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OP !camille
Hey /p/. I've been interested in picking up photography for a while and managed to land myself a half-way decent camera for a kickass price. Trouble is I don't know shit about taking good pictures.
Currently, everything I know comes from reading the camera manual and ~2weeks of fucking with settings (I like to pretend I can take a nice macro shot but the truth is I don't have a clue what the hell I'm doing).
So give me a hand if you've got the time; tips on photo composition, anything - especially books/references that have helped you in the past!

tl;dr : Tips, tricks and books that took you from noob to pro.
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Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeEASTMAN KODAK COMPANYCamera ModelKODAK P880 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERAMaximum Lens Aperturef/4.1Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaFocal Length (35mm Equiv)140 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution230 dpiVertical Resolution230 dpiExposure Time1/1000 secF-Numberf/4.1Exposure ProgramActionISO Speed Rating100Lens Aperturef/4.0Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length29.40 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width3264Image Height2448Exposure Index100RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlLow Gain UpContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
I suggest going to the local library and picking up some books on photography. Pick up a few and read through and you'll find out how it all works and what you need in different situations, etc.
>> Macheath !8b4g0BkNZg
In the future, please don't upload such gigantic files (unless someone requests). Resize them to something more reasonable; I wouldn't go any higher than 1024 in the longest dimension.

Chances are you've been told this already, but read about the rule of thirds.

http://www.anandtech.com/digitalcameras/showdoc.aspx?i=2280&p=2
>> OP !camille
First off, really sorry about the image size faux-pas, here it is at 1/4 size, optimized.

>>64204
Yes, I'm actually heading down to the library monday night so any book recommendations are highly appreciated.

>>64205
Such is my inexperience that I had not even heard of the rule of thirds (man, having read it I am dismayed to already see my OP photo suffers from a poorly situated subject). Thanks for the site, makes for a great starting point!
>> OP !camille
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>>64213
Damn, all that and I forget to post the optimized photo.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
i messed around with contrast and sharpening.
let me know what you think

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeEASTMAN KODAK COMPANYCamera ModelKODAK P880 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERACamera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS3 WindowsMaximum Lens Aperturef/4.1Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaFocal Length (35mm Equiv)140 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution230 dpiVertical Resolution230 dpiImage Created2007:07:24 15:53:46Exposure Time1/1000 secF-Numberf/4.1Exposure ProgramActionISO Speed Rating100Lens Aperturef/4.0Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length29.40 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width816Image Height612Exposure Index100RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlLow Gain UpContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> elf_man !fBgo7jDjms
Really, it all depends on how you learn, but I'd suggest looking up some basic art theory, help get an eye for color and composition. Rule of thirds isn't so much a rule as a general guideline; useful, but there are lots of technically perfect shots out there that are totally boring. More useful to say: a direct, head-on shot of something is usually boring, so play with the angle and position in the frame.
>> Liska !!LIVFOETqL8j
basic tips:
1- dont' center everything in the frame
2- play with your settings, know what they do. Don't depend on the camera to do everything for you
3- Find a subject that you like to shoot and shoot it. Over and over and over again until you can't find another angle to shoot it from.
4- be hard on yourself and your shots and work to improve
5- Get a filter (polarizing or UV) it's good protection and makes your sky look nicer
6- Never shoot into the sun, keep it always at your back unless you're doing some backlighting
7- Try to do your photography in early morning/afternooon or late afternoon/evening. Light in mid afternoon when the sun is at it's highest, hottest and harshest really sucks most of the time and will overpower your pictures.
8- When photographing subjects, look for distracting elements either next to it or in the background an unwanted car, mirror, person in your shoot can ruin the mood of anything you can imagine.
9-Careful of your shadow, hair and fingers, sometimes knees, in your viewfinder.
10- Don't be afraid to contort yourself in all sorts of weird positions, get on your knees, on your stomach, down and dirty, etcetc if that's what it takes to get a good photo.