Cameras get ever smaller so it's never been easier to carry one wherever you go. Camera phones and compact cameras can both grab perfectly good images, with the added advantage that they are light and easy to carry.
A heftier 'SLR' camera may offer you more creative control, but being in the right place at the right time and noticing what is around you is more valuable.
Freelance photographer Philip Price offers advice on getting the best photos with your compact camera.
Eye-catching images
Everyone likes pictures of their friends and family, but if you don't know the people or the location in the picture, it takes a bit more to hold your attention.
A snap can become a fascinating photo for lots of reasons. Here are some basics to think about.
- Patterns: sometimes a set of things just look 'right' together because of colours, shapes, textures or subject.
- Depth: if the distant view is beautiful, try also to find a closer point of interest in order to lead the viewer in. You can even create a point of interest, a footprint, for example.
- Moments: catching a specific point in time can be tricky, but worth a try.
- Characters: can be people or animals. Concentrate on their eyes, because that's what we do when we meet someone face to face. Hands are interesting as well, especially if they're doing something.
What next?
There are plenty of online resources for photographic advice. Links to BBC sites are top right on this page.
For inspiration, browse the Scotland Outdoors galleries. And if you have a picture you're proud of, do submit it by email.
Your tips and tricks
Do you have any handy tricks for taking outdoors photographs? Share them with other readers by adding them to the form below.
Sending pictures to Scotland Outdoors
If you choose to send a picture to the BBC, please read the Terms and Conditions first.
Page first published on Friday 5th December 2008
Page last updated on Thursday 16th April 2009
- Characters: can be people or animals. Concentrate on their eyes, because that's what we do when we meet someone face to face. Hands are interesting as well, especially if they're doing something.
- Moments: catching a specific point in time can be tricky, but worth a try.
- Depth: if the distant view is beautiful, try also to find a closer point of interest in order to lead the viewer in. You can even create a point of interest, a footprint, for example.
© MMIX
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