by Steve Bothe

Here are my professional tips on how to take the best personal or vacation photographs you can with your digital camera or smartphone. The tips in this article will get you on your way to taking great pictures at your next outing.

Make sure you know exactly what is going into each photograph. A great picture will allow the viewer to see a particular aspect of the subject in the photograph. Do not try to show too much. Instead of taking on single picture, take many pictures of a subject.

Photographers will often focus so much on the background that the foreground is completely forgotten or an afterthought, but it makes up the bulk of the photograph and deserves a fair amount of attention. To create a frame that is striking and increase the depth of your photo, plan the foreground of the shot.

Try different things with the setting that balances the white in photos. Light bulbs generally cause a yellow color in photos when you take them indoors. Instead of changing the lighting of a room, adjust the white balance on your camera to get a whole different atmosphere. Implementing this feature will create a look of professionalism in the images you produce.

Don't pack your equipment carelessly when traveling. Take the lenses you anticipate using, and don't forget to bring along additional batteries and cleaning equipment. Only take what you really need and what can be easily transported on the trip.

Turn your next vacation into a photography session by taking photographs the moment you step out your front door. Once you get where you're going, there will be ample photographic opportunities, but the trip itself can provide some unique shots. Taking shots at the airport and en route will document the full experience.

Always keep your batteries charged; you have to be ready at all times to take the perfect shot. The LCD screen on a digital camera can eat a lot of battery power, so put freshly charged batteries in the camera before you need to use it. Also, consider getting a spare battery for the camera so you will never be in a position where you do not have power and therefore miss something great.

Moving around your subject is permissible and allows you opportunities for better shots. Unique angles can add an artistic element to your pictures.

Find the right subject to photograph. You always need good subjects, it doesn't matter how talented you are or how good your gear is. Seek a professional model or an aspiring model to pose for you, or seek interesting faces on the street for impromptu shots.

When shooting at a wedding, warm up by taking pictures of small details, like an invitation or a purse. Take a picture of some flowers. You might also get some amazing photos.

People usually just look right into the camera. Get your subject to look at something to the right or left of the camera for a unique picture. You could have them look at something in the frame, such as a person or flower too.

Be sure to manually adjust the white balance when taking pictures. This has quite an impact on the picture's mood, and it allows you to control what your picture will look like. You will have to get used to using a manual white balance, but once you do, you will gain more creative control over your photographs.

With these tips fresh in your mind, you can be more prepared for anything photography throws your way. The tips I have provided will help to improve the level of skill that you already have and teach you a few new tricks to make photography even more fun.

On a final note: People often ask me why the photos taken on their phone never look as good as the professional photographer’s. Here are the facts: Despite what the TV commercials say, you will never see a professional photographer using a smartphone to take a picture for his job. "But Steve, my new phone’s camera has 12 megapixels and 3 leans, and they said on TV that it could do anything...” Smartphone cameras have come a long way in the past few years and will do a great job snapping pictures. They have autofocus, adjust for light, take videos, take panoramic, close-up, etc.––plus make phone calls, texts, emails, and a host of other functions––what more could you want? A professional wants 100% control of everything to create the masterpiece photo they are building. I say building because that is what the process is ––a simple product shoot can take hours to adjust the backdrop, lens, lighting, filters, shot angle, aperture, shutter speed, focus, depth of field, and more to get the perfect shot. His training, talent, and years of experience allow him to utilize every advantage his expensive specialized equipment offers. 

This brings us to the second part of the equation, the equipment. Photography is all about light. Period. Simply put, the more light you can capture, the better the results. A professional camera uses a lens that is many times larger than the one on the back of a phone, allowing much more light (think image) to enter and be captured on a large digital sensor that has 2 - 4 times more megapixels. Add in a few specialty lens, a tripod, lighting equipment, and backdrops and you get the picture (pun intended). A professional camera has only one purpose –to take photographs. 

Think of it this way: A typical car has many great features and will fill many needs for its owner very well. Many of the commercials even show them on a race track doing incredible stunts, but would you really want to be driving your new Toyota in the Indy 500? Between the professional drivers and their specialized racing equipment, you would be way out of your league.

So, to sum up; knowledge, talent, experience, and equipment are what make the difference between a snapshot and a professional photograph.