We've put together a few great tips to help you take better photos. Some are specific to problems faced by digital photographers; some will help no matter camera you use.

1. Read the manual. Many digital cameras have great features packed into them that you would never expect -- from “night vision” modes to the ability to record movies and sound. Also, standard features like shutter speed and settings for different types of light (natural, indoor, low-light) can be difficult to find and use if you are used to a traditional camera or another make or model of digital camera. Reading the manual thoroughly will help you get the most of your equipment and take the best pictures.

2. Hold still. With many digital cameras there is a noticeable lag between when you press the shutter release and when the picture is actually taken. Making sure you hold your camera with both hands (even if it’s tiny) and keep still until you are certain the camera has taken the picture. It is especially important to keep the camera steady in low-light situations or when you are not using the flash, as the picture is more likely to blur.

3. Take more pictures. Don’t be shy about taking lots of pictures — you aren’t paying for film anymore. If you have a reasonably large memory card, you can take 100 or more pictures without deleting or off-loading any of them onto your computer. Snap away!

4. Watch that battery. You are more likely to run out of battery power than you are to completely fill your camera’s memory card. To conserve battery life, avoid using the camera’s built-in display to compose photographs (or browse the pictures you have already taken) when your camera isn’t plugged in. Also remember to plug your camera in before transferring photos to your computer or displaying them on your TV.

5. Understand your flash. There are many circumstances, even in fairly low light, when your pictures will look better without a flash. Especially indoors, you can sometimes get richer colors, softer focus, and more sympathetic skin tones by turning the flash off. Conversely, outdoor pictures can often be improved by using a “fill flash,” which helps to soften shadows and minimize the effects of backlighting.

6. Shoot at high resolution. Most cameras support at least two quality / image-size settings. You always shoot at the highest resolution that your camera can support. You never know which pictures you will want to print or save for a lifetime, and low-resolution pictures that look fine on your computer screen often look terrible on photo paper. Memory cards are cheap enough now that you can easily afford a card that will hold a 100 or more high-resolution pictures.

7. Get in close. The more detail in a picture, the more interesting it is. Don’t be shy — get in close to your subject, whether you are taking a portrait or a picture of some some flowers. Your camera’s flash may wash out (or overexpose) a close-up shot, so you may want to disable the flash or adjust its setting.

8. Don’t center your subject. Photographs rarely look best when the subject is dead-center. A good guide is the four-corners rule. Imagine lines dividing your shot into thirds vertically and horizontally. Compositions that place the subject(s) on one or more of the four places where these lines intersect tend to be striking and interesting. Nobody knows why this is true, but it’s an old photographer’s trick that anyone can use.

9. Experiment. Because it costs you nothing to take pictures, experiment with your camera as much as you can. Try using the “wrong” light settings deliberately and see what happens. Try getting very close in. Try shooting in low light without the flash. You might like what you find.

10. Use Preclick PhotoBackPack. Preclick PhotoBackPack is the fastest and easiest way to find, organize, preserve, print, and share your digital photos on your home PC. It’s free and it downloads in seconds. Get it here.

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