Image stabilization technology in cameras and in lenses has revolutionized digital photography, enabling photographers to get dramatically sharper photos without hauling around a tripod. But it's not obvious how to use a digital SLR's image-stabilized lens--after all, the very fact that it has an on/off switch implies you shouldn't leave the feature on all the time. For a refresher on lens basics, check out "Demystifying Lenses," and then join me as I explain how to get the most out of your image stabilization technology.

What Is Image Stabilization?

When shopping for lenses for your digital SLR, you might have noticed that image stabilization goes by a few different names, most commonly either IS (among Canon lenses) or VR (for Nikon). But the lenses all tend to work the same way: Motion sensors in the lens generate feedback that directs optical elements to compensate for small movements, like the sort that occur when you hold a camera.

Have a question about digital photography? Send it to me. I reply to as many as I can--though given the quantity of e-mails that I get, I can't promise a personal reply to each one. I round up the most interesting questions about once a month here in Digital Focus. For more frequently asked questions, read my newsletters from March, April, and May.

Using a Polarizer on a Compact Camera

I read your article on polarizers and I was curious--can these filters be used on point-and-shoot cameras, or do they only work on digital SLRs?
--Carol Krom, Augusta, Georgia

These days, thanks to digital technology and virtually unlimited storage, we're overrun with photos. I take a few dozen pictures with my digital camera each month, and I know many ordinary people with tens of thousands of images on their computer's hard drive. In fact, we have to contend with so many photos that I've written several times about how to manage and organize your photo collection, as in "Be a More Efficient Digital Photographer" and "Organize Your Photos."

But it wasn't always like this. Photos from when we were young date back to a time when they were somewhat more rare. I have very few pictures from when I was born (the year the Beatles kicked off the British Invasion, 1964). So this week, I thought I'd investigate how to build your own time capsule from the days when photos didn't flow like water out of every camera and cell phone you see on the street.

It's our control over fire--and perhaps our ability to marinate--that separates humans from animals. Likewise, it's the ability to edit photos in layers that separates digital photography from old-school film photography.

Last week, I discussed the basics of using layers. I talked about how to layer two different photos, culminating in a simple special effect. This week I'd like to continue with an overview of using adjustment layers in a different and somewhat more practical way. Specifically, we'll edit a photo by adjusting some aspect of it--like exposure or tone, for example--in a layer. As usual, I'll show you how to do this in Adobe Photoshop Elements, but any photo editing program with layer support will work.

Do you use layers when editing your digital photos? If not, you're missing out on the single most powerful tool in your photo editing repertoire. Layers may seem baffling at first, but they're not hard to use--and they unleash all sorts of powerful digital editing tricks. You can use layers to make double exposures, achieve special effects like "selective color" partial black and whites, and even just get better exposure correction.

This week, let's look at the basics of using layers. Next week, we'll continue with a tutorial on exposure correction with layers.

Photographers love to talk about the "magic hour" in the morning and late afternoon when the sun is perfectly positioned for awe-inspiring photos ("Use the Best Light for Awesome Photos"). Listen to enough of that sort of talk, and you'll start to believe that early morning and dusk are the only times of day you could possibly get any good photos at all.

Unfortunately, most of us take pictures pretty much every time of day except the aforementioned magic hour. Whether on vacation, at or kid's soccer game, or just on a lazy Saturday afternoon, we need to contend with harsh midday sunlight and grey, washed out skies. This week, let's talk about five strategies for taking great photos when the sun just won't cooperate.

Have a question about digital photography? Send it to me. I reply to as many as I can--though given the quantity of e-mails that I get, I can't promise a personal reply to each one. I round up the most interesting questions about once a month here in Digital Focus. For more frequently asked questions, read my newsletters from February, March, and April.

Where Are My Photos?

Picasa 3 seems to have lost a bunch of my photos. Is there any way I can recover them? Are they on my hard drive?
--Alyn McConnaha, Guthrie, Oklahoma

Looking for a photo editor? The usual choices include Adobe Photoshop Elements (available online for about $85 and up), which I use to demonstrate techniques here in Digital Focus, and Corel Paint Shop Pro (available for about $70 and up). There are free options as well, like Paint.Net and GIMP. For serious RAW shooters, I recommend Adobe Lightroom (available for about $220 and up).

But these days there's a whole new way to edit your digital photos: using online photo editors that run from within a Web browser, like a photo equivalent to Google Docs or Zoho. On the upside, you don't have to install anything, and you can edit your photos anywhere you have an Internet connection. The downside? Just what you'd expect: These programs generally offer only a fraction of the features found in stand-alone image editors like Photoshop, and you can't work without an Internet connection. This week, let's look at a few of these online photo editors.

Silhouettes demonstrate how awesome it can be to occasionally break the "rules" of photography. It's pretty easy to photograph a silhouette--many new photographers do it all the time. They just don't always do it on purpose. Recently, I told you about "Five Common Photo Mistakes." This week, we'll intentionally commit the first mistake--underexposing your subject--for some creative effects.

Choose the Right Subject

What should you silhouette? Given the right lighting conditions, you can turn almost anything into a silhouette, but not every subject will look good as a shadow. Remember that a silhouette lacks detail--it's just an outline filled in with black. Consequently, you should look for subjects with strong, recognizable shapes. A complex, busy subject might not work, especially if you need to see details to make sense of it.

Learning from the pros is always a great way to improve your skills. That's why we read books and watch videos, like the ones I highlighted in "Treasure Trove of Photo Tutorials." It's always instructive to see how the masters work and try to emulate them. But there's a lot to learn we can learn from the exact opposite--by studying the things that can go wrong.

This week, let's look at the five most common mistakes I see in everyday photography, and learn how to avoid them. And while you're at it, you might want to peek back at my recent "Getting Started in Digital Photography" for some more basic tips.

Have a question about digital photography? Send it to me. I reply to as many as I can--though given the quantity of e-mails that I get, I can't promise a personal reply to each one. I round up the most interesting questions about once a month here in Digital Focus. For more frequently asked questions, read my newsletters from January, February, and March.

Photo Recovery Software

Is there a photo recovery software program out there that actually works?
--Rose Keller, Longmont, Colorado

Photography can be a lot of things. For many people, it's just fun to take and share snapshots, and to do silly things with them. In the past, I've talked about how to make collages, mock up a magazine cover, and put yourself in a photo with Elvis. For others, photography is an art form. Take a look at the winner's gallery of our weekly Digital Focus contest to see how seriously many people take their hobby.

Let's look at photography from a completely different direction. This week I've got a list of unexpected, unconventional, and perhaps clever ways to use your camera when you're not busy photographing insects, weddings, and alien encounters.