A survey was done recently on what people would take from their burning home if they only had a few minutes to evacuate. Once the family members and pets were safe, the highest priority possession was the collection of family photos and pictures. The reason given was that photos were irreplaceable, priceless. Everything [...]

Imagine your spouse un-wrapping a canvas print of her favorite family photo on her birthday, anniversary or Mother’s Day. Not just a traditional photo enlargement, mind you, but a stunning canvas print that looks like an oil painting, stretched and ready-to-hang, for only about $100! She will remember this gift for years to come, and [...]

Introduction: Avoid the “Quick Flips”
This guide will help you take better photos by focusing on the 7 most common mistakes made by everyday photographers. It is by no means a complete guide to professional photography. It is a quick-reading guide that provides a no-nonsense approach to making your photos more vibrant and interesting to everyone. [...]

No doubt about it. The most common mistake everyday photographers make is to include too much real estate in the image. This can turn a potentially gripping image into a quick flip of the photo album page. Why is this so common a mistake among most shutterbugs? The tendency is to want to capture everything [...]

The next most common crime that most everyday photographers commit is improper exposure or lighting. When you are found guilty of this, your photos will be too dark in some areas or too bright in others. Two conspirators lead to this common problem.
The first coconspirator is our own eyesight. Human vision is nothing less than [...]

Composition, an extremely important aspect of picture taking, is nothing more than the arrangement of your main subject and all other objects within the photographic frame. The biggest mistake most amateur photographers make - too many background distractions. These objects can distract the viewer’s attention away from the main subject or even result in an [...]

Seems like even your best “people” shot will often have one flaw for sure - the dreaded red eye. Why oh why does this happen? Your flash bathes the eye’s retina, which is saturated with red blood vessels, in bright light. The subsequent reflection results in a bright red spot instead of the normally dark [...]

Funny how most shutterbugs stop after one shot. If its a once in a lifetime shot, an exceptionally cozy moment, or a beautiful place you will never visit again, why not take a couple of different variations of the same photo. It will be worth it if you have to throw away a couple of [...]

Have you ever looked at a photo of yourself or any loved one and thought I wish I (they) would have worn something else that day. No, I am not saying you need to be in a coat and tie or an evening gown every time you go in front of the camera, but be [...]

Is anyone else sick of seeing the group lined up in two rows facing the camera and painting a smile on their faces? These “say cheese” shots are almost never interesting. They do remind us of where we were, what we were doing, and who we were with that day, and for that they are [...]