Writers who are also photographers

I'm not sure how many of you are also photographers. If you're not, it's a great skill to supplement your writing. Many editors prefer writers who can also provide photos to accompany their articles.

For those who already are, Amazon is offering instant Canon rebates right now. Some lenses are nearly half off, like a $2,400 telephoto lens on sale for $1,360, and another telephoto lens that's normally $970 and is on sale for $560. I would love to grab one of these lenses while they're on sale. hey also have some good deals on Canon digital SLR cameras.

Now if you haven't learned much about photography and feel intimidated by all there is to learn and the cost of equipment, stop right there. It's not as complicated or expensive as it seems. While a digital SLR is great, you can get great pictures perfectly suitable for online publications with a point and shoot that offers basic manual controls. You just need to learn a few basics. I highly recommend Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It explains the basics of photography in a very simple way. I've worked through this book several times and learn something new every time.

If you're not quite ready to learn how to use manual settings, here are a few very basic tips for taking pictures to go along with your articles.

- Keep the sun to your back. When you shoot into the sun, you lose detail, so unless you are trying to capture just an outline, keep the sun behind you.

- Fill the frame. Better a little too close to your subject than a little too far away. Things look farther away in pictures, so get up nice and close and make sure the whole frame is filled with what you're trying to capture.

- Avoid shooting under fluorescent lights if at all possible. Fluorescent lights create poor colors and lots of shadows. Sometimes they can't be avoided, but when you can, do so.

- Keep your elbows at your side. To get a nice clear, steady shot, keep your elbows against your body instead of away from it.

- Shoot from different angles. One wonderful thing about digital photography is that you can take a ton of pictures and just erase the ones that didn't turn out so good. So take advantage and shoot your subject from several different angles. One trick many photographers use to make a common object or scene look different is to shoot it from an unusual angle. Don't be afraid to lay down, get on a ladder or turn the camera sideways to get a great shot.

- Watch the details. Photography is about details. The way the light falls or how the objects in the picture balance or contrast with each other are important elements. Even if you don't know a thing about exposure or the rule of thirds, you can make sure your shots don't have distracting elements. Before you snap, look at the scene or object. Is there a piece of trash on the grass? What's behind the heads of the individuals in the picture? If you change angles will you eliminate something distracting like a street sign?

- Have fun, be creative and practice. Try new things, keep a note of what did and didn't work and study photos in newspapers and magazines to get new ideas.

While learning photography isn't a requirement for a freelance writer, if you have any interest in photography at all I would highly recommend learning the basics. I've landed several jobs that required photos, and earned more from others that didn't by being able to provide good photos to go with whatever I'm writing about. Consider a digital camera an investment, and it will likely pay for itself.