Composition

• Carry your camera everywhere
• Zoom with your feet, not with your lens.
• Get closer! Fill your frame with the subject.
• Think outside the box...don't always shoot at shoulder level...get on the same level as the subject...shoot down over the subject (from a ladder or second story)...get away from boring, traditional poses.
• Take as many photos as you can.
• Get to know your camera when there is no "pressure", in difficult conditions.
• Buy a tripod.
• Don't be afraid to turn the camera for a portrait or landscape formats.
• Look for clutter in your background that doesn't contribute to the photo to avoid the flag pole "sticking out of the head syndrome.
• Take photos of little things that you stop and admire on an "everyday" basis : Try the Macro Mode.
• If there is something you don't like, fix it BEFORE it becomes a real picture.
• Do not cut people off at their chin.
• Learn the Rule of Thirds.

Exposure

• Learn about apperture and exposure.
• To avoid "camera shakes" take a deep breath right before you snap.
• Anchor yourself against a wall, door jam, rock, the ground to get yourself as sturdy as possible.
• Go manual.
• Take the same picture at different exposures. You know you've done it right when you take a correct exposure, overexposed, and underexposed picture.

• Use natural light whenever possible.
• Use your fill flash outside.
• When shooting outside put the subject in shade, sun in back, and open sky in front for fill.
• Keep the subject several feet away from the backdrop to avoid shadows.
• Try taking photos in the MORNING or the LATE afternoon.
• Get an external flash to bounce the light off the ceiling or walls.
• Watch out for shadows that fall on the face!
• Get a piece of foamcore to use as a reflector

• Always have more film on hand than you'll need.
• Keep extra batteries in your camera case for the camera AND the flash.
• Keep your film in the fridge when storing.
• Keep a journal, especially when trying out some of the features on you SLR.

Digital Camera

• Do NOT use digital Zoom
• Buy an extra memory card.
• Keep extra batteries in your camera case.
• Use the "burst" mode when taking photos of kids or animals to avoid shutter lag.
• Select the right White Balance setting Manually.
• Don't use special effects from the camera (B&W, Sepia), do it on the computer.

Printing

• Find a place you like with employees that are knowledgeable and willing to work with you.
• Compare: Have your pictures printed at 2 different places and compare the quality. Do they check color balance? Do they adjust the brightness for you?