When it comes to capturing good action shots – whether a teen's latest skateboard maneuver or Fido's latest antic – one of the most important digital photography basics to consider is shutter lag.

More accurately called "processor lag," this is the time that passes between the moment you press the shutter release button to the moment the camera actually gets the shot and you see the green light. Press too soon, and you end up with something completely different than what you expected.

In spite of all their advantages, compact digital cameras are slower than film cameras, some more than others. This article provides some tips for working with shutter lag, as well as some tips for how you can take great action photos.

1) Be Ready - Always try to anticipate the movement before it happens. Even professional sports photographers with speed-of-lightning cameras try to anticipate the action, just so they can be in the right spot and point the camera in the right direction.

By having a better understanding of what you're photographing, you'll be better able to anticipate the actions and get better shots. So, if you plan to take pictures of your child's soccer match, learn the rules of the game so you'll know what to expect. If your child is dancing in the Nutcracker, watch a couple of rehearsals before you start taking pictures.

2)    Shop Around before purchasing a new compact digital. Unfortunately, there isn't just one camera spec that will tell you how fast the camera will capture the picture from the time you press the button. Others things like the quality of the sensor and the ISO setting (if in dim light) can also slow down the processing time. So investigate what other people are saying in photography forums and read all of the manufacturer's specs online.

3)    Spring for a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens-Reflex). They're more expensive than compacts, but they're FAST. DSLRs don't have shutter lag problems, so if you're taking photos outside, you can increase the ISO without your photos having digital noise like you would with a compact camera.

Digital Photography Tips You Can Use with Any Type of Camera

Whether you have a DSLR, compact or an automatic film camera, try these photo tricks of the trade.

Zoom in on Faces – Don't always focus on the action. Look for the movement and expressions that represent the picture you're trying to take like the smile of victory or the disappointing look of defeat!).

Tell a Story – Look for shots that tell a story of the event. For instance, take a picture of a team huddle or a group of runners stretching before the big race.

Freeze! – To freeze the action, set your camera to sports mode or set your Shutter Speed Priority to a high setting. As an example of different settings, freezing action in a soccer tournament requires a shutter speed between 1/250 to 1/500 while taking photos of your pet sitting still requires 1/125.

Blur the Background – Take a cue from the sports photographers, and blur the background by decreasing the camera's depth of field. If using a camera that has Aperture Priority, you can do this by simply decreasing the f-stop number. The lower the F Stop number, the more blurry your background.

Pan - This is a good alternative for digital compact users where dim light underexposes photos taken with sports mode/fast shutter speed. Panning works with automatic focus, but it only works when the action is moving in a fairly straight line. Here is how to pan the camera:

Set your Camera to Autofocus. With your feet firmly planted on the ground, rotate your upper body and follow the subject with your camera. Just before you think the action will occur, start pressing the shutter release button half way down and continue following the subject until you've pressed the button completely down to get the shot.

Autofocus too slow on your camera? Focus on an area with a lot of contrast like a number on a uniform. Autofocus works better with more contrast.

Play around with panning and see what kinds of different effects you can get. You might want to show some blur in the action to emphasize the speed of movement, such as with a race car.

And once you get an action shot you love, don't forget to share it with others by putting it in a photo frame. Most action pictures go best in simple metal picture frames but wood photo frames with simple wood moldings also look good as they both don't distract from the action photo.

Whether of a sporting event or your dog, action shots are really fun to take once you get the hang of it. And once you understand the digital photography basics like shutter lag, you'll take better pictures and have even more fun.