I’ve always thought my photography skills could use some improvement. Too often the pictures end up boring and run-of-the-mill. So, how to get better?

Learning the rule of thirds is one of the easiest way to improve your photos. But I ran across Dandelife’s post which has some simple and useful tips.

I got on his “kill the flash” wagon awhile ago. My camera’s auto-flash mode is more like “always flash unless you’re in a glaring fluorescent-lit room.” Too often the flash kills any warmth in a picture.

A new tip for me was taking pictures of kids at eye-level or ground-level. In general, the angle you shoot a picture at has a dramatic effect.

For example, I’m traveling in China now (off-peak of course, the weather’s great!). Let’s look at two pictures from the Forbidden City in Beijing…

Meh:

Interesting:

Of course, the number one tip to get better photographs: Shoot more pictures.