me, myself and my life

Today is ancestor appreciation day. Spend the day tracing your family tree and learning more about your past.

In your life book—me, myself and my life—you'll find pages where you can paste in photos to show how you've changed over the years. Need to take some new pictures but feeling a little rusty using your camera? Check out the following tips to get you back to being a shutterbug in no time.


1. Place your horizon line 1/3 from the top or bottom of your frame for more pleasing results.

2. Watch for trees (and other objects) centered behind your subject. If this happens, move your subject to the left or right of the tree.

3. Instead of taking pictures of your subject straight on, try different points of view from the left and right, above and below the subject.

4. Frame your subject with a tree, window, or anything else interesting in the foreground.

5. Clothes with busy patterns are a distraction in pictures. Have your subject wear clothing with solid colors.

6. Hold your camera vertically for portraits.

7. Use natural light whenever possible.

8. Take pictures in the early morning or early evening for softer lighting. Pictures taken during the afternoon can produce harsh shadows on your subject.

9. Set your white balance to cloudy to get warmer colors in your photos.

10. Know your camera's shooting modes. Most of the time selecting the right shooting mode over "auto mode" will produce better results.

11. Pay attention to your background as well as your subject. The background should not be a distraction, but it should add interest to a photo.

12. Get closer to your subject to make the shot more personal.

13. Take photos outside after a rainstorm. Everything will look cleaner and brighter.

14. If your camera has a red-eye reduction option, select it when using the flash. If your camera doesn't offer this, to avoid red-eye have your subject look toward your camera but not directly at it. If that doesn't work, stand farther away or don't use the flash and use natural lighting or lamp lights instead.

15. Don't snap off shots without studying the scene. Walk around for the best angle and wait for the light to be just right.

16. If something distracting is in your picture, for example a fast-food bag or soda can, remove it before taking the picture.

17. Cameras with more megapixels allow you to make larger prints because they will have a higher resolution. If you haven't purchased a new digital camera in a few years, and you're not happy with the prints your current model produces, then you may want to purchase a newer camera with more megapixels.

18. Always be prepared with extra batteries and extra memory cards.

19. Don't be afraid to experiment with different angles, use your camera's shooting options, and take pictures of subjects you've never tried before. If you use a digital camera, you can experiment all you want and delete the unwanted pictures from your computer.

20. Back up your image files regularly! Write this task on your calendar as a reminder.