Special Tips for Winter Pictures:  ► Keeping your camera warm is especially important with equipment that depends heavily on battery power.  To combat static marks and possible tearing of chilled, brittle film, always advance and rewind your film slowly and with a steady motion.  ► Don't be dismayed by cloudy, lackluster skies that follow or precede a storm.  Overcast conditions add moodiness to scenes and provide a simple, attractive background.  Your film will be better able to record the full tonal range of landscapes or other scenes, and you will have recognizable detail from the darkest to the lightest parts of the print or slide.  ► Gray skies can get a little tedious visually so consider using a graduated color filter that will color the sky slightly but leave the foreground natural.  ► Look for high vantage points that reduce the amount of sky in the scene, or tilt the camera down to concentrate on subjects in the foreground.  ► Bright-colored subjects have heightened impact against a blank canvas of snow and they will add interest to your photographs.  Reprinted from Kodak Customer Service Pamphlet AC-65 Winter Photography--Better Pictures in the Snow.  (January 2000, "TTL")

Tip for Spring:  "Makin' a List and Checkin' it Twice" -- In our hectic lives (and as we get older) we find ourselves forgetting to bring something important after heading off on an outing.  My wife, Bonnie, and I journey to many destinations on our touring motorcycle, sometimes for five weeks or more in the summer.  We are both teachers.  Like us, you probably have several cameras, bags, and assorted photographic accessories, perhaps 50 pieces or more!  NOW, as Spring is blooming, gather all your equipment, film and memory cards.  Make a "Long" list and a "Short" list -- one for the long trip, and one for the day trip.  Make several copies of each list.  Keep a copy with you as you travel and a copy at home as a record for insurance.  Check your list twice -- a week before your trip, and just before you depart.  You will have piece of mind, and won't get caught short on the road when that one-of-a-kind picture opportunity arises!    April, 2009, Tip of the Month from the Arlington Camera Club website, Jim Roberts.

Tip for Fall:  "Getting Ready for Fall Colors" -- We found several great web sites that provide tips for fall shooting. Two are listed below for you to check out. Several points seem most important: Keep your camera with you all the time. Fall is a short season with great images. Lower sun in the autumn results in a warm and beautiful light giving a soft cast to everything you photograph. The best colors are found very late in the day up through sunset. Light overcast days make for great colors in intimate places (omit the sky). Use the colors of fall to frame, surround, and decorate the subject of your picture. Various lens filters can achieve greater enhancement of your photos in certain situations. Bracket exposures in complex lighting situations. Take your time and have fun!   September, 2008, Tip of the Month from Arlington Camera Club website, Jim Roberts. http://www.dennisglennon.com/PhotoTips_FallPhotography1.html      http://www.jimdoty.com/Tips?Fall_Color/fall_color.html