The trouble is, with the amount of cameras around and their ease of use, most people don’t exercise restraint any more. They just point their phone and click, safe in the knowledge it will not cost them extra on their O2 or Orange contracts. They seize every opportunity or simply take photos for the sake of it.

As much as digital photography has revolutionized the ‘Kodak moment’, in a way it might have been better back in the days when there was only a certain amount of film available on a cartridge. You had to choose wisely which moments you decided to capture. And this thought behind the action made them more personal.

When you next celebrate a special occasion with your friends, go out on the town with the girls or get together with your extended family, try and hold back on the photography. Not indefinitely. Just long enough that you can really think about what pictures you want to take. Deliberate over where it ought be taken, who should be in it and why. The phrase ‘less is more’ counts with photography too.

This is not to say that spontaneity is a bad thing. On the contrary, the point-and-click method can work wonders. However, excessive clicking amounts to hundreds of photos that are too blurry, not in focus, have bad lighting or show someone in an unflattering way. And you end up discarding them without a second thought anyway.

The point is, we appear to be losing the technique behind the perfect photo. And that is a shame.

Today, you can have a slim digital camera that can be found in all colors, shapes, and sizes. And, when I say sizes, I mean from small to smaller. As electronics become more and more sophisticated, they also become smaller and thinner to fit the demands of the marketplace.

Small digital cameras have found a very welcome consumer base that is able to feed the appetites of compulsive picture takers. Now you can find mini digital cameras small enough to easily slip in your pocket and you can have it with you 24 hours a day. There is never a reason to miss a photo again. And even if you’ve got the latest and best 35mm DSLR with all the lenses and accessories you can’t have it with you all the time. Consider one of these tiny digital cameras to add to your gear and you’ve really got the perfect ‘walk around’ camera.

Here are some of the many reasons why people tend to lean towards purchasing a slim digital camera:

Super small size – Their size is so small James Bond would be jealous, allowing them to be carried virtually anywhere with very little effort.

High Quality Photos – They have enough mega pixels for you to take any picture and blow it up to almost any size. 10 MP and 12 MP models are available and affordable.

Trendy and Stylish – Yes, they have the tendency to be very trendy and very stylish making them appeal to pretty much everybody. And there is nothing wrong with that, is there?

With top rated company brands like Casio, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Samsung, Panasonic, Kodak, Sony, Fuji, and Olympus marketing their own unique models of slim digital cameras, the variety of available features and styles are almost endless.

Another one of the exciting benefits of owning one of the many slim digital cameras that are available on the market today it that they really do not require any excessive level of specialized training to operate them like those film based cameras of yesteryear did.

Today, almost anyone can pick up a slim digital camera and just take several minutes to familiarize themselves with it before going out and shooting some great pictures pretty much effortlessly.

You can find high quality cameras today that will easily fit in your shirt pocket or will hardly take up any room in your purse or handbag.

One very popular model is the Casio Exilim EX-S12 12MP Digital Camera pictured to the left (click on the picture or this link to check it out at Amazon). This camera is very small but it is a powerhouse for it’s size. It is smaller than a package of cigarettes measuring 3.7 inches wide by 2.2 inches high by 0.6 inches deep. It features 3x Optical Zoom and has a 2.7 inch LCD screen.

If you want a camera that you can always have with you that takes great high quality shots then the Exilim EX-S12 is a great choice. Then throw in the fact that you can also record HD Video clips that you can upload right to YouTube if you want and you’ve got the perfect carry everyday camera!

And if you want to save a little money and still get a perfect slim digital camera that you’ll always have at your fingertips, you should check out the Casio EX-Z33VP 10.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Vibrant Pink) pictured above at the right. This camera looks great in pink, but also comes in black and a pale blue.

Today it is so easy to have a camera that takes great pictures with you at all times. You never need to miss a chance to snap a memory that you might cherish forever. Check out the various slim digital cameras and get yourself one today.

While the trend in cameras has been to see how many more megapixels each manufacturer can squeeze into regular sized cameras, there is a growing trend of small mini sized cameras coming on to the market.

