It's important to play! It's easy to get caught up in the bells and whistles of a new camera or lens, but sometimes it's important to let go of the serious side of photography and just goof around. This shot was made with a point and shoot on a lovely spring day in New York's Central Park. No big cameras, no heavy camera bag - just a patch of grass, a new friend and a playful mindset.

© 2007 Chris Richards, Phoenix Digital Photo Academy Instructor

There’s nothing like dramatic light to take a scenic that’s been shot thousands of times to a new level. Impending storms, shafts of sun spotlighting key compositional elements, fire engine red clouds, all qualify but what rides highest on many landscape photographer’s list of most dramatic are rainbows

They have it all - prismatic color, a stormy sky lit by the sun, early morning or late afternoon light, and if you believe in folk tales, maybe a pot of gold. They’re adrenaline pumping phenomena that rev up many photographers’ juices. With each rainbow I’ve encountered over the years, upon completion of the shoot I look to the sky, wink, say thanks, and rush back to the motel to burn a CD and place it in a safe location.

Finding a rainbow requires a number of natural events to occur. First off, the horizon by the setting or rising sun must be clear and the sun needs to be lower than forty two degrees in the sky. With your back to where it rises or sets, turn so your shadow falls directly in front of you so you’re facing one hundred and eighty degrees from the sun. The point at which you now face is known as the antisolar point. This is where the arc of the rainbow will appear providing there is moisture in the sky. When all factors come together, a rainbow materializes. Understandably, they’re not an every day occurrence.

When you’re out in the field and it’s rainy, look toward the horizon of the setting or rising sun. If you see an opening in the clouds, look for a foreground in the direction of the antisolar point that has character or interest and wait. Mount your camera to a tripod to ensure you get a sharp image. If a rainbow shows up, make sure you capture it exhausting all compositional possibilities. Shoot it vertically, horizontally, with a wide angle to take it all in, and with a telephoto to sample portions with the most dramatic color. Use a polarizer to enhance its color but be careful because as you rotate it, you can also eliminate it. Don’t dwell on this as it’s visible through the viewfinder.

© 2007 Russ Burden, Digital Photo Academy Instructor

One of the best ways to ensure that you won’t miss the perfect shot is to buy an extra battery and keep both of them charged.

Make sure you always carry both with you, so when the first one is finished, you can quickly swap it out and keep on snapping.

The best time to be at the beach is sometimes the worst time for taking a great photograph. Direct midday light means great sun-tanning but it is a harsh and unflattering light for photography. Subjects tend to squint and the light bouncing off of sand can fool the exposure meter of your camera into under- or over-exposure. Here are the three best tips for taking better portraits at the beach:

1. Shoot on an overcast day. Cloudy conditions in the middle of the day means a softer, more flattering light and subjects who don't squint.

2. Shoot into the afternoon or setting sun. This is only possible with SLR cameras with full manual controls, because your automatic exposure meter would underexpose the image leading to a silhouetted subject. Shooting at a proper exposure for backlit subjects will reveal even, shadowless skin tones and an blown-out, artistic background.

3. Shoot under a beach umbrella. Professional photographers prefer to shoot under open shade when they have to shoot in harsh mid-day sunlight. Your beach umbrella is a portable shadow that creates the soft, flattering light needed to take a great portrait.

© 2007 Joel Silverman, Digital Photo Academy Instructor

Use a surge suppressor with your system and plug all of the interconnected components into it.

If your TV is mounted on a wall and has a separate power plug, make sure that the outlet has a surge suppressor built in.