Thinking of ditching your separate camera and moving to just using your phone for all your photos? What apps should you go for?

Instagram made headlines recently after being bought by Facebook for $1 billion. What does it include, and what else is out there?

Check out this gallery of photo apps.

By Hiawatha Bray
Globe Staff

It’s mid-July, prime photo-taking season, and by now your digital cameras and cellphones probably need a break. Time to offload those snapshots to an Internet site that will let you look at them any time, and share them with family and friends.

I have weddings to attend this summer (no, none of them mine), and of course the big debate (only in my mind) is whether to bring my bulky Nikon D300 with an equally bulky 70-200mm lens, or the nice, compact Nikon P7000 that I just bought (with a Christmas gift card -- woot!) expressly for this purpose.

Here's my dilemma: Will I be as satisfied with the P7000 images? We'll see.

A bigger question for all of us is how to get great photos without interfering with the professional hired for the occasion or the event itself. I asked Kate Passaro, who shoots weddings and knows other wedding photographers, for some tips.

On the eve of the Fourth, I thought it would be a good time to revive a Tipsheet that former Globe photographer David Kamerman wrote for us when RAW launched back in 2008. His advice and suggestions are still valid today.

David Kamerman took this shot of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial on Boston Common during the First Night fireworks display on New Year's Eve in 2006.

How do you get great shots of fireworks? If you have ever tried to photograph fireworks you already know why people ask this question — because it is difficult and unpredictable at best. It is a trial-and-error process in which the vast majority of images you shoot will not turn out well. How do I know this? Because I average only about a 10 to 15% ratio of usable fireworks images, even when trying to make that one great shot for the front page of The Boston Globe.

Digital Camera World has a quick tutorial on what to do to get well-exposed images by pinpointing an exact area of a scene. In these instances, your camera’s AE lock function can prove extremely useful. Sometimes you’ll find that there won’t be an AF point in the right position for the area you want to take a spot metering from.

Here's the full explanation.

From Digital Photography School

Lightroom can be a powerful advanced editor, and we often use it for portrait retouching.

While it does not much of the advanced editing tools you will find in Photoshop, it can be quite efficient and powerful for more basic portrait retouches. The advantage of this is that you do not have to take the additional step of taking the image into Photoshop.

In this three-part article we will take you through how we use Lightroom 4 for portrait retouching, from basic post production to blemish removal, skin softening and detail enhancement.

Advanced Portrait Retouch on a Male Subject in Lightroom 4

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3

Kerry Garrison of cameradojo.com talks about gear, looks at common holiday presents, and talks about what accessories you may need to get next.

In the Comments section below, tell us what photography gear you got, and whether you need help with anything. We'll ask some experts from local camera shops to help you out.

Have you ever wondered why there are so many amazing videos of Earth from orbit nowadays? The answer is simple: the amazing low-light performance of current DSLR cameras, like the Nikon D3 used by Expedition 29 Commander Mike Fossum.

Watch him explain how he does it to NASA astronaut Mike Massimino on Gizmodo.

By Joanne Rathe
Globe Staff

Christmas morning, opening presents
It’s magic. Christmas morning is full of great expressions and happy moments all ready to unravel in a mostly predictable fashion. It’s what a photojournalist would call a “loaded situation”. Where, basically, you can’t miss – as long as you are ready and anticipate.

Michael Melgar

He explains about using a flash unit, event triggers, sound triggers, and the problems with wireless shutter releases.

Globe staff photographer Jim Davis explains how he captured all three elements of the Red Sox triple play against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday night.

Given that auto-focus can be "really annoying," Steve Berardi from PhotoNaturalist has three tips for getting better control of auto-focus.

At Digital Photography School, Steve offers suggestions for recomposing, switching to manual focus, and using back-button auto-focusing.

Read his full essay here.

Charlie MacPherson has started a tipsheet blog on his Boston.com profile page, and that's where he'll post his tips for us. We'll get his RSS feed to automatically show up in the Tipsheets section in the left column below, but until then, here's a link to his latest tip:

Don't fall for the "better equipment" trap!

By Charles MacPherson
The Amazing Image, Scituate

Sunrise is one of my favorite things to shoot. Even a lousy sunrise is still pretty darn good!

