15 digital photography tips from the pros

Nikon D3000
Whatever camera you have, you can improve your shots with these pro tips

Our colleagues over on PhotoRadar.com have gathered together a bumper collection of 225 photography tips from over 50 recent interviews with some of the world's best photographers.

If you've recently upgraded to a DSLR or simply want to be inspired to shoot better portraits, landscapes, travel and wildlife shots, and more, then read on, for our favourite tips from the selection.

1. Think about light all the time. Photography is about light, and it can come from any source – the sun, a candle, a computer. John Rankin, Advertising & Portrait Photographer

2. You need to know when it's the perfect time to take the shot. I try to use only natural light and avoid heavy digital enhancement. Vincent Munier, Wildlife Photographer

3. Pre-empt the action. Even the fastest SLRs will have a delay. Bob Martin, Sports Photographer

4. Learn how to shoot in RAW. You won't get the most from your photography if you only shoot JPEGs. Bob Martin, Sports Photographer

5. If you can see something odd in camera, then adjust it at the time you're taking the shot. In my view it's better than relying on using Photoshop later. Bryan Adams, Portrait Photographer (and rock legend)

6. Go to a museum and learn about pictures – who made them, and which ones you like and why. David Doubilet, Underwater Photographer

7. Choose subjects you're passionate about. I decided I wanted to shoot motorsports when I was a teenager. Steven Tee, Formula One Photographer

8. If an image still isn't working, really think about why this is happening. Retaking the shot in different circumstances could work. David Noton, Landscape Photographer

9. Focus on the image and the emotion, and focus less on digital trickery. Cameron Davidson, Aerial Photographer

10. By tightly framing the subject the intent of the image comes through strong and clear. Tim Fitzharris, Nature Photographer

11. Use a manually pre-set exposure to capture flying birds. Autoexposure systems can be fooled as birds pass across different backgrounds – from bright sky to dark forest, for instance. Brutus Ostling, Bird Photographer

12. With digital pictures, do a lot of cropping until you have stuff you really like. This will sharpen your eye and eventually you'll get it in the camera. People tend to look at the subject matter, grab that and forget about the dynamics of composition. Mick Rock, Rock Photographer

13. Whenever humanly possible use a tripod – not just for stability but also to aid composition. Andrea Jones, Garden Photographer

14. Shoot when the sun's at an angle and has colour – that is, rising or falling (from sunrise to about 10am and again from about 3pm to sundown). Shooting in the middle of the day gives your subjects deep shadows under their eyes and there's little or no colour in the daylight. Pablo Bartholomew, Photojournalist

15. If somebody dismisses your work as being too simple, be proud of it. One of the hardest things in art is to stay simple. Jean-Marc Caracci, Street Photographer

Read the full article 225 photography tips to inspire you

Global Editor-in-Chief

After watching War Games and Tron more times that is healthy, Paul (Twitter, Google+) took his first steps online via a BBC Micro and acoustic coupler back in 1985, and has been finding excuses to spend the day online ever since. This includes roles editing .net magazine, launching the Official Windows Magazine, and now as Global EiC of TechRadar.