Light

I am a little uneasy about getting into lighting as a "simple" tutorial. But there are definitely a few tips that you can try (with any camera) that will yield nice results. You have probably taken a picture before that just looked great, and you weren't sure why you couldn't duplicate it. Well, photography is all about light. And most folks take pictures because something is going on that is cute or funny or of people they haven't seen, but they don't consider the effect of light on the subject. But when you consider the light, you will see vastly better results. The simplest of "tricks" is to place your subject in open shade. To achieve what I am talking about here, you will need to find an outdoor space without direct light. Say on the shady side of your house, under a tree (as long as the shade is constant, no dappled light) or anywhere on an overcast day! Make sure you turn off your flash because flash can ruin this light. Then as discussed previously, find the best angle. Take pictures from lots of viewpoints. The background of your photo is also important. If you are under the shade of a tree, the brightly lit background can cause you grief. If you are including lots of background, your camera will expose for the overall scene and will underexpose the shaded subject. The shady side of a house is good, because your whole scene will be in the same light, meaning the exposure will be right on for anything in the picture (assuming you are using the shaded wall as a background.) I feel as though I am getting farther in than I wanted to. Does any of this make sense? I will explore this subject of light further, but for now try this and let me know what you think of the results. Happy experimenting! (One further note: My camera equipment is very costly, and gives me the ability to shoot in much lower light with sharper results than the average point and shoot camera. Don't get discouraged because your pictures don't look like my average post. I also spend lots of time post processing my pictures to further enhance them. But practicing these tips will help, and you can take great photos with any camera when you take the time to practice what you have learned. Good luck and enjoy your progress. Have you already noticed an improvement? I would love to hear about it.)