How To

Turn a waterfall or flowing brook into a mysteriously smooth smear. Use a tripod, manual exposure, and the slowest permissible shutter speed (1/4 sec or slower). The water’s movement will become a blur but the rest of the image will be sharp and clear.—Jon Sienkiewicz

The technique of panning adds drama to images of moving subjects, such as racehorses and Indy cars. It’s easy, but gorgeous results require practice. Set a shutter speed that’s not fast enough to stop the motion. Keep the subject in one spot in the viewfinder and follow the subject’s movement the same way would if you were using a camcorder. The correct result is a more-or-less motionless subject surrounded by a streaked background. —Jon Sienkiewicz

Get candid street shots by talking into you digital camera and acting as though it’s a cellphone. Hold it at ear level, glance at the LCD and fire away. Most people can’t tell a camera from a phone.—Jon Sienkiewicz

Many museums forbid flash photography as well as tripods. No problem. Extend a monopod and use it as a walking stick. When needed, attach your camera and enjoy the stability. —Jon Sienkiewicz

While this might not be UV photography, this tutorial on how to get your own UV-like photos is still pretty cool and the cost ($5) is worth it. Step by step instructions and a lot of debate in the comments section can be found at instructables.

(How to Shoot Close Ups)

You can create exciting streaks of light that appear to be emanating from your subject by twisting the manual zoom ring during a longish (1 second or so) exposure. Wait until dark, then center the subject in front of a cityscape of other display of lights. Use a tripod and zoom smoothly. —Jon Sienkiewicz

Despite what you’ve heard, holding your breath when you shoot won’t help you get sharper pictures. Breathe in, breath out, take a half breath, and relax. If some air comes out, fine. Holding your breath can cause slight tremors and is sure to mess up your shooting rhythm. Use the technique target shooters use—breathe naturally and relax. —Jon Sienkiewicz

From the New York Times's Sunday Business section comes this article about a supplied by the Professional Photographers of America. The premise is that all the popular, affordable digital SLRs have allowed weekend photographers to take their work to the next level. Overwhelmingly, these people are women.

Call it self-preservation, narcissism, artistic expression, or obsession, but artist/photographer/medical-device engineer Joseph Murawski’s series one light, one wall is highly addictive. Although primarily a painter, he has been regularly taking self-portraits against the bare wall of his basement since November 2005. Like countless obsessive self-portrait shooters, Murawski uses the same background, same camera (he started with a small Sony point-and-shoot, but upgraded to a Nikon D70 in March