Good photography is about recognizing and responding to the subject, not about the computer. That means shooting the right way from the start, no matter what camera you own.

Here are a few tips for amateur photographers to get the best out their camera.

• Being perfectly still is the first step to making better pictures.
• Shoot a lot of pictures. Remember, it's digital, so you can afford to take as many as you like until you get the perfect ones.
• If it is a point and shoot camera, experiment with taking pictures of a single subject with different setting and compare the pictures. This will give you a fair idea and make you more familiar with your camera.
• Once you have your subject, visualize your photograph. Create the image in your mind the way a painter would create it on a canvas. And then give it your best shot.
• Don't just stand there—sit, squat, lie down. The angle from which you make a photograph can make a dramatic difference. 
• Get close. See what it can do by stepping in closer and placing something in the foreground. What happens to the background? Explore and you will be surprised.
• Low light will increase digital grain. Use a flash or other added light if grain could be a problem and must be kept to a minimum.
• Be patient while shooting street scenes as change by the millisecond. Find a spot you like, get comfortable, and wait, watching all the time for the elements to fall together.
• When shooting landscape, explore the place before your start clicking. Take a look around and know your subjects.
• Protect your images from hard drive crashes by backing them up outside your computer.
• If you intend to store a lot of pictures on a computer or a laptop and edit them, invest in an external hard disc, rather than connecting your camera to the computer with a cable.