What “Top Tips” should I give compact camera users in a short talk?

Question

I am putting together a short talk which I'm going to give to some non-photographers.

I'm going to talk about things they can do with their compact cameras to make their images nicer. I have a bunch of ideas / tips to pass on to them, but I need to cut out most of them (it's a short talk - 20 minutes or so).

What are your top tips for "normal" people who own a compact camera (or even just a phone)?

Also, any tips for talking to these guys? Any pitfalls you've encountered?

Answer

Unless it's a specific event "for compact/phone camera users only", don't stress the equipment part that much - that's not what photography is about, and some normal people have dSLRs too.

Since you have a short talk, choose 3 to 5 ideas and cover them with examples rather than dash through as many tips as you can. You can't fit a whole beginner's course in that time-frame anyway. I'd choose something from

• composition (placement, clutter in background, using perspective)
• lighting (golden hour, avoiding ugly shadows, using light to lead attention)
• post processing (choosing "keepers", fixing horizon, cropping)

Tell your tips, show samples (random snapshot vs. same shot using your tips) and only later tell them the samples were taken with just a compact/phone camera. Name the ideas shortly again in summary speech and there's a good chance some of them will stick with some listeners.

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