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It was years ago Sharon Maurice Natomagan picked up her first camera. I think it was a Polaroid” Sharon says, “it was when I was about 12 years old when I first discovered photography”. After discovering how to take pictures, Sharon fell in love with it. “My pictures are everything to me” Sharon says, “taking pictures helped me get through some difficult times in my life.” A lot has changed since then. Now digital cameras make it so much easier for the youth to go out and use the cameras. We don’t need to develop the pictures like we had to back in the day says Sharon. "They basically can go out and take as many pictures a they want". The local photography club in town offers free cameras and equipment including a studio space for youth to sit down, talk about why they took the pictures they did, and edit them together. Sharon works at the Pinehouse Health Centre as a Public Health Educator and is currently one of six people on the board of directors for the Pinehouse Photography Club. “Using photography really helped me get through some tuff times when I was a kid so I can relate to what some of the youth might be going through” Sharon says. “Helping kids now with therapeutic photography really makes me feel good”. Sharon and one of her colleague’s from the Pinehouse Health Clinic, Verna Iron, recently took a group of 13 youth from the photography club to Meadow lake aquatic center as a token of appreciation for their hard work. “Things like this happen because of people who support the club and donate” Sharon says. Sharon says she plans on doing more with the youth and the club and has even offered her cabin for youth retreats in the summers. “Seeing these kids happy with smiles on their face is really rewarding” Sharon adds. The Pinehouse Photography Club uses therapeutic photography to help youth heal from trauma. The club uses it to help prevent mental health problems by using the camera as a tool for the youth to see beauty in life. For more information, you can follow them on their Facebook group or their website.

If you happen to follow my page and were ever interested in how I take my pictures and what I do to edit them, this is where you can find out exactly how I do it. It's not difficult or does it take a lot of time. Equipment: 1. Camera: I have cycled through a few cameras, from crop sensors Nikon d3300 to my current full frame Nikon d800. My full frame def allows less grain which is one of the reasons I prefer it, but crop sensor cameras do an amazing job too. 2. Lens: I have tried numerous lenses but for wide angle shots of the milky way or northern lights, I prefer my Tameron 2.8 15-35mm 3. Tripod: I use the sturdy Manfrotto duel - best piece of equipment I own 4. Memory card: faster the best: but for most pictures I just use Lexar 64gb 300X Settings: 1, I turn everything off from the lens and camera: VC off, autofocus off, on the camera auto ISO off, noise reduction off, long exposure noise ratio off. I prefer that if any edited is needed, I do it later in Lightroom. After it gets dark, I walk outside and set the camera/tripod up and use live view to find a star or maybe a distant street light to focus manually on. I usually digitally zoom as much as I can and then I use the lens to manually make that circle the smallest I can/sharpest. After this is done I am ready. I just have to be careful not to bump the lens. Therefore I usually look at every 4th or 5th picture I take to make sure it's still in focus. The last thing you want to do, and I have seen others do it often, is come back after a night of shooting and all your pictures are blurry sort of speak. Often I refocus 1/2 way through on a star :just in case". After the camera is all set I go out and take multiple picture...the more the merrier in my eyes lol. When is comes to setting on the camera, I always use manual everything. ISO usually starts out anywhere from 100-6400 all depending on how dark it is outside. The one thing that is constant is the fstop - it's always wide open at 2.8. If pictures seem a little dark, I bump up ISO a tad and increase the shutter time. Most shoots of the northern lights I will have fstop at 2.8, ISO at 1600 and shutter speed at 8 secs..depending. One of the secrets is not having pictures underexposed which is one of the biggest issues I see, second to accidentally pumping the tripod (or a cheap tripod for that matter), and then over exposing. I used to worry about grain in my pictures so I had a tendency to increase the shutter time more than pumping up ISO but often that creates star trails...so if you can help it, try to keep the shutter speed less than 15 secs and increase ISO if the pictures still seem too dark. I would personally have a picture a tad brighter then a little too dark. After all said and done and you go home to check out your pictures, I upload them all onto my computer then open them using Lightroom. With Lightroom, there isnt much I often do: Lightroom settings: 1. Go to develop and scroll down to Lens Correction Check "Remove Chromatic Aberration" Check "Enable Profile Corrections" 2. Work your way back up to Profile and drag color up to 60-80 for northern lights pictures Noise reduction 60-75 (Really important for grain) Sharpening: I use the preset for Faces 3. Then up to Basic: I just usually leave the rest alone but sometimes I might darken highlights if they are over exposed. Like I said, I am usually done here except this is where I would ensure the picture to straight Secondary Editing This is my fav part I go to the folder and edit the picture with Windows, enhance I select 1/2 way then go to adjust and bring the "light" all the way down. And your done! This last editing really brings out of the stars :) Lastly, When it comes to editing I often remove a lot of of the grain so I like to use a lot of noise reduction. Nothing worse in my eyes then seeing a grainy picture of the northern lights. I wouldn't do this for daytime photography and actually I often dont do any.. unless its of the northern lights. I hope this helps. I have learned everything from trial and error and reading/watching videos. All the knowledge to do aurora borealis photography is at your finger tips with the world wide web! Practice practice practice! Good luck.

