There are a few photo tips that may seem obvious to you when you read them here in this article but you would be surprised how often even the smallest step is overlooked resulting in poor photographs.

Many people think that you simply buy a digital camera, point and shoot.  For some this may be so but if you want pictures that are worth showing to your family and friends a couple of extra steps must be taken.

The first few you can accomplish before you even leave the store in which you purchase your camera.

1. Make sure you have enough memory to store your pictures.

All cameras hold a few pictures without any upgrades. Unfortunately a few is exactly what we mean usually only about 10 to 15 photographs.  Most often this is not enough space.  Wouldn’t it be awful to at one of your child’s sporting events or school performances or to come across a beautiful sunset and either have to delete a previously taken picture or skip the new picture all because there isn’t enough space on your memory card.  For most of us a 1-2GB will suffice.  This size will hold hundreds of pictures so you will never have to miss that important shot.

2. Extra batteries are another vital purchase for any digital camera owner.  It is best to buy a camera with rechargeable batteries so you don’t have to keep buying new ones.  Trying to turn on your camera only to see the red light flash is an awful sight.  It is just as bad, and as disappointing, as not having enough memory card space.

3. The third purchase that you certainly need to consider is a carrying case.  Digital cameras are sturdy little pieces of equipment but by no means are they indestructible.  Not only will a carrying case protect your camera it will also give you compartments to store extra batteries, extra memory and any cables or adaptors needed to get your pictures onto your computer or printing station.

4. Now that you have the necessary equipment you should read through your owner’s manual.

Digital cameras can do all types of interesting things and unless you read your manual you may never know how to use these functions or what your camera is capable of doing.  There are different types of flash and different shutter exposures to get the type of picture you desire depending on the lighting and subject of your photo.

5. Always be aware of the placement of your subject in your frame.  Don’t be afraid to use your zoom and make sure your subject is visible.  Lots of people fail to use their zoom and often have many pictures with a large portion of background scenery and the main subject of their picture is barely a blip on the paper.  Another mistake is to zoom in too far.  Getting an up close picture of a flower or insect is one thing but all too often getting that close to someone’s face doesn’t end up with the same artistic results.  Nobody wants a picture of their left eye, nose and half of their mouth.  Always be aware of what you are actually photographing.

Now I know you are probably thinking these are all common sense steps.  That statement would be true but it is often the common sense steps that are over looked.
Ask anyone who is in camera sales and they will tell you that unless you prompt your customer to purchase a larger memory card, extra batteries and a camera case the customer usually forgets and then has to come back to get the needed accessories.  Look through the average person’s photo album and you will see lots of pictures that are too close or too far, or simply look wrong on the frame.
Follow these common sense steps and look forward to some great pictures.

Much more advice, and a free 7-Day course of further tips can be found at Simple Digital Photo Tips.