You know you are a serious photographer when......

You know you are a serious photographer when...

• You set your alarm for two hours before sunrise on Saturday mornings.
• You have learned to operate your camera with numb fingers during cold weather.
• You have had your favorite lens malfunction at a most inopportune time.
• You have received ten mosquito bites for every photograph you took when shooting at dawn or dusk.
• You have dropped your polarizing filter and watched it roll ten feet down an embankment into the lake.
• You have taken so many photographs in cold weather you know how frequently you need to wipe your nose before it drips on your tripod.
• You try to rationalize why you would need a $600, $1,500, or even a $3,000 lens.
• When taking photographs, others commonly stop to ask you what type of camera you use.
• You have waited fifteen minutes between photographs for the wind to die down. 
• You have lost valued photographs by accidentally reformatting your memory card.
• You have entered a photo contest or attempted to get something published and received a rejection letter.
• You surf the internet and read photography related web sites created by someone you do not know who merely has an interest in photography, discovery, and the sharing of knowledge.
• You have experimented with your photography and the results turned out really, really bad.
• You have waited an hour for perfect lighting conditions that never materialized.
• You wish the narration on the backs of postcards specified the type of lens and exposure used for the picture on the front.
• You read and actually understand the fine print of the retail ads in the back of photography magazines.
• You grab your camera bag first when heading out of the house.
• You have a tripod in all of your vehicles.
• You begin to think in terms of proper exposure for every scene you see.
• You mentally crop images in your mind.
• You read …and understand the technical articles in photography magazines.
• You read and save every photography magazine because you’re not sure you saw everything in the first 5 readings.
• You can visualize a scene in Black and White.