For many, Christmas is the most magical time of the year. The family is together, and it would be a shame not to document them together too. “Document” them? Yes—because Christmas photography can be about more than just children before the tree. How should you approach this task, and what equipment should you use? Read on to find out.

Painting and drawing with light are two of the most entertaining roads to producing creative photographs. Together they form an area of photography where groups of people of all ages can work together and have fun together. With a little patience and enough time, you can create works reminiscent of actual paintings.

Having an eye for photography is about more than just having an eye for great composition. It also means you know how to see light, and when to take your picture. If you’re lucky and catch a “fever” for photography, then the basics like light and composition will become so natural for you that you won’t even think about them—just do them.

There are many ways to approach photography. When something catches a beginner’s eye, they just point, and click. (What innocent bliss!) With experience, photographers start thinking about subject placement and the Golden Ratio. But have you ever thought about taking composition to the extreme, for example by shrinking the main subject until it’s almost invisible, or by practically eliminating the background? That’s minimalism. What do you get after that? Well, if you want to take a break from the sea of Christmas ornaments around you, read on.

Christmas is drawing near, and so we’re here with inspiring answers to the question: what do you give a photographer? Although the best gift of all is the new Zoner Photo Studio 17, today we’ll be bringing you lots of tips on other ways to bring joy to every photographer.

Have you ever wondered on Earth you should shoot to RAW files? After all, they’re huge, and they have to be developed on a PC before use. Today we’ll look at some areas where RAW has the upper hand.

Most photographers disdain phone cameras and scorn their use. They own a DSLR or other high-quality equipment, so why would they ever shoot with a mere telephone? But are things really as simple here as they seem?