Image placing problems in LaTeX [duplicate]

Question

I've trouble with placing images in LaTeX. I know that is a starter problem.

In my document (research) I have a lot of graphs (40 graphs on 20 pages). So LaTeX just throw all images in all directions and the text in another direction. So I have some text clustert on some pages, and just a huge among of images on another one. So actually there are some text with the corresponding image like four pages beneath.

Is there any method to make LaTeX place the images correctly? So there is an image and then some text and than the next image? Like how I wrote it in my Tex-Document?

It doesn't matter if LaTeX just make a pagebreak and let some free space on sites, so that the text and images are in the right order. And \pagebreak doesn't help, LaTeX doesn't make anything. And it would actually be nice, if I not have to write \pagebreak all the time, but when LaTeX would do it for me.

Could you please make a suggestion for a one columnd and a twocolumn document? I write in documentclass article.

PS! I think a lot of us who are new to LaTeX have the same problem.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\begin{document}
\end{document}

Answer 1

Just use the float environment, thanks to Juan A. Navarro answered Jan 10 '11 at 12:01:

\usepackage{float}

\begin{figure}[H]
...

Or if you not want to use the float environment: thanks to Herbert, answered Jan 10 '11 at 11:57:

\usepackage{caption}
...
\noindent%
\begin{minipage}{\linewidth}% to keep image and caption on one page
\makebox[\linewidth]{%        to center the image
  \includegraphics[keepaspectratio=true,scale=0.6]{slike/visina8}}
\captionof{figure}{...}\label{visina8}%      only if needed  
\end{minipage}