Capture the Moment is an amazing how-to for photographers, and anyone who loves beautiful and striking photos of home and family life. The lovely photos are shared by members of the popular ClickinMoms.com community of women photographers. Yet what is most remarkable to me is that, while covering every practical tip any photographer would need, it’s written with each page offering a descriptive heading, short paragraph, and a photographic example. That’s it. One paragraph. Which makes it easy and fun to read. No boring, drawn-out descriptions of technical jargon (although there are easy-to-understand technical definitions in the back).

And yet I found it’s pretty much all the info I need. It covers all the basics, like “turn off your flash,” “get down to eye level,” and “remember that happiness isn’t the only emotion worth capturing.” And it offers pro-level instruction as well, such as “compose according to the rule of thirds,” “anticipate emotion,” and “match the lighting to the mood you want to convey.” I really am enjoying Capture the Moment, and think it would make a great gift for any mom/photographer in your life.