This may seem like a silly question. However, I'm a beginner. Here's what I need to do:

I need to place about 8 photos on a page. Each photo will have a one line caption underneath.

I want, let's say, 4 rows of 2 photos next to each other. What's the best way to do this if I don't want to use a table?

Could I create two div tags next to each other and place the 4 photos in each one? I suppose I could do that...but is it the best way to do what I want?

It seems like such a simple issue...but it has me wondering about the best method.

I used floating divs to hold an image and text underneath. Have a look. I moved away from a table because it forces something like what you described; a set number of rows and columns. You'll need to clear the float to break onto a new line.

What about using an AP div for each photo/caption pair? Does that make sense?

Yes, you can do it that way. If you check out the child pages of my site (click my sig) you'll see that the pics are arranged in their own respective divs using the CSS table-cell attribute, with conditional comments to correct for IE's lack of support for them. Though it's more coding, you might want to try making the pic and link separate <a> tags, breaking after the image, to make sure the caption is centered under the pic. Check out Forrest's home page, http://forrestcroce.com, for an example of this, in the new pics section of the code.

hey forest crocce your links from the images on this page http://forrestcroce.com/ are all broken! 404 not found

Huh, so they are. They're still linked to *. It's still under construction, so bear with us. The method for positioning the pics still holds, though. Keep watching that site, 'cause you'll be seeing ways to do layouts that are more like the tried and true methods of print design, drawing the eye to the content. I wish more web designers would break away from rows of boxes, and use CSS to its full potential.

You could also use a definition list for something like this.