...on a cheap camera? I'm starting to get into amateur phototography, but the only camera I have is a Kodak EasyShare CX7330. I don't have any accessories (like lens filters) besides a tripod. I have two image-editing tools: Windows Photo Gallery and Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Is there any way I can manipulate the photos I take so they look more professional?

dont use the windows photo gallery.. its terrible.. you have Photoshop CS2 you can do so much with that program, you will find thats what most people use on here or photofiltre..

hmmmmm .. "more professional" .. is a bit open ended, no?

what do you want? ... a well composed image starts in your brain, if you discount what mother nature has placed before you .. YOU need to learn to see, not just look ... you need no further hocus-pocus than the ability to see\think creatively and capture your vision on flash-mem

Ansel Adams didn't have photoshop


start with .. The Art of Seeing

Learn about light and where to point your camera.
If you are not naturally inclined, learn about composition as well.
Also, oddly, how to press that button ;)

Photoshop is a great tool for improving many aspects of your shots.

@&KEIFER: What I meant was, the photos usually bad (quality-wise). Like, in most cases the colors aren't always right and stuff like that.

what you have to understand is .. the human brain can process and balance more light levels than a camera's meter .. and\or film (if you are using film)

so .. you, not only have to learn composition, and optics (depth-of-field) .. but you also have to learn how your camera will "see" a given scene, and what "it" will prioritize for .. (how it meters a scene)

for example: .. if you have a wooded autumn forest scene that is shadowy in places, but the blue sky peeks in places .. the camera cannot expose for both the bright light AND the dark shadows ... you can either tell your camera to capture the bright, the dark, or a middle zone .. (the light and dark extremes will suffer) .. a compromise, if you will

although your brain will be able to see and balance this scene .. your camera cannot, and you have to have an understanding of that when you raise your camera to your eye

as for photoshop .. I don't mean to imply that it has NO role .. it's just that composition and exposure start before post processing

there are numerous lessons in the tutorials gallery ..

there are numerous lessons linked to in the photography forum

browse them ...


it is much easier for 'us' to answer specific questions, than to teach you everything within the confines of a forum message board environment ... so READ, GOOGLE, LEARN

if your camera has "aperture priority" .. start with that .. that will get YOU involved in the depth-of-field decision for each shot .. "how much of this scene do I want my viewers to see?" ... all of it? .. or just the bird I am trying to photograph

Here's what I like to do:

Experiment with photoshop. Go to you tube and type "photoshop" and see what you get ... then follow the links, etc etc.

I also recently found this helpful site : http://www.dphotojournal.com/category/photography-tips/

I've been wondering this as well. Bought my first Nikon several months ago. It's digital and allows customization of settings so I can play around with it. However, I think few of the photos I've taken with it so far are Caedes-worthy.

Also, I'm finding that manipulation only goes so far. If you take a crappy picture, it's usually going to be a crappy manip, no matter how much you try to doctor it. But I keep trying, hoping for that one really good picture out of 100 or so.

*edit*

The "Digital Photography for Dummies" book is a very good resource. I love it; its got all sorts of technique advice and pointers and quite a bit of solid info on cameras, how they work and what you need for each kind of photography.

I remember a few years ago that Popular Photography, the magazine, had a contest for photo submissions taken by disposable cameras. Yes, the $5 a pop variety with the "flash" button on the front of it. Some of the pictures taken were amazing, which proves that, like it is in so many other fields, talent lays with the operator, not his equipment.

When I first learned photography, I had an ooold Nikon manual body with absolutely nothing electronic on it. I even had to wind the film after each shot. Had to set the shutter speed, f-stop, focus, etc. all by myself. The first 20 or 30 rolls of film just sucked. Terrible composition, bad exposure, the works.

But, over time, and as I looked at my pictures and figured out what I was doing wrong (by comparing with photog mags and websites), I started getting better and better pictures, and I started learning how to properly frame photos, the importance of balancing the foreground and the background, setting field of focus, balancing shutter speed and f-stop to get the best contrast, the works. Eventually, I started putting out some pretty good stuff.

Eventually, I moved up to a Nikon N35, which was a much better camera, and with the knowledge I had gained with the manual, allowed me to get great shots almost effortlessly - the camera did all the legwork for me! All I had to do was find a worthy subject, set the focus point, and let 'er rip.

I guess the point of the story is, if you don't know the basics of photography - the mechanics - then a camera can only do so much for you. If you don't know what the camera is doing, and why, you'll never really be able to work *with* it to create those great shots.

So, what I suggest to you is, start with a cheap, old, basic camera. Don't be afraid of film. It worked great for 60 years. Alternatively, get a digicam that allows full manual control, and do that. Take pictures with different shutter speeds, different f-stops, and learn what works for you and what doesn't. Eventually, with enough practice, you'll start to instinctively know what a well-composed picture looks like. Great color can make up a little for poor composition, but not enough to carry a shot. If you see something that makes you go, "Huh, that's neat!" Then take a picture - or five - of it. use different focal points, different exposure settings, and see which one looks the best. Use that knowledge for future shots... and in no time at all, you'll be a pro!

most "professional" looking photos dont look that great if you see them bfore the post work (usually photoshop) you have PS so you should learn to use it... read some tutorials. your pics will start looking better.

Remember, it's what's out in front of you, not what's in your hand, that matters. Teach yourself to look for subjects. Even when you don't have a camera with you, think about what you could do to make something look good. Pay close attention to unique lighting situations, shapes and lines. Like Hawkeye18 said, old film cameras are great for learning the basics of photography, and they're not too expensive. If you have a digital, learn what every button does (read your manual) and try venturing off of the auto setting a bit. Remember, be creative, and have fun with it. Good luck!

Another tip for learning the basics of photography- have a look at the winners of the Broken Rules contest. Though those people pulled it off, it does show what not to do!

Another tip for learning the basics of photography- have a look at the winners of the Broken Rules contest. Though those people pulled it off, it does show what not to do!

+1 to what hawkeye18 said. I wasn't even interested in photography until I found an old film camera in a closet. I started playing with that and really got into. Having to do everything manually is a good way to learn and I highly suggest it.

The camera was an Asahi Pentax K1000 with several lenses if anyone is interested.

The best thing you can do to improve the quality of your images is read the rules of composition. They're posted in the "Other Stuff" section of Caedes, and though they take about five minutes to read they take a lifetime to master. If you read them and just start with two things like "Depth Of Field" and "The Rule OF Thirds" your work will immediately improve. Once you internalize these rules and they become instinctive rather than something you need to remember, you can develop other skills from the Rules.

The quality of your camera is almost irrelevant. A very fast $1000 lens is nice, but that's not what separates a good photographer from a bad one.

Also you already have better software than I do. I do most of my work in Irfanview which is free and about is under 1MB last tme I checked.