If you are trying to take pictures of wildlife, the first thing to do is to sit down, out the way, quietly, and just watch the animal you want to take a picture of.

Getting used to how it behaves will let you get closer to it, and you might get a more spectacular image from it. I’ve used the example of a dragonfly before, but it is a great example.

If you come across a dragonfly basking in the sun and scare it off, just stop, stay quiet and chances are the dragonfly will return to the same point, so you can line yourself up ready for the shot.

For birds (the feathered variety) watch for where they perch. They are likely to be using the same perch over and over again so just sit and watch them and see where they go before trying to get the shot.

Patience is the key here. Don’t expect to just walk up to something, take the picture and walk off, you might have to sit and wait for half an hour or longer until the subject becomes comfortable with you, then you’ll find it easier to get the picture you intended.

Tripods will ensure that your picture is free from camera shake, giving you a much sharper picture. Of course this depends on whether the tripod is sturdy and you get the focus correct.

Tripods can be quite cheap, but you will find the the cheap ones are fairly flimsy when extended to any height. It is well worth spending a bit on a good tripod as it is one of the accessories that will work with any camera and it can have a positive effect on your images.

Along with your tripod you will need a good head. Not the one on top of your shoulders, the head is the bit that connects your camera to the tripod and allows you to pivot the camera and secure it in place. Again a good quality head, whether it’s a ball and socket or pan and tilt head will be a big benefit to your photography. The last thing you want is to set your camera up for the perfect shot only to find the head slipping just as you are about to press the shutter.

There are alternatives to using a tripod, a beanbag placed on a wall or rock or some other solid object can support your camera just as well as a tripod and can be a little easier to carry, although it will still be fairly heavy. Beanbags are great for getting set up quickly as you can just chuck it on the floor, on a rock or wherever, plonk your camera down on it and start taking pictures. Tripods take a little longer to set up.

This is a simple tip and it’s that you should carry your camera around with you whenever you can.

Even it’s just your mobile phone camera, you’ve got a means to record an event. OK, you may not get the best picture, but you can capture a moment that may be important to you, or an unusual event.

This picture is one I managed to get using my DLSR and a 70-210mm lens set at 210mm. The conditions weren’t good, very overcast and the smoke from the fire added to the poor visibility.

As my DSLR has 10 Megapixels it enables you to crop (cut off) a lot of the image and still retain a usable amount of quality. So using the same image and a tighter crop I ended up with a nicer composition that shows enough detail to tell the story of what was going on.

So because I had my camera (as did lots of other people gathering on the shore to watch) I was able to capture a record of an event with a reasonably pleasing result.

Having a small compact camera is great to just put in your pocket of you go out for a walk, or you go for a drive, just in case that moment comes along.

By the way, all six crew got off the boat safely with no injuries and the boat was left to burn all the fuel off and it finally sank an hour after I took these shots.

Get closer to your subject.

Once you have taken a picture from the viewpoint that you think is right, try getting closer and taking it again. You can do this by physically walking, or running if you feel the need just don’t drop your camera, closer to the subject or using your zoom lens and zooming in on the subject.

This fills the frame with more detail from the shot rather than the wider view and can help pick out certain details more effectively.

Getting really close may give your image a more abstract look where patterns and shapes make the image instead of a recognisable object.

If your lens allows you to screw on filters, get yourself a UV filter, or Skylight filter and put it on your lens and keep it there. You now have a lens guard. Buying a new filter is a lot easier and cheaper than buying a new lens if you manage to scratch it or you manage to damage it in some other way.

Before you press the shutter release button (take the picture) stop and look at what you can see through the view finder or what you can see on the screen on your camera.

Are there any distracting objects in view?

Are there any bright areas of the image that will distract the eye of the person looking at your image, away from the main point of focus?

Is everything in focus?

Could the picture be improved by moving a little?

Training yourself to stop and think for a few seconds can help you produce much more pleasing images.

Always take 2 or 3 shots of your subject from different angles or positions.

As taking digital pictures is essentially free, it’s worth experimenting as much as possible. So if you see something that you think will make a good picture, try taking several pictures of it. Move closer in, or further away. Choose different angles, maybe a lower or higher viewpoint.

This will help you learn more about composition, one of the most important things to learn in photography.