Today’s digital cameras are capable of producing amazing images. Automatic exposure and pre-programmed scene modes make it easier than ever to take good shots. Despite all the sophistication, it is possible, even likely, to get poorly exposed and composed photos.

If you wish to take more professional looking photos you need to familiarize yourself with more advanced camera settings and techniques.

You should learn time honoured principles of composition, how to take control over exposure, how to shoot under varied light, and the best times of day to take pictures.  

The most basic digital camera photo taking techniques are simple and very easy to follow even for the most amateurish of photographers.

First of all when taking a picture always use the shutter-release button correctly. The shutter-release button on compact digital camera must be pressed in two stages. The first step locks in exposure and focus.

The second step takes the picture. Incorrect use of the shutter button may cause blurred images. Even slight camera movement causes blurred images. To help prevent camera shake, hold the camera very steady or use a camera support such as a tripod. 

Rather than keep a camera’s sensitivity set to auto, learn when and why to adjust ISO for (sometimes) improved low-light performance. Turn on the flash outside to fill in shadows when a nearby subject is back lit.

Fill in Flash, also known as forced flash, provides a short burst of additional light. Sometimes you can take pictures and it turns out that the subject has red eyes in the photo. This can otherwise ruin an otherwise perfect picture.

One of the main ways to help prevent red-eye when using a built-in camera flash is to ask subjects not to stare directly in the lens. For more accurate photo colour when taking inside photos, change the white balance settings according to the main source of light.

Use macro mode for close up photos such as flowers, coins, and insects. If you move the lens too close to an object without switching to macro mode, images will be out of focus.
Don’t confuse blurred images with a soft image.

Soft images are common with digital cameras. Remember, too, that if the image is fast-moving, it may be blurred. Freeze the action by selecting a fast shutter speed or using the sports or equivalent digital camera mode.   

Finally, digital cameras store images in a compressed format called JPEG. It is the most commonly used format. However, some cameras also have uncompressed formats (TIFF and RAW). When images are compressed their file size becomes smaller so more can be saved to a memory card.

If compression is set too high, image quality is reduced. Digital cameras provide a variety of compression levels: Super fine, Fine, Normal, and Basic. The Fine setting produces the least compression and best image quality.

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