How to get the best digital photos

Photography has come a long way from the heavy black and white cameras from yesteryear.First color film became popular and then the ever noteworthy Polaroid camera arrived on the scene.Finally 35mm cameras became affordable and just about everyone owned one.It wasn't until recently that digital photography became as easily accessible as it is today. But this wonderful technology often leaves its user asking-How do I get the best possible prints from my digital camera?Here are some tips to consider when using your digital camera to get the best prints.

1. How are you holding your camera?It is important for the digital photographer to properly hold the camera.This helps reduce the number of retakes and makes everyone's day easier when you avoid the dreaded phrase, "hold on I need to take one more"! If you are able to take better quality pictures that means being able to take fewer pictures overall. This also helps improve the mechanics of taking the picture and helps lessen the number of bad shots.Be sure and hold the camera solidly in your hand to prevent the camera from shifting too much when you press the shutter button. Also watch your other fingers so that they do not interfere with the lens of the camera.Many experienced digital photographers wrap the strap around their fingers to be more conscious of where their fingers are. Another tip that becomes very useful especially with smaller camera is to hold your eye up to the optical viewfinder to capture the image.Doing this will not only help you see exactly what you are capturing but it will also help to stabilize the camera between your hands and face for less "camera shake".
2. How are you focusing your camera?Since digital cameras have a tendency to take slightly longer to focus than film camera, here is an important tip to remember. When shooting a picture half-depress the shutter button until the camera has had time to lock the focus, and then completely press the button to take the actual shot.By doing this you can often make the difference between blurry, out-of-focus shots, and clear pictures. Also, with normal picture-taking, shutter speeds are fast enough that a small amount of shake won't affect the resulting image much.But there may be times when you'd want to use a tripod to compensate: when you are taking pictures in low light, where the shutter speed will slow down enough to potentially make drag lines, and when using a long zoom, or where distant objects are susceptible to blur. In each of these cases the tripod will settle the image and let you forget about shaking that will affect the image and focus on capturing the shot you really want to take.
3. Do you preview your pictures? Being able to preview your pictures is one of the main advantages of using a digital camera. If you are trying to capture a specific scene, you can review the shot and see if it looks the way you wanted.And if it doesn't, you can delete the shot and retake it to get it right. Why keep a picture if it's blurry, or someone's eyes are closed, or a person is obstructing part of the view?
4. How do you archive your pictures? There is no worse feeling than seeing the perfect kiss, smile or sunset, reaching for your camera and clicking the button, only to realize that your storage is full and you've missed your chance. Be sure and clear off your old pictures monthly (or more frequently if you are a shutterbug). Just in case you need extra space be sure and bring a second memory card or stick with you when you go on a trip, even if your primary card or stick is large. . There are also portable storage products available that allow you to offload and archive your photos to keep your main storage free.