Ryan's Top 10 Photography Tips

1) Know what your camera can do and know how to do it quickly. Most cameras have features that the users don't know how to use well.

2) Try new things. Pick a setting you don't know so well and shoot 100 photos using it. After you will know how it use it well and can remember easily when there is a good opportunity.

3) Look at many photos, in books and shows, and try to imagine how the photographer took the ones you really like. Then try to mimic the technique with your original subject.

4) Your camera wants to average everything. It often choose a brighter exposure to bring out a little more detail in the dark areas, which may be good but not at the expense of the details and colors that are most important to the photo. so try underexposing or spot metering sometimes to get richer colors and better hi-light details.

5) Shoot a lot! It's free if you have a digital camera. Aspiring pro's used to have to spend 100's of dollars a month just on film.

6) I used just one zoom lens for 7 years. I now use a 50mm fixed lens and a 10-20mm (very wide angle). It really opens a lot of creative doors using more than one lens. I recommend buying a specialized lens that fits your interests if you haven't already.

7) Pick a theme or place or person to take photos of often. You get a better understanding of what makes a great photo.

8) Get out of your house! If want to take interesting pictures, it helps to do interesting things.

9) Try looking at things on their own level. Whether it is a child, a mushroom or insect. This sometimes means getting dirty but it can improve you photos.

10) Make sure you are using all the space available in a photo and that everything in the photo is adding to the story.

want more tips? visit my photo/tip of the week often.