6 tricks for shooting photos worth sharing

— -- Everyone wants to take and share great pictures, but not everyone wants to buy expensive equipment or spend a lot of time shooting photos. With a little bit of savvy, you can ensure your pictures shine. From getting the shot to editing quickly and effectively to sharing with your friends online, we've got everything you need to start you on your way.

1. Watch the light

Alice Bil of studioEPIC photography in Toronto, Canada, advises taking advantage of the morning and evening sun, when the light is softer. This is especially important when you are taking pictures of people. Make sure the light hits them from the side rather than full in the face or from behind in order to get the most flattering lighting and best results, says Bil. If you don't have the option of waiting for the sun to move, avoid direct sunlight and make sure the people in your picture are in the shade.

2. Nudge subjects off to one side

You may have heard people mention photography's rule of thirds; this is just another way of saying not to put the subject smack dab in the middle of the picture. Instead, make sure the subject is off-center. "For really artistic effects," says Bil, "you can even try positioning the main subject partially outside of the frame."

3. Hold still

Keeping the camera or phone still can go a long way to help your pictures turn out their best. Stabilizing your camera or phone on a tripod is best, but if you're on the go, use whatever is handy. Even steadying your camera or arm with a handy wall or table prevents your own motion from blurring and ruining the shot.

4. Try some simple editing techniques

Bil recommends editing your shots with Editor by Pixlr, a free editing program you don't even have to download to use. Editor will "grow with you as you get more experience and want to experiment," she says. Under the Adjustment drop-down menu, you can easily correct the color levels of your picture by choosing Auto Levels. Making your picture Sepia or Black & White (choose Old Picture) lets you bring what amateur photographer Rachel Liu calls "order into a busy picture."

Liu also suggests cropping (find it under the Image drop-down menu); if you failed to put your subject off to the side when you took the picture, this is a great way to achieve that effect very easily.

5. Edit and share instantly

Instagram is free and makes editing simple. Click Share to take a new picture, or select photos already on your device. If you want, add a filter to your photo, since this trick can mask focus or lighting problems. You can change the colors creatively, add frames for interest, or fade the photo to soften harsh lighting.

You can use filters to draw attention to certain aspects of your shots, too. Here, a picture inside a bookshop is treated with the Sutro filter with a Circle Blur Effect to focus attention on just part of the composition.

After editing, share your pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, or Posterous.

6. Enjoy some Ice Cream Sandwich editing

Ice Cream Sandwich, the new Android platform for mobile phones and tablets, comes with a host of image editing tools built in, so that once you've taken your picture, you can rotate, fix red-eye, crop, or apply filters without needing a stand-alone app to do so. Your original image will be saved, along with your edited version, so you don't have to worry about being stuck with your changes.