Be mindful of the framing of your subject. What this means will vary by subject. For instance, if you are taking a picture of one person, getting a close shot where the subject fills the frame is your best bet, since details are important. On the other hand, a landscape shot might benefit from being further away, as you get the entire scene this way.
Play with the shutter speed setting to get shots of both slow and fast-moving subjects. Slow shutter speeds are great for objects that move very slowly, such as streams. Fast shutter speeds, on the other hand, allow you to get a clear shot of a subject that is moving very quickly, such as a race car.
Play with the aperture settings. Take a number of photos of the same subject with different settings to see how it affects the look of the final photo. Bigger f-stops allow you to get an entire landscape in focus, while a smaller f-stop will draw attention only to the center of your frame.
When preparing for a trip, pack your equipment carefully. Take all different kinds of lenses, and make sure you take cleaning accessories and enough batteries. Never pack more than you need. Think about which items will be convenient for taking on your trip.
When traveling, begin snapping pictures the moment you leave. You'll discover lots of chances to take excellent pictures once you arrive; however, you should see the actual trip as a chance to take some unique shots. Photos of yourself and your travel mates in an airplane, train or other mode of transportation can help tell a story.
One of the best ways to capture perfect shots is to take many photographs of your subjects. Keep this in mind when purchasing a memory card, so you can be sure to get one with a large storage capacity. By increasing the size of the memory card that you use in your camera, you are increasing the number of photos that you can take before changing cards. An added benefit of a larger memory card is that you will be able to shoot in RAW (if your camera has this capability). The RAW format preserves more details than JPEG and allows for a lot of flexibility once you get into post-production.
As mentioned earlier, photography allows us to capture those fleeting moments so that we can enjoy them for years. Sometimes photographs can be your most precious belongings; not bad for a piece of paper with a few chemicals smeared on it. You will be able to improve your skills and take better pictures quickly if you practice and apply these tips.
