When considering the purchase of a new digital camera, often people will focus on how many megapixels it has.  I'll often hear people saying that the more megapixels a camera has, the better photos it takes.  Or they say something like, "I wish I could take better photos, but my camera doesn't have enough megapixels."

You may have heard these phrases too.  Maybe you've even heard that phrase by a crafty salesman that's more interested in his extra commissions than selling you a top-notch digital camera.

So what is this megapixels number, and is it really that important.  Well basically, the more megapixels you have in your camera, the larger you can make a print without losing the quality of the image.  So a camera with higher megapixels will produce a sharper image photo when enlarged.

So let's think about this for a minute.  How many photos do you print out anymore?  Don't you store many of them on your computer?  And don't most shots on your computer look pretty darn good when you share them with family and friends?  You probably do want to print out your best photos, especially if you're a landscape or nature photographer.  In all likelihood though, if you're just buying a camera to take snapshots of your family, barbecues, or sporting events to store on your computer, or look at later, a high number of megapixels really isn't important.

Here's a tip when buying a digital camera.  Don't agonize about buying those extra megapixels.  You probably don't need them.  What you will need though, is a good quality lens.  The lens is much more important than the number of megapixels when taking a photograph.  You want your images sharp and clear, and a good quality lens will provide that.  And just as important, you want to learn the manual functions of your camera.  With technology the way it is any more, you can take some pretty awesome photos with just your basic camera.

So stop fretting about megapixels so much.  Unless you're planning on enlarging most of your prints to a larger than usual size, don't worry about it.

One free photo tip you want to incorporate into your set of photography skills is the use of background when taking pictures. We'll use photos taken by shiroibasketshoes for this educational tip.  You want to emphasize your subject in the photo. Try and avoid background that is distracting. You don't want poles sticking out of people's heads, or wires going through their ears.

We'll look at a few examples using four photos from shiroibasketshoes. In the first digital photo, the background contains a distracting set of shades. Your eye is drawn away from the subject.

See what happens when the girl in the nurse outfit, in the 2nd photo, is shot combining the photo tips of getting close and using less distractng background You see her, and not the shades.

Use a plain background when possible. It's difficult not to notice all the automobiles in the third picture. Notice how nice it is to view the pretty girl on the beach with the plain sand as a background.

It may seem obvious and simple, but using background appropriately, can really enhance the quality of the photos you take. Have fun with your photography, but keep those photo tips handy.

One photo tip to keep in mind if you're taking a picture of a subject smaller than an automobile, is to zoom in on your subject as close as possible.  We'll use photos taken by gabu-chan for this educational tip.
The characteristics of the thing you're photographing may have details that are missed by shooting it too far away. Some people have a tendency to try and fill the frame with the whole body of the subject, rather than take a portion of the subject to fill the frame.

Here are two photos of the same couple by Gabu-chan. Compare the first photo with the second. Both are fun pictures. Do you prefer the second photo though? The characteristics of these two come alive when they are a little closer. Imagine just two headshots in the frame. Even better?

Of course, you want to vary your photographs by not having every one look the same. Just don't forget to take those close-up shots.

Remember to get close to your subject. A tip is to get near enough as to not blur the subject of the photo. That's usually around 2 - 4 feet.

We've all heard the phrase, "look straight into his eyes". The originator of this phrase probably didn't intend to have it used as a photo tip, but it's an important aspect of taking a good photo. How many parents out there have fought with their kids to look at the camera when they're posing for that holiday picture.

The adorable baby in this photo by rrss makes the shot much more striking, because she is making direct eye contact with the camera, rather than looking away. Imagine in your mind, if she wasn't looking straight at you. The photograph wouldn't be as good. Would it? You can see in this photograph the camera was held about eye level. A great tip to use when photographing your subject is to capture the eyes. Use your digital camera, and place the eyes in the top third of the frame.

When you're taking photographs of children, its best to get down to their height. If you really want to engage your subject in the photo, as in this example, capture the whole face in the frame.

It's amazing how just having direct eye contact in your photographs will establish a more personal and warm feeling that draws you in to the picture. Remember this photo tip the next time you've got your digital camera in hand.