I don't know if you've noticed, but it seems as though there are a ton of new photographers out there. Call them what you want; moms-with-cameras, guys-with-cameras, or Uncle Bob photographers, they are out there. Sometimes I even consider myself one of them. Though I've been shooting since the film days, I still feel like a total newbie sometimes. What separates the "real" photographers from the hobbyists is the desire to improve.