While high-res pictures will take up more space on your digital camera's memory card, shooting big gives you the most flexibility later. Shooting at a higher resolution guarantees that when the magic strikes, you've captured the picture at the highest quality level. So whether you want to crop the picture to show a special detail or print at a large size, you'll have plenty of detail to work with.

In addition to auto, most digital cameras have a variety of settings calibrated for special situations?like the bright light of the beach, or the muted light of a museum. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with these before you start shooting. This will let you adjust settings without consulting your manual.

The best way to get good photos is to shoot often. Try shooting the same subject from a variety of angles: low, high, side view, close up and far away. If your camera lets you, also experiment with different settings when you shoot.

When you compose a picture, imagine a tic-tac-toe grid over your digital camera's LCD screen or viewfinder. The vertical and horizontal lines divide the image into thirds. Experiment with placing the subject off center?right or left'or higher or lower. This is called the Rule of Thirds, and using it will result in fresher, more interesting photos.

Imagine you're taking pictures at your son's third birthday party. Before it starts, think about the different activities, and plan to shoot parts of each one. Also, strive to show the emotion in the moment: Delighted grads throwing their mortar boards high in the air, the big inhale before the birthday candles are blown out?look for moments such as these that express the feeling of what you're photographing. This will let you tell the story in pictures?perfect for scrapbooks, albums, or sharing online.

Whether you're shooting a portrait, a landscape, or a quick snapshot, make sure there aren't any distracting elements in the shot. Trees sticking out of heads, or wires dangling will inevitably draw the eye away from the subject. So when you're ready to shoot, double check that the background is simple and sets off your subject to its best advantage.

Light can transform an ordinary photo into one that evokes emotion and captures the essence of the moment. So shoot during the ?beauty? hours of early morning and late day, when natural light is most even and flattering. Avoid the bright light of midday, which can cast harsh shadows and flatten out colors.

When shooting indoors, let in as much light as you can. Open curtains, turn on lights?but avoid using your flash as it causes shadows and color distortion.