A good rule to live by: “Never stop learning.” And here at HP, we’re always trying to give you new information to help you work and play smarter. What you may not know is that HP has established an online education site for that exact purpose, The HP Learning Center. The curriculum covers everything from digital photography and Photoshop to how to run your business better. There are quick lessons, long courses and quizzes to make sure that you’ve mastered the material.
    有句话说得好：“学无止尽。”在HP学院这个栏目里，我们将不断地为你提供新信息，以帮助你在工作和生活中做得更好。你可能还不知道，HP已经建立了一个在线教育网站来实现这一点，那就是HP学习中心。课程涵盖了从数码摄影到Photoshop使用再到如何发展你的业务。课程中包括短期课程、长期课程以及小测验，以确保你确实领会了学习内容。           

    Oh, and the cost of tuition: Absolutely nothing. All you need to do is create an account and enroll in whichever class you like at hp.com/go/learningcenter. I’m going to provide you with quick lessons and if you want to learn even more, you’re just a click away.
    课程的价格是：免费。你所要做的就是在hp.com/go/learningcenter创建一个帐号，然后选择你喜欢的课程。我这里要介绍的是短期的课程，如果你想学到更多，到学习中心去看看吧。

    If you follow me on Twitter (@afinnie, btw), you might spot that I’m always posting pictures wherever I go. As much fun as that is, I’m not exactly a paid professional. I’m always looking for new ways to improve how I take pictures whether it’s from a point-and-shoot camera or my cell phone. I found the below lesson as part of a larger class in the HP Learning Center. Maybe it’ll help you as well.
    如果你在Twitter上关注了我（@afinnie），你会发现无论到哪里我都习惯贴照片。这只是我的兴趣，我可不是收钱的摄影师。我总是在寻找能够提高拍摄照片质量的方法，无论是在随手拍相机上还是手机上。下面的短期课程是HP学习中心一个长期课程的一部分，它同样可以给你带来价值。

    Today’s Class: “Digital Photography Tips: Improving Composition”
    今天的课程——数码摄影诀窍：改进构图

    Ever take a photo that looked great through the viewfinder, only to be disappointed to discover later that the subject is too small, lost against the background—or the foreground is so busy that it detracts from the subject?
    尽管你有时候从观景器中看到的景色相当棒，但是回头查看照片的时候却会失望地发现，主体太小被淹没在背景中，或者是前景太乱导致减弱了主体的突出程度，是不是？

    These shouldn't be problems with today's digital cameras. Preview every photo on the camera's LCD screen before it's taken, and then review that photo right after its shot. Remember, you're free to take as many photos as you want.
    对于今天的数码相机来说，这本来不会成为一个问题。在拍摄照片前先在LCD屏上预览一下，拍摄后也查看下。别忘了，数码相机拍照片不用花钱买胶卷。

    Experimenting
    小实验

    So, be bold. Try some of these ideas:
    首先试试下面几个想法：

    Shoot the same subject from different angles.
    Walk around and see how moving the camera up or down changes the photo.
    Experiment with prevailing light behind and beside your subject.
    Use the zoom feature to creatively play with the perspective.
    从不同的角度拍摄同一物体
    在周围走走，看看举高或者放低相机会给照片带来什么变化
    试试用逆光和侧逆光来拍摄主体
    用变焦的方式来改变景观

    By experimenting with capturing your subject from different angles you can achieve some interesting results.
    尝试从不同的角度来拍摄主体会给你带来有趣的照片。

    When setting up your shot, think about what you want to achieve and what you're trying to highlight. Should the subject fill the photo or can other details direct attention toward it?
    在准备拍摄时，想想你想要表达什么，你想要突出什么。拍摄主体是否适合你的构图，其他的细节是否会突出主体？

    Dividing your image into thirds
    把照片分为三部分

    Avoid the natural tendency to confine your subject to the absolute center of the photo. Creative photographers use a technique called the Rule of Thirds as an aid when composing photos, as shown here.
    避免直观地将你拍摄的主体放在照片正中间，富有创造力的摄影师经常使用一种称作三分法的技巧来构图，正如下面这张照片显示的那样。

    Mentally divide the image into a nine-square grid like a tic-tac-toe board, with three equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines. Then, move your subject slightly off center, up or down or right or left at the intersection of these lines. A subtle shift can highlight the subject in ways that are more pleasing to the eye.
    首先在脑海中把照片分成九宫格，然后将拍摄主体稍微从正中心挪开，向上向下向左向右都可以，放在交叉点上。一个微小的改变可以提亮主体，让照片更加赏心悦目。
 

    Cropping the image visually
    剪裁图片

    Use your camera's zoom feature to move in or away from your subject as well as visually crop or add details to improve the photo, as shown here. Look for elements in the field of view that you can use to frame or offset the subject, or direct the viewers' attention there.
    利用你相机的变焦功能来拉近或者拉远距离拍摄主体的距离，例如放大主体或者是给图片加入更多的细节，就像下面这张照片一样。观察视野中的各种元素，你可以用来突出或者弱化主体，更可以引导观众的注意力。

    Using a wider view
    使用广角

    For a different effect, try shooting the photo as a panorama, if your camera has that feature. People tend to think of a panorama as something for landscapes only, but it can effectively be used for any photo, in this picture. When the situation or subject warrants, this makes it easy to take a great photo in a few simple steps.
    如果你的照相机有这个功能，试着使用广角来拍摄以取得不同的效果。有的人认为广角只适合用来拍风景，实际上可以在任何题材中使用广角，比如下面这张照片。在周围情况和主体允许的情况下，只需要简单的几步就可以拍出一张非常棒的照片

    To liven up your travel shots and more, explore the Panorama Photography section on HP.com.
    想要让你的旅行照片看起来更活跃？来访问HP.com上广角摄影的章节吧。
 

    Improving the image by cropping it afterward
    通过后期制作美化照片

    With digital imaging, your creative options only begin when you capture the image. If you have an HP TouchSmart PC or an HP touchscreen printer, you can easily crop your photos on the screen, giving you more power over the final composition of your image even after it's been shot. And of course, you can crop photos with image editing software or at Snapfish.com.
    在数码影像领域，当你按下快门的时候，你的创作才刚刚开始。如果你有一台HP TouchSmart PC或者是一台HP触屏打印机，你便可以方便地在屏幕上剪裁照片，对照片进行最终构图设计。当然你也可以通过图像编辑软件或者在喀嚓鱼Snapfish.com上来完成这项工作。

    If you think you might want to crop photos after taking them, shoot often and at your camera's high or highest resolution setting to make sure you have as much content as possible to work with.
    如果你更习惯于在后期制作中重新进行构图，那么多拍几张，别忘了把相机的分辨率提高，这样你才有足够的素材进行剪裁。

    Now that you understand what all those settings are for, grab your camera and start experimenting! 
    现在你应该已经理解了我所讲的一切，那么抓起你的相机开始体验吧！

    Did you find these tips helpful? What other lessons would you like to see? Let me know!
    这些诀窍对你有帮助吗？你还想看什么样的课程？告诉我们吧！