We love moaning. The raw file won’t open, the firmware update wiped your settings. But spare a thought for the early adopters – when digital photography meant ghostly battery life, media cards that could barely hold a lunch break, colours that made everything look a bit ill. Peter Dench hears from top shooters about those early frustrations and breakthroughs, and adds his own…

When everything comes together, there’s no better feeling, as Michael Topham experienced in Croatia

Spotlight on readers’ excellent images and how they captured them

Avoid the Instagram hotspots and go off the beaten track to reveal more interesting images of your visit

For more interesting portraits, take a direct approach and ask your subject for a shot

Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round One, Black & White, with comments by the AP team and our guest judges