Tip: Take blink-free group photos

Yes, you wouldn't think it was possible to take a photo of a group without at least one person closing their eyes. But it is possible. In fact, there is a scientific formula to help you - it is based on the number of photos you need to take to make sure you get a good one (well 99% confident anyway). Beware ... when the group gets to over 50 it is close to impossible to get everyone with their eyes open.

Read CSIRO physicist Dr Piers Barnes' practically fail-proof method on the Velocity science in motion website.

Tip: Give your photos an unusual-film look

Unusual and innovatively doctored photos can be used in many products for sale, like say a compelling calendar or something as simple as a framed shot. The key is in choosing the right photo and adding your own splash of creativity.

You can give your photos the look of A Scanner Darkly, the recent film based on a Philip K. Dick book and as equally quirky as Dick's writings. For the film, the movie makers used a posterized live-action animation style and had to repaint each frame, but to make your photos look this way is easier of course. You need Adobe Illustrator and a suitable photo. Photos of people seem to work better.

See the tutorial (written by one of the film's animators) here at IllustratorTechniques.com [via Photojojo]