Thank you very much!--Jennifer McLellan, Arcadia, California

It's easier than you might think, Jennifer. You can get good photos of the full moon by using an ancient photography trick called the Sunny 16 Rule, which was originally designed to help people take pictures in daylight before cameras had automatic exposure systems built in. But since the moon is illuminated by sunlight, this rule works just fine in this situation as well. To use the Sunny 16 Rule, make sure the ISO is set to 100. Put your camera in manual exposure mode and set the aperture to f/16 (hence the "16" in the name of the rule). Set the shutter speed to around 1/100 second and take the shot. You'll definitely want to brace yourself securely to reduce camera shake, or use a tripod.

Our daughter rides horseback at a fast speed. We often set the digital camera to a fast shutter speed but I sometimes don't want the background in focus. I remember that in the old days, you could pan action photos with a film camera. Does this work with digital?--Stanley E. John, Steubenville, Ohio

It sure does, Stanley. Panning lets you freeze a moving subject while blurring the background. This technique really conveys a sense of speed and motion, while also emphasizing the subject by blurring everything else. I love this photographic style and have used it with almost every digital camera I've ever owned.