Some of these are small enough to be carried in a usb stick or on a key chain. While most users report that the photo quality of these smallest camera leaves a lot to be desired, there is still a notion in my mind that there is a place for these.

If you had a camera on your key chain, and for the first week or so after you got it you would take a few pictures every day, it would stick in your mind that you have this little gadget in your pocket or purse. The photos they take may not be the finest quality and you hear a lot of criticism when you read the reviews of these products. But it seems that people are really missing the point.

You should not think that if you pay somewhere from $10 to $40 for a little key chain camera or one of the really small mini units that you will get the same quality photos that you would get with a $2,500 Canon or Nikon DSLR. That’s not the point. The point is that they do take usable low to medium resolution photos in normal lighting conditions.

And there are lots of situations where having any type of camera to snap a quick photo would really be a benefit. If you are out shopping and you see something that you might want to consider in the future, snap a quick pick and research it later when you have time. Or if you see a sign in a store window, or spot something you want to remember for later, a quick photo will have enough quality for you to get the information from later.

If you see a news worthy event, or just want a quick shot of some special occasion, you will always have your little camera with you. And it goes without saying that if you would have the bad luck to be in an accident, or witness one, a few pictures of the scene and people involved can be your private record in case you need to refresh your memory later.

These also make excellent gifts for kids and will bring out the James Bond in them.

These types of camera typically use a single AAA battery, so the cost of using it is minimal.

It wasn’t that many years ago when having a camera and taking photos was an expense that forced people to take pictures only for ‘special’ occasions. Things have now radically changed with digital photography. The cost and ease of use of cameras has moved to the point that we should all keep in our minds that anything we see is something that we could instantly record if we just remembered to do it.

The power, quality and ease of use of all digital cameras continues to get better and better. Maybe now is the time for you to do some thinking about the way you use them in your everyday life.

Why do you take photos? To keep them stored on your computer? To spend hours and hours post processing them with Photoshop or some other image processing software? And then saying, “I’ve got to get to bed. I’ll work on these some more tomorrow.”

If this sounds familiar, then you’ll know how I’ve felt about processing photos after I download them from the camera.

About a year ago I made some headway into solving the time it takes to sort lots of pictures when I wrote my PhotoMove program. It automatically sorts photos into folders based on the date the photo was taken (not the file date) and you can’t beat the price, it’s free. Download it and try it out.

But I think I’ve finally realized that our whole mindset has got to change about digital pictures. There are so many tools available to change and edit and adjust and sharpen and resize and fix the photos that we are constantly trying to make them “perfect” and end up never printing them or putting them up on the web for others to see.

So here’s a start on knocking down the “post processing barrier” that we spend so much time on.

After looking at many options, I found a free program that works exceptionally well at resizing images and is extremely fast to use.

The program is called the RIOT – Radical Image Optimization Tool. This is free resizing software but the author does ask for a voluntary contribution. If you can afford it, give the guy a few bucks. This is a nice piece of work.

This program is made for one thing only: Reducing the size of the image file while keeping the highest quality possible based on the size you pick. This allows you to use your photos quickly on your web page or in an email without spending hours getting it ready.

For fun, take a look at these instructions for How to Optimize a Picture for the Web from eHow.com. Can you believe it? Seven (fairly complicated) steps to convert an image.

We are going to be working on ways to allow people to see our photos, in very high quality so we can be proud of them, quickly and immediately so we don’t waste hours on the computer. And the RIOT tool is a great start for our system to accomplish this.

Download the program and give it a try. It’s a riot.

One of the neatest additions that I ever added to my never ending collection of gear was Timer Remote Control for my Canon 20D.

I originally decided to buy it thinking that I would like to try some time lapse photos and then post them to the site as sequences. You can find a number of different places on the web where people have done time lapse, especially night shots and star trails.

They look very cool on the web. But after you spend a few nights out in the wilderness sitting in your parked car waiting for two or three or four hours to go by, the coolness wears off. Time lapse is neat to see, harder to have the time and patience to do.

But I still love this remote because it solved one problem for me forever. It is great for when you are using your tripod and taking shots that are not really long exposures. Everyone has problems with trying not to have the camera move when you press the shutter button when your camera is on the tripod. But you don’t have any problems if you use a remote.

