Written by T. Michael Testi

The amount of power and capabilities in today's digital cameras give you a lot of technical sophistication, but all of these features alone will not guarantee the capturing of a compelling image. To do that, you have to have more than just technology, you must have skills. To do it well you must be one part photographer and one part digital artist.

In Practical Artistry: Light and Exposure For Digital Photographers, Harold Davis' aim is to present the best practices of the craft of photography in the context of the digital era. A great photograph begins with the photographer's understanding of light and proceeds with a good and creative exposure. Practical Artistry is 176 full color pages that are divided into six chapters.

"Understanding Exposure" begins with the exploration of what is an exposure, especially with regard to the capturing of light. Here the discussion is about the relationship of aperture, shutter speed, and light sensitivity - also known as ISO. Here you will learn about the exposure equation, measuring light, and intentional over- and under-exposing of images.

"Working with Aperture" provides you with a solid foundation of understanding what f-numbers are and how f-stops work. You will see how aperture and depth of field relate, how to work with selective focus, when aperture does not matter, and how it relates to macro photography.

"Selecting Shutter Speed" is all about time and how shutter speed is really

Yesterday, I made my first attempt to shoot birds using tripods. So far all my bird images were handheld and I relied on the power of IS to give me shake-free pictures. But I always felt it could be improved with a tripod. Besides, tripod had its advantages when it comes to shooting certain moments - like a sunbird sucking nectar from a flower, fluttering its wings.

I felt inadequate almost as

A year ago when I was in Shillong, I read about a big market place which was known to be a good spot for photographers. I went there, and never knew what to shoot. I was completely alien to photographing street scenes or markets and I went back without shooting anything. Back at home, I am now starting to head out with a group of photographers who frequently meet to shoot street scenes, markets

I made this image last weekend in a vegetable market in town. After looking at the image for a while, I thought it is a good subject for black and white conversion, and created a b&w version.

He was ever-smiles and was glad to pose when I requested. When I was done, he asked me slowly - “For what purpose you are taking photos?”

Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 17-40L at 40mm, 1/20sec, f/4, ISO 200

This is an image I made a week back. This lark let me approach pretty close to it and also gave me some time to find a good position to shoot from.

Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 100-400L at 400mm, f/8.0, 1/500sec, ISO 200

This one was shot last weekend near Bangalore.

Exif: Canon EOS 350D, 100-400L at 400mm, f/5.6, 1/100sec, ISO 400