Another great article from Digital Photography School (I assure you, I do read other sites, but they have so many good articles).   This article is  about different stances and camera holding techniques that you can use to reduce camera shake.  This isn’t about special lenses or anything - this is purely a techniques article that everyone can use.

Read the Article:  How to Reduce Camera Shake - 6 Techniques

PS - I took a little license with the name of my post for clarity reasons.

Another great post on Digital Photography School: This time, regular contributor, Jim M. Goldstein garnered some advice from DPS readers in a query he did a few weeks ago. He asked readers to post the best advice that we ever received, and he compiled the top ten tips into one nice article with an appropriate title: 10 Favorite “Best Photo Tips”…By You!

Aside from the fact that one of the selected tips was posted by yours truly, it really is a pretty decent list. I would encourage anyone of any level to visit the list and see if there’s some bit of wisdom they can keep in their minds.

Read the full post: 10 Favorite “Best Photo Tips”…By You!

A photo histogram is basically a graphical representation of the light distribution in a photograph. In its simplest form, it’s is an evaluation of light vs. dark areas within the drawing. There are more complex histograms that also analyze the distribution across a given color channel, but we won’t get into those today. Histograms are commonly misunderstood or even ignored among amateur photographers. For that matter, histograms weren’t available as a consumer tool until digital photography came onto the scene. Now, many cameras can generate an instant histogram from photos you’re taking in the field. This has helped many photographers make quick adjustments on site or in the studio. In this article, I will give a brief introduction to Histograms, and I will explain how they can help you improve your own photography.

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There’s more to photograph at the Zoo than just animals.  Look around!

Same holds true for nearly any location.

Sometimes, you want to take a photo of something, but the lighting is poor and you’re without a good tripod. Say, for example, your tripod is in the car, and you would miss an opportunity if you left to grab it. If your camera is small enough, you can prop it on almost anything and set a timer and you’re set. A tripod would be ideal, of course, but there’s no reason to miss a shot because you don’t have your tripod with you. Use whatever is available. I’ve used plates, books, shot glasses, my camera bag, and the list goes on. If you have a heavy lens on the front of your camera, you will need a spacer of some sort. Use your lens cap or a filter case as a spacer.

Again, the idea is not to replace the tripod. But in a pinch, there’s always something you can use.