So you have a brand new camera and you want to start to use it to take expert like shots instead of the routine ones! Let me tell you that it is an excellent plan. It will offer you tons of entertainment, exercise as well as something to boast of in front of friends, family and your business colleagues. Did I say exercise? Well, yes. You see you have to exercise about the muscles of your mind and your body a bit to get quality shots. But do not be put down. Put a little effort and you will see your photos becoming professional.

Learn to hold your camera correctly. Hold the digital camera as still as possible and steady particularly in bad light or in shots of fast objects like sports cars and moving animals. The most effective solution is always to make use of a tripod in such circumstances however it is not always possible. There may not be sufficient space to place one.

Hold the camera as close to your body as possible even if viewing through the LCD and keep your elbows tucked in. In photos where the shutter will be open for a longish time such as at night try drawing in breath and holding it. Right handed people hold the digital camera with the right hand with the thumb supporting the back, the forefinger gently placed on the shutter and the other fingers curled around the right side and clasped to the front strongly but not too tightly.

While composing the shot ask yourself what exactly you want to show. Is it a particular object in front of you or do you want to capture your how you're feeling or is it going to be a record of what's happening before you. When you are capturing a particular object ensure it is big enough to fill almost all of the frame. Should you be too far away get close otherwise increase the magnification of the lens or make use of a tele lens. If you would like to capture your emotions move around the camera a bit until you find a shot that is neat and goes well with the way you are feeling.

The ambiance of a place can be effectively captured by recording items which are specific to the place- like ice cream vendors with children crowding around at the beach. If you divide an image into six by three equidistant horizontal and three vertical lines the four joining points of the lines are where it is best to choose from ideally to place the subject you think is very important. Leave out any confusing detail by eliminating it or by blurring the background. One can blur the background by using a tele lens or through choosing a lesser f number for the exposure if you have manual or aperture priority settings in your camera.

Exposure is a tricky thing. Never totally depend on your camera's auto settings and learn to override them. If the focus of the picture is darker than the rest of it, have a shot at increasing the exposure manually from the auto reading suggested by the camera. Do the reverse if it is brighter than the environment.