If you're like many people, you never change the settings on your digital camera. You simply leave it in auto mode. That's a shame, because you can improve your photos noticeably simply by making a few minor adjustments.

Adjusting the flash is a good example. Here are four ways that straying from the conventional pointing and shooting can produce better photos. (You should experiment with these techniques before trying them in real-world situations.)

• When shooting a portrait at high noon on a sunny day, turn on the flash. (Be sure it's in forced-flash mode.) That helps lighten shadows on the face caused by harsh sunlight. Click on the image to see a "before" and "after" example of how forced-flash can help improve your pictures.


• Sometimes, especially when shooting subjects up close, a point-and-shoot's flash is simply too strong. Your camera's flash exposure-compensation control can help by lowering the flash's power. If yours doesn't have one, you can get a similar effect by cutting a small piece of tissue or tracing paper and holding it over the flash before you shoot. That will diffuse the flash in much the way clouds scatter sunlight.