Alright so heres the deal. Im very new to photography, and am currently in a photo class. Its pretty basic, black and white, learning to develope type thing. Im currently working with depth of field, there arent really a lot of guidlines were just playing around with it.

woa sorry i hit something and didnt finish my post. anyway im kinda just looking for input as to what you take pictures of. How do you find subjects that interest you? Ive been looing but nothing has really grabbed my attention. i guess im asking what inspires you to take pictures?
i realize most of you on this site are professional photographers, but i was hoping you could take a few moments to help out an amateur. :( any input is much appreciated!

you're on the right track...you're looking for something to photograph. what interests you?
what might help you is to look at everything not in terms of what they are, but the visual 'parts' they consist of.
examples would include colors, shapes, lines, etc. go somewhere like a park, or a downtown area and (i'm not kidding here) look all around you. lookin photography magazines and books, or even atthe work posted on the site here.
if you see something you like, try to figure out what about it you like. was it the lines and shapes? was it the lighting and/or shadows? take note of texture, and even the depth of the image.

good luck :o)

Rob had some very good advice above. Looking for lines and shadows or both is good. Looking at other peoples work also helps a lot. It allows you to start seeing what works and what doesn't. Also don't feel bad asking question. I would say most people on this site arn't professionals, but rather hobbiest learning from each other and enjoying each others work.

Hey thanks for the advice! i think I'll run down to my dad's fire station and take some pictures there. I like the idea of going to a park or downtown area too. i tried going to a park for my last photo project but the camera strap broke as i was walking there and i didnt catch the camera in time, so the lense broke into about a hundred pieces on the concrete. anyway i didnt actually ever get to take any pictures at the park, so i think ill give it another try.
Im definatly open to any other advice about depth of field, apeture stuff, or anything really, this is all still pretty new to me, but i can say, i'm having fun experimenting with what film i have, which unfortunatly isnt much.

When you get to the firestation .. check the details and interaction of colors and shapes on the fire-engine .... even if shooting black and white ... the fire-engine will provide all the subject matter you could possibly want

besides, maybe, the grisled faces of the guys that jump on and drive it .. ;o)

remember, also, that colored filters will enchance your black + white photos as well ... the colors will filter out or enhance the colors coming into the lens .. resulting in deeper blacks and greyer greys .. ;o)

Photo Filters for Black and White Photography

An introduction to photographic filters

I noticed you wrote 'I realize most of you on this site are professional photographers'.

Actually there are not that many professional photographers here, though many have the talent or are developing the talent to the level of professionals. For must of us it is a hobby and a form of expression.

My mistake. Im not too familiar with this site yet but looking at the photos, they all look so good i just assumed al lot of you did it professionally.

Thanks for the links. the last time i developed, my photos needed more contrast, so i used a filter in teh enlarger, now i actually understand what it did, thanks to your links. my pictures still didnt come out very good, but they were almost hopeless to begin with :( the filters your talking about attatch to the lens? How do they affect actually taking the pictures, do they change the amount of light needed?

oh and that grisled face that drives the truck, is my dad, haha and im sure he'll try to jump in some of my pics no matter what i have to say about it.

filters, as their name suggests, filter out certain colors and allow or enhance certain colors to pass thru

for example, based on my memory, .. Red filters out blue light .. this deepens the sky areas of your b+w image ... so, by dropping the incoming light, the sky darkens

another filter to look into IF you persue photography .. is a Circular-Polarizing filter .. this acts as window blinds, by only allowing glare to enter the lens from one direction .. this serves the purpose of saturating your colors because it removes a large percentage of the sheen coming off of all surfaces ..... same principle of polarized sunglasses .......... they cost a bit, I think, so don't run out and get one tomorrow ..

polarizer

you have to study most of the examples closely .. they aren't the best choices

depending on size, they arent that costly. i got a polarizer and a UV filter for $40 for the both...

one man's $40 is another ChildOfGod's years worth of allowance .. ;o)

hey, maybe he could get a few "grisled faces" to chip in ;-)

nuthin' but the Benjamins

woa woa woa, first of all that would be "she" thank you, and second of all i earn my money, but not gonna lie my grisled face probably wouldnt mind chipping in a little, what can i say i have a cute face ;)

whoops...'scuse me :P

haha ill get over it, thanks for teh advice by the way, looking forward to my next roll!

The cost of filters varies wildly depending on both the quality of the filter itself and the size of the lens it has to fit.

Cheaper polarisers tend to produce much more intense contrasts than professional grade versions which in some instances can work well when producing dramatic images but as a result they are prone to burning out highlights and bunging in shadows.

