Ultimately, it's all about control. If you want to step your work up a notch, take control of what you shoot. That said, you'll want to trade up to a camera where you can look right through the lens. This provides two immediate advantages.

1. You see exactly what you're going to shoot, not an approximation.
2. The shutter will fire precisely when you want it.

Move up and down

Most people think of moving from side to side when taking a picture in order to change the perspective. Remember, that's just one plane. You can also move up and down.

You can stand on a chair. Helen, my wife, laughs at me because I've laid flat on the ground in a number of public places, from the middle of midtown Manhattan to the middle of Mumbai, or even at The Taj Mahal. Remember, sometimes the best angle is from down below or up above.

Panning

I love panning. Now your brain is really working. You've got to think about everything; your shutter speed, the f-stop, when you're going to focus and when you want to fire. You get one shot and you have to know in advance what shot you're trying to get.

Remember, the slower you're willing to shoot, say a 30th of a second, the better blur you're going to get in the background. Balance that with the fact that you want to get your f-stop as tight as possible. And then know well in advance when you're going to fire, pan, lock focus, be patient and then CLICK!

Shoot into the sun

The general rule is to shoot with the sun low and at your back. Now, let's break that rule.

Sometimes, shooting into the sun can provide marvelous results.

Just one note: don't look at the sun through a telephoto lens, you can do serious damage to your eye.

Get a good portrait

Be comfortable with your camera, so you can focus on your subject and a bit of conversation without having to think about how to operate your equipment.

Perhaps the most important advice I can offer is that there's nothing that your subject can do that's wrong. Keep your direction to a minimum. If you want someone to smile, don't tell them to smile, instead say something that will make them smile.

Don't stop shooting. Shoot in a place where your subject feels at home. And finally, be aware of the background. Shoot horizontal to include the background, vertical to eliminate background.

Night shots

Here's where digital really shines over film. Digital cameras see more light than we do. Sometimes you may think that there's nothing to shoot. Give it a try and see what happens.

Moving water

Wherever there's moving water, your photograph will take on more drama if you slow the shutter speed down to 30 seconds or more. Remember to keep your f-stop as tight as possible so that everything will be in focus except, of course, for the moving water.