In two-and-a-half years as Editor of Digital Camera HQ, I've entertained countless requests for advice from digital camera shoppers. As I move on the next chapter in my life, I feel compelled to share the most important lessons that I've learned about buying and using digital cameras. As you compare different cameras, these lessons will no doubt serve you well.

1) Resolution is less important than you think

There is a popular misconception that more megapixels lead to better pictures. This is not the case.

Sure, higher resolution gives you the ability to crop more aggressively or print large pictures, but only a fraction of digital photographers will benefit from this ability. If you're a casual shooter who won't be printing pictures larger than 8x10" or doing extensive computer editing, then a camera with 3- or 4-megapixel resolution will be sufficient.

More advanced photographers will likely appreciate the flexibility of higher resolution, but a 5+ megapixel camera is by no means necessary to create stunning pictures. Choose a camera you can understand and afford, and don't be fooled by glitzy high-resolution specs.

2) Zoom is more important than you think

Whether you're shooting distant wildlife or close-up portraits, you can never have too much zoom. The majority of digital cameras have 3-, or 4x optical zoom, but you will never regret choosing a model with more telephoto power.

Fortunately the extended zoom camera category is growing rapidly, and there is a great selection of models with 8-, 10-, or even 12x optical zoom. For the ultimate in zoom control and quality, look for an extended-zoom camera with image stabilization, which will ensure that shots taken at full telephoto will be tack-sharp, even without a tripod.

3) Travelers should use cameras with AA Batteries

Digital cameras come in two varieties: those that use AA-size batteries and those that are powered by proprietary lithium-ion batteries. If you are a traveler, particularly someone who enjoys remote or rustic locations, choose a camera with AA batteries.

When a camera that uses proprietary batteries runs out of power, you have no choice but to plug the battery into a power outlet to recharge it. This requires an available outlet, a battery charger, and, if you're in a foreign country, a power converter. If access to an outlet is ever in doubt, or if you don't want the hassle of carrying cords and chargers, then the limitations of this system are obvious.

When a camera that uses AA-size batteries runs out of power on a trip, you can simply throw out the old batteries and drop in a new set of high-performance AAs like the Energizer E2 Lithium line. Two or three sets of such batteries can usually take you through a 10-day trip. If you're out of high-performance batteries, you also have the option of using standard alkaline batteries, which are available anywhere in the world, and make a cheap and convenient source of backup power (though they only offer a fraction of the life of high performance batteries).

Recent trips to Asia and Africa have borne this theory out -- after my companions' cameras had been sidelined by dead batteries, I was still happily shooting away with my AA-powered Canon PowerShot.

4) Small cameras get shots that big cameras don't

Sure, that big, black SLR with the long lens may look fancy, but it won't do you any good if you're not carrying it. Never underestimate the importance of having a camera that is small enough to fit into your pocket -- you'll be amazed at the spontaneous pictures you'll have the opportunity to take. While the photo quality produced by an ultra-compact does not equal that of a large SLR, the ability to whip it out and snap a shot while others are fumbling for their bulky cameras more than outweighs this drawback.

5) Canon makes great cameras

Canon digital cameras receive consistently great reviews, and for good reason: Over the last 2+ years, Canon has time and again proven itself capable of producing well-designed cameras that produce impressive results. From the EOS line of digital SLRs to the diminutive PowerShot ELPHs, Canon invests substantial time in the design process, and the results pay off -- photographers of all abilities rave about their Canon cameras.

There have been some mistakes along the way -- the Canon A70 was built with a design flaw that produces crippling error messages and black lines on the LCD, but newer models seem to be free of this problem. If you're looking for a great combination of features, price, and performance, Canon will almost always deliver. (NOTE: Digital Camera HQ is in no way affiliated with Canon, nor do we derive any benefit from recommending one brand over another).

6) Kodak makes great, easy-to-use cameras

When I bought my mother her first digital camera, I chose a Kodak, having read countless reviews that raved about their user-friendly controls. The reviews were right -- Kodak's EasyShare digital cameras are remarkably easy to use: the menus are simple, the LCD text large and clear, and the controls largely self-explanatory. The results are just as impressive, with attractive, saturated colors and crisp definition. Don't be fooled into thinking that Kodak digital cameras are just for beginners, however -- their simplicity aside, many of the high-end EasyShare models offer a full suite of manual controls for ambitious photographers.

