Archive – Archiving is the act of saving prints, media or files for an indefinite period of time.

Archiving one’s important photos should always be a top priority for photographers.  From soccer moms with cameras to the serious pros, if you want to keep your photos for ever, make sure you back up your images.

Backing up could mean keeping prints in a safe place.  It could mean backing up your computer to a  hard drive.  It could mean burning a disk and keeping a library.

I recommend using tools like Flickr or Picasa to upload photos.  If you do a lot of work with photos, I highly recommend getting a Flickr Pro account.  You can upload as many files as you would like.  Picasa is free but has a size limitation on photos.  There are other sharing services but these are two of my favorites. They have handy uploading software or you can upload directly from their site.

If you like to print your photos, photo sites like Walmart Photo Center allow you to upload and print.  This could be another way to back up your photos.

One cool feature about all of these sites is that you can share your photos with others and also choose privacy levels.

How do you archive your photos?

The fireworks photo is one from my archives, nestled safely in Flickr since July 4, 2006…

Ambient Light- Ambient lighting is a photography technique which uses available or existing light in a scene.  It’s light that is independent of any light supplied by the photographer.

Tip: If using dim ambient light, the use of a Tripod is extremely encouraged to avoid unnecessary shake which will cause images to be blurry.

This photo was taken from the John Hancock building in Chicago.  The use of ambient light was required, as the use of a flash would have created a harsh reflection from the window.

Do you have a great example of ambient light?  Link to a photo in the comments section!