TIPS TO BE A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER

• If you shoot digital, it's better to underexpose the shot, as underexposure is easy to correct later on in software. Shadow detail can be recovered; blown highlights (the pure white areas in an overexposed photo) can never be recovered, as there is nothing there to recover. Film is the opposite; shadow detail tends to be poor compared to digital cameras, but blown highlights are rare even with massive overexposure.^[8]
• Your camera does not matter. Nearly any camera is capable of taking good photographs in the right conditions. Even a modern camera phone is good enough for many kinds of shots.^[7] Learn your camera's limitations and work around them; don't buy new equipment until you know exactly what these limitations are, and are certain that they are hindering you.
• Western societies tend to prefer snapshots with faces or people filling the frame, e.g. within 6 feet - East Asian tourists tend to takes photos of people standing at least 15 feet from the camera so they appear tiny and the photos is mostly location/background - the photo is not about 'me' but showing the place I went to.
• Get your photos off your memory card as soon as possible. Make backups; make several backups if you can. Every photographer has, or will, experience the heartbreak of losing a precious image or images unless he or she cultivates this habit. Back up, back up, and back up!
• If the camera has a neck strap, use it! Hold the camera out so the neck strap is pulled as far as a can, this will help steady the camera. Also, it'll also stop you from dropping the camera.
• Keep a notebook handy and make notes about what worked well and what did not. Review your notes often as you practice.
• To find an interesting angle at a tourist location, look where everybody else is taking his or her picture, and then go somewhere different. You do not want the same picture as everybody else.
• Don’t be afraid of taking too many pictures. Take pictures until you feel like you got the best shot possible! It usually takes time to find the perfect composition, and your subject deserves this time. Once you found something that interest you, treat it like a treasure and give it your attention.
• When shooting photos of children, get down to their level! Pictures looking down at the top of a child's head are usually lame. Stop being lazy and get on your knees.
• Install photo-editing software and learn how to use it. This will allow you to correct color balance, adjust lighting, crop your photos, and much more. Most cameras will come with software to make these basic adjustments. For more complicated operations, consider buying Photoshop, downloading and installing the free GIMP image editor, or using