| yeppers Dave...acrylic is the way, the truth, and the light in terms of optical clarity. of course, anything that's bowed (as acrylic sometimes becomes) can cause distortion as well.
and once more, you're correct. Renee uses a tripod and a remote shutter release (i was going to say "cable release", but they aren't mechanical anymore...gosh, i'm old!).
another good thing is being able to shoot many shots of the same subject and go thru them looking for "the one". of course, good equipment is a must (we use SLR digitals as opposed to the point and shoot type).
as far as photography in our house goes, i dabble, but to Renee, it's art of the highest order.
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Greg | 
