by Lesley Rigg

Created on: July 20, 2010

Most people can operate a camera, but few people actually know or appreciate the full breadth of the camera that they own, but by following the ten steps below you can make a real difference to your photographs and improve them:

Tip 1 - Read the Manual!

Read the manual!  Yes, I know it sounds obvious and to many people boring.  Manuals are rarely easy or light reading.  However, every time you come to do something, whether it be exposure lock, or manual focus or anything, then just going and trying to read the manual will allow you to create better images.  If you really can't bear to do that then there are normally video tutorials that you can follow which will tell you how to do many things.  Even better, if you know a photographer or someone who is into the subject who has a similar camera model to you, ask them.  They can normally figure it out, even if they don't have the exact model.

Tip 2 - Choose your time of day

If you are shooting outdoors, or landscape photography, then there are specific rules that you can follow which will give you better images.  Normally with landscapes unless the weather is doing something really interesting at another time, the few hours after sunrise and the few before sunset have a warmth that pervades the hills and buildings giving you lovely light to shoot in. 

Also if you are shooting people, and you have the choice, choose a shaded spot or overcast day to shoot them, as the strong shadows from the sun overhead, particularly in the middle of the day produces distracting and dark shadows that should be avoided if possible.

Tip 3 - Use a Tripod

Even with the smallest compact digital, using a small tripod can make a massive difference.  If you want to ensure that there is absolutely no camera shake, particularly in low light scenes such as woodlands or near water then tripod and shutter releases or timers are a really good bet and most cameras have them.  This is also important for night scenes, most cameras will allow you to keep the shutter open on "bulb" for longer than exposure to create the images you see of traffic moving at night.

Tip 4 - Night photography, take it blue

Most night photography is not actually taken at night, but rather in the blue light just before dusk.  This allows a little light into the shot that helps you define buildings, but still get the exciting contrast of bright city lights against dark buildings and roads.

Tip 5 - If you can take it

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