See, I'm learning too!

I have captured some photos that illustrate what I learned from Nick Kelsh's book on photography. This first picture of the Grand Canyon illustrates these tips:
Try to avoid taking pictures of people or scenery in the middle of the day, when the sun is right over head. I did take many pictures of the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day, but the color was washed right out of them. It wasn't until the sun had started to set, that I captured this perfect shot. The best time to take pictures is 1/2 hr before the sun sets, or on an overcast day.
When taking a landscape picture, don't have it be 1/2 sky. The horizon should be on the top 3rd of the picture.
This second picture was also taken at the Grand Canyon. It's a picture of my daughter yelling and enjoying the echo she heard while hiking in the canyon. It illustrates these tips:

When on vacation, take the pictures that captured what you lived and what made an impression on you. Don't just have someone take a picture of you in front of every landmark you saw!
When capturing a group of people, have everyone's heads in relatively the same area. Don't try to get body shots, unless you are capturing how much the kids have grown.
Get as close to a close-up as you can. If you can get up a little higher than the group, on a chair or even a step, you can get everyone in the group with their chins raised toward the camera, and trust me...this helps everyone look better!
Take a different point of view!

When you are at a National Monument, (or Disney World;) take a picture from a different angle.

I don't have any pictures her to illustrate the final 2, but they are too good to leave out! When getting a picture of a couple, coach them a little. (I do this!) "Put your arms around each other. Act like you love one another!" " Put your cheeks together!" When photgraphing really close up remember not to use the flash! Also, you can chop the top of their head off, (above the forehead) if you are really focusing on their face. If it looks good to you in the view finder, it will probably turn out good.

take pictures of fall foilage on a cloudy day for the best color.

Scrap Happy!