More after the jump:

Start on Christmas Eve by making sure your batteries are charged. Nothing is more disappointing than lining up the perfect, once in a lifetime, shot of your child opening a present only to discover your battery has just died. Okay, so there are things more disappointing but let me just tell you, missing the perfect, once in a lifetime, shot of your child opening a present only to discover your battery has just died is pretty doggone disappointing. Charge those batteries now.

Chiristmas morning make sure the room is lit well enough to get good exposures. I always cram soft boxes in the corners of the room but if you are void of soft boxes you can always open up the curtains and blinds for some wonderful natural light. Not enough natural light? Turn on some lights but stay away from mixing tungsten and flurescents or tungsten and natural, etc. Mixing light types doesn't play well with white balance, which reminds me... don't forget to set your white balance to the light you are using.

Set yourself up for the first shot of the morning by getting a shot of the children as they discover the stuff left by Santa. Get them just as they enter the room for those priceless expressions. When they are opening presents, get your butt off the couch and get down on the floor with them. Shots from their level are the best and the lower you can go, the better. Don't be afraid to lay down. Get in close and fill the frame.  Don't be afraid to chop off parts of their head and body when framing the shot. I say this compostionally as I would never recommend the actual chopping of children or people in general but I think you know what I mean.

Once the presents are unwrapped, don't forget about the animals. Fido with a bow on his head might be annoying to him but it makes for a cute picture. Cats love boxes and wrapping paper so don't forget about them. Get some pictures of the kids playing with their new bounty. I'm sure Aunt Martha would love to see some closely cropped photos of Junior in her hand made bunny pajamas as well. It's also a good time to set that camera on self timer to get a portrait of the family around the Christmas tree. Be sure to set your shutter speed slow enough so that those twinkling lights will show up.

Merry Christmas everyone! May God bless each and every one!

more after the jump...Each fine art landscape print is framed with an actual weathered wooden window frame to give the illusion of peering out the window to the outside world. These unique prints look great on any wall and make excellent gifts for anyone. This unique collection is limited and is on sale now at the Piedmont Photo website. Go ahead and take a look at all of the Picture Window selections and pick one out for yourself before they're all gone!

You're out on your adventure and about to take a picture when you realize that you only have a few frames left because your memory card is still full of pictures from your cousins best friends nephews sister-in-laws Tupperware party. Who in their right mind could possibly delete those pictures. Luckily you had the forethought to bring an extra memory card. So this means that the second thing on my list of five must haves on a photowalk is a great big sack of cash an extra memory card. Memory cards can malfunction and, on occasion, fill up with pictures. Crazy huh? Having an extra one will make sure that a failed or full card won't stop you from snapping away.

An unexpected rainstorm in the middle of nowhere is not the time to wish you had a cheap plastic bag to cover your equipment. Number three on my list is the plastic shopping or garbage bag. It's another item that takes up very little space but is invaluable in many situations. You can protect your camera from the rain, keep your butt dry when sitting on the wet ground or protect a model's knees from getting soiled while kneeling for a portrait. (If you're an idiot, leave the plastic bag at home. Apparently one of you, sometime during the history of plastic bags, put his head in one and suffocated. Idiot.)

A good pair of shoes seems obvious but it happens to be number four on my list. Specifically, snake skin waterproof boots. Protecting your feet is important and a reliable pair of comfortable boots are good for exploring the underground caverns of the wilderness or of the city. If you don't have a pair of waterproof boots you can always take a couple of extra plastic bags to use a socks but I will say that boots will make a much better fashion statement.

There is safety in numbers and fifth must have on a photowalk is a friend. Share your experience, teach and be taught. Photowalks are fun and the only thing that makes one more fun is to have someone along who enjoys doing the same thing... granted the person you take likes having fun... and isn't an idiot with a plastic bag.

So get off the Internet, grab your five things, (don't forget your camera) and get out of here. Go on! Scram! Git!

More to come...