7) Digital cameras can and will break

Whether it's due to accidental damage or simple wear and tear, digital cameras are not as durable as their film counterparts. Many photographers have film cameras that are ten or twenty years old -- don't expect this kind of longevity from your new digital toy. Some cameras suffer from design flaws (like black lines on the LCD screen of the Canon A70), while others fall victim to the kind of mechanical breakdowns that effect every kind of electronic gear.

Does this mean that you shouldn't buy a digital camera? Absolutely not. A digital camera will so fundamentally change the way you think about photography that you will wonder how you ever got along without one. You must, however, be comfortable with the fact that one day your camera will cease to work.

For some, this knowledge may keep them from spending top dollar on a fancy camera; others simply accept it as the sole downside of working with digital. The most important thing is to do your homework before you buy -- any fundamental design flaws will be quickly apparent in user reviews.

8) Don't put all your pictures on one card

After returning from a trip to Asia, I eagerly inserted one of my memory cards into a card reader to download my new pictures. For still unexplained reasons (likely a static electricity discharge), a card that should have held over 200 pictures was suddenly rendered blank. Two weeks and $250 later (thanks to www.drivesavers.com), I had recovered about 90% of my pictures, but the rest were lost permanently.

The moral of the story? Like any other technology, flash memory is not flawless. It is very rare to lose images, but it does happen, and the fact that I had spread my pictures between 5 memory cards protected me from the possibility of losing two weeks' worth of irreplaceable vacation memories. Given the choice between choosing a single 1GB memory card, or four 256MB cards, I will always choose multiple cards.

9) Find & use a simple photo editing program

Most digital photographers will never take the time to master expensive and powerful photo editing programs like Adobe Photoshop or Jasc Paint Shop Pro -- these programs are too complex and time-consuming for all but the most dedicated photographers. Fortunately there are a variety of easy-to-use editing programs that even novice photographers can use to edit, improve, and organize their digital photos.

My favorite program is Picasa, and it is absolutely free at www.picasa.com. With Picasa you can perform all the basic editing tasks like sharpening, contrast correction, cropping, and straightening--most with just the touch of a button. Spend a few minutes on your best photographs and you will be amazed at the results. Picasa also make it incredibly easy to organize your best shots so you don't have to sift through hundreds of unwanted pictures to find your prizewinners.

10) Print and display your pictures

Far too many people take great digital images, only to have them languish in obscurity on their hard drive, never to be enjoyed by others. Don't let this happen to you.

Online printing companies like Ofoto can turn your digital images into high-quality prints of any size. Using Ofoto is easy -- you simply download a free tool to your desktop and use it to load your pictures onto the Ofoto website. From there you can order prints of every size as well as photo mouse pads, calendars, t-shirts and other gifts. You can also send a link to friends so that they can view your pictures online and order their own copies.

If you want to see more of your own pictures, nothing beats using them as a screen saver on your computer. Simply right-click on your desktop, choose Properties/Screen Saver/Settings, and you can direct your computer to the pictures you wish to use. Set the screensaver to change images every 10 seconds and you'll have an instant slide show every time your computer is idle.

1. Have a center of interest. Before you trip your shutter, ask yourself “Why am I taking this picture?” “What am I trying to show?” If you are filling your viewfinder with too much information, the center of interest will likely be lost. There’s an old adage that says “If you don’t like your pictures, move closer” (Robert Capa). Draw your viewer into your scene by showing them what you want them to view.
2. Simplify your subject. Move in close, isolate the background, emphasize your subject by its placement or size in relation to the rest of the photo. Pay attention to your backgrounds. Backgrounds can make or break a portrait and most other photos as well.
3. Follow the Rule of Thirds. This is one of the most common elements of good photographic composition. Keeping the subject in the dead center of a photograph gives a very static and quite boring photo. Move your camera so that the subject falls into the right and/or left third or the top or bottom third of your viewfinder. It doesn’t matter if you’re taking a portrait of Aunt Sadie or a vista view of the Grand Canyon, if you center the subject, you will end up with nothing more than a snapshot.
1. Placement of horizons. A horizon placed dead center in the middle of a photo produces a very unbalanced photo. Move them into the upper third to emphasize the foreground or the lower third to draw attention to a dramatic sky.
2. Level your horizon. Unless you’re showing a hillside, try to keep your camera on a level plane with the horizon – especially if that horizon is composed of water. There is nothing worse than having the beautiful sunset over the lake ruined by a water line that runs downhill from left to right.

