A good exercise to develop your skills is to pick a small place or 'spot' that you find reasonably interesting and that you can get too easily and frequently. Define the perimeter of the space. Then shoot it in all different weather conditions, seasons, times of the day etc, settings etc. Do people, street, still life, landscape or whatever you can think of but stay in the same perimeter. Explore shadows, reflections, bokeh, silhouettes etc etc. Do this over a year or two. It concentrates the mind and forces you to be creative. Work on different ways of interpreting your 'spot' and keeping it fresh. Tell the story of your spot. Also work on improving and eventually perfecting your results.

For my spot, I confine myself to a perimeter within a five minute walk (exactly) of my office. I'll go out before work or after work or at lunchtime. Eventually you build up a mental knowledge base of what is going to work for under different conditions. One of my instructors has been shooting the same urban park for thirty years and always comes back with something new.

Would the background be less busy if you shot it from the other side of the gate looking out? Just a thought.

You just gave me a great idea. I'm going to make tee-shirts that say 'If you don't want me to take your picture - GET OUT OF MY SHOT!!'
I'll sell them here on UHH. Maybe I'll get on Sharktank !!

Interesting Jerry. You are a man of merry talents. Keep us posted with progress shots.

Lovely family! Cool clobber!. Pretty ladies! Lucky man!

Oh! - and nice pics!

Congratulations and looking forward to your 60th anniversary pics.

There are many photography magazines around any more. These two books are great for getting you started and up through to advanced levels.

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
The Photographers Eye: A Graphic Guide by Michael Freeman

If you have been away from photography for awhile like I was, make sure you at least familiarize yourself with the latest generation of 'mirrorless' cameras vs traditional DSLRs before you decide. If you watch the posts here on UHH you will see that a lot of photographers are abandoning their DSLR's in favor of mirrorless cameras.

Any of the adapters should be fine. No point in spending a lot of money for a manual adapter. Mine is a Fotasey and it works fine.
The MD 50 was one of the first lenses I bought for my A6000. I got it for its bokeh for family portraits etc. However, I found it a bit long for indoor shots in modest sized rooms and the lack of autofocus or OSS made it tough to catch kids, babies etc. The Sony 35mm 1.8 was much better for that with it being able to take advantage of the A6000's eye focus. The Minolta gathered dust after I got my 35mm.
If you really want the 50mm length, the Sony E 50, 1.8 is excellent and very good value. I also have a legacy Micro Nikkor 55mm 3.5 (?) which is very sharp.

Its a great camera. Get a guide book like David Bushe's to get the best out of it. If you can only afford one lens to start with, I would highly recommend the Sony 18-105 f4.0 OSS G over the 16-50mm kit lens.

Interesting product. Haven't figured out how it works but seems interesting. The new version says it can stream HD videos.

Thanks folks for the kind comments. Glad you enjoyed !

I meant no insult. It was intended as a 'tongue in cheek' jab. I am in my upper 60's and close to retirement myself. However, I do take exception to my generation running down the younger generation. I have the great fortune that most of my colleagues are in their thirties. Without exception they are hard working, committed individuals. They put more value on experiences and friends than 'things' and possessions like our generation. They should not be faulted for spending $75 on a meal with friends instead of a UV filter for a camera.

[quote=Rich1939]

Not at all. Those shorts are designed to shove the flab up into your biceps and pecs. You will look like Superman. You will certainly put on muscles pulling them on.

Note reason #5 for the decline - "Cameras are for old people"

There is plenty of evidence of that here on UHH. It seems every string attracts a number of 'in my film days' posts. There must be a higher percentage of retired people here on UHH than any other group outside of the AARP. Photography, as in the taking of pictures is not dead, but it is transforming. Camera phones are not the only change. Look at the explosion in the use of action cameras like GoPro, and now drones. Young people still want to take photos (and video), but they want them to be part of their active lifestyles and social lives. They are not interested in creating images that are destined to go no further than a slide box or a hard drive.
The image of a nerdy old photographer going out on their own in their floppy hats to shoot birds or the tourist with a couple of cameras around their neck following a tassel waving tour guide does not hold any attraction for a generation of mountain bikers, rock climbers or club goers. If we want to attract young people into the traditional ILC end of the market we need to jazz up the image of the photographer. So shed that multi pocket vest and wriggle into one of those compression fit Underarmour activity shorts and swap that floppy hat for a sleek helmet.
I drive by a Leica store every evening on the way home. All I can see inside from the street is racks of cool Leica tee shirts and caps. Maybe they are on to something.

For all of you aging Led Zepplin fans.

Marconi Beach, Cape Cod.
Planned in advance with Photopills app.

(Download)