Has the Silience Been Deafening?

Apologies to those who regularly look for updates and haven't found any. I was busy over the holidays, and then my main photo computer died (and has yet to be resurrected), so I lost easy access to my images. The images are safe, just not easily accessible.

One of the things that has kept me busy was the preparation of a speech for Toastmasters, which i joined last year. I needed to focus on that for a bit. My topic will be of interest to some of my readers, so I will use that material for the next series of posts. The title of my speech was "Improving Your Image: Tips for Using your Pocket Camera". It doesn't matter much what kind of camera you have, these tips a pretty universal.

As you read through these tips, or any others you find, there are two things you can do to make better use of them.

1. Practice making images.  Use the things you have read about about and try to incorporate them into your images. Find out what works for you and what doesn't. One thing about photography, like many other arts, is that rules are meant to be broken. But that often works best if you also learn the rule and how to apply first, and then learn how and when to break it.
   
2. Study other peoples images. These images can be from friends, books, magazines, museums, or online websites like flickr or professional photo galleries. Ask yourself what you like and don't like about the image; and then incorporate what you learn into your own images. As you learn more things you will also be equipped to look for more things within the image. To start with study the light and shadows.

Today's assignment: Study three pictures today and ask yourself why you like about it.