MOST people start out in digital photography taking candids - unposed pictures of people in their environment.

Unfortunately, most of those pictures end up being rejects - unflattering or just plain uninteresting.

The good news about digital photography, though, is that there's no penalty for trying. It costs nothing to download the pictures onto your PC and view your results, and you don't feel compelled to print out anything that's not worthy.

The trick, though, is to come to the practice of shooting candids with a bit of knowledge about what techniques give you a better chance at getting a higher percentage of keepers.

The benefit is that you'll spend less time at the computer sorting through bad photographs and more time behind the camera being creative. Read on for some ideas.

Don't photograph people eating
With your digital camera in hand, you'll no doubt be tempted before long to take pictures of people while they're eating.

Casual get-togethers, company events, sporting events, and other situations in which candids are commonly shot often involve food - and new photographers are tempted to snap those pictures when their subjects are chomping down on something tasty.

Avoid that temptation. The reason is simple: people are often in unflattering positions when they're eating, and they're generally not in the mood to be photographed then.

They'll be concerned that they have food on their chin or hanging out of their mouths - and in the worst cases, they actually will. Unless you're photographing a bride and groom sharing a ceremonial piece of wedding cake, let people eat without the flash bulbs going off.

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