Thanks for this...I am just getting into photography and have been doing a lot of Macro and landscape work. Always thought Portraits (especially groups) were rather daunting and was never quite sure how to apply compositional techniques to this sort of photography. Your guide is very succinct and I will most certainly be using these techniques at every opportunity.
www.flickr.com/morribrad (if you are interested, and I always appreciate thoughts and suggestions).
There're many filters that can be used in black and white photography, but there are few common ones that you should keep in your camera kit everytime.
Camera Tripod Guide