When And Where Can I See the Northern Lights? Have you ever wanted to take pictures of the northern lights but just didnt know how? It's actually pretty easy. The legendary Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) is one of the most beautiful and spectacular natural phenomena in the world, visible in the higher latitudes of the Northern hemisphere. That means one of the best places to see the Northern Lights is in Canada. Viewing this natural light show is easier than you’d think! From August to May, the Northern Lights bejewel the night sky in the Canadian Arctic, against a backdrop of incredible scenery and possible rare wildlife sightings. You can use any camera with an option for Manual settings. Following these steps, most modern cameras will produce beautiful digital photos for on-screen purposes. Step 1: Set to Manual Set your camera to Manual. Set your lens to Manual. Turn off Image Stabilization (typically the button next to ‘manual’ on your lens). Turn your Flash setting to OFF! Why must I use the Manual settings? Automatic settings are great in daylight, when the camera can sense and measure it’s surrounding. But cameras don’t see in the dark, and thus the Automatic setting is useless in Northern Lights conditions. If you leave your lens set to Automatic, it will continuously zoom in and out in a failed attempt to find focus in the dark. And because of the dark it will want to use the flash; to read the area. Your flash, however, is a harsh light pollutant and will wash out the Northern Lights and temporarily blind everyone around you. Make sure your flash is set to OFF. Step 2: ISO setting ISO 1600 is a good start What does the ISO setting do? This is what controls the light sensitivity of your ‘film’. Some of you may remember a pre-digital era when you had to choose a different ISO film for different occasions. ISO 100 or lower for sunny days and ISO 200-400 for cloudy days. Digitally, now it’s a turn of a button. The ISO button. The higher the ISO, the less light you need to “develop” a picture. But beware; with higher ISO comes lower quality. Most modern cameras do well with ISO 1600 (or even more) without compromising quality. Older cameras may produce grainy photos on ISO above 400/800. Step 3: Aperture = f-stop f-2.8 or the lowest f-number you can get What does the aperture do? The aperture, or f-stop (f-2.8, f-4, f-5,6 etc) on your camera tells you how widely your lens is open = the size of the opening letting light through the lens. This you can adjust by setting the f-stop. Confusingly, the lower the f-number, the bigger the opening. For Northern Lights photography we want the biggest opening (the lowest f-number) possible on our camera. Because: the more light your lens can take in = the lower shutter speed you can use = the quicker you can capture your shot = the more detail you can get in your Northern Lights image (because the lights are constantly moving). Step 4: Shutter speed 10 sec. is a good start What does the shutter speed do? Shutter speed = exposure time = the time your lens is open and absorbing light. You will need to adjust the shutter speed as the strength of the Northern Lights changes through an evening. For example: Soft lights = 10-30 sec. shutter speed. Strong lights = 1-6 sec. shutter speed. Step 5: Use a Tripod Mount your camera on a tripod Why do I need a tripod? Holding your breath and keeping very very still is not gonna cut it. You may be taking your photo for 30 seconds, that’s half a minute. Maybe it will even be windy. Bottom line: you will move = your photo will be blurry. So use a tripod. It can be as minimal as you like, it just needs to not be a living, breathing human body… as you will hopefully be in spite of the cold conditions Step 6: Zoom & Focus Zoom out (lowest mm setting on your lens) Here are some focus-finding options: Set to the infinity symbol, if you have one: ∞ Pre-set your focus during the day Zoom in on a star or the Moon/star, set the focus and zoom back out “But my camera has auto-focus” Not in the dark. Get to know your manual focus options. If you have the infinity option (∞), great. But test it, it may not be exact. Ideally, find your focus during daylight hours, and either memorie it or make a mark on your lens rim (use tape, white marker, Tippex etc.). And always zoom out completely, the Northern Lights occupy a large space in the sky, and we want to capture as much of it as we can. Step 7: Remotely release the shutter Use a remote control, or a 2 sec. self-timer, or an app. Why can’t I just push the shutter button? Earlier, we talked about the problems of being a living, breathing human body. Every time you touch your camera you will shake it, causing a possible blur in your photo. This is also applicable when you push the shutter-release button. Remote control is best. 2 sec. self-timer is also good. Some cameras can use apps. What next? Try out all these Northern Lights Photography settings before going out on your hunt. Get to know your camera. Once you are out, set everything up and do some test shots. Adjust the settings as needed. If your image is too bright, lower your shutter speed or ISO. If your image is too dark, up your shutter speed or ISO. It’s as simple as that! Replacement batteries? Normally not needed for a 3-4 hours night out Northern Lights hunting. But, if your camera is highly technical or if you will be using an app, you may be needing 1-2 extra batteries. Want a picture of yourself under the Northern Lights? No problem, it’s actually quite easy! You will need a friend and a strong flashlight, or ideally a manually operated camera flash (don’t attach it to your camera, just hold it behind the camera and shoot manually). Use all the same settings as above for the Northern Lights. And then the aim is to freeze the subject, you, in motion. As a living, breathing human being you can’t stay completely motionless for the duration of exposure time. So: You stay as still as humanly possible during the whole exposure time. Anywhere during the exposure time your friend flashes you with a quick light. Do some test shots to get used to the method and find the best lighting. Et voila! You have a photo of yourself under the Northern Lights! Information obtained from https://happyworld.is/northern-lights-photography-settings/

