How many times have you seen a picture that means something special to the photographer, but you find it hard to decipher?
It's like that commercial where the old woman fulfills her lifelong dream of going to Paris and having her picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower. When she gets the prints back, she has a good picture of the monument and the top of her head. Kind of a letdown.
Pictures act as windows to the past. We keep albums filled with photos of good times and habitually look through them to remember.
Unfortunately, those not-so-good pictures make their way into the memory books because they are the only physical remnants of that party or vacation.
We at The Daily Tar Heel's photo desk recognize that not everyone has dedicated their life to photography and could use a few pointers on how to fix basic problems.
Our hope is that we can help you keep those memories clear - so that when you look at the photo you took of your favorite band, you can still hear them play that song you love.
We also understand that not everyone can spend the thousands of dollars on photo equipment that we do. So every photo we present for this guide to better pictures has been taken with simple point-and-click cameras.
The result amazed even us. You really can take a good photo with those things. It just takes a little basic understanding of what it takes to get it done.
We've provided you with all the information and hopefully enough inspiration to get those better pictures. Photojournalism students spend hours trying to learn these techniques. Take advantage of our guide so you don't get all the way to Paris and come back disappointed.
