Photography exercise's?

[grapejuice12]

Hi all,

I'm extremely new to digital photography as I just picked up a "old" G2 from my friend. I know some of you are from the 35mm aspect of photography and have probably taken a class or two. Since film cost for digital is nil are there any specific photography excercises I can tryout to get my photo composition skills up and going?

Other than keep taking pictures...what else?

Thanks, this has been a wonderful resource

[mttmrphy]

push ups...


seriously, The only photo class I took was my senior year of high school. The one thing I remember from that is the rule of thirds...

I bought a few photo books off of e-bay which didn't help much. Something that I find helps me is viewing other photos that touch me and try to copy the style. In the process, I learn what works and what does not.

Also, pick a subject and take ALOT of shots, adjust your shutter speed and aperture and see how the changes effect the image. I have learned alot about my camera through trial and error.

I am no pro and maybe this isnt the best advice but I enjoy what I do and thats the important thing.

[hpklahn]

I would start by just using the camera. Trust the "auto" modes (eg - "portrait", "landscape", "macro", etc.) while you learn to make manual adjustments for exposure.

For basic photography lessons I would look around the Web at some photo posting sites such as the ones that want to sell you prints by mail. These often have tutorial lessons you can access. Some camera makers sites (like Olympus) have free photography lessons ranging from beginning to advanced. What better way to get people to buy their stuff?

Also, post your photos here and at other sites and ask that people be brutally frank with their criticism. They will often tell you how to correct the mistakes you made in those photos. I have made it a practice to redo the photos and incorporate the changes and compare. They are almost always right. Also, do not just mindlessly delete the pics from the camera that you do not like. Instead, review them with a critical eye and decide what went wrong before deleting.

While you are doing all of the above, *smile*, get a good digital editing program (like Photoshop Elements 2) and take some classes on it at a local adult school. You will use it constantly with your camera, and the combination will cause you to grow at a faster rate.

Hey, just have fun with the camera. I rest my case. Regards, Henry