Tuesday's Tip...take a better picture

Good Tuesday morning everyone! 
I thought I would use today to share a few tips on how to "take a better picture".  Most of you probably know all or several of these basic "rules", but it doesn't hurt to be reminded of them does it?  :) 
If you follow these few basic things, you could be hearing from all your friends..."wow, I love your pictures, you must have a good camera!"  When in fact, it's not the camera that makes a great photo, it's the person behind the lens that makes a great photo!  Happy clicking :)
1.  GET DOWN ON THEIR LEVEL...

Whatever level they are at...get down to it. 
This picture is much more pleasing and inviting when taken at her level.  In this case the subject is in the water...so I was too...(just be careful if your camera is not waterproof!!!)   I was able to capture the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eye much better than if I would have taken it from up above.   You may feel like a total dork when you are crawling around on the floor...but your picture will be worth the extra effort!
2.  USE A PLAIN BACKGROUND...
Always watch for distracting objects in the background of your photos.  If you'll see in these next two pictures, the pole between the couple is very distracting.  I moved just a tad to the left, and it looks so much better.  Especially watch for poles, tree branches, etc sticking out of the top of peoples heads.  A minor adjustment makes a big difference!




3.  USE FILL FLASH...
Remember to use your fill flash even outdoors to lighten up a shaded face.  When the sun is behind or directly above you, you will have shadows under the eyes, etc, and the flash will fill these in to make the subject much more attractive.  Even use your fill flash on a cloudy day, as it will help in separating your subject from the background. 
In this picture, a fill flash would have filled in all the distracting shadows and eliminated the racoon eyes
4.  MOVE IN CLOSER...
Your photo will be way more impact-ful if you fill the viewfinder with the subject.  You will eliminate distracting background and be able to focus on the beauty of your subject.  For smaller objects use the camera's macro or 'flower' setting to get sharper close-ups
While both of these of Conner are cute, the close up one is much more dramatic. 


and just because I can't resist one of my girl :)  Close-up is fun!!


5.  MOVE IT FROM THE MIDDLE...
Think of your viewfinder as a tic-tac-toe grid.  Now move your subject to one of the intersections of the grid.  Your photos will come to life just by moving the subject from the center.

Those are my top 5 tips, hopefully some of you found them useful!  There are more tips, but 5 is all you're getting today :)  Practice these things the next time you bring your camera out, and you will find that your pictures are so much better! 
What are some other Photography/camera/editing tips that you would like to read about here in the future?