Digital Photography can get very exciting and interesting especially if you own a good model. But even the Best Camera cannot give you the best pictures if you are not aware of how to use the various user controls and also certain tips and tricks which will enable you to click some great and amazing snaps. Here a few of them which I personally use all the time for taking some memorable pictures.
An important thing to remember always is to use optical zoom instead of digital zoom for clicking far away objects. Optical zoom makes use of the lens physically and makes the object appear closer unlike digital zoom which is just smart software embedded in the chip. The former is always recommended for getting sharper and clearer pictures than the latter which tends to give blurred and poor quality images. Only optical zoom will be able to give you good picture clarity which is crucial if you are intending on enlarging the picture. If you use digital zoom, then the clarity decreases as you enlarge the image.
It is best to take a few steps closer to your subject while taking a photograph especially when you are shooting children who are always a pleasure to look at. Instead of focusing on the whole body, focus on the face especially when you catch them off guard in a moment of reflection or a different expression. If you cannot move in closer to the object, then use optical zoom for a clear and crisp image. You can also zoom in on the picture later on using digital software and crop out the background to get an amazing photograph.
If you are interested in outdoor photography, then make sure that you shoot at dawn and dusk which provide great lighting for some interesting pictures. Shoot away from the sun or the sunlight falling on the image will become too bright and douse out the other colors in the photograph. While shooting people, make sure that the sun is behind your back and not in front of you for great pictures. If you are shooting in bright sunlight, then make sure that your subject is not squinting as this will reflect in the photo; professional photographers use shields and frames to keep away the sunlight from falling directly on the subject