Written and photographed by Kate Nivison

'Do you want to see my holiday snaps?' Now be honest! Some people don't mind shuffling through wads of prints - all landscape (or horizontal shots as we used to call them before computers), and mostly of 'me and the family/my mates' slightly out of focus, beaming at the camera from somewhere that could be anywhere. Isn't the palm tree or road sign growing out of your best friend's head becoming rather too familiar? 'See that black dot? That's a rhino', may still raise a smile. But wouldn't the friend have looked much better for a moment's thought and a bit of repositioning? Rhinos, on the other hand, can definitely be tricky.

ou don't have to have the latest digital camera to become a hotshot, although these are getting cheaper and better all the time; an automatic with manual override or even a disposable type picked up in 'duty-free' will do fine. It's what you do with it that counts, and a few tricks can make all the difference between a yawn and a 'wow!', or whether you decide a shot is worth printing or emailing around - or deleting it from your life for ever. By the way, if you've watched a barrage of press cameras flashing away on TV or witnessed a 'photo shoot', you will have noticed that many pros still prefer their (fabulously expensive) traditional Hasselblads, Leicas and Rolleis, maintaining that digitals are not quite there yet for the highest quality results. But whether you're a pro, or an aspirant, there are a few tricks that anyone can try, which can reduce the amount of deleting or chucking out you have to do, not to mention the cropping and editing that often has to be done. It may feel like fun at first, but it can be very time consuming.

Filling the whole frame

The idea here is to eliminate as much 'dead ground' as possible (usually tarmac, sky, sea or blank walls) by constantly checking the viewfinder, or LCD  (liquid crystal display) screen on digitals, and your zoom. You want the whole attention to be focused on that special something - maybe one person, a group or any outstanding feature - and that means getting as close as you can without stopping the traffic or falling off a cliff. Crouching down can be particularly effective for getting rid of too much foreground. Of course, the latest digitals will actually help you to frame a shot to eliminate the boring bits, and there is always the comfort of knowing that you can crop the shot afterwards. However, if it's good definition and high resolution you are after, it's definitely preferable to compose the shot properly in the first place.

Avoiding camera-shake

With a non-digital camera it's best to use a fast film (at least 200 speed) for anything except interiors or dull, cloudy places, because this allows less time for a tremor to be registered, even if you are shaking like a leaf, or the boat/plane/road vehicle is bouncing all over the place. The LCD on mid-price-range digitals now shows a warning about camera-shake and it will actually refuse to take the picture. The more zoom you use, the more exaggerated any tendency to shake will be. Your LCD may also politely suggest the use of a mini-tripod. This is a simple, bendy wire device, hardly bigger than a tepee of pipe cleaners, and gets good results for close-ups of subjects such as flowers, insects or jewellery. Mini-tripods fit easily into a pocket and often come free with your initial purchase. The old tricks are the best - to reduce 'shake' generally, brace yourself squarely, tuck your elbows into your sides, take a deep breath and hold it as you press the button.

Attention to detail and adding scale

Imagine coming across a tea-tray-size jellyfish washed up on a wonderful beach. You click away, but back home it looks like a tiny, water-filled polybag, and is, in any case, near transparent against the sand. Moving it is not an option. Now geologists traditionally use a rock hammer, but that's impractical for the rest of us, and carrying a ruler can be a bit boring too, so get used to being imaginative when it comes to giving a sense of an object's true size. Try including a 'prop' - a sunhat, skis, a plate of scrummy local food or fruit, even a sandal, shoe or drinks can - the brighter the better. To brighten up and help locate an otherwise ordinary shot of an interesting object or view, try to include something red or yellow, especially if there is a lot of blue, green or brownish scenery around. I know one real pro who always carries a couple of child-sized, bright red T-shirts in her bag, and persuades a likely kiddie to wear one and pose for scale - after which, of course, they get to keep the T-shirt. On the other hand don't let your travelling companion(s) always smile at the camera; train them to stand to one side and look at something interesting, again for scale, or even to point, to highlight the focus of the shot.

Composition and structure

When it comes to composition, it's worth thinking each time about what kind of shot you really want. Put simply, this means that most shots involve a choice of this sort: do you want (a) friend/relative at Piccadilly Circus, (b) Piccadilly Circus itself, or (c) friend/relative smiling at you, never mind where? You can then compose the shot with your priority in mind.

It also works wonders to try thinking like an artist, which means looking for structure. Centring a V shape or a pyramid shape formed by mountains or buildings is very effective, and so is including a 'vanishing point' perspective made by lines, of perhaps a road or railway, converging into the distance.

