Kurt,
I'm really from from the school of "get it right in camera". Sure, I do some basic corrections for levels/curves but by and large, if you're looking at something I shot, it's as close as I can get it to the way things really were. Not to sound like a jerk (really!) but it takes a bit more than a really nice camera to consistently get solid stuff - it's just like kiting I guess - nobody would expect a kiter just starting out to nail difficult tricks right off the bat, and it's the same for photography. It takes lots of practice and the more practice and learning, the more often you'll get nice shots. Of course, there are those certain few who'll just be naturally outstanding at photography or kiting from the start - those are the people who drive me nuts! Just kidding... I know some shooters who could absolutely blow me out of the water with a cheapo point and shoot. It's a lot about your vision, your technical competency and your dedication to make great images.
But a few specific things (as Ben has pointed out - and he's right on in his comments):
Be wary of what your camera's meter is telling you. In bright, contrasty situations (water, snow, sand) the meter will generally not be anywhere close to what the true exposure should be. It's kind of an experience thing, knowing when to disregard your meter and either shoot in manual (and either intentionally under or over expose) or use exposure compensation in an automatic mode. Never, ever shoot in P mode. 75% of the time I'll use "A" (aperture priority mode) and the rest of the time I'll be in full manual exposure mode.
Shooting RAW can help, but I don't think it's a silver bullet. All things being equal, if you nail your exposure you really should be OK with JPGs. RAW makes it easier to fix your mistakes when you blow your exposure however.
Learning to adjust your white balance should help quite a bit too. Next time you see me at the lake, grab me and I'll show you how to adjust it, it's really easy and can make a huge difference.
The light was really nice that night (though I did use some fill flash) and that's more important than anything else really. I've gotten to the point where I don't shoot unless the conditions are really nice, or in the case of shooting in Superior, really harsh. That's because blah looking days almost always make blah looking kiting photos - and I'd rather just sit on the beach and read a book or something...
Hope this helps a bit - but for Kurt or anyone else - I'm generally happy to talk about shooting, so if you see me out there, feel free to ask whatever questions you may have about what I'm doing, etc.
And to those who are interested in a MN kiting calendar - I've been kicking that idea around for a while. I'd like to do it, but I'm afraid it would be a really good way for me to lose a bunch of money...but who knows - I'd love to do it if possible.
Hopefully we can get some more good shooting in this weekend at the Gathering - see you there!
John Pedersen
http://www.JohnPedersenPhotography.com
