As you read this, I am in Arizona.

Here is a snap from my trip last December to Sedona:

What you can see in a simple snap like this is that:

• It is well exposed. Check your histogram if you are not sure.
• It is sharp (even though it was hand held while I was, um, driving)
• The sky is deep blue – perhaps aided by a polarizing filter?
• I used a wide angle lens. This leads to dynamic and three-dimensional images, and it is easy to focus a wide angle lens and to keep the images sharp at lower shutter speeds.
• The composition is off-centre: using the “rule of thirds”. Remember Uncle Fred, who puts every subject dead centre in every picture: leading to boring, wrong-looking composition more often than not.

A few simple guidelines can lead to better pictures. More of which soon, if I get a chance to take any!