Look up: Saskatchewan Canada is becoming one of the best places in the world to gaze at the cosmos. For all 10 reasons here, we look at photography. As our view of the night sky has degraded over the past 15 years or so, astronomy clubs, parks services and governments around the world have been creating dark-sky preserves and astronomy parks where local ordinances defend the night against city light pollution. Saskatchewan Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, is a display of lights moving across the northern skies in a wave of colors. There are Saskatchewan tour groups and wilderness resorts which provide a front row seat for sightseeing this natural phenomenon. The light show attracts people from all around the world to the northern regions of Saskatchewan, Canada every year. The best viewing months are during the months of October to March. It is then when the skies glow with green, yellow, blue or red waves of color. The wave of colored lights of the Aurora Borealis is a chemical reaction. The lights are created form the mixture of electromagnetic radiation (beamed down from the sun) and the earths atmosphere. The Northern Lights are the result of the gases mixing together high above our heads. The Saskatchewan tour groups and resorts in the north provide accommodations, meals and transportation to the Northern Lights viewing grounds. Accommodations could be a lodge or cabin. Transportation to the site could be in the form of cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling or dog sledding. 10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT THE SASKATCHEWAN for aurora borealis photography: 10. Southern Saskatchewan - our tenth place for seeing the northern lights in Saskatchewan is anywhere above Estevan and below Prince Albert 9. La Ronge 8. Stanley Mission 7. Pelican Narrows/Sandy Bay 6. Pinehouse Lake 5. Buffalo Narrows 4. Southend 3. Fond du Lac 2. Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park 1. Stony Rapids

It has been a very cloudy and cold winter so far in Pinehouse Lake Saskatchewan. Most days and evenings have been cloudy and not the right settings for night photography. "It has been really tough waiting everyday and every night to go out" says Dre Erwin, President of the Pinehouse Photography Club (PPC). "Photography gives myself and others an opportunity to not only learn a new skill, but gives us the opportunity to seek beauty and find happiness" says Erwin. "Not having the lights really does impact my own mental health as well". The last 3 nights Pinehouse saw clear skies and northern lights! "Finally" says Charlene Halkett, PPC member and volunteer. Over the last 3 nights, 5-6 members of the PPC were able to get out and do night photography, some of them for the first time ever. 9 year old Aliyah Smith was one of them. Along with other members, Aliyah quickly learned how to take pictures of the northern lights. "It was so much fun. I just didn't wanted to stop even though my toes were really cold the first night" said Smith. "Doing night photography can seem intimidating at first because it requires some different equipment and techniques. But what we want to do to teach youth that it isn't that hard with the right direction" says Erwin. The PPC organized in Pinehouse Lake and a branch of the Canadian PhotoHealth Authority, using therapeutic photography to help teach photography to youth and use the skill to help them answer questions such as "How does taking this picture make you feel? What do you want other people to think/feel when they see this picture? How does taking pictures and being apart of this club help with your own mental health? For Aliyah, "photography makes me feel happy!!" "I want other people to think how amazing it is up here and I want them to see what I have done and I am just 9 years old", Smith. "We want youth to be proud of their community and we want them to practice seeing the good in life," says Erwin. "The more one looks for positivity, the more they will attract it in their own lives". For the youth and members of the PPC, this is what they aim to do not only in Pinehouse, but all over the country. "Being in the club is awesome! I love photography especially with the northern lights and it makes me feel happy and I forget about any bad thoughts or feelings I might have", Smith. "When we were ready to leave, it was Aliyah who didn't want to stop lol" says Erwin. "She really enjoyed it!". "It is what the youth in Pinehouse are asking for...more of this!" Situated in Pinehouse Lake, the PPC aims to provide cameras, equipment, and training to anyone in the community. "It's been a long, tough uphill battle at times" says Erwin. "Often we don't have enough volunteers to help either!" "It doesn't matter where I go, the gym, to the store, or messaging me on Facebook, youth are constantly asking me "When is the studio open?" When can we go out and take pictures?" says Erwin. "As a primary care nurse I have my own commitments and obligations but I see what the club is doing for youth as such an innovative way to help prevent mental health issues in the future!". "It is the youth that really matter and their mental health so even though it's often very challenging, to me it is so worth it!" says Erwin How can your community start a therapeutic photography club?

