1. Keep Steady

The best way to avoid blurry images is by holding your camera steady. Here’s the easiest way to avoid camera shake:

• Use both hands
• Rest your elbows on your chest (or a ledge or a wall)
• Relax
• Press the shutter button gently

2. Get a Little Closer

Most people usually stand too far away when taking a photo. The result looks like their subject is a hundred kilometers away. Don’t be afraid to fill the frame with whatever you’re shooting – whether it’s the top of a tree, a butterfly perched on a flower or your best friend.

3. Change The Way You Shoot

Experiment with the format of the image when you take pictures. Not every shot needs to be horizontal. Vertical shots can help emphasize height while horizontal shots are a good way of experiencing distance.

4. People Make a Picture

When you go on vacation, you may enjoy taking shots of landscapes, flowers or mountain vistas, but back at home, you may wish you had added some human interest. Include friends or family in your shots or even people who just happen to be in the area. And if there isn’t anyone around, you can always experiment with the self-timer.

Another reason for framing people within your shots is that they add dimension to whatever it is you are shooting. A picture of a tree is just a tree until the tiny person standing next to it illustrates just how gigantic it is.

5. Beauty is in the Details

Sometimes you don’t need to see the ‘whole’ picture to get the ‘whole’ story. Instead of trying to fit everything into your frame, sometimes, zooming into something less expected can have a lot more impact. For instance, a shot of a castle is just a castle, but a shot of a bird’s nest resting in a nook on one of its towers – now that’s a story.

6. Don’t Shoot Into the Sun

Putting the sun behind you when you’re taking a picture means that your subject has a good source of light. This position also allows you to pick up colour and shade in detail. By standing a little to the side you can experiment with shadow – which helps bring out texture and form.

7. Experiment

Nothing spices up a photo album (or helps you evolve as a photographer) better than experimentation. Shoot close-ups and long shots, portraits and candid shots; try different angles and heights. Photographs tell a story and you’re the story-teller, so remember to have fun with it.

8. Go Deep

The world isn’t flat and your photos shouldn’t be either. Give your viewer reference to help give space and dimension to your images. If you’re shooting a mountain that’s many miles away, add something to the foreground to help emphasize that distance.

9. Horizon Shine

Knowing where you place your horizon can really add impact to your images. For instance, if you’re shooting a desert sky, place the horizon low in your frame and you emphasize the majesty of the clouds. On the other hand, if you place the horizon high in the frame, you’d be emphasizing the desolation of the desert itself.

10. Think Off-Centre

A photo album that has picture after picture of a subject placed squarely into the center of the frame gets awfully dull quite quickly. Add variety and interest to whatever you’re shooting by playing with where it sits within your LCD screen (or viewfinder).