Any professional/amateur photographers out there?

In my equipment bag: Nikon D3, 50mm f/1.4, 35-50mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR(1st gen). My favorite is portraits but I have really gotten into sport events/military competitions since I am our battalion's PAO as an additional duty. The 70-200mm is great for that. The D3 was a must-have for me because of its shutter speed. None of the other ones can touch 1/8000th seconds except for the D3S, D3X, or D4. You could probably get a D3 on eBay for just a few thousand dollars, up about half of what you would pay for D4. But I would not recommend that kind of investment unless you want to make it more than just a hobby, which it seems like you do. As for your photo editing software, I have used Photoshop elements, full Photoshop, and Lightroom. I definitely prefer Elements but a lot of people prefer Lightroom because it can go much faster. Keep up the awesome work! 

Absolutely... I've enjoyed photography for a long time, and have gotten more into it over the last few years. When I say "more into it" -- I most mean putting out the money to getting and using professional equipment.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>It seems like the first basic choice is Nikon vs. Canon. I went with Canon, just because I used to have their little Powershot cameras, and figured I would continue using Canon since I was familiar with their icons, etc. Not a great reason, but I don't think Nikon vs. Canon matters at my level.</div><div><br></div><div>After a while at using an entry level Canon DSLR Rebel, I dived into the deep end and got the Mark 5D III. I use the L Series 24-70 and 70-200 lenses mostly, but also really like the 50mm f/1.8 prime. I think that after my car and firearms, I probably spend the most amount of money on camera equipment... it's not a cheap hobby for sure. On top of hardware, I also taught myself how to use Photoshop and Lightroom.</div><div><br></div><div>I like to take all kinds of pictures, but my favorite is probably candid photos of people in a particularly "lively" moment. I feel like it's capturing the spirit of the moment... and those are pictures we rarely have of ourselves. We have lots of pictures where we pose for the camera, but rarely do we have something that is candid and not staged. Those are really tough to get, and when I do, I like to give it as a gift... it's one of the best things I can ever "make" for somebody. I don't often get to take these... usually at weddings. I'm attaching an example.</div><div><br></div><div>I also enjoy pictures I take in travel, of beautiful and unusual scenery, or the different ways people live life.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>

I picked up photography on a whim during my 2011 deployment- southeast Afghanistan was beautiful and I wanted to capture it better than my point-n-shoot camera.  Without any formal training, I discovered I wasn't terrible at it, and started a Facebook page where I hang my work.