Basic tips needed please

[4T5]

Hi dudes of P&V section.

Need some help and its a bit embarrasing. I need like 5 -10 tips on taking a pic. Whats embarrasing is that its only with a instant type digi camera. Some cheap 3mill pixel Kodak one i got about a year and a half ago.
I looked at the faqs and they seem to relate to more trick cameras and SLR's. All i want is an idiots guide on a point and click.
All my pics come out crap and i mean all of them. Even a business card flat on the desk comes out crap. See for yourself in the Godfather thread
Pics of people look hideous, pics of my dog are total crap i am doomed.
Anyways some help is required and keep it simple as i am thick.
When i was a kid i loved taking pics and peeps said they were good. Now i am old i take pics like a 4 year old and i can see they are total crap.
Whats annoying me is i love a good pic and love imagery but i can't do it.
I know you guys will say invest in good gear but unless i can take a reasonable pic with what i have i really don't see the point. So get me over this first hurdle and then we'll move onto the spec me thread.

Thanks in advance for reading and any help/advice given

 

[RichDay]

Ok first tip is:

1) Don't give up!

2) Indoors - Instead of using the cameras flash for an indoor shot, try and increase the ambient light. Most flashguns attached to a camera will produce a glazed over white and pasty effect on people which is not attractive.

3) Take your time - it might be a P&S camera but that doesn't mean you have to. As you're framing the shot check all the way around the edges of the frame for things that are distracting or just look plain wrong. If there's something there either remove it or recompose the shot.

4) Wastage - Get used to "wastage". I've been taking photos for years and my keep to chuck ratio is about 20%; so of all the photos I take only 20% of them are any good. This is the same for a lot of people here, we only show our good work

5) Shoots lots - Leading on from #4 you're using digital so take multiple pictures of the same thing, hopefully one of them should come out right - it won't cost you anything.

6) Landscapes - Grey days make landscapes look rubbish. Landscapes need blue skys and fluffy clouds, unless the weather is forcast good I don't normaly bother going on a landscape trip.

7) People - I hate being in front of a camera as do most people. Put them at ease, make them laugh, distract them somehow - make them forget there's a camera there and you'll get more natural looking shots.

8) The golden rule - You can take good shots with a budget camera. Yes it's more difficult and yes the quality isn't always as good but you should see that as a challenge not an obstacle. It's all about practice

9) The last word - Right I'm gonna make myself late for work so I'm stopping here for now... Read things, buy a book or get some from the library. I learned a lot from Michael Freeman and Charles Swedlund books especially about the inner workings of a camera; this will be useful to you in the future.

Hope this helps!

[edit]
Oh, nearly forgot!

10) Post your work - Post your photos here and ask for critiques, enter the competitions. You'll get a reasonable amount of feedback if you ask although be prepared for people to take your pictures completely apart!
[/edit]

 

[AndyBorzi]

The tips above are good.

I just wanted to point out, don't worry about the camera, just think about the subject i.e composing, available light etc. On a photo course I went on a couple of years ago, the lecturer challenged us to use our cameras to take pictures against his pictures taken with one of those throw away cameras....his were just as good if not better than any of ours!

 

[4T5]

Cool and thanks for taking the time to reply.
Be aware Noob camera man on duty this weekend.

 

[Joe T]

Some good tips there from Rich. I'd like to add:

Make sure you positioning is ocrrect. By this I mean the way you hold the camera. Hodl it fairly close to your face (if you can), keep your elbows in , and try to keep your shoulders and arms as stiff as possible.