Six tips for shooting digital photos like a pro

Shoot digital photos like a pro

Here are 6 tips that will instantly improve your images

By J.D. Lasica
Ourmedia

With millions of amateur shutterbugs sporting digital cameras that can produce professional results, more and more people are looking to take their shooting skills to the next level.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Move closer

Photo by JD Lasica

The most common mistake beginners make is that they stand too far away. Get up close and personal with your subjects. Group your subjects close to each other. Pay attention to the expressions on their faces.

Look for the unusual angle

Photo by Edlin Roguel

What's the point in snapping an uninspired, cliche-ridden photo? Avoid shots with stiff, posed, awkward grins or pictures that prop your subjects in front of too-familiar landmarks. Instead, opt for the fresh and unexpected. Try an unusual angle — from above, below or the side, instead of straight on.

Help your subjects look natural

Photo by JD Lasica

If you're shooting people, you'll capture a more natural and genuine expression if you put them at ease. For example, if you're photographing kids, act goofy, play games with them, or tell a joke instead of saying, "Say cheese!"

Make good use of light

If you're outdoors and the sun is bearing down onto the subjects' faces, they'll look washed out and squinty. Position your subjects in front of the sun and light up their faces with a flash. It may sound counterintuitive to use a flash outdoors, but it's one of the keys to capturing a professional-looking image.

Compose your shot

Photo by JD Lasica

Before you press the shutter release, try experimenting with different angles. Make sure the subjects are nice and tight and no one's head is cut off. To increase visual interest, position your subjects so that they appear slightly to the right or the left instead of smack dab in the middle. (The pros even have a phrase for this: The rule of thirds.) Or line up to their right or left and shoot them from the side instead of straight on.

Take lots of shots

Photo by JD Lasica

Don't just take one shot and think you're done -- this isn't film! Subjects shut their eyes or make awkward expressions, so keep shooting. Make sure your memory card has enough megapixel firepower to keep on snapping. Natural shots often occur just before or just after a posed shot.

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