COMPLETE beginner and would like some advice

[sushiekat]

Alright, so I'm a complete beginner with just an interest in photography, no experience, expensive equipment (the above photos were taken with just a regular 8 megapix digital camera), or anything at all... except, well, just Photoshop.

However, everyone's gotta start somewhere and I was just wondering what people thought about my photos so far? Some beginning advice or anything for me to focus on or watch out for specifically?

Thanks!

In China, where my parents grew up

The backyard behind my creek

Myself

 

[Torus34]

Judging from the three photos, you have something of a 'feel' for composition. The photographs are pleasing. The first, with its severely muted palette, is imho the best of the three.

As far as equipment goes, your present rig will take you a long, long way. At bottom, "Photography is a process for putting a frame around something you see so that it becomes something you say."* Beware the 'Equipment Demon'. Shun him. A camera does not take a great photograph any more than a word processor writes a great novel. At the end of the day, it's the writer's or photographer's creativity and depth of expression that wins the prize. With time, and as you begin to hear your own 'voice', you'll know when to add to your gear -- and what to add as well. [Example: Too many shots annoying you because they're slightly blurry due to camera motion? Time for a tripod -- and the discipline it engenders.]

Advice? Work with your present rig. Learn all you can about composition -- pester your local librarian to help you find books on the subject. Ask knowledgeable people to critique your work -- preferably artists rather than specialists in the technical details of photography. The technical stuff is the easy part. Composition is a life-long study.

And may your journey be filled with many small delights.

* Original quote.