Photos by Jack and Sue Drafahl

One of the most common bits of advice drummed into new photographers is "get closer to your subject!" In that context, it means that novice shooters generally shoot from too far away, so their subject is lost among all the other stuff in the...

Held in even years, photokina is organized by KolnMesse GMBH in cooperation with the Photographic Industry Association. This "World of Imaging" is being held from Wednesday, September 25th to Monday, September 30, 2002, in Cologne, Germany. This year more than 1600 exhibitors from 45 countries will...

People are among the most popular photo subjects. This month's lesson presents some easy ways to produce better people shots.

1. Don't Just Sit There...
Static portraits—with the subject just slouched there, or stiffly posed, are not terribly appealing. It generally pays to play director as well as photographer when you're photographing people.

Good photographs needn't be complicated.

You can often make better pictures by thinking "simple."

Instead of trying to get as much as possible into the shot, try to include as little as possible. Ideally, you should include everything that adds to the picture, and nothing else. But that's a tall order for those new to photography...