My list of the top ten ways to take better photographs and have fun at the

same time:

1.  Take pictures.  Get out and take pictures, use your camera.  Nothing like practice

in using your equipment and learning to frame your pictures will do more to improve

your skills.

2.  Learn your equipment. Read the manual, learn the controls, and refer to the

manual before going online and having someone point out to you that the answer is

in the manual.

3.  Take pictures. Get out and take pictures, be creative and try different things. 

Remember the old saying, "The Ark was built by an amateur, the Titanic was built by

a group of professionals".  Don't be afraid to try.

4.  Take a photo class.  Learn about depth of field, circle of confusion, focal length,

the rule of thirds, shutter speeds, exposure compensation.  At least get some good

photo books and understand how this all works to improve your photography and go

from snap shots to pictures.

5. Take pictures.  Get out and take pictures. You have no excuse with digital because

you are not buying film.

6.  Get established with a good camera store.  If you are fortunate to have one in

your area, then you have a great resource.  Yes you may pay a little more than mail

order, but the service and support is well worth the money. 

7.  Take pictures. Get out and take pictures.  Your family and friends will appreciate

them.

8.  Use a good tripod when possible. It is amazing what a difference it makes. Even

with image stabilization, additional support makes a noticeable difference in the

sharpness of your pictures, especially with larger lenses.  When you are considering

a tripod, look at a good one.  A cheap flimsy one really adds no value.  When you

start using larger lenses consider something like a gimbal head (the Wimberley is an

example) as it provides great stability, even when trying to track birds in flight.

9.  Take pictures. Then process them in your digital darkroom using a photo editor. 

Be sure to be honest in the final output.  If you have manipulated the photo by

adding objects not originally there or other enhancements to make the photo

something it was not, then identify that with wording like "digitally altered".  My

personal view is that adjusting contrast, brightness, color balance, or fixing a skin

blemish is not in the camp of altered.  Adding elements such as a tree or additional

objects not there is in the camp of altered.  Here is where your personal character

and honesty come into play.

10. Avoid the forums.  Again, avoid the forums on the internet. Don't get trapped

into spending all your time on the photo forums.  See 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 above. 

Remember, anyone can say anything on the internet and the forums are full of

opinion, much of which is not based in fact.  There seems to be an extreme amount

of noise in most forums. A good example is the number of "defective" products a

small number of people seem to have.  After several exchanges, they still have the

problems.  You have to wade through many posts about this nonsense.  In real life,

you can choose to ignore, avoid, and not associate with idiots, inconsiderate, or

selfish and self-centered people.  They abound on the forums because of the

anonymous nature of the internet.