I took up photography again about five years ago at the age of 60. Having shot as a kid with the proverbial basement darkroom, I understood the basics but had no real skills. Digital photography has made it possible to learn quickly and ramp up both my artistic and technical skills at a speed that is simply not possible with film. As a fully employed man of that age, learning the art and the craft using film would have been too daunting a task with probably not enough years to get to the level that I have achieved to date.(My photographer and artist friends can testify as to my achievement). The instant feedback, the meta data and the ability to simply shoot with out consideration of cost made all this possible. The internet itself, with sites like this one and Lu La and DP Review (lots of chaff to ignore there) also provided a tremendous amount of information that was otherwise unattainable as a practical matter. I shot for about two years before buying a printer and was wonder struck the first time I saw my work on paper instead of those big monitor pixels. Here too I have had to learn a new and rewarding craft. I think I 2005 was a good year to start with the explosion in affordable quality and the new software that made this, for me, a wonderful and continuing adventure.