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca Twitter: @princealbertnow It has been one of the most dazzling winter and spring times in years for observing the Northern Lights, and a man in northern Saskatchewan is getting plenty of traction with his exceptional photography. His work is also making an impression well beyond the camera lens. For the past six years since he came to town, Dre Erwin, a primary care nurse in the community of Pinehouse, has been focusing his spare time—and some very late nights—on taking breathtaking images, including of the skies in one the best places on earth to capture the Aurora Borealis. He also runs a photography club for youth. Last month a video he took even made it onto a popular internet viral video show in the U.S. “People thought we were nuts going out in minus 50 degrees, but nothing stops us from getting a good light show,” Erwin told paNOW, noting he and some of the more intrepid younger adults he’s helped mentor through his photo club accompany him for nature’s late night visual extravaganzas. “In the years I’ve been here, that was probably the most phenomenal Aurora display I’ve seen. To get it on live video was pretty amazing.” Erwin’s website and Facebook page offer an array of captivating images and has offered some live Facebook streams for people to follow. Given his professional background as a nurse, it’s not surprising he takes a philosophical approach to his art and its healing properties, labelling his work with the youth ‘therapeutic photography.’ “After going through personal turmoil six years ago, I moved up here and I started to realize so many people—including myself—have a tendency to focus on the negative and what’s bad in life, and that draws a lot of negative emotions,” he explained. “When we go out to take pictures of the Northern Lights then we’re focusing on what’s good in life.” He said the sharing of still and video images and the feedback they all get from the broader online community is special. “It changes your perception on the world. If you’re focusing on the beauty in life that seems to be what you start to attract in life.” Erwin said, during his work at the local health clinic, he would notice youth coming in with mental health problems, not dissimilar to challenges in other communities, and asked himself what more could he do? Now, the photography club has 200 members and offers thousands of dollars in quality equipment to youth to rent out for free. “The photography is a means of youth getting out, connecting with nature, having positive role models, and focusing on what’s good in life. And when you start focusing on what’s good in life with the camera lens, soon enough you start seeing it on a day-to-day basis and that brings joy and happiness to me and others.” Erwin calls the initiative a ‘good addiction.’ It’s hard to imagine a better distraction and more mesmerizing pastime than training your eyes and your camera on the extraordinary dancing lights that illuminate northern Saskatchewan’s own back yard. glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca Twitter: @princealbertnow

Slow down and take extra time with their travels. Especially if you’re in active wildlife corridors like valleys, somewhere that’s close to trees or tall grass – places that animals want to hide. Last year, 387 people were injured and three people died in just under 13,000 vehicle collisions with deer and moose.