Now, every time I use my tripod, I just automatically plug this remote in. It has a shutter release button right on it and it completely eliminates any camera shake. I used to goof around with mirror lock up and trying to remember how to set that and then forget to change the shot mode to single rather than continuous, etc.

Using this remote just makes it so simple. (It really works for fireworks!)

It’s a little pricey using it how it turned out for me, but you can check on Amazon (the little picture above is linked to them). They show their other options for less expensive remotes also.

However, if you think you ever want to get into time lapse, this remote has really got it all. And I’m still glad I’ve got it in my bag. Someday I might even get the hankering to go back out and try those star trail time lapses again.

In days of old, you assumed that to get good interior photography shots you needed a van load of lighting equipment and all the associated paraphernalia to properly light a room and get good quality photos. Now, with the ability to receive instant feedback from your camera, you can make shots that would have been difficult to take with film in the past.

Recently I was visiting a friend who is a professional kitchen designer. He mentioned that he had just completed a nice kitchen project that turned out very well. He said he would have liked to submit photos of the job to his local association’s design contest but the submission deadline was only a few days away and he didn’t have time to have the photos professionally shot.

Of course when I heard that I immediately said “I’ve got my camera with me. Let’s run over and give it a go!”

(In the future I will have to remember to look before I leap.)

We arrived at the home in the middle of an extremely hot and bright June day. And the kitchen had a large southern facing window above the sink that did not have any type of blinds. One part of the room was as bright as a supernova and the other corners seemed terribly dark by comparison.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to get some decent shots thinking that I could use my flash to ‘over power’ the sun. But a SpeedLite is no match for midday sunlight.

Finally I decided to try something different. We found a few pieces of cardboard and blocked the window as best we could. Then we turned on all the room lights to their highest settings. I mounted the camera on my tripod and took a number of shots at low ISO and an F11 stop without using the flash.

While the results would probably make a pro laugh, I was fairly amazed at how the photos turned out. The shot above (click on the picture for a larger view) was shot at a setting of 15 seconds at F11, ISO 100. The bright kitchen window is just off to the right. And even though it looks like you see the regular sun reflected in the range hood, this was just the amount of bright sun that sneaked by the edges of the cardboard during that long exposure.

So here’s a way to manipulate lighting without carrying around a ton of lighting equipment. Instead of trying to add light to even things out, take it away and use a longer exposure. If I would have had more time that day, I can see now how I could have adjusted the lighting for any part of  the interior shot by ‘taking away’ light.

If you have to do an interior photography shot ‘on the spur of the moment’, use whatever you have a available to block light that is too bright to even out your light sources and you’ll come away with a nice result. Don’t worry about how dark it gets. The camera doesn’t care and it’s just a matter of taking a longer exposure. In my opinion, the cost for roll of masking tape and some cardboard sure beats the price of big set of lighting gear. And it’s a lot easier to carry around!

