I'm really glad people like my pictures... though I am afraid to tell people that I have never taken a photography class, that I only have a regular old digital camera and took every picture I have at my house, with normal lamps as lighting.

Maybe that makes it better, maybe not. You don't need all that fancy stuff to take a good picture, but it seems like some people critique me as if I have the equipment to actually change the brightness of the room or have a sufficient background.

Anyways I am not sure what this journal is about. I guess I am intimidated by the professional people who have had education and have good cameras and studios and know how to use photoshop. I feel like I can never compete with anybody who is professionally into this as it is a hobby of mine.

I also hate photoshop for "beautification". Imperfections are human. Unless you are trying to make somebody look different (like a robot, or something), I don't see a reason to touch up a picture to make a person look more "beautiful". That "beauty" is so grossly fake.