Digital cameras mean you can easily take hundreds of pictures each time. But if you're not getting many keepers, it may not be the camera, it may be you. Here are some tips.

Step back for portraits: Cameras can make features look distorted up close. Noses and eyes can appear exaggeratedly large. When shooting portraits, try standing about 15 feet from your subject. For a tight shot of the face, use your camera's zoom.

For full-length shots, zoom out. But use care. Wide-angle shots introduce unflattering distortion.

Frame the shot: Don't center subjects in the frame. This is boring. Your main subjects should be one-third of the way from the top or bottom of the frame, and the same from the side. Also, pay attention to the foreground and background. Reframe a shot to eliminate distractions.

Get the action shot: Say you're photographing someone riding a bicycle. Lock focus on the bicyclist by pressing the shutter halfway.

Follow the bicyclist with your camera. At the right moment, press the shutter all the way. Continue to pan until the shot is taken. The bicyclist should be clear. However, a blurred background conveys the motion.

Be careful with flash: Flash can bleach skin tones and alter the photo's colors. It also leaves harsh, unappealing shadows. Flash is better suited for a sunny day, to remove shadows covering a face. It shouldn't affect the rest of the photo.

Some cool tricks: To capture light trails — like those from car lights, use the smallest aperture or a slow shutter speed for a long exposure.

Water rushing over a waterfall? Again, use a long exposure.

Want a photo where the subject seems to move? Use a relatively long shutter speed. Zoom in on the subject as the photo's being taken. The main elements of the photo appear in focus. Objects around the edges are blurred, as if by motion.

Contact Kim Komando at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.