Now playing: Watch this: Tips to stay safe on public Wi-Fi 2:38 Stuck without a data connection on the road? Free public Wi-Fi is one of those little luxuries that can make travelling easier, but you do need to exercise caution in how you use it. Here are some tips on what to look out …

Lexy Savvides/CNET A simple way to spice up portraits and landscape photos is to use a prism. Thanks to its refractive properties, placing a prism in front of a camera lens can produce some unexpected and creative effects. What you need: Any camera, but a dSLR and prime lens is ideal A prism. You can buy these relatively cheaply on …

Ben Thomas Tilt-shift photos make the world look miniature, almost as if you are looking at a diorama. Traditionally, to achieve these photos you need to manipulate perspective and depth of field with a dedicated tilt-shift lens and dSLR. However, the miniature effect can be mimicked using tools like Photoshop, or even a smartphone. Ben Thomas is a photographer who …

Now playing: Watch this: How to back up photos when traveling 1:07 Lexy Savvides/CNET Don’t lose your precious photo memories to a misplaced bag or stolen camera. Backing up your photos may seem daunting — especially on vacation — but it’s actually quite simple once you get started. Remember, the point of any backup solution is to ensure that you …

Now playing: Watch this: Fix basic photo mistakes 2:49 Every photographer makes mistakes when taking photos. Here are some tips to help identify and solve common issues that beginners may come across. Wonky horizon You’re in position watching an amazing sunset and happily snapping away. But in the excitement you forgot to check that the horizon was level, so the …

Now playing: Watch this: Taking sharper photos with your smartphone 0:57 Struggling to get your smartphone photos looking sharp? Here are a few ways to ensure your mobile photography is crisp rather than mushy. Many of these principles also apply to photos taken with conventional cameras, so don’t feel left out if mobile photography isn’t your thing. Hold it steady …

Now playing: Watch this: Make your own custom bokeh lens cap 1:51 Lexy Savvides/CNET Bokeh is a word to describe the quality and appearance of the out of focus areas in a photograph. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to change the shape of the bokeh in your photographs by making a lens cap. There are several custom bokeh …

CNET The best camera is the one you have with you, or so the saying goes. So for many photographers, that best camera just so happens to be a mobile phone. Thanks to the immediacy of social media feedback and the ease of photo editing with apps, the phone has dramatically reduced the barrier to entry for taking great photographs. …

Lexy Savvides/CNET Flickr has recently opened up the beta version of a new editing tool called Camera Roll. Camera Roll is designed to make the editing and organising process much simpler than the existing Organizer tool. Regular Flickr users may have already experimented with the beta in the past few months, but if you haven’t visited the photo-sharing site in …

Now playing: Watch this: Block Valentine’s Day updates on Facebook and Twitter 1:59 Lexy Savvides/CNET Valentine’s Day sucks! Valentine’s Day is just a commercial exercise to make people buy more! Valentine’s Day makes me feel bad. Whichever of those criticisms matches your feelings about Valentine’s Day, never fear. You can continue to use social media without seeing updates from lovesick …