1. Tips for Taking Good Pictures

2. shoot from different perspectives up high down low getting in close stepping back for a wider shot moving around your subject to shoot from different sides experimenting with different settings.

4. check out the background of a shot to check for clutter or distraction scan the background (and the foreground) of an image quickly and to change their framing if there’s too many distractions

6. Get it straight! While shots that are not straight can be quite effective it takes practice and you should start by aiming for a shot that is ‘well balanced’ Check the framing of their shot before hitting the shutter.

8. Everyone knows how to hold a digital camera – Don’t they? Images can suffer with camera shake as a result of poor technique especially in low light. A tripod or a secure flat surface can help Steady yourself with objects around you- a tree or a wall.

10. Almost all my first pictures were little dots in the sky that were apparently birds! This is partly because my first camera didn’t have a zoom. But it was partly because I didn’t understand how getting in close would help capture the detail. Learn how to use the zoom. Don’t forget to use your legs. Fill the Frame!

13. While most cameras do well in auto focusing upon subjects there are times when you’ll end up with shots that are out of focus because the camera doesn’t know what the main subject. Learn how to press the shutter halfway down to focus and then to frame the shot while still holding it down and you will have a skill that you will use forever!

15. Imaginary lines are drawn dividing the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. You place important elements of your picture where these lines intersect. Arrange areas into bands occupying a third. Place things along the imaginary lines. Put things are a third of the way up, third of the way in from the left. Don’t put things; right in the middle, right at the top, right at the bottom, away in the corner. Helps produce nicely balanced easy on the eye pictures.

18. How to make a Story with Pictures Make a storyboard for your idea. What is it that you want to tell and how can you tell your story visually? How many ways can you show a person in their environment? How can you make a landscape look interesting? Remember that good lighting is key, where is it and how does it change as you or your subject moves around the room? Keep it simple and uncluttered. The fewer distractions, the better the image. Create a minimum of eight basic images: Wide shot-vertical and horizontal, medium shot- vertical and horizontal, close up shot-vertical and horizontal, extreme close up shot-vertical and horizontal. Think about where the camera is. Put it in unusual places like ground level or get above something and shoot down. Think outside of the box. What interests you? How can I illustrate a story about that? Be creative and try every conceivable angle. Shoot something with different foregrounds, middle grounds and backgrounds.