According to IDC, the analyst firm closely covering the digital camera market, more than 7.5 billion images are expected to be captured by consumers using digital cameras in the United States this summer season. To help consumers make the most of those images, Nick Kelsh, a Lexar Elite Photographer, is offering tips to help amateur digital photographers take superior pictures.

Nick’s digital camera tips and techniques to help shoot like a pro:

Experiment with digital camera settings - Don’t be intimidated by the options--experiment with shutter speed, aperture & white balance settings to get better results.

Bring plenty of digital film - Forget the days of counting remaining frames of film, and capture lots and lots of images while using a large capacity memory card and several smaller capacity cards.

Experiment with natural light - Digital cameras are just like traditional cameras when it comes to lighting so look to use soft, natural light near widows and doorways for natural looking images.

Change the perspective - Today’s digital cameras are compact and lightweight, allowing users to capture images from every angle.

Always bring your digital camera - The compact size makes it easy and safe to take digital cameras everywhere.

Go black & white - An option available on most consumer digital cameras, black & white is often an interesting and creative option.

Take a small portrait gallery - At large group events, take lots of close-up shots of individuals. Assembling a portrait gallery and sharing with family and friends will be easy using digital camera software.

Turn off the flash - Whenever possible, leverage natural light to give your digital photos a more natural look.

Raise the angle - When taking table shots, set the camera at a higher angle to capture everyone at the same distance.

An easy photo album - Leverage the wide variety of available, simple-to-use digital camera software for managing, manipulating images, and sharing images with others.

Home photo processing - Like the images themselves, customize your printer settings and “develop” digital images in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Do something different! - When surrounded by other people taking pictures, look at what other photographers are doing and then do something else.

Nick Kelsh Bio