Photo tip of the day – set up “self-assignments!”

Do you have certain things you need or want to improve on photographically? For instance, you may want to learn how to take better portraits. Or maybe you want to learn how to shoot at night, or how to use one single control on your camera that has got you puzzled. Setting up "self-assignments" is a great way to improve those skills. Make appointments with yourself to go out and practice one or two things at a time. Be sure to bring your camera manual with you!  If you are using film, you should also bring a note pad to record what you do. If shooting digital images, all the data is recorded with each image. When you critique your images, you can see what you did that worked and what didn't!