When it comes to mental health problems, say depression and anxiety, most of what is offered are responses to the problems such as medications, support, and counselling. We look at getting verbal help when we deal with things like depression or anxiety. But most often, we are left after wondering "now what!?" "If I didn’t find out about you guys I would probably be doing cuts on my arms and I would be probably still in my depression putting myself down," -Keara Tinker, youth photographer. There are so many reasons why photography can be therapeutic. Photography can be used as a way of expressing yourself with the use of a camera. Without even saying a word, people can take pictures to express their emotions and feelings. Youth are encouraged to go outside, connect with nature and get physical exercise. "I love going outside and exploring, looking for things to take pictures of," Tinker. They come to the club, meet new people, make new friends and bonds with others. "It feels like our own little family" Louis Iron, youth photographer. Photographs often allow positive feedback from others, which can be huge when going through depression or dealing with anxiety. "Kids share their pictures on social media, they get likes and messages from people all over the country," Dre Erwin, President of the Pinehouse Photography Club. "Having the club and all of you support me encourages me to do more and start helping others to do the same." -Charlene Halkett, photographer With so many youth feeling isolated and alone especially in northern and rural communities, "having this positive feedback, something they created, is such a rewarding experience for us all", Erwin. “Keeping your emotions all locked up is something that’s unfair to you. When you clearly know how you feel. You should say it.” — Taylor Swift Those that practice therapeutic photography begin to see life in a different way. "I never seen Pinehouse the way I see it now" says Angelina Ratt, youth photographer. It provides a shift in perspective (you’re literally looking through a new/different lens, often seeing the world differently). "Photography helped me a lot in life. Before, I was going through depressing and negative thoughts all the time" -Louis Iron Using photography helps give people a positive focus. It begins to help, especially youth, in how they perceive the world around them. Youth practice focusing through the lens, say to get a clear or sharp picture, eventually they begin to apply this technique to everyday life. "The more you look for beauty, the more you practice looking for the perfect shot, the more you see in even without the camera in front of your face," Dre Erwin, President of the Pinehouse Photography Club. Focusing through the camera leads to "increased ability to focus in your life and focus on what positive things that you want in your life. "It is the law of attraction" Erwin. "What you think of the most is what you will attract," -Erwin When youth begin practicing this, they begin to always looks for beauty and the perfect shot, "wherever they are and whatever they are doing, they begin to focus on what is good in life, and no so much on what is bad or maybe what happened in the past" Erwin. "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks he becomes." – Gandhi Photography acts as non-verbal communication, which can be huge when dealing with issues like depression or anxiety that are hindered by stigma. "So many of our youth have never talked about thoughts of suicide or depression with anyone before. This is so enlightening to see how photography opens the door to talking about your thoughts and feelings" Erwin. Youth begin expressing themselves through their pictures, a perfect opportunity for self expression and reflection. "We ask youth questions like 'what inspired you to take these pictures; how do they make you feel and what were you thinking and feelings when you took them; how do you want others to feel when they see them.'' Erwin. Therapeutic photography also works like a form of meditation for the youth. It provides them like a “flow” state with photography, but often it simply helps youth to focus externally — rather than getting caught up in the thoughts racing through their mind. "Photography was my escape from the pain I was going through. Whenever I was having a bad day, I knew I could always go to my camera" -Chris Triffo, Wavelength Director Photography can be a connection to your subconscious mind, helping youth to discover powerful personal insights about the cause behind their depression. Often the answers we seek externally are found within us. For more information, you can contact the PPC here or visit their Facebook group.

“Most of the these youth have never had this opportunity to go to BC before. Many of them haven't barely even left their home community of Pinehouse, so we were very excited to do this for them” Dre Erwin, President of the Pinehouse Photography Club. "I love the PPC family!!!" -Tyson Ratt Sponsored by Six Rivers Fund, 13 youth were given the opportunity to do photography this summer at Tie Lake, British Columbia, close to the USA border. With the power of taking pictures, youth learned the value of group therapy and using the camera to talk about their personal feelings and emotions. Often the youth would take pictures, then come back and talk about them, what inspired them to take the pictures, reflecting on their thoughts and emotions. The club was also sponsored by the Community Initiatives Fund (CIF) and was awarded $9000 towards the purchase of 30 Nickon CoolPix cameras. "These cameras are so easy to use, the quality is amazing, and the youth just love using it," Mallory Lariviere, program director. Louis Iron, 16 year old who attended the trip says "the pictures are amazing and we can connect using WIFI and Bluetooth to our Ipads and phones." "I was so happy being there" - Dakota Natomagan, youth participant The Pinehouse Photography Club (PPC) uses therapeutic photography with youth to help start the conversation about mental health. Jonathan Durocher, a 13 year old who attended, says he loved the trip. "I really miss it and wish we could do it again right away", says Durocher. Durcocher was one of 13 youth, between the ages of 13-18 from the Pinehouse Photography Club (PPC) had the adventure of a lifetime this past summer as they all got chosen out of a hat to go for a week. "I dont think about being sad or depressed when we are taking pictures. BC was so amazing and I made so many new friends," Durocher. "I was able to feel like myself and open up about my feelings" -Louis Iron Therapeutic photography provides youth with an outlet to express their feelings and emotions. "Having all these youth together with us, we were able to spend some quality time with them for an entire week," Erwin. "We could be out taking pictures together, relaxing at the cabin, or in the vehicle, but we all had the opportunities to share a lot of personal things. We all shared a lot of laughs and even tears," Erwin. "I really feel like I am important now. Photography really did save my life" -Keara Tinker, youth participant. Youth were all given an all expenses paid trip to BC and back. A lot of fundraising was needed. Jon Ray Durocher, volunteer and Vice President of the PPC, "We all worked tirelessly for months before the trip, making and selling pizzas, selling ice cream, so we could provide the kids with some spending money too". Youth ended the trip in west Edmonton mall and were all given $100 each for spending money there. Shortly before arriving back in Pinehouse, youth were able to witness and take pictures of the northern lights. "It was such an amazing way to end the trip," Zackary Warren, youth participant. Louis Iron was just talking about the recent suicide of his step father. "And then I get a chance to see these lights and take pictures of them. It was like a sign from him that everything will be ok", Iron. For final evaluation, youth were asked to write short evaluations about their experiences and how it helped with their mental health. This also included depression scoring and follow up. For more information and to see their personal stories, you can join their club on Facebook.

