Gear Up For Better Pics

When you took the shot, you thought "National Geographic." When you saw the shot, you thought, "Gee, no graphic." A few well-chosen accessories can help increase the number of photos worth adding to your album.

· Remember the memory: There is no such thing as "enough." Double up on memory cards, so if one goes bad, you have another. With four-gigabyte SD cards selling for less than $20, you can afford to splurge. The same goes for film. It's small; carry extra.

· Just when you get the whole family lined up and smiling . . . BZZZT, low battery. Always carry extra fully charged batteries. As expensive as they might be (as much as $100 each), weighed against the aggravation of toting a dead camera, they are a bargain.

· To protect their photos and to get a closer look on the spot, pros often carry a backup drive with a screen to view pictures, such as the $400 Epson P-3000. It can store 40 gigabytes of photos and has a four-inch LCD screen. There are less -- and more -- expensive storage devices, but the Epson has been a professional favorite.