If you have a child or are going to have a child, you will want to take lots of pictures. Some people just buy a cheap 'point and shoot' and they just ...point and ...shoot. Instead, take a few minutes and learn a bit about photography and which camera to buy. In the process you'll create a record of your child's early life that will never fade and you'll have more fun doing it.

The key is to find a good source of information. I like TWIPPhoto.com. They are knowledgeable, entertaining, they offer challenges and you might win a prize in one of their contests. The hosts (Scott Bourne and Alex Lindsay) have been in photography for years and have written several books (88 Secrets to Selling & Publishing Your Photography, Captivating Wildlife, 88 Secrets to Photoshop for Photographers) about photography. They have guest contributors that range from professional photographers to industry gurus from Apple, Adobe and the like. The part that draws me to TWIP the most is their coverage of everything from $20,000+ cameras to high end 'point and shoots'.

By now you are probably saying: "I don't care about the details of photography and why one camera that I can't afford is better than a different camera that I can't afford; I just want to take pictures of my child". I with you on that. I don't care about what the top of the line Cannon and Nikon cameras offer or how professional photographers frame and take their pictures... or do I? I want the best pictures I can afford. I want to provide my child with pictures she can be proud to show her kids. ...and I want my pictures to be around for her kids' kids to see. I can't afford top of the line cameras but new cameras mean that older technology becomes more affordable. The way I see it, if I can learn just a bit from these guys; just enough to make my pictures better; just enough to make a better choice on my next camera purchase; then maybe I can preserve the memories in pictures that my daughter (and I) will forget over time.