Photography

[Tank]

Just starting out on this as a new hobby.

Got me a camera same as Big Dave's (although somehow his pics look a zillion times better than mine )

I'm buying some books and trying to find a good courses online.

Can anyone recommend good photography and photo-shop (to fix my photo's) online tutorials or books?

[Marmoot]

Best to keep taking as many pictures as you can. Don't have to be scenic or special. Just take them with a think on how you want them to look like.

Show them around, especially to those who can take good pictures. Get some criticism going.

They'll point you to the right direction, things you shouldn't do, and things you should try.

Criticism and people telling you how bad your pictures are would probably be the best thing in the world if you want to improve your skills.

Books are a waste of money. Free internet resources are limitless.

With skill-based activity like this, there is no substitute for practice. Lucky you living in digital age where picture snaps are free.

[Cajun]

pm your email address tank

i will fire you off some pdf ebooks i have.

[NordieBoy]

Check out www.photography-on-the.net and pop in to the forums.
There's a bunch of Kiwis there (GKPE) and tutorials on all aspects of photography.

[Tank]

Cheers guys!

[kevfromcoro]

What sort of camera are you useing?
did a phtography course a few years ago
its fun
back then it was all 35mm SLR

[Skunk]

...and photo-shop (to fix my photo's) online tutorials or books?

Photoshop to 'fix' photos is a bad method. Stick to learning how to take great photos to start with and then later make them spectacular in Photoshop. I had a book on photography basics but lent it to a KBer. I'll see if I can remember the title.

[Tank]

What sort of camera are you useing?
did a phtography course a few years ago
its fun
back then it was all 35mm SLR

Canon EOS 400D. Lots of buttons - of which I know how to use one.

[Tank]

Photoshop to 'fix' photos is a bad method. Stick to learning how to take great photos to start with and then later make them spectacular in Photoshop. I had a book on photography basics but lent it to a KBer. I'll see if I can remember the title.

I phrased my original comment really badly - what you are saying has been said to me before and makes perfect sense - and that is what I'm actually trying to do - she looks like a long road tho'.

Makes you appreciate the top work some of those guys do.

[JMemonic]

I got a great book recently as a present so I don't know where you can get it but well worth hunting out, it takes you through basics I already knew and gives you assignments as such to do at the end of each chapter then you could get those checked over by folks here or anywhere I guess.

The tile is Digital photography master class by Tom Ang, its ok DK press the isbn is 978-1-4053-1556-2.

Here is a link to the Aus web site http://www.penguin.com.au/dk/ and search photography.

[3L4NS1R]

Highly recommend starting out shooting only black and white, helps you develop your attention to composition, instead of instantly getting distracted by pretty colours...

Books aren't overrated. I find books waaay easier to reference and keep going back to. Also by the time things get into a book, you can be pretty sure its not junk. Unlike the net.

While its more to do with graphic design, http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ has some awesome inspirational photography posts. Really worth a look, especially because they cover very different themes in each post (water, motion, HDR etc etc.)

[NordieBoy]

Canon EOS 400D. Lots of buttons - of which I know how to use one.

Power ?

[Tank]

Power ?

Nope - Thats more of a switch.

There is a button that opens the battery compartment - I reckon I have that sorted!

[AlBundy]

When it comes to photography, some people just have a good eye for it.... Others have to learn...

Digital is good in that one can ream off heaps of shots and inevitably, one of them isn't half bad, lol...

I've actually been pondering getting a Nikon D70 to get back into the hobbie... I started with a Nikon F80 but digital is so much more convenient...

[snodpete]

Take HEAPS of photos - digis are free... At least 'til you print 'em.

I love these sites - Digital Photography School, Luminous Landscape

Sooner or later you'll need to consider sorting, cataloguing, archiving etc. (1000s of digital photos vanish every day 'cos most folk don't bother to back-up files and hard drives FAIL) - I use and recommend Adobe Lightroom (you can download a 30 day trial) for all that stuff and more.

Now you'll be torn between buying new camera gear or new bike gear...

Looking forward to seeing some of your pix!