Before I get going, I would like to say I think the presentation last night with Mark Colon was great. We need more of that kind of stuff and less slide shows of my vacation to La la land. Not that they should go away entirely, I just think we've had too many in the recent past back to back. Members are here to learn more about photography and slide shows can get a little boring sometimes (but not always).
Sue Craft put this together and she should be commended on here dedication to this and the other events she has been involved in. Thanks' Sue.

and....

I'm aware I was using a little too much flash last night during Mark's presentation. It was a little overpowering because of the darkness and I was having a hard time focusing, thus having to keep trying till I got what I wanted. With the flash off camera and me a good distance away, I was unaware of its intensity on nearby tables. I'll have to be a little more sensitive to that in the future. Sorry!

On another note, last night, Mark mentioned that everyone should support their local photo store or they will end up disappearing. I think, unfortunately, that's a plea of desperation. I think that price and Varity drives the market, not patronage. If a store does not take advantage of the market place (internet), they are destined to fail no mater how much money you throw away supporting them. You'd better have a dam good product in order to survive these days if you're just catering to the local population.

For those of us that have been in the AV long enough, think of stores like Hellen's Toys, Pet Oasis and H&E. Long before they went out of business, you could see the writing on the wall. As much as you shopped there, it all ended up being in vain as, one by one, they closed their doors giving way to their competitors.

Next: (were getting closer to why I posted this)

As much as I hate using Photoshop, I can't live without it. It's a love hate relationship. In this highly competitive world of photography, you need every little edge you can get.

For those that want to go back to the old days of film, I'm sorry, but those days are fast disappearing if you plan on being successful. Sure you may find yourself a little nitch somewhere, but those nitches are getting harder and harder to find.

I joined the club just when digital was just starting to take hold. I would attend a workshop and the instructor would ask if anyone was shooting digital. A few hands would go up along with a few snickers and standard questions as to why. Just the opposite is true today.

Many members who were still shooting film degraded digital and swore that film was so much better and digital could never match it. For those of us that were shooting digital, we could sense their anxiety of the coming realization that all they had learned about photography and the experience they had brought to the table was about to go out the door as winning digital prints began overtaking film prints in our competitions and less experienced photographers began to excel. Attention was being turned away from film to digital media and for them, it was very disconcerting. Having to learn how to use a computer was repulsive.

In our competitions, I've seen winning prints heavily photoshoped, items removed and sky's replaced, lightning put into pictures where it had not existed before. It's just plain crazy how things have evolved. This was unheard of a few years ago and was scorned by many of our top photographers in the club and was a prime complaint among them. Now they have joined the ranks as they begin to explore the new horizon. How times have changed. Thinking back, I think it was the fact that this was something they couldn't do or didn't know how to do, and therefore it was evil and unfair. Kind of like witchcraft.

No doubt about it, digital is here to stay. With it comes a new world and a new definition of a photography. It has taken its place somewhere in between painting and photographing. Very similar to the technique of taking a picture of a scene and using that picture as a reference while painting on canvas. Modifying the scene as you go. I might add, that painting technique is scorned by true painters but generally accepted in the painting community.

Anyway, all this wasn't the intent of my post but I got a little carried away. I think the film/digital battle is almost over and it's time to get on to other things. This all started with the sentence below. Jezzzz

If you're' looking for that completive edge, Russell Brown has a great many Photoshop tutorials, actions and scripts for you to download so you can get up to speed. Just think what's possible if you can get all he has to offer at his site in your head,.

Here's the link.

http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html.
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The store that has 4 floors is Sammy's Camera. I'm assuming that's the one Susan is talking about.
Excellent Camera Store. Lots of rental equipment on the first Floor. The other floors are dedicated to sales. Elevator, Security at the door, valet parking, expert advice and internet sales. Very large store. Has almost everything you can imagine.

Here's the link.

Hint. Leave your credit card at home.

http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ITVA_enUS284US284&um=1&q=Samy%27s+Camera,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90036&fb=1&cid=0,0,196871451621336496&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

Readers of this thread shouldn't get the impression that Kings Photo is a bad store to deal with. Personally I think their only problem is they are using a business model that is grossly out of date.
One of the problems with the internet is that people that have bad experiences have something to say and want to say it, which they have every right to do. The one's with good experiences tend not to post. I don't think there is a store on the planet that doesn't have dissatisfied customers. Best Buy is one of my favorite stores and there have been many times I have come out of there fuming. I bought a computer there and 6 days later it starting acting up. I took it in the next day thinking they would fix the problem. Sure they would fix it for a price. (FUMES !!!!!)
I took a GPS back to Circuit City a day after I bought it cuz I couldn't see it in the daylight while driving. They charged me 15% to return it ($150) (FUMES). I swore I would never shop there again but guess what, I was sneaking back in the next week because I was going through withdrawal.
But, speaking for myself, I have never had any problems with kings other than the fact that I spent too much money when I could have gotten it cheaper on the net. Most big ticket items have to be ordered and are usually more expensive so what's the point of buying it there in the first place. Hence my original post.
So nowadays, I tend to do all my shopping on the net. I do occasionally shop at Sammy's but that is mostly window shopping so I can physically see the product before I order it. Sometimes I'll buy it there and pay more if the price difference isn't that great.
Tec support at your local store was a great idea and still is, but most of my information comes from the net nowadays and is far superior to what I get at any store. A simple search on Google and forums like this will get you all the information you need to know about any particular subject and actual user opinions on products (which is invaluable). You just need to consider the source.