I was flipping through the just-released Digital Photography Pocket Guide, 3rd Edition, and I thought this would be a great time to share some shooting tips.

First, don't let your digital camera get too hot, as in the glovebox of your car. We've seen that hot image sensors produce more image noise. So treat your digicam with the same care as your film-loaded 35mm camera.

If you've made the switch to digital, and you're thinking about selling your 35mm SLR, be sure to hang on to all the filters, step-up rings, lens hoods, flashes, pouches, etc. I keep my stuff in stackable boxes that are marked on the outside. I can't tell you how many times I've found the perfect accessory in one of those boxes to tackle a job with my new digital camera. By repurposing this stuff, you'll save yourself hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars.

Shade your lens when shooting in bright conditions. If the sun is shining directly on your lens, you'll lose contrast at best and gain lots of flare at worst. Use a lens shade, your hand, or a copy of The Digital Photography Pocket Guide to keep stray light off your glass.

Keep a plastic ziploc bag in your kit. You never know when Mother Nature will rear her head and hit you with rain or swirling sand. A plastic bag to protect your camera is a godsend. And if you're shooting outside on a cold night, put your camera in the bag before coming back indoors. That way the condensation will form on the bag as everything warms up, not the camera itself.

And finally, take lots of pictures and don't forget to archive them. The joy of digital photography is the freedom to shoot, shoot, shoot. But also get yourself an extra FireWire drive, and backup, backup, backup.