Take Better Pictures - How to Take Better Pictures Without an Expensive Camera

Almost everyone likes to have professional photographs taken of their family or their kids. Professionally done newborn portraits are breathtakingly beautiful and showcase the innocence of new life. Family portraits capture a special moment in time. You may have seen these portraits in store windows or on the Internet and thought that you would have to pay big bucks to achieve the look. Or perhaps you thought you would have to settle for one of the inexpensive photography chain stores with the same old backgrounds and props.
It’s true that the professionals have all the right know-how and equipment but if you follow these simple tips, you too can take better pictures that most of your friends or family would guess were taken at a chain studio or even by a professional.
1. Obviously, you can get amazing results using a high-end camera but if you have a point and shoot, you can still get really nice pictures. So try to borrow a digital SLR if you can but if you are not able to, your point and shoot can do the trick.
2.Use a tripod if you are trying to do group pictures.
3.Make sure that you keep all the individuals in a group about the same distance from the camera (the people in the front and back shouldn’t be very far apart). This will keep everyone in focus.
4.While creating the composition, look for simple backgrounds. Try to avoid clutter as best as you can. If you are going for a professional look, you do not want magazines and shoes lying on the floor. If you are outside, choose backgrounds like brick walls, trees, or water. Make sure there are not other people or things in the background that will take the focus away from the subject.
5.When focusing, take care to zoom in so that the subjects are filling the frame. Nothing screams amateur like having to squint at two small people with tiny heads in the middle of the picture.
6.The lighting in your scene will make or break the quality of the picture. If you are going outside, try to go in the early morning or right before sunset to get the warm, diffused light. Avoid hard light at all costs as this creates too many shadows and “blow outs” in the photo. If you must do it during the day, try to find an area of open shade, such as under a thick tree canopy (but watch for dappled light) or in the shadow of a building or other structure.
7.If you are taking the photo inside, you must find a large source of diffused light, such as a large window or the opening to the garage. You will not be able to get professional looking pictures using the flash that comes on your camera.
If you follow these tips, you can really improve the quality of the pictures you take with a point and shoot camera. If you just take some time to slow down and think about what you are doing, you will be able to take some of your own family portraits and maybe even begin a new hobby.