Protecting your online images is something you have to consider if you have a photo blog or photography website or display your images any other site.

If you put your favorite images online, don’t be surprised if enterprising pirates snatch your shots and put them on their own Web sites. While protecting your online images entirely might be an impossible task, there are steps you can take to at least slow the Internet thieves down a little and make things more difficult for them.

Those searching for images for their blogs and Web sites have plenty of legal options. But that doesn’t stop many from copying and pasting images that they have no legal rights, too. They just take whatever they like as it is often just too easy to do.

The bad thing is that whoever took the original photograph has no control over how thieves use their work.

The best way to protect your images is to not post them online at all. Obvious really!

But if you don’t want to go to such drastic measures, you could always place a watermark on your online image. A watermark is usually a clear symbol of some sort that partially covers an online image.

Visitors can still see your image clearly, but novice thieves won’t be able to use the image without the watermark – which can be your Web site name or your name, for instance – being clearly visible to their visitors.

An even more powerful weapon against image thieves is known as shrink-wrapping. This places a transparent image over your online photos. When thieves save your image, they’ll get a surprise when they try to open it or use it: They’ll get a picture of nothing.

Unfortunately, while these two techniques work well against casual image thieves, they probably won’t stop those who are more skilled or determined. But at least by taking these two steps, you’ll be protecting your online images to the best of your ability.

Some protection has to be better than none at all!

There are a few rules that  every beach photographer should try to follow…

Using your digital camera to shoot picturesque scenes at a beach seems like a natural. All you have to do is point and click to get some wonderful photos, right?

Actually not quite. There’s one important rule you should remember when shooting beach photography: the rule of thirds.

Most amateur photographers make the same mistake when shooting at a beach. They put the beach’s horizon line in the very center of their photograph. This might seem to make sense when you’re snapping that photo.

But doing this actually results in some mediocre shots. And you are also missing the chance to turn these average photos into something a lot more impressive.

Take a look at your beach photography. If the horizon line is in the center of your photo, you’ll notice that it cuts your photo in half. This takes away any drama from your photos. It also draws the eyes of viewers away from the smaller details in your beach scene that give your shot its unique personality.

Instead of placing the horizon line in the middle of your beach shot, then, consider following the rule of thirds. This rule has guided amateur photographers to great shots for many years.

The rule of thirds calls for photographers to place the horizon line in either the bottom third or top third of your shots. This results in beach photography that is more pleasing to the eye. Viewers might not be able to figure out why your beach photos look so appealing. But you’ll know it’s because of the rule of thirds.

Before snapping your photo with your digital camera, survey the scene around. You’ll need to find something to frame your shot with, something to anchor your shot. If you’re shooting a beach scene, a natural frame might be towering sand dunes or groves of palm trees.

By framing your shot with these elements, you create a nice contrast between the beach and its horizon line. Again, it’s a way to create a photo that is visually stunning, and of professional quality.

Before snapping that shot, make sure there’s nothing in your digital camera’s line of vision that will be distracting or visually unappealing. Perhaps there’s a trash can on the beach that will be visible in your shot. Maybe there’s an unattended beach bag or a crumpled beach towel in the shot.

If you do find an unwanted object in your shot, either move it or change your shot. Either way, you don’t want the object to find its way in your finished photo.

By following the rule of thirds, you’ll soon be taking professional level beach shots.

Just remember: Don’t put that horizon line in the center of your shot!