Yosemite's Bridalveil Falls, taken by GORP user Walter Allen. Show off your pictures of national parks or other natural places.

Like teachers and chefs, photographers fall into that category of professionals whose expertise I respect enough to know that having dabbled in their field doesn't make me one of them. But I tend to think of my camera as a piece of outdoor gear that's every bit as essential as my water bottle. It's not the quality of the prints that matters; it's the act of taking photographs. Breaking down a landscape into 50mm chunks acts as a sort of visual note-taking—it helps me notice details that later remind me of the overall experience. Nowhere is this more useful than in Yosemite, where the uncut scenery is often too overwhelming to be digested whole.

After lugging my camera on hundreds of hikes, I've learned a few skills by trial and error and collected plenty of pointers from friends. What follows is a basic lesson in trail photography for anyone who is just starting out. (Serious photographers will want to hit the back button now—you'll learn nothing here.) These tips won't turn you into the next Ansel Adams, but they could make you seem a bit more convincing when you're trying to act the part.