Why is it so difficult to capture mountain images like the ones we see in those lavishly-produced coffee table books? Is it just down to equipment, or is the photographer simply better at it than we are? Was he just lucky with the weather that day? And if so, why am I never that lucky? Well, luck does come into it, having the right equipment is a necessity, and if the weather's not right, there's not a lot you can do about it, but you don't have to be a John Cleare or Colin Prior to produce fantastic mountain images that will capture the essence of your perfect day in the hills.

Image sharpness can mean different things to different people. For the purposes of this article, sharpness is the crispness of a given photograph. It's the clarity of detail in a photo, and it's made of resolution and acuteness.

Most of the time, you'll want to get the sharpest image out of your camera possible. I say most of the time because there are instances where blur is a good thing. But for now, we'll assume you want a good crisp photo. Sharpening a photo can be done in the post-processing, but it's best to limit the amount of software sharpening because it can yield poor results if abused. The following 6 tips are things you should keep in mind before you release the shutter:

Up and down, black and white, big and little are all obvious examples of opposition. But there is one form of opposition that many people overlook. If I take a black crayon and draw, say a dog, on a white piece of paper, what happens? You look at it and say: "Oh, how cute." But what happens if I take that same black crayon and draw on a black piece of paper? More than likely, nothing will happen. You may not even be aware there's anything to look at. Why? The reason you may not notice anything is because the background is more dominant than the simple line drawing in the foreground.

High Dynamic Range images are a fairly recent subject matter. It is fair to say that HDR should be an area of Photography all to itself. In case you, the reader are not familiar with HDR, I will be sure to give a recap. While HDR is primarily photography, I consider it to be a mixed medium art, because of the digital processing which takes place after the images have been captured.

Technology is a beautiful thing. Every year hundreds of new or enhanced products are produced. Digital camera manufacturers come out with new models a couple times a year, each company trying to outdo the other. They've gone crazy with the variety of scene modes that are being added to new cameras.

Digital camera scene modes are a simple way for you to "tell" the camera what type of picture you are taking. The camera will then optimize the settings for that particular shot. Some modes change how colors are recorded, others change whether or not the flash fires. The trend now is to add special effects and things that you'll probably never use.

We’ve all heard about foreground and background. Generally the foreground is where you find the main subject. The background is, well . . . in the back. It’s just back behind everything else, right? Wrong! The background is just as important and in some cases even more important than the subject itself. How is that even possible you ask?

Take for example a picture of a car. If it was shot in a studio, the background could be entirely blank. That would make the car very important in the shot. If you shot that same car in the middle of a parking lot while it was full of other cars, your car becomes almost insignificant.

Shutter speed is perhaps the most creative adjustment available to the digital photographer. It allows us to freeze action or use motion blur to create a variety of effects, and is expressed in seconds or fractions of seconds depending on the length of exposure.

A high shutter speed (1/1000 of a second or higher) can freeze even very fast moving objects dead in their tracks. However, you will need to keep a couple of things in mind...

Like most photographers I know, I too have had a love affair with taking photographs of nature. For some of us; it’s here that we first start to feel self confident about our photography. After all, most trees don’t wiggle and complain and scream out “I’ve got to go potty!” Rocks and streams rarely worry if their makeup is just right. Admittedly some birds and bees do move around as fast as basketball and football players; but over all things are much slower when dealing with Mother Nature as your subject. Sometimes at dusk, if your subject is the sun, it does feel like he’s rushing off to another meeting, but that’s OK. When you think in terms of Nature as your subject you have the world’s greatest model. She will let you shoot as often as you want and at whatever angle you want. In fact, she often invites you to try new things.

Whether you’re taking a short day trip or going halfway around the world, there are things besides a destination and a camera that can ensure you return home with a collection of wonderful photographs. Here are 10 travel photo tips to help you do just that.

1. Look For Local Cultural Events because these can make for some great photo opportunities.

2. Carry A Wide-Range Zoom (28-200mm) to reduce weight and still have plenty of focal range. Bringing a lot of lenses can really weigh you down.

When you are faced with a landscape before you, where should you point your camera lens too? Where are your points of reference and which objects should be the focus points? To have a good composition within the photo, you will need to know how to make use of some simple techniques to get the best result. Below are four simple compositional rules of engagement which you can consider.

Use of Lines. Lines are used so as to lead the eye to the main subject in the frame. Lines in the landscape can be created from row of trees, a fence, a pathway or bending of rivers. For example, a pathway starting in the foreground could run into the frame franked by two rows of trees by the side and lead to a majestic castle in the distance.