"Adam" phenomenon was recently witnessed in the early hours of Aug 26th, 2018 near Pinehouse Lake, Saskatchewan. Clouds occupied most of the sky until about 1am when a group of aurora hunters backed up their gear and drove all across town and out into the country to get their shots. Aurora hunter Jon Ray describes what he saw: "Well we were out late last night and all through the morning when we witnessed this wriggly part of Steve. That's when we decided it needed a name too. So what better name then Adam and Steve lol". Jon says Steve is often a line and rarely has these wriggly waves in them. Steve likely forms when electrically-charged particles from the sun collide with magnetic energy found in Earth’s atmosphere. It streaks across the sky at a speed of approximately 21,600 km/h Jon Ray says, "it's just an amazing experience being out there you know. We never know when it's going to get good or even if it will. So there is a lot of standing and waiting going on...Lots of excitement too :)" The group hopes to go out again this week and witness "Adam" and Steve once again.

So what goes through your mind when your out and about taking pictures? Do you have a plan, do you go out to capture a certain picture or moment, or do you go out and just take a bunch of pictures, hoping for the best? If your like most people, you just hope to get a bunch of good pictures to post or enlarge but planning ahead can help you out in the long run. 1. Straight and Level One of my biggest pet peeves in photography is when a picture isn't straight. Sometimes its difficult to do perfectly and often can be corrected in post production. This also applies to camera shake and how you hold the camera. Focus on deep breathing while taking pictures - much like being a marksman sniper. It is also important to try to follow the rule of 3rds - your horizon should be 1/3 from the top or bottom. 2. Is your picture telling a story? One of the biggest challenges in photography, but regardless, you should be taking pictures that tell a nonverbal story. Are there emotions that you want to convoy to the viewer - maybe the love shared between two people. Ask yourself "why am I taking this picture? What is it's purpose and what message do I want to convey?" 2. Focus What are you focusing on. What do you want viewers to see. What do you want your viewers eyes to be drawn to and look for competing focus points and ask yourself if they are distracting or not. Should you reposition yourself? Think of the rule of thirds for example. 3. Are you close enough? Another common mistake in digital photography is taking shots where your subject is too small in the frame. Shots that fill the frame with your subject tend to be much more dynamic and show a lot more detail of your subject. To get this effect you have the option of moving yourself closer, moving your subject closer or using a longer focal length to give the effect of closeness. 4. Is there enough light? Always give consideration to how your subject is lit. Without light you’ll lose detail and clarity in your image and your camera will have to compensate by doing things like increasing ISO and lengthening shutter speeds (which could lead to noisy and blurred images). What is the main source of light, where is it coming from, is there enough light, do you need artificial light sources (flash etc), do you need to stabilize your camera on a tripod to stop camera shake due to low light etc. Read more on using artificial light here and here as well as photographing moving subjects in low light conditions.Crooked-2 5. How will someones eye travel through this image? This is related to asking about focal points but gets in touch with the fact that while you’re photographing a still image your viewers eyes don’t remain still as they look at an image. People tend to follow lines and are attracted to shapes and colors so considering all of these different visual elements and cues can help improve your shots considerably. Read more on horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines and how they impact a shot.