Here are a few tips for your next attempt at capturing the color and drama of a sunrise shoot:

RAW reader Nancy Nowak wrote in asking for tips on taking prom photos: "What are some suggestions for getting group photos, and also for photos of just a couple?" she asked.

This sounds like a question for those taking pictures before the prom, so I spent some time perusing tips on various photo sites and have come up with what I hope are helpful tips.

Summer still has a couple of weeks to go, but soon it will be time to clean out the cottage, the trunk, and your camera's memory cards. We've all received emails from friends and relatives with a link to view a photo slideshow from a wedding or vacation. And too often, those slideshows are simply every single photo the photographer took, and we're exhausted by the time we get to Slide No. 167.

We asked Globe staff photographer Joanne Rathe for some tips on creating interesting slideshows that tell a story or capture an event succinctly. Here are her thoughts and some examples:

Our June contest theme is Spring Sports, so I asked the Globe's talented sports photographer, Jim Davis, to write up some tips for taking good sports pictures.

Jim, who's been on the Globe staff since 1993, has been named Photographer of the Year by the Boston Press Photographers Association twice, and was also National Football League Photographer of the Year. Before coming to the Globe, he was on the staff of the Boston Herald for 8.5 years and with the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune for 5 years.

You can see a portfolio of his work here.

Jim mostly shoots professional sports, and the photos I chose to illustrate his points are of Boston's pro teams. But his tips are designed for the amateur standing on the sidelines of his daughter's softball game as well as sitting in the stands at a Celtics game.

Since a couple of black-and-white images have won contests lately (partly because of the winter themes), and this month's theme is black-and-white, I figured it might be a good time to go over some tips on shooting in B&W. Apart from the contest, many photographers, saturated by digital colors and appreciative of the simplicity and stark beauty that such images can afford, like to try their hand at the technique. And after reading the tips below, you'll see that there really is a technique to producing good B&W photos.

We're supposed to get a nice thaw this weekend, but winter is far from over. I asked the Globe Photo Dept. for a tipsheet on taking pictures outside when it's cold, and photographer Mark Wilson (who used to write a terrific photography column for the Globe) was more than happy to share his advice.

A food blogger in Montreal who spotted our call for your food photos offered to write a tipsheet. She also included some of her own excellent food photos.

By Jennifer Bartoli
Chocolate Shavings blog

Food photography can be tough. It's a unique challenge to try and convey smell, texture, and taste with a flat, untouchable photograph. Here are couple of tips that I hope will help next time you want to photograph some wonderfully appetizing food.

By John Tlumacki
Boston Globe Staff Photographer

This time of year is the reason why we love our cameras.

Christmas light displays are presents for our cameras, opening up the many challenges that our cameras were made for. Experimentation with lighting will always lead to better photos. I have some ideas that might help you best capture the lights of this holiday season.

By Joanne Rathe
Globe Staff Photographer

They seem to be arriving by the hundreds these days. Everyone seems to send out a photo greeting. It's a great way to update friends and relatives about the people you care about most in your life, and it's a great opportunity to be creative.

By Suzanne Kreiter
Globe Staff Photographer

The first thing to consider when composing a photograph is, "What do I want to say with this photo? What information do I want the viewer to receive?”

By Pat Greenhouse
Globe Staff Photographer

Keep some of the following points in mind when photographing flowers:

Light. Choose the time of day for the best light. Mid-day with contrasting light will probably make for ugly pictures. Shoot in early or late soft light, or pick an overcast day. If you do have strong sun, try backlighting some of the flowers to reveal patterns and texture. Also try for some sun and some shade to give depth to your photos.

The Boston West Photographic Society of Framingham was founded in June 2005 with the goal of creating a relaxed and friendly environment where photographers can share their images, knowledge, and passion for photography with others.

Even though the group is just three years old, its members compete at the highest levels of competitions sponsored by the New England Camera Club Council (NECC) and the Photographic Society of America (PSA). Last year, the club won PSA Open in Class A (the highest class), as well as several NECCC competitions, the Greater Lynn Salon, the George W. Glennie Memorial Nature Salon (run by the Merrimack Valley Camera Club in North Andover), and others.

