Taking a picture is as easy as pushing a button, but taking a beautiful photograph is a work of art. You can take great photos with a simple, point-and-shoot camera or get lousy shots with the most expensive, top-of-the-line camera. It is not the camera that produces wonderful images, it is the photographer. To help you take great photographs, here are some helpful tips.

Don’t dawdle when taking photographs. Taking longer to snap a photo increases the odds that something will move, change or in other ways ruin your perfect photo op. It is better if you can take shots quickly.

When you are shooting a photo of someone, make sure that you are close to them to maximize the quality of the details on their face. This is very important, as you will want to capture every aspect of their expression to help to personalize the photos that you take.

Don’t rely on your camera’s zoom. Get a close as possible before you start to use your zoom. Zooming in can be helpful, but after a while the picture can get distorted. You’re better off getting as close to the subject as you can before you try to zoom in on it.

Use a rather low ISO. A good ISO is around 200. Using this range of ISO will make your pictures look dark in certain situations, but you can easily change the contrast and light on a computer. If you use a higher ISO, you will get a lot of noise on your picture, which makes editing harder.

When you have the perfect shot in view and you are ready to push the shutter, make sure that you hold your breath and do not move an inch. Even a very slight movement can cause motion blur and ruin that perfect shot. Before you take that amazing picture, take care that you are neither breathing nor moving.

It is important that you make your subject feel relaxed and safe. Many people feel self-conscious or uncomfortable being put in front of a camera. Ask permission before you start taking the pictures. Be friendly, and don’t be afraid of a little conversation. Let them know it is an art form and not because you want to invade their privacy.

Now that you have some helpful tips, you will be able to start taking more great pictures. With this knowledge and some willingness to make some easy adjustments to your shooting techniques and your camera, you can get some pretty amazing shots from any camera that you are using.