Always remember that: the most fundamental element in taking a good photograph is composition . Modern automatic cameras can sort out focusing, lighting and other matters for you, but you have to chose where to point the camera and how to compose the picture. So take a few seconds to choose a good composition taking on board the following advice. Any lines in the pictures must be straight - unless you're deliberately trying to be exotic. So horizons should horizontal and sides of buildings should be vertical (unless you're looking upwards). Background objects should not spoil the composition . So, for instance, avoid a traffic sign or a tree branch appearing to come out of a person's head. Remember the 'rule of thirds'. Imagine that there are invisible lines - two horizontal and two vertical - dividing your picture into nine sections. In many cases, you'll obtain a better picture if you put any natural horizontal lines - like the horizon - on one of your invisible horizontal lines rather than in the middle and if you locate your subject - such as a person or tree - on one of the invisble vertical lines rather than in the middle. Scene in Cienfuegos in Cuba Scene at Masada in Israel If you're using the 'rule of thirds' for a shot featuring a person, ensure that the person is looking into the space and not out of the shot. If you're shooting a picture in which the main subject is not