Photography has always really interested me, and I love this site and decided to join up, but I have no idea what I'm doing. Does anybody here have any suggestions on what to take pictures of to start out? I have a nice camera, its Canon, pretty new, but I dont know what model it is. It says "EOS" and "Rebel XT" on it...but I dont know if either of those is the model. Yeah, I'm lost. Help! I just need a starting point and maybe some tips. Thanks a bunch!

You are right. Rebel XT is your model, and it is a pretty nice camera. My biggest advice would be use it alot, and try different things. The best way to get better is to take lots of pictures. Also posting pictures and taking people's advice is also a good way to learn. As to what to take pictures of. I'm not really sure. You can pretty much take pictures of anything. Take a look at some of the stuff here to try and get some ideas, but other then that you kinda have to work with what is around you.

You got yourself a real nice camera. The only way to learn to use it is to get out there and do it. It takes a little time to find what works for you and what pleases you. Set yourself a challenge. For example if you have a local tourist attraction ask yourself how can I photograph this so it looks different and more interesting than the photos the tourists take. The more you practise the easier it gets. You can get lots of inspiration from looking around this site too.

Look for those things that you do not normally see (this is the tough part), that way you avoid taking a random snapshot or uninteresting photo. Set the camera for fully automatic to start until you have a good feeling of composition and develop a style. Best advice is to nag the rest of us here for knowledge...we are happy to help when we can;-) Have fun!

Photograph anything and everything - with digital there's no cost other than recharging your batteries, so don't hold back. Look around you when you're out and about - a street scene, a country lane, buildings, bridges, animals, cars.... Look at reflections in windows, grain in bits of wood, flowers, the sky. Set yourself a project - take 20 photos of your hand, say, all of them different. Take a photo of a place that's special to you and try to capture why it's special. Persuade friends to let you photograph them. Whenever you get something you're pleased with, that you think would make a good wallpaper, upload it here for others to look at and critique. But remember that wallpaper isn't everything - photograph it anyway! Good luck, and I look forward to seeing your pictures :-)

Thanks guys so much!

Boring as it may sound, you may want to read the manual that came with your camera. As you play around with your camera, the maual will give you a basic idea of what all the controls do.

If I can find the manual...I will read it! haha

Read The Manual - are you mad? thats always the last and most desparate course of action :-)

Maybe I am desperate! :P

Reading the manual is the last refuge of the incompetent :-)

No really, SI's advice may be the best. Take different angles and exposures of the same subject, and see which ones you like best. Once you've picked your favorites, try to see why they are your favorites. That's what I do, with some success. A friend of mine and I were out shooting, and he pointed his camera at a window with blue shutters high in a yellow wall. I thought - brilliant, but too bad the power transformer and that criss-cross of wires were in the foreground. He said they were going to be elements in his photo. Well to make a long story short I took the same shot to see what it would be like, and it was amazing. The wires were useful additions to the image. Color contrasts, motion, foreground/background contrasts, and unintentional geometric shapes are all valid subjects that can turn out well, but there's also black and white. Using B&W will often teach you about composition and contrasts better than shooting color. I recommend you spend at least some time doing this to learn the basics. It's also fun to stalk unsuspecting people and shoot them in their day-to-day activities (carefully). When they don't know you're shooting, people make good subjects - specially in B&W.

Most important shoot photos because you enjoy it. Go forth and have fun.

I'm a beginner too, so I am looking for any advice also. I love this sight. I love taking photographs and playing with them. Does anybody know how to get rid of a noisy background? How should I take a picture of still-life?

Noise usually shows up in the shadows Carleen, is that what your getting? Could you post a photo that shows the problem and ask the question in you intro? I’m sure you would gets ton’s of advice.

Carleen look at Neat Image.

Here's something that a lot of people here forget to tell us beginners: There are Rules of Composition that actually define the arrangements of photographic elements within your image. If you follow these rules your image may not be perfect, but at least it has a better chance.

That is a very useful link. I don't know if i have ever had that kind of stuff explained to me, even though i have picked up most of it. Thanks alot.

You can prolly get a pdf file of the manual from the Canon site. I did. They are right. carry your camara around with you and keep your eyes open, see everything. get to know your knobs. The best way to do that is take the same picture many different settings and see which has more clarity for the shot you are taking. cant waste a picture. keep that in mind. shoot shoot shoot shoot. use it all the time. before you know it you will find sweet things in a lot you see and will want to shoot it. I shot a piece of pizza. heheee Ive noticed too that shooting outside is a good way for a beginner to start. Natural lighting is a good way to learn your focus first. I think. Good luck. *smile* ps. be patient with your cams focus. Stop and watch the birds and bugs smell the roses.

When taking photos of animals and landscapes try to avoid (or photoshop out later) any modern man-made objects in the images.
If you want to take sunset/sunrise images, go out and find some good locations nearby with nothing obstructing the view (for examples: telephone lines, trees, rooflines). Beaches, parks, and nature preserves are often good places for sunset/sunrise photos.

How come we are the same age yet you get such a nice camera while I am stuck using my mom's point-and-shoot? :-)

Ah Luke, aren’t you saving for a 1DSII?

i just bought my first SLR camera, well, one that works. and i am still finding out how to use it as well, i like it because it can go completely manual, and even though at this time i dont really know what im doing, i like fiddling with it, im sure something will come out of that.

Here's a tip I just recently learned: Simplify your images. Don't clutter them with extraneous stuff. You would think that would be self-evident, but in my case it wasn't. It makes a huge difference. You can achieve this by using a wide aperture to reduce your depth of field or by choosing an angle on your subject where the background is either far away or devoid of other objects or color contrasts.

I guess I am the epitome of incometency then!Regmar...! I read the manual and do what it says and I am actually learning to be brave and try more stuff out...ah well...guess now I'll shuffle off to la la land again....now that I know I am incompetent....andhere I thought I was doing something right..........awwwww drats!