Photography Advice from anyone?

I've recently invested a fairly hefty sum into some nice camera equipment. The thing is i know bugger all about photography!

I have included some of the pics ive taken so far but do any of you wise people have any suggestions for improving what im doing?










and last but not least....


Any advice would be appreciated.

Nice framing on the first two & last one. You've clearly got an eye for that.

The first one has the light source coming from behind so the face is in comparative shadow. There are various things you could do about that - move the cat, use a fill-in flash or a light-reflector.

The second one of the turtle (?) is a good use of depth of field. It gives an intriguing off-beat focus to what might have otherwise been a standard shot. I like that one the most.

The two landscapes show that you can't just point & shoot. Look up "golden mean composition" or "rule of thirds". But even then some point of focus would make them come alive more. The night-time shot is easier nowadays than they used to be due to digitalisation and responsive metering but it still would be worth buying a tripod so you can do long exposures without shake or, failing that, rest it on a wall or similar.

The final one is an example of a shot where the automatic focussing is taking over. I guess you had it on 'close-up'? The front of the lettering is mostly in focus but as it leans away it is increasingly out of focus. That may have been what you intended though. It works anyway.

Join a camera club, buy photography magazines, go on a course. Any general ideas you pick up would be useful. Look at photos you like and try to work out what they've done.

There are at least couple of posters on here who have good but very different flickr sites. I shan't identify them but they might do so themselves. Have a browse around 'flickr' and there are some wonderful photographers on there who will either inspire you or give you an inferiority complex. THIS is the link to a friend's pages on flickr. He's damned good!

I have a flickr page myself but mostly there's not much on there that I'm proud of. I used to do tons of photography years ago before digital came in. My youngest shamed me into going digital and I've struggled ever since. I can't get on top of all the options my modest camera offers to me. Meanwhile her photography is something I could only aspire to! Bloody kids!

Judging by some of them, don't get pissed again before you decide to take some snaps.

If you don't have one, buy a tripod.

Buy the latest Photoshop Elements 11, and properly learn how to use that before you attempt to learn the finer points of what your camera's capable of. (If you've bought a decent SLR, and haven't a clue what you're doing, you can still take basically crap photos, then use Elements to cheat, sorry, edit it to your liking.

With the way editing software is today, being able to take a decent photo isn't nearly as important as it used to be. I'd say it's pretty much 50% about taking the shot, and 50% how knowlegeable you are with editing techniques.

Czarcasm wrote:

Judging by some of them, don't get pissed again before you decide to take some snaps.

If you don't have one, buy a tripod.

Buy the latest Photoshop Elements 11, and properly learn how to use that before you attempt to learn the finer points of what your camera's capable of. (If you've bought a decent SLR, and haven't a clue what you're doing, you can still take basically crap photos, then use Elements to cheat, sorry, edit it to your liking.

With the way editing software is today, being able to take a decent photo isn't nearly as important as it used to be. I'd say it's pretty much 50% about taking the shot, and 50% how knowlegeable you are with editing techniques.

There's a whole debate there, Czar..... I used to be dead against such trickery but my daughter laughed at me and said that's what photography is about nowadays. Bloody kids! (She got an A level in it and almost chose it as her Uni course - I'm very proud of her work). But, even in the past, in the printing process tricks were used so I guess I was being a bit of a luddite. There are still people who are against it though. As for me, it's the only way some of my shots are half decent.

I echo what Mr.Knecht has to say on the images and I would comment roughly along the same lines re Mr. Rapson's admirable efforts.

However, I can't be arsed to type anymore than a couple of lines, so, Mr.Rapson, May I suggest a book called 'The New Manual Of Photography' by John Hedgcoe.

It has been an invaluable sourse of knowledge and understanding to my photography skills over the years, To the extent that I'm probably the worlds least known famous photographer to the stars of fame and film and currently finished post-picture editing on some film you may have heard of, not sure though, called 'Skyfall'

All the best. Schlumberger, aka, Ansel Adams.

Mrrapson wrote:

I've recently invested a fairly hefty sum into some nice camera equipment. The thing is i know bugger all about photography!

Uhhg!!

Isn't that like learning to drive in a Ferrari Enzo!

Schlumberger wrote:

.....
However, I can't be arsed to type anymore than a couple of lines, so, Mr.Rapson, May I suggest a book called 'The New Manual Of Photography' by John Hedgcoe.

........

Yep!

Yes I have some advice for you.

Less of the shots of Mr Newell in his shower would be nice! It put me off my tea!

Get in torch with Sparksy he into Photography in a big way, has done a Photography courses at the art collage.
He has had a photo exhibition and an auction of his work.

Take photos of any ex Mods who slip you snippets of shite at Home Park

My bro was a professional photographer. He always reckoned tripod and a good lens ... always 100% manual settings and focus. The time of day is important ... forget high Summer, high sun ... boring. Planning, almost a storyboard in your head. Avoid the weaknesses of your particular camera. Don't bore whoever you're with... in fact always best on your own. DON'T long shutter falling water... pleeeeeeease... who needs it.
I'm more of a video person myself, and most DSLR cameras are hybrid these days. Most important video consideration ? sound.

My favourite view, as long as it is on the starboard side of course.

I'm no photographer but I was quite proud of this one.

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Oooooh, a share your snaps thread! I like these. I shall go and find some of my snaps to show.

Hang on, haaaaang on a God-damn minute. Considering the recent feck-cluster of a storm over images stored and used as,well, we all know what the Flickr images where used for, does this site have RSA 2048 bit dictionary attack encryption with a MESHNet Firewall?

I don't like piggies pinching my stuff and then used against me.

If any piggies go near my snaps I swear I'll do time.................

I've got a picture of a piggy I took last year. Still got the piccy but ate the pig. That'll teach em!