A large proportion of the readers of My Photo Sharing Secrets classify themselves as beginners – so here we present some of the most helpful lessons on Digital Photography for beginners.

1. Before you begin capturing the pictures, compose a list of shots you want to take. Click these ‘safe shots’ first and start to get creative with new angles and ideas.
2. The best lens to use is a fast 50/85mm prime lens when photographing any type of portrait.
3. Focus on your subject’s face and include a section of the backdrop into the frame. An interesting or colorful background can make the scene more dynamic.
4. Attach a zoom lens to vary the composition of your shots.
5. As with any portrait pictures you should use even light. Avoid flash at any cost! It is disruptive to the calm atmosphere that you want to create and can also rob the image of texture and tone.
6. De-clutter the scene of distracting items and consider placing props.
7. Black and white images can carry more emotion that their colorful counterparts so experiment when photographing or editing images post shoot.

Learn the basic rules. The amount of information available about digital photography online can be a bit overwhelming so start with a few articles on composition. You have to know the rules before you can break them. For further details log on to myphotosharingsecrets.com