All the advise above is good. But then one has the post production alterations which are invaluable. I use a Mac and their Iphoto program is pretty good. I don't have to take too many things to Photoshop. I adjust my "levels" , a program of "histograms" and that helps. They have sliders that lighten and darken slightly but maintain the contrast. They also have sliders on either side that add darks and add lights on either end of the spectrum independantly. Exposure alterations help and then bumping the Highlights control will help fill in the highglights. Sometimes slide the black adjustment on the histogram Too much which effects the highlights a bit but darkens the shadows TOO much. I then go to the Shadows adjustments and bump that a bit, and that lightens the shadow. If this doesn't work, I take it to Photo shop and work it the through image alterations there. They have a priceless thing where one can select the hue that you want to alter and then one adds or subtract the different hues to the specific Hue, so one can work just the pink flowers since they are the only thing that is pink. I would select magenta to mess with and then red. it sounds complicated but it isn't really. It probably sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo, I am not an expert. You have plenty of picils to mess with there. The hardest thing is getting the money to get photoshop. I have an old copy that I have had for years. I am a LUddite. I am always forgetting how to cut and paste but I remember how to use photoshop on a rudimentary level. Here is a link that might be useful: Santa rita cactus

Thanks for letting us know about this, Kipper. :) Evelyn

I remember those from when I lived in Colorado!

yep, used soap. I wish that there were digital cameras around 25 years ago....boy would you love to see the photos. There was a clown statue with his pants area that stuck out--possibly a planter or utensil holder, a metal round tray with indentations that had the flowers of PA in them, (my dh thought maybe it was a tray to hold 6 Budweiser cans), a used sponge, His & Hers mugs (you know the ones with the antique cars on them), a chip & dip bowl (the dip bowl that clipped to the edge of the chip bowl). My Dad, who was very sick (passed away about 5 weeks later) was so mad--these were good friends of his. He was sure it was a joke when we told him about it, he thought that there must have been a check or something...but no. We took lots of photos of my dh putting the peach basket out at the curb for the trash, the clown hanging out the top. Well, it was certainly the most memorable gift I got that day!