With the new age of digital cameras, taking pictures has never been so much fun and easy to do. Best of all if you take a photo you don’t like you simply delete and move on or try again. However one thing remains and that is photography is an art and like anything else requires practice to get better at it. Here are some basic tips that can make major improvements to your skills.

Get Close

Don’t be afraid (unless of course you are photographing a wild animal) to move in close to your subject. Most of us don’t have high powered zoom lenses so you can only zoom in so much. Move in close and try to get the object you are taking a picture of to take up more of the photo area.

Know your Flash

Ok, well, know the range of your flash. If you are standing too far away from your subject the flash won’t do you any good. If you have a basic digital camera like me, you need to get in closer so the flash has a positive effect on your photo. With that said, do not get too close if you are using a flash because then it will make your subject too bright.

Organize

Don’t just take a picture of your family for the sake of taking a picture. Organize your picture a lot better. Make sure you get everyone in the right position (usually height etc.), make sure you get the best background for what you are trying to accomplish, and basically arrange your photo just like a professional would if you were at a studio. I can’t tell you how many times I have done this, to make sure the kids were in the right spot so I can get that background of the lighthouse or the castle in Disneyworld.

Eye to Eye

If you like taking nature photos, photos of animals, or like me you have small children, when you go to take their photos you need to get down on their level. When you take a photo from your height down to theirs it makes it look a bit distorted. However, when you get down on the level, you become eye to eye with them and it makes the picture look so much better. This tip alone will make those pictures of your kids look a lot better.

Photoshop

I splurged to purchase Photoshop. Sure it was expensive but once I learned its ins and outs I have been able to touch up photos to really get them to look professional. If you are just a passive photo enthusiast the $300 price tag for Adobe’s Photoshop might be a bit much, you can look into a lighter version for far less money, but if you are a serious photographer (or want to be like me), the price is well worth it.

I can’t say that these tips will make your subject sit still for very long or turn you into the next Ansel Adams, but they will help improve any novice photographer’s basic skill set.