Davids Young's Advice for Aspiring Photographers

- Learn to "see" the light. It is the understanding of how light (and the colour of light) plays on your subjects that seperates the photographers from the snap shooters. To quote Ted Grant: "To learn the magic of light, get up before sunrise...and watch."

- Understanding your camera. Sit down - as many times as necessary - with your camera in one hand and the instruction book in the other. Go over it until every function of your camera comes to you automatically. If you need to refer to the manual for anything, you're not ready. If you must read the manual in order to set your acmera up for a shot, by the time you've done so, that opportunity will be gone forever.

- Take a few lessons. Join a photo club. Join an Internet photo discussion forum. Read books on photography - both the technical kind and the large photo books. Discover what it is that you like, and what you want to say through your photography.

- Bend your knees. A viewpoint only a few feet different from what we normally see will make your photos look more interesting to most people. Of course, this is most important when taking photos of kids and pets. You've got to get down to their level.

- Always have your camera with you. "You have to be ready for luck" (Neil Leifer)