How important is it to save old buildings?  We all know the reasons to preserve famous, historically important structures.  There is no difficulty, for instance, finding support to repair the recently earthquake-damaged Washington Monument.  But what about the smaller, not-so-famous structures, the nearly invisible places hiding in decaying neighborhoods?

Pictures and the concepts behind them often don't translate well into words. Trying to describe photographic ideas, tools, and processes can be difficult even on a good day. As a result, I've decided to discuss some photo-related terms you may have heard. Here are two that have been making the rounds lately.

One of our specialties is food photography. And I’m sure all food photographers get one question more than any other. It goes like this—“The food you shoot is fake, right?” It’s asked in a tone that says “C’mon you can tell me . . . wink, wink . . . EVERYBODY knows THAT.”

If you want a pre-school child to smile for a picture, whatever you do, don’t tell them to smile. Most kids will either refuse the order and look away, or try a little too hard, forcing a grin that looks anything but genuine. Saying “cheese” can work with adults who see the humor in a tired cliché, but it usually has no effect on the little ones. Even the slightly better “fuzzy pickle” only works occasionally.