The best way that you can improve your photography is practice. I think you should, at least, try to photograph something each day, each week until you get to where you don’t have to think about how to operate your camera. Don’t worry about producing masterpieces; use your camera as a sketchpad to explore possibilities.

…not my miserable existence. I know it’s not been up to much, but it’s all mine and I’m rather proud of having made it this far.—Denzil Meyrivk,  Murder at Holly House

Depth-of-field will vary depending on lens focal length, the distance to the subject and lens aperture. Using a lens that has a wide angle-of-view increases apparent depth-of-field (guideline #2) while using a longer focal length lens decreases it.

These days, many but certainly not all DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have a built-in flash. That’s not necessarily true for the so-called Pro models—the Lumix G4 has one—even though having a small flash available with the click of a button can make the difference between a good photograph and a not-too-good one.

It’s the time of year when people make resolutions, most of which they never keep beyond a day or so but as Alexander Pope once said, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always To be Blest.”