These days, it seems that everyone has a digital camera in their bag. And this is just as well because it's always nice to take pictures of the best moments in life.

However, just capturing the moment isn't enough these days. One has to find the drama in the shot, look for a perfect angle and then capture that which will make a home photo album more magical than anything else. For professionals, that isn't a problem at all. But for the regular point and shoot maniac, it means learning a few more tricks than he or she probably wants to. Still, it's not that difficult to take a great shot. Here are a few tips that you can practice on your future subjects.

• Know what you can do – In fact, know what your camera can do. You may actually have the eye for detail but you also need the eye to see beauty. Your camera can capture exactly what you see. But your camera can also have settings so that what you capture is much better than it actually is.

Get to know all the features of your camera like if it has a flash, how much zoom it has digitally and optically, and what other digital features it has that will allow you to manipulate a scene.

• Play with the features – Your digital camera is bound to have a lot of features that you have never explored. Some of the main features include taking pictures in black and white, in negative, or capturing certain colors over others. It may also have a macro mode that will allow you to take shots close-up and very personal.

Play with your camera and see what you can do with the features that it offers. Experimenting with different settings will help you find what you like in your pictures. Otherwise, you are not getting your money's worth when you purchase the item to begin with.

• Know the power of your flash – Whether you are using a camera's built-in flash or if you have an external flash that gives you more powerful light settings, the point is that you know the power of your flash. Just because a camera has a flash unit in it does not mean that the whole world captured in its lens will be lit up. The range only goes so far so make sure when you are taking an indoor shot and need to use the flash that you are not too close to the subject or too far away.

• Use a tripod – Chances are that you are getting a lot of blurry pictures because you can't hold your camera steady. Not everyone can and this is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, this is one of the reasons why tripods exist in the first place. A tripod will help you take a level picture, help you to reduce shake to absolute zero, and you can also take the opportunity to use on to take pictures of yourself if you are alone on vacation. Use what makes things easy. A tripod is the epitome of that.