For example, you could buy a Sunpak 72mm Circular Polarizer Filter for forty bucks whereas a really good circular polarizer for the same size lens such as a Heliopan or Hoya Super-HMC Pro 1 Extra Thin Glass Filter will cost you more like two hundred dollars. Filters, like every other thing in photography falls firmly in the ‘you get what you pay’ for bracket although as I mentioned, excellent results can still be achieved with cheaper own brand filters.

As a very amateur photographer that i am i can tell you that it takes time and patience. Now, like everybody says, go out and take pics, lots of them. Specially if you have a digital and a good size memory card. This is an amazing website to learn so much from. Look at other members portfolios and try to do something similar as practice. Some people love sunsets and sunrises others love flowers, landscapes, architecture, etc. Photograph everything, only that way you'll find the one subject that you like the most to work with. On a change of subject, Ritz Camera have a "buy 2 get 1 free" deal with filters and they are around $16 to $20 depending on the size. I talked to the clerk and she says that she always uses them and never had a problem with them, i'll try to buy a couple next week and try them out. Good luck.

As for taking lots of pictures, yes that is true, but um, some argue that less is more. Dont snap away at anything you see, but only at the good stuff, after thinking about it for a while...well you get the idea...

*in other words, i can never be a good photographer.

Thanks guys! since you all have been so helpful, I have another question, next semester we get the choice of continuing with film or using digital, so what do you all think? Does either take better pictures overall? Or is it more of a preference thing?

Digital is more practical, film cameras are cheaper. Personally I wouldn't see much point in continuing with film as IMO it is obselete technology. Doubtless there will be some die hards who will continue to use it anyway but it is going to become more and more difficult to find places that will process film and it will probably become more expensive.

I personally like FILM!! You can always scan it, and post it on caedes for "online" quality ;-) or you can take a 35mm and blow it up to some godlike size....now lets say you used medium format, thats a different story (btw, my dad used med form a few years ago...yeah, niiiiccee, you can make massize pictures with those negatives).

Basically it's quality (film) vs quantity (digital). With digital a 1 gig chip a 6mp camera can take somewhere around 400 shots. Vs a 35 mm u have to replace every, what, 32 shots? *note the prices of both digital and film are fairly close, thought the price of a DSLR is usually more, which is a one time thing.

If your only putting pictures on the web use digital (thats me), if you plan to blow up your really good shots and hang it on the wall, use film. In other words, it's a preferance thing. Oh, forgot something, with digital you can just download the images onto your computer and start photoshopping the bajiggies out of it (we all do it, dont lie).

Film is better .. especially for certain things, like LONG exposures ... but film will cost you $5 per roll of film .. and probably a minimum of $5 for developing .... plus .. you're going to want the images on your computer anyway, so you will have to scan them (a hassle) .. or pay for a developing service that includes a digital copy (the one that I saw was inferior results)

if you are on a budget .. shooting DIGITAL will free you from this co$t and actually free your creative spirit to shoot ANYTHING without thinking of the developing fee for a bad or worthless image ..... ie = when I shot film, a roll would last me weeks because I was selective about what I shot ... my rate of 'exposure' has actually dropped .. hahahaha .. but that's another story .. (*cough*)

A Quality Digital SLR is going to cost big bucks ($1000) .. but you can get that later, work up to that when you KNOW the cost is justified for YOU .... you can easily start with a camera of lesser potential for $200 and persue your hobby now

I would imagine if you are taking a class they are going to want you to have a DSLR so i will be more expensive there, but i personally don't regret for a second being a digital guy. It would be nice to know some film stuff, but i don't think i would have done nearly as much with film, or leaned as much because by the time you get your film back you forget what you did unless you take notes, and im to lazy to do that. Digital you see right away what you got and can fix it on the next shot.

Digital encourages you to experiment more and allows you get more experience more quickly I think because, as Keifer pointed out, you are less hesitant to use it.

Just remember you don't need to upload EVERY experiment to caedes...

I'm just kidding, upload all you want. It's a good way to learn...

Just remember, most every1 on this site LIKES digital more, b/c it's easier for them to upload things...but they STILL like film, but just not as much (b/c of the convenience and $$)...otherwise they would use film.

noah, i think you might bemistaken. i use digital media for practcal purposes. i'm by no means "anti-film". if anything, i wish film were easier to use, as i'd switch back over in heartbeat. i suspect there's quite a few here who feel similarly.

