A couple of things to remember for improving pics. If you're in the woods and it's a little dark, overexpose by 1 to 1 1/2 stops when using a flash. Otherwise the background will be underexposed, and the subject will appear stark. Watch the background for distracting elements, big rocks, brush piles, etc. Be aware of small trees and anything jutting up from the ground. You don't want these to appear to be growing out of the subject's head. You know, "what a great pic, if only that tree wasn't growing out of my head". If you have manual exposure control you can soften (blur) the background if you like by opening up the lens to a wider aperture. A small tele lens will also compress and soften the background. A wide angle lens has much more depth of field, but you can get very close and get some great pics at various angles. Use your imagination. It's very rewarding when showing your pics, and people go ooh, ah.

Phil.