Digital cameras have opened up photography to the masses, but do most of us think before we shoot? Even a beginner can make great pictures by following a few rules and being in the right place at the right time. We provide some simple tips to remember before you snap that next photo so you can set your pictures apart from run of the mill snapshots.
Use the correct lighting – Soft or diffused lighting is best for photographs of people. Early morning and late afternoon are good times for nature shots.
Know when to use flash – Outdoors: Turn your flash on in bright sunlight, it can be used as “fill-in light” outside to even out strong shadows from bright light. Indoors: Use flash as a last resort. Try to add more natural lighting by opening window shades. If you still need more light turn on as many lights as possible and adjust your white balance.
Focus on your subject – Make sure your camera is focused on the subject and not the background. Do this by centering your subject and pushing the shutter down halfway to lock the focus. Now you can re-frame your picture while holding the shutter down to keep your subject in focus.
Get close – Get up close and personal with your subjects, especially if they’re smaller. Fill the frame with the subject to eliminate background distractions and capture the richest details.
Don’t center everything – The rule of thirds is possibly the most well know rule in photography and visual art. Keeping your main subject out of the center allows for greater movement in the photograph. Does that mean every photo with a centered subject is horrid or that you should never center a subject? No, but it’s something to keep in mind when shooting.
Change your point of view – Don’t always shoot from your perspective. Instead position yourself on the level of your subject. Take photos of children, pets and other low to the ground subjects at their perspective or their eye level. You can also use your position to enhance subjects and make them more interesting. For example, shooting a tall tree or building from their base will help exaggerate their size.
Don’t be afraid to go vertical – Many photographs can benefit from vertical framing. Don’t forget to rotate your camera before shooting a subject to see if a vertical shot would make for a better picture.
Take lots of different shots – Taking extra pictures doesn’t cost you money like it did with film, so take advantage of it. Even if you like the photo when it’s viewed back on your camera’s LCD screen, take another, because they always look different when viewed at full size.
Full-frame cameras tend to be chunky beasts, but Sigma wants to prove that big imaging doesn't need a big body. Enter the Sigma FP2, the successor to its tiny, boxy fp mirrorless camera. It keeps the same modular design but packs in some serious upgrades, including a 24.5-megapixel partially stacked full-frame sensor, improved autofocus, 6K video recording, and 70GB of built-in storage. Sigma calls it the world's smallest full-frame camera, and while it might be tiny, the same cannot be said for its price tag.
Sigma FP2 brings faster shooting and 6K video
A phone thermal camera is one of those tools you don’t think you need until the first time it saves you from an expensive problem, and the Thermal Master P3 just got easier to try. For Halloween, it’s discounted with the code THERMCAM10, a 10% cut that works out to $107 off the total. It’s also fresh off a win at the 2026 Tom’s Guide AI Awards for best phone thermal camera, which is the kind of third-party nod that separates a serious tool from the cheap clip-on sensors that flood this category.
We are nearing Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, which officially run October 6 and 7. But there is no need to wait until the sale begins to start looking. Early offers are already live, and camera gear is one category where I found enough worthwhile discounts to put together a proper creator-focused list.
I’ve deliberately gone wider than interchangeable-lens cameras here. There are pocket and action cameras, a 360 camera, an instant camera, two wireless microphone systems, and a pair of webcams covering very different budgets. Prices were checked on October 2, and as always with Amazon, they can move quickly.