There, now i changed it, and added an extra grammatical error.

I too would like to use film, but for convi...forget the spelling...i use digital. -.-

I am actually PRO film, it's just a math problem (ie $$ is usually counted via mathmatical means) ........

I think Noah should have his comments cleared by an adult before allowing them thru to the forum ;o)

Personally I much prefer having all my photos stored on my hard drive than a bookcase full of dusty photo albums.

I "are" liking Noah more and more all the time

...*lost*...maybe I/we should stop hijacking this thread? It's veering off course. =P

As per caedes tradition of course :-)

One suggestion of what to photograph.
I used to decided before setting out, to photograph on a simple thing, such as numbers or a certain colour or a certain shape, etc. Then I would look for shots with one of those things in it.
I found that helped me find shots I would never have considered otherwise.
I hope I've explained it well enough :-)

"Old timers" (like myself) generally resent the "digital" generation. I think it's an "unpaid dues" thing - - having missed the experiences of loading film reels in the dark, spilling hypo on your favorite shirt, knowing what an "F-stop" actually is! Having said that, I admit to owning several film cameras that I haven't used for years. They are gathering dust as we speak and, of course, nobody wants to pay me anything NEAR what they're worth. Now I just grab my favorite digital camera, put the thing in "program mode," let somebody else worry about what an "F-stop" is, and I don't smell like hypo after spending six hours in the dark room. In short, you can call me a digital "convert"!

Don't forget that those old manual cameras handle the cold much better. Most new digital cameras given specs as to the shots/battery but only to 0°C (32°F). What happens at -40°?

you stay indoors and stoke the fire up - would be the answer that springs to mind :-)

Darryl, i can relate. In the mid to late 80's there was a vicious cold snap in NYC..i forget the exact temperature,but it was well below 0 deg Farenheit...the east river which consists of warmer salt water fed from the atlantic, actually produced steam vapors visible to the naked eye hundreds of feet away. and there i was,with my old fuji 35mm snapping away..

Naw, just take multiple gel hand warmers and duct tape them around your digital...bring along a Thermos full of hot chocolate and Baileys;-)

Anyone else stock a pair of gloves in their camera bag for cold weather?

i found that the fingerless wool gloves i buy at the local Army/Navy store work the best. even though the fingertips are exposed, the rest of hand, which circulates and warms the blood going to and from your finger tips, is protected.

you could, of course, be a totally flash git and kit yourself out with some purpose built jobbies....

we have those in a garish yellow with blue dots at work. IMO they eliminate too much finger control and sensitivity otherwise i'd use them when i have splice thin wires in sub-freezing temps outside...

it's back to Darryl's Plan B then, revolving around heated up alcohol. works for me.

i use a pair of full hand biking gloves. They are tight and have grip for holding the handle bars on a bike, but it also works on my camera. They arn't super warm however, but they are better than nothing. The real trick is to keep your hands in your pocket and camera around the neck while walking to the next shot.

a few guys I work with swear by Receiver's gloves..one guy uses batting gloves...all somewhat pricey, but thinner than some of the alternatives.

there are some slightly more expensive solutions to be had - you can get battery powered heated glove liners that fit inside your regular gloves of choice or if you're really pushing the boat out - try some heated pilots gloves that are quite thin and tactile leather complete with battery powered heating elements.

ohhh i know what i want for Christmas, "uncle" phil...;-)

I generally let somebody else deal with the problem of how to get digital pics in cold weather or the problem of which type of gloves to buy. I head for Florida!

DOF(depth of field) i have no idea what camera you are using but it is film and it is b&w so i am hoping you have a 50mm lens with a widest apature of f/1.8. so assuming you do try this
-Go to a chain link fence
-have someone stand beside it
-look at an angle down the fence so the entire frame is fence getting further away from you with the person 1/3 in the frame (rule of 3rds)
-set your apature to f/2.8
-get the propper shutter speed
-take the photo
-Bam you now have DOF infront and behind your subject
-and if you want to impress your teacher mention how nice the "Bokeh" is in the blurry areas

here are some things to help you see things differently
-take 3 rolls of 36 film on 3 different days and go to a big city you dont always visit
-1st roll - shapes take pictures of nothing but shapes all shapes
-2nd roll - perspective always change the way you look at things. down low, up high, sideways and do that for the whole roll
-3rd roll - people in their atmosphere, study people, photograph people. you have rights to take pics of anyone any age at anytime in public on the streets (not always in buildings)

Do these 3 different shoots and it might help how you see things, and dont be afraid to take pictures of people