• Take lots and lots of shots. The change to digital photos from film in photography has given anyone who wants to improve their photo skills a tremendous gift. Learning how to take good pictures with a digital camera is much easier than it would have been in the old days of film. When you’re taking pictures don’t just stop at the standard snapshots that are normally taken. Walk around, experiment, try anything. Since there is no film to buy or processing to wait for you can see your results as soon as you download your pictures. Carefully go through your shots looking at what is good and what is bad. You can learn a lot from the immediate feedback you get with digital.
• Look at the LCD or through the viewfinder before you click the shutter. An old friend of mine that taught me a lot about photography had a saying, ‘Look, then click’. If you remember this one piece of advice I guarantee the quality of your photos will immediately improve. Really ‘look’ at the picture you are going to take. This is especially true if you’re taking a picture of a person or a group of people, look at the whole picture before you take the shot. Too many times we focus on our subject and forget about everything else. Make sure the background and foreground don’t have items or objects that will ruin the shot.
• Always be on the lookout for a good photo. Keep your camera handy and as many times as you can during the day try to look at things as a camera would see them. And when your ‘camera eye’ says this would be a great shot, do it. Every photo you take, even if it doesn’t turn out to be as good as you thought it would, gives you feedback and the opportunity to learn for your future photos.
• Get in closer. Yes, I know every thing you read about photography repeats this over and over. But it is so true. If you are at the Grand Canyon with a group of people decide first if you want pictures of the scenery or of the people. If you want to take a photo of the group, use your best skills to pose them nicely and then get up close and take their photos. The photo will show the scenery a little in the background, but your aim was to record the people. If you want to show that the group of people are at the Grand Canyon and you want to include a large shot of the scenery, pose them differently so that they are included in the picture but acting naturally enjoying their experience and go for the ‘large view’ shot without worrying about getting everyone’s faces or smiles. (You’ll have that in the close up.)
• And finally, read your camera manual. I know you did that when you first got the camera. Now dig it out and read it again. You will be surprised by what new and interesting information you will find. Do it now, trust me. Things that you skimmed or didn’t completely understand or remember when you first looked at the manual will now make sense. Most people don’t use many of the excellent features and options that are available on modern digital cameras just because they look at the manual once and never again. Learn the tool that is your camera. It’s a wonderful machine.

So try some of the ideas above out. And if you want a few more, here is an earlier post I wrote about taking good digital pictures. I was so happily amazed when I first had the realization of how much faster and easier it was to improve my photos skills when I changed to digital.

If you’ve got some good tips you’d like to share or questions about some of these ideas, leave a note in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

Our wonderful economy sure has taken us all for a lovely ride, hasn’t it? The past couple of years have been very trying for most people and much worse than that for others. My heart goes out to those who have suffered financially through no fault of their own.

And when times are tough, it’s harder to find the time and money for recreation and hobbies.

But our digital cameras give us an almost ‘free’ way of getting some instant karma and some of our good feelings back. If you remember the days of film cameras, remember all the costs and extra time that used to be involved in taking photos? Now we don’t have to pay for film or processing. Or wait to see our results.

So grab your camera. Here are some ideas that not only will assure you of some good pictures, but will definitely help your mood.

• Take your camera for a walk. Get outside for even a 10 or 15 minute walk. Then really look at what you see. You’ll find something that will make a great photo. Maybe it will be a close-up of something with a striking design, or the way the light and shadows play on the street or sidewalk, or something with colors that you miss on ordinary days. See what you can find within a block or two of your house. You might surprise yourself. And if not, your camera will thank you for the chance to get out!
• Find your children. It doesn’t matter what they’re doing. Use your skills to take some great shots of them in their current normal day to day activities. In the future candid shots like this will tell more of a story than the typical birthday and holiday photos. And when you look back on them in the future, you’ll be glad you did this.
• Do you cook? (If you don’t you’ll have to stop by the store for this one.) Whip up a favorite treat for your someone you haven’t seen for a while. Maybe it’s your Mother or another family member. Or one of your friends who could use a boost. Take it to them and record the event with your camera. You’ve got the skills to create a memorable shot. You’ll feel better, they’ll feel better, and the best of all will be the memories because you used your camera.
• Grab your camera bag and gear and give it a good cleaning and sorting through. Get the accumulated dust and grime off everything. Sort through your gear and get it reorganized so you’re ready the next time you think of grabbing the camera. (And maybe now your would use that polarizing filter because you’ll know where to find it.) I know this sounds like work, but if you would spend 15 or 20 minutes doing this now I guarantee you’d be a lot happier. And you can be proud of yourself!
• Pick a hobby or project that a family member or friend is involved in and is proud of. Is someone growing a garden, or flowers? Is your buddy rebuilding a car, or your friend making a quilt? Use your camera to take some great shots. Process them and send by email so they will be able to share the photos with their friends and family. (And if you’ve got a few extra bucks, print an 8X10 and put it in an inexpensive frame and give them a copy of your best shot.) Do this and you might be amazed at how much better you feel.

Like a leaf floating down the river, we go on day by day repeating our same routines over and over. Bust out of that routine, if even for a few minutes, and you will be glad you did.

Then, never let yourself be a leaf again.