They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean those words are good ones. A poor photo will have people focusing on its quality rather than the memory it was intended to capture. So what can you do to take better looking photos? Here are some tips to get you started.

Don’t try to pose your subjects for every picture. Candid, action shots are often times some of the best. You will capture a person in their natural setting, in their natural mood, and the picture will look more “real” because of it. Take lots of candid pictures and you’re sure to get a few that are great.

Pay attention to your light. The lighting in a photograph can bring a subject into better focus or change the mood of the picture. Different lighting setups will result in very different photographs. Avoid harsh direct lighting on your subject’s face, as this will generally cause them to squint.

Keep the knowledge of the settings on your camera simple. Take your time and master one part of the control, like the shutter speed or aperture, before you move on to the next. That way, you can focus your attention on taking pictures instead of toying with the camera as you miss golden photo opportunities.

In order to produce the best and clearest photographs, you should use a tripod. A tripod allows you to stabilize the camera, so that your photos are in better focus. This is especially important if you are using a high-zoom lens or shooting at night, since small changes in the camera’s position will result in major blurring.

Any time you take a photograph, you want to be sure it’s a good one. In today’s age of photo editing and digital cameras, anyone can take a high quality photo. It’s just a matter of learning how. Thanks to the advice in this article, you should be taking better looking photos in no time.