emionieus

I am very much a beginner and I would love to hear any and all advice you would give a starting photographer. Thank you!

Tom DePuy Loc: Waxhaw, N.C.

Read your owner's manual and then read it again and again

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Shoot and damn the torpedoes.

Be your own critic (There is no one worse than oneself).

When unsatisfied, check why, correct.

That's it.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

What Tom D. said, and go out and experiment.

There is good reference material here: http://digital-photography-school.com/

Jandjeby14

Here is a list of tips from Nikon.

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/top-10-photo-tips-for-better-images.html?cid=img_en_us:EML:LE:3162018:March:2018-03-15%20March%20LE:na:btn:main_motorcycle&ET_CID=1911451&ET_RID=326595024

RWCRNC Loc: Pennsylvania

Buy Bryan Peterson’s book Understanding Exposure

CO

Before you take a picture scan around the edges of the frame to look for extraneous objects that are poking into the picture. Sometimes, you can just move forward to eliminate them

Pay attention to what is behind your main subject. I will often remove distracting objects from the scene.

Look out for overlapping objects. Try to find a vantage point so there's a little space between objects.

BB4A

Try to take at least 50 composed, structured photographs (not snaps) each photography day (or every day!). By that statement I mean you try to capture what really interests you, and use composition (move yourself in our out, as well as using any zoom capability on your camera), depth of field, and lighting to remove anything you don’t want to see. Pay special attention to natural light, see what your auto settings do for the light in the photographs you take (YES, really READ your manual), and try aperture priority and shutter priority settings, to explore your ability to influence the camera and the photograph.

At the end of 5 days you should have (a) at least 250 photographs, and (b) the beginnings of an understanding on both how your camera works and the genres of photographs you most like to take? At this point you have two choices. Either:
1. Pick your “best 3”, and publish them here for critiques, stating why you like them, or;
2. Upload some of your favorites to an online photo contest... and see if anyone votes for you?

With option 1, you may get a bunch of useful or useless feedback; some of it might be helpful.
With option 2, you will either win an award, or get very few votes, or just slide around somewhere in the middle. Most important if you don’t win, is to check out what the winning shots look like, and compare your work to the winners. If nothing else, this may show you the difference between what you like and what most people like, for any particular genre?

The great thing about online forum critiques or online photo contests is, you don’t have to agree with the feedback you are getting, and it’s impersonal. Nobody knows (or cares, probably) whether you are a beginner or not... they are just judging your actual output, based on their perspective. They aren’t judging you. They haven’t met you, haven’t welcomed you into their local camera club, and certainly haven’t entered into a Teacher - Student relationship with you. Bias, stupidity, traditionalist, old fashioned, and negative views will probably prevail... but if you’ve “captured the truth in light”, you will get some positive feedback, or an award! 😉

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Find it hard getting up this morning?

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

1) STUDY
2) Observe other photographers
3) PRACTICE
4) Repeat #1 & #3 over and over and over.......

We could tell you to do the following: 1) Take off the lens' cap 2) Turn the camera on 3) 3) Aim and fire, but those are part of the photographer's magic formula and we can not give that to you just yet. Show us a picture you have taken.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Not at all, Dave. Just too old to tolerate extreme laziness and stupidity.
I note that the (troll) OP is too embarrassed to chime in with any comments of her/his own.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Come on now, that's not what we're about. Brighten up!

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Give rjaywallace a break, he is prickly and having a bad morning... So he throws barbs....

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

Welcome to the hobby of photography!

1) Read Understanding Exposure
2) Understand what each of the 3 main exposure elements can help do and how they can hurt
3) Take many photos in automatic mode.
4) Analyze them to see what you don't like, then read up to find how to correct what you don't like and try those fixes.
5) Learn the purpose of shutterspeed preferred and aperture preferred. Repeat 1) and 2)
6) Learn how to post process. (Can be done out of order)