4. Leading Lines. Leading lines can draw attention to the subject if properly used. Lines are everywhere we look – fences, roads, trees, railroad tracks. Effective use of these lines can make a dramatic statement to your photo. One of the more eye pleasing and powerful use of lines is the diagonal line. When you look at some other photos, pay attention to the lines and how they’re used. Another powerful line is the S Curve.
5. Framing. Using natural elements to frame your subject is a very effective way to draw attention to your subject and provide an eye pleasing photo. Tree branches, a field of flowers, an open window – all examples of using existing elements. But don’t focus on framing as a complete capture of the subject. Framing can also be accomplished by placing elements above or below or to the side to give emphasis to the subject.
6. Cropping. Many pictures are ruined by ineffective cropping of your photograph. Often this begins in the viewfinder. Cutting off the feet of your subject is one common mistake we often see. While we stress to move in close and fill your frame with your subject, give yourself some breathing room and leave some space on all 4 sides. You can always crop data away, but you can’t replace what isn’t there.
7. Patterns and Repetition. Repeating patterns can often give more impact to a photograph. A reflected image of your subject is one such method to give repetition. Look for patters of shape, form, line, and color.
8. Perspective. Vary your position when taking photographs. Don’t take shot after shot after shot while standing erect. Photos taken at eye level are commonplace. Change your position. Get down on your knees, lie down, climb up on a balcony, shoot at a different angle and get a new perspective on a tired subject.
9. Take your camera out of automatic. Explore the various metering modes your camera offers. Learn how exposure affects your images and when to compensate from what your automatic meter is telling you is correct. Feel free to manually focus your lens to achieve critical sharpness in the area of concern. Learn your camera, learn how light affects the scene, play with it, explore it, and enjoy it.
10. Feel free to break the rules. This is the only rule of photography composition that is a rule. The others are merely guidelines. The rule of thirds doesn’t always work and sometimes a subject right in the center of the photograph is just what works. Feel free to change the horizon so it’s slanting sharply in one direction or the other. Breaking away from the rules, just might just give you a reward.

The worst thing about being a photographer, it's that your family thinks you have the obligation to photograph all the weddings, birthdays and special ocasions... Don't get me wrong, I don't miss an opportunity to take photographs - I love it! But sometimes I just don't feel like working on my brother's wedding, or taking pictures of  my mom's favorite niece just because... But, no family os perfect and we just have to deal with our own.

Don't you just love Black and White Photos?!! They have a certain dramacity, I don't know, they look neat and true...

If you'd like to take a surreal step deeper into black-and-white photography, consider experimenting with Kodak high-speed infrared film. In addition to being sensitive to much of the visible spectrum, it has an extra layer of emulsion that records invisible infrared light. Subjects that reflect a lot of infrared record as very bright in the final image; because we can't see infrared, we have no way to predict what effect it will have in our pictures. The results are always surprising and often have an other-worldly look.

Many natural subjects, like leaves and grass, that reflect a lot of infrared take on a highly luminous and hauntingly abstract appearance with infrared film. Summer landscapes often look covered in snow. You can add even more drama to daylight scenes by placing a red filter over the lens: Blue skies will turn near black, while clouds (which have particles that reflect infrared) will become shimmering white cotton puff balls.

There are some important precautions to keep in mind when using infrared film. It must be loaded and unloaded in total darkness (a windowless hotel bathroom with all the lights turned off is dark enough) and returned to its original container after use--not too convenient if you want to change to another film while in the field. You can, however, load and unload film in the field if you use a portable, light-proof "changing bag" designed for this.

Remember that infrared film is experimental, so bracket your exposures and be sure to have your film processed by a lab that has worked with infrared before. Also, because not all point-and-shoot cameras are infrared-proof (that is, they may be susceptible to infrared-light leaks), read your camera manual (or call the manufacturer) to be sure the camera is infrared safe. Most SLRs are safe for infrared films.

Because the light does not focus at the same plane as visible light, you must sometimes make a focusing adjustment (most SLR lenses have an infrared focusing index mark to guide you in this correction) or at least use a small aperture to ensure maximum sharpness.

Whether you're trekking through wilderness or simply strolling in the countryside, an especially pretty river or waterfall is a visual treat. There is something appealing and refreshing about the perpetual motion of water that translates readily to film.

One way to capture the rush and tumble of moving water is by using a slow shutter speed and letting the water blur into shiny white, streaming ribbons. You often see the technique used in advertising and greeting-card shots, and it's easy to duplicate if you own an SLR that lets you choose your own shutter speed.