Jim Brady, one of the founders, generously agreed to let us reprint an article he posted on the BWPS website in February. It's one of several tipsheets we have compiled so far:

We recently heard from Gordon Ripley of Rindge, NH, who heard about RAW and has been checking it out. He's a member and past president of the Camera Club of Central New England, based in Leominster, MA, and was kind enough to send along a list of tips that he hands out to new members each year to help them be better photographers. We think many amateur photographers will find these very useful:

If you want to avoid boring landscapes, try shooting from an unusual angle or at times of dramatic light, as in this photo of a horse and trainer shot by Bill Greene in Georgetown, Mass.

By Bill Greene
Globe Staff Photographer

Shooting landscapes can be frustrating. Photographers wonder why their photos don't seem as "grand" as the scene did in person.

Too often it's because they just raised their camera, pointed it at the vista they saw, and clicked. Had they planned a little or paid more attention to their surroundings they would have gotten a better shot. Here are some tips to improve your landscapes.

Sometimes you'll find a great beach photo if you look away from the sand and the water. Dina Rudick captured these seagulls at dawn on a beach in South Boston.

By Dina Rudick
Globe Staff Photographer

Looked at one way, a day at the beach with your camera is, well, a day at the beach. The sky is a beautiful blue, sea foam dances in gorgeous curls around your toes, and sandy children create castles on the shore. Memories hang like easy fruit for your lens.

Looked at another way, that same day is fraught with challenges. Saltwater plus high precision instruments equals mechanical failure. Noon-time sun flattens every color and shape to a mere cutout, and after three minutes, everything starts to look the same.

Shanghai residents go about their business despite a light rain in this 2006 photo by Essdras Suarez.

By Essdras Suarez
Globe Staff photographer

If your camera is not water resistant then by all means don't take it out in the pouring rain. But if you must, here are some tips for shooting in bad weather.

• Carry only one camera with you and keep it under your coat. Bring it out briefly when needed. Modern cameras are surprisingly water resilient.

John Tlumacki shot this classic photo of Red Sox great Ted Williams and his son John Henry in Ted's business office in Florida in 1995.

By John Tlumacki
Globe Staff photographer

Taking flash photos can be a frustrating experience with any camera. Even professional photographers are perplexed by inconsistent results.

When that happens to me, I go back and try to recreate the situation that caused the problem. The way I see it, there can be one of two issues: too much flash, or too little.

How many times have you photographed people indoors and their faces have been overexposed -- blown out by the flash? Believe it or not, sometimes the problem is the clothes they wore. I will explain.

David Kamerman took this shot of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial on Boston Common during the middle of the First Night fireworks display on New Year's Eve in 2006.

By David Kamerman
Globe Staff Photographer

How do you get great shots of fireworks? If you have ever tried to photograph fireworks you already know why people ask this question — because it is difficult and unpredictable at best. It is a trial-and-error process in which the vast majority of images you shoot will not turn out well. How do I know this? Because I average only about a 10 to 15% ratio of usable fireworks images, even when trying to make that one great shot for the front page of The Boston Globe.

Yoon S. Byun took this portrait of WGBH radio host Brendan Hogan in Cambridge's Inman Square.

By Yoon S. Byun
Globe Staff Photographer

I'm a fan of subtleties and symbolism when making portraits. When thinking less editorially in style, I also attempt to be more conceptual.

The first thing I look for is light (regardless of what the situation is). Light quality varies throughout the day. Light quality can vary depending on the type of weather. Light can be bounced, diffused, redirected, or filtered. It can be harsh or soft. I think of light as a compositional element to a portrait. It can determine what the picture says.

We have a nice collection of tipsheets from the Globe's excellent photo staff, but we're looking for more. And we know that many of you have good experience and know-how to share with the rest of us.

For example, do you have suggestions for shooting a sporting event? How about taking pictures inside an auditorium at your child's performance? Have you learned how to shoot good baby pictures, or photos of a pet?

Send along your helpful hints.along with a photo or two to illustrate your points, and we'll publish them so others can learn from you. E-mail them to raw@boston.com.

Please include a head shot of yourself if you have one (although it's not really necessary) and a little bit about yourself, your camera, what you like to shoot, your favorite locations, etc. Thanks.