in the ease of use of digital cameras.  True photographic artists spend tireless hours perfecting their craft, improving their knowledge of photographic tools, innovating with their own artistic styles and opinions, and by truly having an eye for the amazing. I look to amazing photography for inspiration, and yeah, I may eventually take a photography class if I can find time between life and my already long list of other projects and interests.  In reality, though, I just want to share my simple view of the world through my amateur eyes.  If good photographs come of it, awesome… Speaking of St. Maarten…my trip there was amazing.  We were only there for a day (a brief stop on our journey through song with Cayamo) but I managed to snap some really fun pics, including some from the famous Sunset Bar & Grille, which sits at the end of the very short St. Maarten airport runway.  Check out the photos from my flickr gallery below to…