How to Take Pictures With a Digital Cameras

How many times did you see awfully pictures and were sadden deeply by what you saw. We all take bad pictures, even the best of us. In the following article I compiled a few helpful tips for avoiding making armature mistakes.

Light

Soft light looks better than hard light. If you are shooting outside and the sun is not obscured your object may look burned. Shade or softer light produces more beautiful pictures than full light on an object.
Avoid windows and direct strong light.
If you go out to shoot at dusk or dawn you have the best light if the weather permits it and the sky are not all cloudy. At those parts of the day though the light is right for about 20-40 minutes. ( for more reference look at the article about night time photography )
Do not use flash! The effect the flash causes is an unflattering one. The human skin look pale and the background black or disappear.

Background
Notice the background. Pay attention that it doesn't take away from the composition. Notice that it doesn't temper with what it is that you want to capture. Don't be cute or funny. Simplicity is almost always better.
Background is an added layer, a sub one, pay attention that it does not 'shades' your subject.

Angle and Shot
Do not shoot from bellow a person point of view, unless your model is a kid. From a low angle we all look bad, fat, double chinned... Compose the shot with the person not facing the camera straight but about three quarters view. Allow a bit of head space and bellow the shoulders.
If you shoot from a high angle you will make your object slimmer. Some of us like this angle a lot...

Composition
Decide what is the subject of the shoot. Make it the center of the composition. Do not tamper with the focus on the main subject for the sake of gaining some other value. Chances are that you will confuse the composition and lose the strength of the picture. Get closer if needed. Always remember the picture's subject. Do not center your subject in the exact middle of the frame, allow a slight off centering.

Remember to have fun. If you enjoy taking pictures, people would love looking at them.