• Ask yourself: What are you really photographing? Are you photographing the flower or the flower plus the soil below it, plus the dried up leaves around it, etc. Never let extraneous elements distract the viewer from what you want to portray. Crop your image post-exposure even if you couldn't frame it properly while taking the shot. Like writing good literature, photographs should be concise, and to the point.
  
  This rule also applies to situations where you should selectively focus on only the most important parts of the image, while blurring out the extraneous elements. This is usually not possible with the very small apertures of a Point and Shoot.

• Remember to meter tonally gray areas, use exposure lock, recompose, and shoot. The camera always tries to make the scene neutral (18%) gray.
   
• For SLRs only: Always check the DepthOfField/Aperture setting. The lens is always at its largest aperture for the viewfinder, and only stops down to the selected aperture when the shutter releases.
   
• As a rule of thumb: A shutter speed slower than (1/FocalLengthOfLens) leads to camera shake showing up in your image. For example, with a 100mm lens, you should use a tripod for shutter speeds of 1/125 or slower.
   
• For a large range in contrast (some regions of your image in deep shadow, while the others in bright sunlight), use a neutral graduated density filter.
   
• To cut down on glare, deep end the color of vegetation or skies, or to cut out haze, use a polarizer.
   
• Use the slowest possible films for landscapes since they are not going anywhere. Slow films have very less grain (enlarge very well).

Rules of Composition
 

• Rule of Thirds: Try to keep the main subject off center (except in close ups). Try to divide the image into three sections horizontally and three vertically, and place your main elements within one of the thirds.
   
• A vertical format enhances height, hence use it to shoot canyons, cliffs. A horizontal enhances width, so shoot large expanse of water, prairies, deserts, with it.
   
• Look for patterns in nature and emphasize it. For example, look for patterns made by flora, edges of mountains, sand on beaches, etc. Frame your image wisely.
   
• Noon is the worst time for photography. Light is harsh, and there are no shadows to emphasize relief. Take a nap.
   
• Sunrise and sunset have the best photographic light. Sunrise is softer and provides more pastel tones. Sunset is harder, and provides harsher tones.
   
• An overcast day is best for colors, so don't get disappointed. Close ups in nature, greenery, flowers image very well. Try not to take images with a lot of sky.
   
• A fully overcast and an absolutely clear sky are boring. Some clouds are the most photogenic, giving a sense of scale to your images.