1. Know your equipment. Even automatic cameras need to be understood to get the best from them. Read the manual and try a few test films or fill up a memory card. Test all equipment and be sure you are confident with it before using it for that "once-in-a-lifetime" occasion.
2. Imagine the final picture when looking through the viewfinder. In other words, is the picture correctly framed, is it horizontal where it needs to be, are there any obtrusive objects in the foreground or background (and no telegraph poles growing out of peoples' heads!), is there a balance between foreground interest and the subject if taking a landscape?
3. Keep it simple. Avoid combining portraits with landmarks - more than one centre of interest fights for the viewers attention and becomes tiring - all tend to look stereotyped after a while. Concentrate on the scene in one shot and concentrate on people in another.
4. Avoid direct sunlight. A bright overcast day is often better than a clear blue sky with bright sun since the latter can give rise to very contrasty pictures - areas of high brightness and deep shadow where detail in either is difficult to record. Especially problematic for portraits and flowers.
5. Use 'fill-in' flash when photographing people outdoors. Direct sun on faces cause shadows and squinting. Photograph people with their back to the sun, preferably in front of a uniformly dark background, and use fill-in flash. Using the flash in daylight in this fashion balances the light in shadow areas with the highlights in the picture. Some compacts have an automatic setting while some cameras require the flash to be set manually (make sure flash power is set to illuminate the subject between I and 2 stops less than the highlighted areas).
6. When photographing people, keep them looking natural. Don't ask your subject to stand or sit 'square on' - posing at an angle with a slight turn of the head produces more pleasing results. For couples or groups, avoid gaps between bodies - arrange them so there is overlap (also helps avoid problems where autofocus cameras may try to focus on the background). Don't be frightened of filling the frame with your subject. Eliminate distracting backgrounds and focus attention on the subject by moving in close.
7. When using flash indoors, try to use a separate flash unit mounted as far away from the camera lens as possible to avoid red-eye and give better lighting. Better still, use a flash gun which may be pointed up to a white ceiling to give a soft and even illumination. This is called bounce flash. Check with your camera instruction book that this is possible for your camera.
8. With children, use a long focal length lens (or the telephoto end of your compact camera) to be as unobtrusive as possible. Keep your distance and be patient. Wait for those moments or expressions that result when a child is captivated by something happening around them.
9. The cheapest print processor may not be the best. Why spend hundreds of pounds on the best camera equipment to record your memories and then use the cheapest printing you can find? Be warned though - paying more money doesn't necessarily guarantee better pictures. Find a lab where extra care is taken when producing prints. Correct printing can transform many pictures.
10. Above all, enjoy your photography!