I am unofficially one of the worst photographers on the planet. While I think my compositions are generally good, I always end up with blurry shots, shots that are underexposed, or stuff that's just plain ugly.

While I'm working on my basic technique, I'm learning some nifty new tricks thanks to the always-awesome Digital Photography School, which offers some ways to turn otherwise boring shots into something unique.

Some of my favorite ideas:

• Focusing on something secondary in the photo, leaving the rest of the picture out of focus.
• Shooting from the ground instead of eye level. (I have tried this on many occasions and it always makes for a more striking composition.)
• The flipside: Shooting from up high, aiming down on the action.
• Intentional graininess by changing ISO settings. Check out the picture of the two men in the fog on the link I've provided. It's really impressive.
• Messing with the white balance. This changes the color tone of an image in strange, sometimes beautiful ways.
• Long exposures. I've always wanted to do one of those star trail shots at night, where everything moves in a circle.
  

Give these tricks a shot this weekend and email me your greatest hits!

LINK: Adding Randomness to Your Photos