Start by loading your camera with a slow-speed (ISO 64 or 25) film and setting it on a sturdy tripod. The trick is to set a shutter speed slow enough that the water moves through the frame while the shutter is open. The exact shutter speed will depend on the speed of the water and the degree of blur you're after. With a fast-moving stream or waterfall or where you just want a hint of a blur, you can use speeds as fast as 1/15 second; with slower-moving streams or to let the ribbons of water appear to be passing entirely through the frame, use a shutter speed of a full second or longer. If the light is bright, you may have to put a neutral-density filter (see Creative Filters) over the lens to cut down on the light so you can use such long exposures.

And if you don't own an adjustable camera? You can sometimes trick the camera into selecting a slow shutter speed by simply loading it with very slow (ISO 25) film and working when the light is relatively dim. You'll still need use a tripod, though, to keep everything other than the water steady.

Of course, you can also use fast shutter speeds to halt the motion of water. This method can be very effective with particularly tumultuous falls or rivers.

You can add power to compositions like these by finding low vantage points so the water looks like it's going to gush right out of the print. Don't ignore rivers and falls in winter, when freezing temperatures turn swirling flows into fantastic frozen shapes.

Digital cameras are the progress of technology. The first ones were not good, definition and colors were just horrible. Now, they keep getting easier to use, cheaper and better: there's a lot of  tools and options to improve the images. But the truth is, there's nothing better for me tahn my good old manual camera. I heve it for years and Still there's somethings a digital cam cannot replace... It doesn't mean I won't use digital cameras, they're very good! But my darkroom won't stop being used by me!

If you can do black and white in your darkroom, you can do color. That's it. One need say no more. Its that simple! This manual will show you just how simple it really is.

The new class of chemicals and papers that are available (reffered to as RA-4 for negatives and R-3000 for slides), make the entire process so simple and relatively foolproof that you will be able to spend most of your time concentrating on the actual ART of color printing. That is not to say that the TECHNIQUE of color printing is a snap; in the beginning, when most of your prints are a unique greenish/magenta shade, you might be terribly frustrated. But perserverence will eventually pay off in the mastery and pride in your new capabilities.

What you MUST have:

1. An enlarger

You will need an enlarger that can do (or can be convinced to do) color. If you have an enlarger with a dichroic color head, you are set. If your enlarger has no filters for color printing, you can buy a set for about $20.00. If you have a cold light head on your enlarger, you will have to change it to a regular bulb source.

2. Something in which to develop the prints.You can use trays. With room temperature chemicals, doing so is a snap. You may also use tubes, which allow you to work with the lights on, but require more effort.

3. The proper chemicals and paper.You must choose either room temperature or high temperature processing. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. You can always change your process as your skills and needs change. You will find that the paper is very inexpensive and that the chemicals ARE expensive. But there are SECRETS to extending the useful life of the chemicals, especially while you are in "the learning phase".

4. A good negative or slide, preferably one with middle gray tones, I.E., a gray card.

5. Viewing filters, to aid in color correction decisions.

6. If you decide to NOT use room temperature chemicals, a heater for controlling the temperature of the chemicals you decide to use.

7. A ringaround easel. Instructions for making one are located in APPENDIX xx

Now we will discuss what you MIGHT like to add to the above list, I.E., let's spend money!

1. If you would like to buy a new enlarger anyway, even if you probably will only do black and white, get one with a dichroic color head. Just about every manufacturer offers one. You do not need to spend a fortune on one; they range in price from about $400.00 to infinite.

2. Jobo makes several basic color processors, ranging from their new NOVA series of verticle "trays" to their top of the line rotary processors. Depening on your budget and volume, you may be interested in investing in such a processor. For high volume work, you might invest in an in-line processing system, where you put in the exposed sheet of paper in one end, and out comes a finished, dry print 2 minutes later.

3. A color-checker chart. Macbeth makes a very good, expensive, one. Kodak makes a good color test strip that is less expensive.

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."
Ansel Adams

I wanna give you an easy tip: People love to photograph the sunset, but not always the results are as expected... What you have to do is wait till the sun is cmpletely set or when there's only the last rays of light. cause what you really wanna show are the colors in the landscape. If you really wanna photograph the sun while is still setting, you won't have the same beauty and it's a lot harder to do it well...

Being a photographer is not easy. If you don't wanna end up taking portraits of kids and families you have to work really hard, cause there's a lot of competition in this profession. I've been in love with all this since I can remember, my uncle teached me all about it and I too enjoy teaching others...

Hello! I'm Chris and I'm here to share my life as a photographer with you. Hope you all like it, cause photography is my life and what I love to do the most! Feel free t make comments and leave me questions.