[Doug_Lester]

Sometimes I think that those of us who are old farts, those who learned serious photography before digital and P'shop came along haev abuilt in advantage. Back in thoise days PP was limited to what could be done in a chemical carkroom, meaning when shooting 4x5 or med format chromes, what you shot was what you got. The chrome was pretty much the final product and more important, was what the client got. We learned to really 'see' the light and shadow. we learned to really 'see' the details in the shot before pressing the shutter. There was no P'shop to remove that pesky white label or those wrinkles in the fabric. Of course there was retouching, but that was both time consuming and more than a little expensive.
There is certainly nothing wrong with using P'shop, I use it on a regular basis and love the possibilities it gives me, but depending on P'shop to fix our errors as a matter of regular routine encourages us to be sloppy shooters.

I'm certainly not a "top" photographer, but before retiring my cameras gave me a pretty nice living along with a huge amount of fun. Becoming competent with a camera and making a living from it is not like having some sudden burst of illumination or nirvana, instead it's a gradual process during which you shot, shoot again, then shoot some more. Become your own critic and learn what went wrong when it does so tht you don't do it again. thee are many exceptions, but for those who are successful, photography usually is not just something they do, it becomes a large part of their lives, sort of what the are.

The goal should be to get it right in the camera, but don;t be reluctant to use every tool in your arsenal when needed.