Welcome to my Digital Photography Guide Blog and thanks for stopping by!  In the following weeks intend to keep this Blog jam-packed full of interesting posts all about the world of digital photography.  I intend to be your personal Digital Photography Guide through the exciting but sometimes daunting world of new technology, jargon and terminology that is Digital Photography.

Don’t worry if you’re just a beginner.  In this, my inaugural Digital Photography Guide post, I’ve given you a few tips and techniques that can be used without any other technical knowledge of your Digital Camera. (We’ll explore these later in Digital Photography Guide!)  

In my opinion, the difference between a good photo and an absolutely great photo is usually just a few seconds thought before taking the shot.  When we get more familiar with the all the technology our digital camera has to offer, we can learn how to improve our photos by using the different features and functions of our cameras.  But without knowing a thing about how our camera works, all we need to do is this - by simply pausing before we take the photo and considering a few things that will make our snapshot into a winning shot.  What follows, are some things you might want to consider when you’re taking your next photos.

1. Fill the Frame
You can fill the frame of your shot by either moving closer to your subject or using your camera’s optical zoom function.  By doing this you will avoid any unnecessary distractions in your photo and your subject will stand out.

2. Change your view
A landscape shot taken in the vertical (portrait) aspect can be very striking and gives a different perspective than usual.  Because you can delete and retake your digital photos, shoot your subject from many different angles until you get the shot your happiest with.

3.  Position of Subject
Whereabouts you place your subject in the frame, will determine how interesting the picture is. Try to avoid placing your subject directly in the center of your frame and instead place your subject off to one side of the frame.

4. Lead the Eye
Using a foreground subject to lead the eye to the main subject will give a strong sense of depth to your photo.  Use overhanging branches when framing a lake or include an interesting pathway to lead your viewer through the picture.

5. The Right Light
Changing the way we use light within our pictures will dramatically change the feel of them.  Our photographs can look dramatically different depending on whether or not they were taken at Daybreak, Midday or Sunset.  Don’t be afraid to get up early to catch that great shot!

7. Use color/ black and white/ sepia
Add interest and variation to your photos by changing them to black and white or sepia.  You can either do this through your camera, on your PC using an editing program or in your local photo lab.

Begin to notice how photographers and artists you admire have put these simple techniques into practice and how they have resulted in beautiful shots.  Don’t forget to come back and visit my Digital Photography Guide blog for more tips on taking better pictures but in the meantime remember, take a second to think before you click and you’ll be half way there to an outstanding picture!