I think my first aim is to take photos that I like and improve my composition and learn what all the different modes on the camera do. So maybe choose a project which I can’t think of and start snapping etc. Just I’m useless at inspiring myself.

Find somewhere scenic free of litter, and other distractions, take your bike there on a day with some fluffy clouds in the sky and start shooting.

I think my first aim is to take photos that I like and improve my composition and learn what all the different modes on the camera do. So maybe choose a project which I can’t think of and start snapping etc. Just I’m useless at inspiring myself.

Join one of the forums mentioned by others up there ^^^. They often have a ‘weekly challenge’ which is just a theme for you to base your photography for that week. Then you post up one or two pics on the forum and will get some feedback. So one week it may be ‘straight lines’, the next it might be ‘red’, then ‘speed’, then ‘old’, then ‘seating’… you get the picture. The point is not the subject itself, but it will give you something to focus on. You can generally interpret the theme whichever way you want, and you will be surprised at the many and varied ways in which others will interpret an apparently simple theme. It will open your mind to different ways of thinking about a given subject matter.

So you go about your daily business looking for things that fit that week’s theme. Once you spot something, you can start thinking about how to shoot it in an interesting way.

Set yourself the goal of submitting a photo for each round, don’t shy away from one because you aren’t immediately hit with an idea. Have the theme in the back of you head at work, on your commute, while you browse Flickr for inspiration. If you see someone else’s pic and decide to take a similar one, do credit them. So you might post up your pic by saying “I was inspired by <this picture> by <name> over on Flickr, here’s my interpretation of it”

The best way to get better at photography is to take photos, and weekly photo challenges are a great way to a) take lots of photos and b) push yourself to think outside of your normal lines of thought.

Haha @ Cougar – never heard that said before 😉

bwfc – I’d go for composition first and let the camera do it’s stuff in ‘Auto’ mode – most are quite capable at getting it right – ISO is usually where they get it wrong and you can usually adjust this down.

Then go for some shutter control for longer exposures where needed – darker scenes, but you’ll need a solid base, or a tripod. I wouldn’t worry too much about aperture control until you get to a DSLR with a fast lens – unless your bridge has a reasonably wide aperture and you can experiment with DoF.

Sounds like a plan just need to wait for my usb cable off Amazon for my camera. RBS managed to cock that order up though with their I.T fail.

Will join talk photography forum, they seem like a friendly bunch just like here. Don’t want a my dad’s bigger than your dad type forum ( like bikeradar).

I’ll start snapping and when I feel happy make the jump to a DSLR, as I think I’ll struggle with fast moving stuff (planes,trains etc) but need to get the basics nailed first. Do we not have a photo challenge going on here?

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR – Member
I’d say (only my opinion) that anyone can learn to take photographs that will be visually exceptional – yes, some people will find this easier than others – but only certain people will be able to develop a talent for playing a musical instrument to an advanced level.

I understand it’s your opinion but couldn’t disagree more. One of my wedding photography heroes (Jeff Ascough) goes looking for compositions I couldn’t imagine and then nails them. I wouldn’t even have thought of looking for them.

Light – usually best in the morning and evening, midday tends to be very harsh unless it is winter. Overcast, diffuse light can work much better with black and white.

Composition – Without a good subject the shot is nothing. Try crouching down or getting elevated more from where you would normally see something. Unless it is an abstract shot you need something to lead the eye through the picture, either through object placement or the direction people are looking. Try the rule of thirds for a good start (e.g. user removed’s pic above – woman’s face, window cross piece on the intersection of the 1/3 lines, then the eye is led through the picture first by the window frame, then the woman (main focus), then the reflected man framing her face. There is also the added smile of the little girl looking out of scene, and the split of the groups inside and outside. There is a lot going on in that photo!).

Content – needs to “mean” something to others, not just to you. Why are you taking the picture? Again look at photos and try and break them down and find why the work for you. What do photos that you find uninspiring lack and vice versa?

Try and think through the camera. When you wander around look for shots, most likely you will have to come back when the light and conditions are right. I’ve also never really been able to combine biking and taking photos I consider to be good. I have found locations to return to though when the light and conditions were right.

And if you buy a DSLR you probably won’t take it riding due to the size. Stick with what you have until it can no longer do what you want.