How to Improve Your Digital Camera Shots

Reader Mindi writes: I'm not a professional, I just love taking pictures. I'm beginning an eBay business, and my pictures don't always come out sharp, crisp, or clear. They are really fuzzy and have a yellow tint to them. Can you give me any hints to help me out?

Digital cameras offer amazing convenience and flexibility, but less expensive models often take less-than-stellar photographs. However, a few simple tips can help improve photographs immeasurably. Here's what I do to get the (mostly) perfect shot every time.

• First, understand the focus system of your camera. Virtually every camera focuses when you press the shutter button halfway down. You'll usually hear a beep and see a green square on the preview screen. This is what the camera is focusing on. Then press the button the rest of the way down to take the picture. Ignoring this middle step usually results in a blurry shot.
• Stability is key. Any movement during a shot will almost always render that shot useless, which is why more and more cameras are adding "image stabilization" technology. Use a tripod, a sandbag, or just brace your arm against something solid. Use two hands to hold the camera. Those one-handed snapshots never turn out. If you're shooting products for eBay, there's no reason not to use a tripod.
• Backlighting is your enemy. So many people try to shoot a photo with a bright window in the background, then wonder why the shot didn't come out. It's no mystery: Bright light floods the lens, and your camera usually can't compensate for it. If you must shoot into the light, turn on the flash.
• For my first shot in a new environment, I turn the flash OFF, whether I'm inside or outside. The camera responds much more quickly without the flash, and many cams perform well in low light. If the shot looks at all blurry on the preview, I turn the flash on and try again.
• Remember, digital memory is cheap and easily erased. Experiment until you find a setting that works or a trick that eliminates the blur.

Those tips should help you get better shots, at the very least avoiding blurry or fuzzy images. As for your yellow tint problem, that's a new one to me, but it could be caused by the lighting in your room (try incandescent bulbs if you have fluorescents) or by a problem with the camera. Again, trial and error is your friend here, but perhaps I could throw this one to the readers, in case someone out there has had a similar problem. Have at it!