I would agree w/ morning and late afternoon shots; having said that, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that some of the best shots (in my opinion) I took in Santorini happened to be very close to noon/1pm. I think the important thing is to always be mindful of the location of the sun, and adjust your photos accordingly; or show up at the right time of day, for the angle you want.

Also, I tend to like to layer my shots, with interest in the foreground (i.e. a flower), w/ something in the middle, and then the background. But maybe that's just me. And it's not always the way to go; depends on what you want to accomplish.

And as someone else said earlier, creative, unexpected angles -- not just straight on; perhaps squat down and look up at the subject.

Also...don't think too much. If something looks interesting, take the pic. I can't tell you how many awesome pictures I have snapped on the fly/with very little set up, and how many I have ruined by overthinking my shot.

1) Fill the frame!
2) F8 is great!

As a professional photographer, I see one of the biggest problems is what I call face shadows. Lots of folks wear hats, and when the contrast between the shadow of the face and the skylight, etc. is great, the detail in the shadows will typically be lost, especially if you are using the camera on "auto" or "program" mode. Therefore, use flash to fill in the shadow areas so you'll be able to actually see whom you are photograhing.

Use a Lomo LC-A Minitar camera - it's small, needs no flash day or night, and makes everything look magical. (Written by a lomographer, of course ;->. Plus, when you join the Lomo community, you've got a whole new group of friends all over the world who can show you places you didn't know existed when you visit their countries.

http://www.lomohomes.com/silvertoes

OK, so you made me research just what you were talking about.

After reading all about these odd little cameras and their ranks of devoted enthusiasts, I must commend you!

When travelling, always carry a camera. You never know when that great photo opportunity pops up in front of you. Sometimes, I cycle around with a small camera in my hand (already turned on). I also hold the handle bar with the same hand, so the camera is not so conspicuous.

The bicycle is particularly useful if you spot a person or some other moving object that you want to shoot on film. The bike allows you to move ahead and get a better angle.

As for the shooting at sunrise/sunset, I tend to take this with a grain of salt. The warm light during these times looks nice, but in certain places (ie the Colorado Plateau in Utah/Arazon) where I do alot of photography, it has some drawbacks. The redish hue of the light sometimes washes out the brighter colors in the rock. Canyons are also hard to photograph when the sun is not shining into them. One side will always be very dark. That being said, play around with it. Don't be afraid to experiment. Use a polarizing filter. We do it cause its fun.

-c_b

This is the most important tip I ever got - Remember all of the rules you read and hear and then forgot them.

For instance only take photos at or around sunrise and sunset and you will have striking photos. But they will look like everyone else's photos who read that same rule. They'll also come out looking jaundiced and yellow but most people seem to like that

Experimentation is the key to great photography. The day a photographer stops experimenting is the day he puts down his camera and becomes a writer.

Include a person/people in your photographs to provide your primary subject a sense of scale. Example: If you're taking a picture of the biggest tree/smallest car you've ever seen, put a friend next to it so we can see just how big/small this tree/car really is...

-Eric

*****

http://www.ericlian.com

wow, such great suggestions!! thanks!
sorry in advance if i repeat anyone's, but this is what i've learned:

* if using a digital camera and the lighting is not quite right, focus first on something that has better lighting, then holding the button, go back and frame what you want to focus on and take the picture. this works well towards the end of the day when theres seemingly not enough light.

* i agree that taking multiple shots of the same thing is a great idea! one of them will be the perfect (if not close).

* with a digital camera, avoid zooming in too much for the shot - it takes away from the quality of the picture. you can always crop it later.

* people in their natural moment is best, but yes, aksing to photograph is not always fun. my experience with indigenous people is mostly getting 'no.' however, in india, the friendlier people love getting their photos taken, even entire families!

* notice the small and subtle details in your surroundings...some of them can be amazing shots!

not my tips, but one good, one baffling (remebered from this lonely planet 'travellers tips' book I got for free):

good tip: capture moments, not history

WTF? tip: for your next trip, consider leaving the camera at home an take a sketch pad instead.

surely SURELY that was a joke...

Keep your camera with you all the time.

It is a certainty that a photo op will be missed if you are sans cam when op presents itself.

creating and editing are two entirely different processes. dont try to edit yourself while shooting. get lost in it. let the creative juices flow and experiment, shoot at every angle, bracket your exposures, go thru a shit load of film! dont worry about the exta cost, itll be worth it when your going thru your prints and start coming across your "happy accidents"

I know sometimes you have to, but DON´T give the camera to someone else. Not because it´s gonna get stolen (it can happen as well) but in my own expirience, most of the times you get an awful picture, more if the one how´s taking the pic is a farmer or country men. But if you have to, well...