Some professional photographers (and artists) believe very firmly in the 'Rule of Thirds' - that's where you don't place the object of your interest dead centre, but set it in one third of your picture (think of your frame divided vertically into three, or into three triangles, making a large W). It's always worth considering, but this can sometimes detract from the point of a shot, and can become just as much of a photographic cliché as too many dead-centred shots. Another good tactic for adding structure is to watch for suitable 'framing' (or even partial framing) material in the foreground, such as fronds of bamboo or palms, arches or flowering bushes. Train yourself to look out for strong lines that make a pleasing pattern, but don't dominate the subject.

Getting to know you!

For snapping local people as the main point of the shot, however sophisticated the venue, it's always worth raising the camera with a questioning smile. In some places, maybe their image is all they have to sell, so keep some loose change handy. Some, of course, are 'professionals' themselves, and will hang out looking suitably picturesque in any much-photographed place, but it's never worth being mean or too dismissive. To avoid being pestered, chose a fairly crowded or touristy area where a camera would be expected. Then tinker around with it while trying 'practice' shots at some other obvious point of interest while waiting for the real object of your interest to pass by before actually pressing the shutter. Pros refer to this waiting time as 'constructive fiddling', and it's better than giving offence - or getting arrested. Photographing is a severe no-no in most parts of Africa, where photographing people and sensitive public buildings without asking first can lead to very awkward scenes, however innocent the intention.

Tackling scenery and big buildings

The larger and more famous the subject - Mount Fuji, Victoria Falls, the Empire State Building and the like - the more feeble your own efforts can appear. Postcards are usually better. For really well known sights and obvious views (huge palaces, pyramids, large religious buildings and so on) look for something striking or colourful in the foreground. Resting camels and horse-drawn carriages are always good poseurs; palm trees add structure and atmosphere, and don't forget to include vendors' stalls, local dress or guards' uniforms and interesting architectural detail such as tile-work. Experiment with 'portrait' (vertical) shots and odd angles for domes, spires and interesting alleys.

Wildlife

Without years of experience and a very expensive and complicated camera, wild animals, however large, are tricky. If anything, birds are worse, and insects and fish are near impossible. At least, that's what they used to say before digital cameras. If you are really passionate about photographing wildlife and haven't yet succumbed to a 'digie', you can always cheat by snapping zoo animals through the bars, or tame ones unless they're on a chain held by a nasty man with a stick. If you love animals, you wouldn't want to encourage such exploitation anyway, however 'cute' the potential shot. With a digital, you'll be tempted by even those two great impossibles, butterflies and humming birds. Even whales spouting and dolphins leaping won't be beyond you, and tackling wildlife does wonders for sharpening up your anticipatory reflexes. Try to work out the natural rhythm of the animal and second-guess what it is going to do next. That way, there will be fewer 'black-dot-in-the-distance' rhinos, and you can also delete all those blurred wings. Above all, remember that some wildlife photographers have been killed by forgetting the fact that their subjects are just that - wild. A baboon once mugged me for my ice cream. My fault entirely for being silly enough to be eating an ice cream within half a mile of a baboon anyway (they love them) and trying to re-load my camera at the same time. The glint in those amber eyes and that stained-ivory grin as he snatched his prize is with me still, but I was so shocked that he could move so fast that I missed the shot. I'm lucky, incidentally, to still have all my fingers intact.

Of course, no real animal-lover would ask a guide or driver to scare animals into providing a good action shot. If too many selfish people try this, and they do, it makes the animals either more difficult to find, or more prone to aggression, and that's bad news all round.

Take your time - and a spare film and batteries

Check who or what's coming - a donkey cart, a red car, perhaps (great),  or a large person in a big hat to block the view at the crucial moment. Waiting for clouds to pass, a spectacular sunset or a monkey to turn round is always worth it, but if it's something really amazing and it's your only chance to get it, don't risk missing it - take plenty of shots. Film is cheap, so the golden rule is, never run out, and you can always chuck the duds. For digitals, always make sure you have back-up batteries with you, because the temptation to go mad and take loads of shots at high resolution can be overwhelming when you know you can delete them. Unfortunately, your batteries don't see it this way and will run out just as that 'important person' sails past, or the elephant you've been watching for half an hour finally looks your way and waggles its ears.

Look and learn

Check guidebooks, travel features and tourist material for new picture ideas and angles. Browse through a book or two of famous paintings to see how the old masters approached their subjects and structured their work - it really does help. Above all, be critical of your own work. Practice makes perfect, and you'll soon be able to look back at your earlier efforts and see how much your work has improved.