1. Know Your Camera's Flash Range

Make sure you know the range of your camera's flash. Pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be dark. Also, if your subject is too close to your flash your subject will be light and washed out causing you to lose detail.

For many cameras, the maximum flash range is less than fifteen feet—about five steps away. You can look up your camera's flash range in your camera's manual. If you can't find it, don't take a chance. Position yourself so subjects are no farther than ten feet away, and no closer than 3 feet.

2. Zoom in to Your Subject

Don't be afraid to zoom into your subject. If you look through your viewfinder or at your LCD screen and you can't see the expression of your subject clearly, you are too far away. Your goal is to fill the picture area with the subject you are photographing. Up close you can reveal details like freckles, dimples, or whiskers. You want to capture the personality, and expression of your subject.

Don't get too close or your pictures will be blurry. The closest focusing distance for most camera's is 3 feet (about one step away from your camera). Check your camera's manual for the nearest distance that it will focus.

3. Pay Attention to your Background

Nothing ruins a photo faster than distracting elements in the background. Don’t get so focused on the photo’s subject that you ignore what else is going on around them. When you look through your camera viewfinder, force yourself to study the area surrounding your subject. Make sure no poles or umbrellas grow from the head of your subject.

If your background is busy, or if there is a lot going on behind your subject it will detract from your subject. Sometimes there is no way to avoid a busy background (weddings or large events), but by locking your focus to your subject you can cause your background to blur or fade thus shifting the focus back to your subject.

4. Shoot your Subject at Eye Level

Direct eye contact with your subject can create a very personal and inviting portrait. By capturing someone's gaze you capture their emotion.

This doesn't mean you always have to force your subject to stare directly at the camera. Variety is important. All by itself that eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that pulls your viewer into the picture.

If shooting a child or a pet, you should always kneel to their level. Try sitting on the ground and snapping some photos from their perspective. Expressions will look more natural, your flash photos will be more evenly lit from nose to toe (or tail), and the background will look a lot better too.

5. Outdoor Lighting

When outdoors you should always use your flash. Even if the sun is shining bright it can still create unwanted shadows. Your cameras flash will compensate for the shadows created by the sun. Try to keep the sun at an angle, or halfway between you and what you’re taking a picture of. Doing this will let the people in the picture open their eyes because they aren't staring at the sun, like they would be if the sun was behind you.

Sometimes the main light is behind the subject. This is called backlighting or being backlit. If you must shoot something or someone who is backlit, use the camera’s fill-flash feature to balance both the “shadowed” face and the background.

Use the lowest ISO setting your camera has, this is very important when taking pictures in bright light. Some point-and-shoot cameras give you the option of adjusting the camera’s ISO setting. If it doesn’t, the pre-programmed mode most likely takes care of it for you.

6. Red Eye NO MORE!

The pupils of your eyes get bigger and smaller depending on the amount of light in the room. Red eyes are worst in dark rooms because the pupil enlarges in order to allow more light to enter the eye. Lots of light will make your pupils get smaller to allow less light in.

When you use the flash on your camera, the light reflects off the blood vessels inside the eye. That’s where the red comes from.

• Use the camera’s “red-eye reduction” feature. It creates quick bursts of light that make the pupil get smaller before the main flash goes off. This is often a big help, but it doesn’t remove red eye…it just makes it less obvious.
• Turn on a light or move to a brighter area. The pupils become smaller and red-eye is less noticeable.
• Have the person look away from the lens, either above the camera or to the side opposite the flash.

7. Take Control

Take control of your subject(s). When you have the camera in your hand you are in control, and you become the director. All photographers become a director when they step behind the lens. They tell their subject to tilt their head, look down, smell the flower, put your arm around your friend, and so on.

You will notice your photos begin to tell a story when you direct the subject. This will make your photos more interesting to look at. By taking control of your subjects you will take control of your photos.

8. Composition

The human eye has a “visual center”. The visual center is the place that the eye is naturally drawn to. Imagine the viewfinder is divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, creating a tic tac toe effect. This grid creates four points where the lines intersect. For the greatest impact, place the subject where those lines intersect, instead of in the center of the frame.