Do you only pose them outside, or have you also a setup inside with a camera tent and the like? I only ask because I was wondering about posing some of mine with accessories and wanted to know if you had tried it.

in tips and rules for photography, don’t forget another good rule: don’t be afraid to break the rules!

Great advice regarding the cameras need of light and the time the camera needs to get the shot, and using a tripod. A lot of amateur photographers tend to forget that kind of technical detail and aren’t aware of how that plays into the where their blurry pics come from. Remembering those kind of details would prevent some people from thinking their camera is the problem.

And I have to agree with the framing advice, too. Strongly. Unless you plan on cutting out the subject of your photo in photoshop, photographers need to remember they are taking a whole picture, not just a part of one. Makes such a difference, as can be seen by all your pinky: st photos!

Nice work!

One question: I have a point-and-shoot camera with a macro setting, but it seems to have a very long focus range (if I get close than 3″ to an object, it just won’t focus properly!). Any suggestions on how to get around this problem?

Gaynor – Thanks! :) (That’s my favourite hoodie!) I definitely agree that being aware of your background includes making sure that your background compliments your subject. I think a good example of this is my “ferris wheel” picture, above. I chose that particular toy for that setting because the blue of her hair really complimented the sky, etc. It’s harder for busier backgrounds… but you can also use a shorter depth of field to help blur out the distractions a bit.

Dan – I have used a dSLR, but I really think it’s a whole different beast. There’s a lot more to think about when you’re handling most, if not all, of the control on your camera. If you’re having trouble getting good shots, the best thing is to start simple. As I said to Chris above, you really need to focus on one things – figuring out how the camera properly werks – or it will likely conflict with your ability to try to get a good shot. Alternately, if you have a point-and-shoot camera as well, you can go out and practice framing and taking pictures with it until that part is more second nature… then you can focus on your dSLR. I think reading the manual of your camera (especially a dSLR) and either taking a class or doing some reading on general photography can really help, too… There’s a lot to learn when it comes to the technical aspect of taking pictures.

Have you ever used a dSLR? If so, do you have any advice for using one?

Thank you!