Canon Powershot SD400 5MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical ZoomWhen we finally got pregnant in 2001, the first thing I bought for the baby wasn’t baby clothes, furniture, or toys - it was a digital camera. I knew that I’d want to document this kid’s every waking moment and as it turns out, the camera has been used to document everything for my amusement and yours! ;) Our digital cameras and computers bring us more enjoyment than any kitchen appliance, clothing, or jewelry (now you see where my interests lie).

The fun(ny) thing about digital cameras is that you can take as many pictures as you want and have a giggle sorting through them without wasting money printing them out. But no matter how many pictures you take, if they all suck, it’s still a huge waste of time not to mention lost opportunity.

Luckily, there are people out there willing to offer some advice. Darren Rowse recently opened Digital Photography School that’s filled with basic photography tips and ideas for special occasions. Here are his 10 ways to add variety to your digital photography.

  1. Shoot your subject at different focal lengths
  2. Shoot your subject from different angles
  3. Shoot using different formats
  4. Avoid the Group Shot Blink
  5. Use continuous exposure modes
  6. Move your Subject around
  7. Try Exposure Bracketing
  8. Experiment with different ‘modes’
  9. Play with your Flash
  10. Tell a story

You can tell Darren knows what he’s doing when you see the collage of pictures he took of his brother. Read the article for more details because if you’re like me, you might not have an idea of what he means by focal lengths and exposure bracketing.

Also for us parents, be sure to read Photographing Birth Scenes, Photographing Babies, and Photographing Children. Darren’s soon-to-be new baby is lucky to have such a talented photographer for a dad!

Do you fancy yourself a good photographer?