Technique
While every photographer knows that beauty can be found in a bird, a flower, or a plastic bag dancing in the wind, the truth is that most of us just like to take pictures of our friends. So, here are some important things to remember when shooting people.

• Don't shoot entire bodies. Unless you need to show a person's full body, just aim for the head and upper torso; they make for far more beautiful pictures.
  
• Always shoot people straight on. If they are taller, get on your toes; if they are sitting, squat down. Get straight at their eye levels; otherwise, you will distort their bodies in a very unflattering way.
  
• That little flash bulb on your camera will only get you so far. For the best photo, use the light around you.
  
• Indoors, take your picture in the area with the most light. If you can, try to focus a light on your subjects. If you can't, try to pull the shade off of a nearby lamp; that will help.
  
• Outdoors, try to shoot people with the sun behind them and to one side. That will shed light on your subject's face.

As I stated before, most of us like to photograph our pals. Even if we are shooting a famous landmark of historical importance, like Notre Dame, we still make our poor friend Jessica don a beret and gesture like a mime in front of it. So how do you commemorate Jessica's embarrassing antics while, at the same time, capturing the cathedral's historic beauty?

The rule of thirds
This tried-and-true photography rule tells us that the best way to frame a photo is to imagine a grid over the subject with two vertical and two horizontal lines that separate the photo into nine parts. Then, simply line the most important aspects up with the four intersecting points of the grid.