There’s a lot you can learn when it comes to photography, and you could spend years learning the craft. However, just knowing a few key tips can mean taking great shots with your camera. This article contains some sound advice on how you can start taking shots you are proud of.

Take your pictures quickly. The longer you hesitate, the better the chance that your subject will move away, break their pose, or become tired and stop smiling. Start taking shots as quickly as you can, and don’t worry about getting the camera perfect before the first shot. The faster you shoot and the more photos you take, the better your chances are of getting a good one.

Physically move closer to the subject in order to get a better picture. Getting close allows you to avoid distracting backgrounds, and nicely frame your subject. It can also give you a better grasp of how to capture the emotions and expressions that define a great portrait. Smaller details are usually overlooked when the picture is taken from far away.

Learn how to snap a picture quickly. Do not wait for your subject to take a certain pause, this might not happen. Take several pictures if you need to. By taking pictures quickly, you will get natural expressions and pauses. If you wait too long, your subject will probably have a rather rigid and artificial expression.

If you are planning to take pictures outside, reevaluate the lighting every 10 minutes, as lighting is constantly changing. Adjust your angle to get the best possible shot and illuminate the features that you are trying to highlight. Planning in advance is very important for producing quality photos.

If you know that you have a really important shoot the next day, make sure that you get ample rest. Yes, a lack of sleep will directly result in loss of judgment, which will hurt the quality of the shots that you take. Get at least eight hours of rest the night before a photo shoot.

Be aware that the weather will influence your pictures. You might not realize it when you take the picture, but a dark sky will give a very gloomy atmosphere to your picture. Compose your pictures accordingly and let the weather inspire you for interesting creations. You can also wait for different kind of weather before you take pictures.

Like any science or art form, photography is something you could study and read about for a good portion of your life. Or, you could just apply what you have read in this article and improve your photography immediately. Keep these tips in mind the next time your camera is in your hands and you’ll see better images quickly.