Digital photography is really very similar to traditional photography with film. I would offer the following tips to help you get the best photographs possible:

Get to Know Your Camera

One of the best things you can do with your new camera is simply to try it out. Use the different functions and see how they work.

Your digital photography will improve with practice. So, take some pictures and download them to your computer. Don’t wait to use your camera for the first time when you have some important event. Experimenting with a new camera during a child’s wedding or your baby’s first birthday party is bound to be frustrating. Give your camera a test drive taking pictures of objects around the house or your family members.

Digital photography is a chance to explore. Go ahead and get out that manual and try some of the advanced features too. You may find that you like them, and many of them are not nearly as hard to use as you might imagine. Digital photography can be fun!

Rule of Thirds

Digital photography has many similarities to film photography. For example, one of the best ways to achieve balance in a photograph is to use the rule of thirds. Mentally draw horizontal and vertical lines to divide your photograph into thirds. Position your subject on one of the intersection points of the lines. Your objective is to avoid having your subject in the dead center of the photograph. Keep in mind that this trick may not work if your digital camera is set on autofocus. Often, the autofocus setting will give the sharpest focus directly in the center and things surrounding will be blurry. So, if you cannot or don’t want to set your camera on manual, you may not be able to employ this rule. Experiment with your camera until you get results that you like.

Hold Your Camera Steady

Nothing ruins a photo faster than a shaky hand. Be sure to hold steady. You might also want to consider a tripod if you take many extreme closeups. For example, if you do a lot of photos for online auction ads, you would benefit greatly from a tripod. Be sure that you gently depress the shutter button to take a picture. Don’t stab the button. It also helps if you can draw a breath and hold it briefly until you snap the shutter button.

Get Close to the Action

Many good photos are ruined by being too far away. Don’t expect to get good photos in a stadium or auditorium if you are shooting pictures from the back row. Your digital photography will improve if you get up close. This same rule applies at home and in most other situations. Get close enough so that you can eliminate extraneous elements in your viewfinder. Use your zoom to help. But your pictures will usually improve by getting yourself closer to the action.

Use the Flash

Indoor photos are often light deprived. What may seem like plenty of light to you is far too little for your camera to do a good job. That is why your camera has the built in flash. Make use of it. With today’s photo editor software, you can eliminate red eye caused by the flash. Your camera may also have a red eye setting you can use to eliminate this problem when you take the photo. A flash is also handy when you are shooting action, like sports. A flash can help to stop the action and catch that perfect moment.

Digital photography can be great fun. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your camera. And enjoy!