DIY, or do-it-yourself , is very popular in the photography community. Its popularity is due to two things, in my opinion. First is economic reasons. As you already know, photographic equipment can be very expensive. So it makes sense to shave off as much as possible whenever possible. The second reason is an artistic one. Photographers tend to be artists at heart and artists love to create. What better reason for a photographic DIY project than to combine the two? While I love do-it-yourself projects I also need it to look professional. There's nothing more embarrassing than pulling out equipment that looks slapped together and shabby, no matter how practical it is. While not a factor in your own private studio, when you are working with clients presentation is important. Here are five pointers to keep in mind when working on your next DIY project;

A new year has started and the weather is cold. While there's nothing wrong with getting out there with your camera, the truth is photography tends to slow during the cold months. Take advantage of the down time to revisit the basics. Whether it is to brush up on a long forgotten bit of knowledge or gain something new, it never hurts to backtrack once in a while. One of the things I constantly tell beginner and novice photographers to do is to read your manual . Cameras are complex pieces of equipment and I find that understanding everything about it can be a slow and layered process. What do I mean by layered?

HDR, or high dynamic range, photography has been growing in leaps and bounds lately. Even though the process has been around for years it was usually done manually in higher end programs like PhotoShop®. Now there are programs that are specifically designed for this process, including HDR specific modules in PhotoShop®. The process extends the dynamic range (the range from light to dark) in a scene far beyond what the camera can capture in a single image. This is done by combining two or more images taken at different exposure levels and combined in such a way that the shadows and light areas don't get lost. This requires the photographer to take multiple shots at various exposures. If your camera allows exposure bracketing you will need to learn how to set this function in order to get the required images for HDR. While most higher end 'pro-sumer' cameras can bracket three exposures a fewer number can bracket five or more exposures. The answer to obtaining more ex