We have all played the role of photographer at some time. Most everyone takes photographs as a memento of special events, birthday parties, or family reunions. In the process, whether you realized it or not, you had to compose a photograph. That is, you had to bring the subject of the picture into the frame with other elements in the environment to capture the photograph. The ability to compose a photograph comes naturally for some; others of us really have to work at it.

There are two things every photographer needs to master to make their work better. First, you must learn to compose a good shot. Second, you must always improve your technical skills. Photography is not 100% art or 100% skill. It is a complex blend of the two. You must practice both to become a great photographer.

One important key to taking great photos is learning where to stand in relation to your subject. You must figure out which angle looks the best and position the subject in the frame accordingly. Any variation in composition, including placement, can make the difference in an awesome photo and a photo that you need to ditch.

A monotonous mistake made by most beginners is that they think they have to center the subject in every photograph. Logic dictates to take the photo from the center, but sometimes if you move the subject off center you will add a new dynamic to the photograph. A great way to learn to compose pictures is to apply the rule of thirds. Using this concept divide the frame into three parts horizontally and vertically. Place your subject on one of the intersections and you will be able to compose a dynamic photo. The only setback to using the rule of thirds is that it does not work for all photographs, but in general, it is a good rule of thumb.

Improve your basic knowledge of your camera and technical skills will also help improve your photos. The more you know about your camera and how to use it properly, the more creative and flexible you can be with your photography. By all means, one of the first things you need to learn is how to focus your shots. There is nothing that can be done to improve an unfocused photograph, the moment and the photo is gone forever. Make learning focus a priority.

Another very common mistake for beginners is failure to understand proper exposure. Use your lighting conditions to your greatest benefit. Learning this is part art and part skill. The best way to learn this is to practice. For example, you will learn that a flash is worthless more than 20 feet away from the subject. If you are taking distance photos longer exposure, with the use of a tripod to keep the camera steady, is your best alternative.

The key to learning photography is to take lots of pictures. Practice. Practice. Practice is the key. The more time you devote to photography, the more improvement you will see in your photography skills.