As I mentioned in Intro to Camera Modes, shutter speed is a good starting place to get your feet wet and begin using the manual features of your camera.

Your camera's shutter is a mechanism that allows light to pass for a certain amount of time. You can think of it in terms of a window shutter that you open to let light into a room. The longer the shutter is left open, the more time that your camera's sensor is exposed to light. The sensor being exposed to light is what creates the photograph, or exposure.

If you're just starting off in photography, Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is a great book to get your hands on. In the book, Bryan points out that "exposure" can be taken a couple of different ways. To some, "exposure" can mean the actual image or photograph. Others use it to refer to the process of light contacting your film or digital sensor.

An exposure is controlled by combinations of three elements: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Peterson calls these elements the "photographic triangle," but I'll be referring to them as the "Big 3." We'll be covering each of the Big 3 in detail, but for now it's important to know that these elements work together to control the amount of light that contacts your sensor.

So you've bought your shiny new camera. Now what?

Easy. Just turn the dial to “AUTO” and start shooting, letting the camera do all the grunt work for you.

Not so fast there, junior. You've got a few more things to learn before you become this generation's Ansel Adams.

I'm not going to give you a rundown of all of the automatic modes on your camera. You can find that in your camera's manual--you know, that little book that you tossed aside in a flurry of excitement as you unwrapped your new toy. What I am going to do is give you a crash course on the more advanced semi-automatic and manual modes that seem to scare most beginning photographers.

Let's first tackle the burning question on your mind: Why do I want to use these modes?

As I mentioned here, I'm working to start up a digital photography blog sometime in the next month or so (which roughly equates to next year). I've got a couple of articles already written up, so I figured I'd go ahead and post them here to help work out the kinks and to correct any mistakes in the articles before I post them to the real blog. Feel free to share any comments regarding these articles. Your help is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

This is a question I get asked occasionally, “Which digital camera should I get?” I sincerely wish I had fast and easy answer. Alas, there are too many options available and too many details to consider for me to give fast and easy instruction on this matter. So let's start at the basics and see what we can come up with.

It seems like every other week, my friends and I gain an obsession for a different game. This week's game is Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

That's right. If you think you've got what it takes to compete in the greatest in 2002 gaming technology, then put on your chainmail armor and join us!

While I love my Wii, I'm not shy to admit that I was a little troubled when I realized that the console comes with controllers that require the use of AA batteries. With everything in my life--from my laptop's wireless mouse, to my digital camera, to my battery-powered razor--I strive to use only rechargeable batteries instead of forking out dollar after dollar to ordinary disposable batteries.

Needless to say, I was delighted when I heard that Nyko had released a rechargeable kit for the Wii that included batteries and charge station for two controllers. I didn't hesitate to lay my money down for one.

When I was in Jr. High and High School (in the early- to mid-90s), the term "geek" was derogatory. Yet, believe it or not, as hip as I was back then, I still had a weakness for computers and geek gadgetry.

I remember that the first computer in my family was an Apple IIGS. It came with a free 10-speed bike, which, in retrospect, was an odd incentive for a computer. I spent hours on that thing; playing Hard Hat Mack, Frogger, and even published my own newsletter via Print Shop--the latter being the BWF Newsletter. BWF; that stands for Boswell Wrestling Federation. That's right. Remember me saying I was hip?

In those days, being on the computer meant that you were being lazy. My family and friends always tried to discourage me from spending too much time on it. After all, there's nothing wrong with sitting idly in front of the television watching show after show of mindless drivel. But don't you dare get on that computer and try to interact with it or, heaven forbid, be productive!

Today, I heard Leo Laporte talking about his new Tumblr page. This is the first time I've heard of this site, so I figured I'd check it out. I was pretty impressed with it. The layout is nice and sleek, and it's really easy (and fun!) to get an account started and start posting stuff.

In addition to the Tab Options available to you in the latest release of Mozilla Firefox, here are a few other quick tips that you may not be aware of...

When I got my Wii this past Sunday, one of the first things I tried to do was visit the Wii's News Channel. I was greeted by a message that I must update my Wii's firmware first. However, I then received a message saying that my Wii's firmware was already up-to-date.