all help welcome....

welcome darren hope you enjoy the site why dont you join us in the forums we usually have a bit to say to each other in the evening.

just had a peep at your pics ok for a beginner --i cant advise you much but karen and dave seem to be the handy one's

Hi Darren and a warm welcome to POE.  I am sure people will help all they can, but always bear in mind that the photo you love might not necessarily appeal to everyone and visa versa!  It is a subjective subject.

Anyway have fun with your photography, I think that is the most important thing!! 

Feel free to join in on any of the threads, chats, posts, forums (whatever you want to call them) you will be most welcome!

One tip about taking photographs is to look at the work of others. Today, our newspapers and the supplements attached at the weekends, offer a large selection of pictures taken by pros, who work hard in a tough market to get their work into print. Editors are ruthless and use only the best to illustrate the articles and the same applies to the ads. You have a really fine site here too. Look at the pictures with five stars and there will be lots to admire. Remember, quality wins but excess quantity may well bore! Be ruthless with yourself. I never show others pictures on the screens of my cameras. It saves my friends from getting a case of heavy eye-lids peering at tiny images!    

My best tip of all is to get out there and shoot away at anything that strikes you. Digital cameras are great, as no film is involved and all the stuff you don't like can be deleted. Don't be afraid of deleting all but the best. I read somewhere that the average person gets bored after viewing seven prints being shown by friends.We all recall those people who would be proud to show us the 39 shots they managed to "squeeze" out of a roll of 36! Taking pictures should, for us who are not pros, be great fun. Being too serious leads to dead ends.

My thoughrs only.

Enjoy yourself.  

 Cheers!

To see good photos I would suggest ignoring the photography magazines in the newsagents.  Go to Sainburys supermarket and buy their own magazine !  Not sure if it has changed but my wife use to buy it and I would always look at it.  Food photography is not easy but they always had top photos.  Look also at the quality glossies dealing with homes and/or gardens, often full of top photos.  These editors are at the top and will be very choosy as to what is selected.  Often the photo mags seem to be the worse place to look !

PS.  If you had a copy of "Best Of British" magazine with a photo and details of Coton Manor about 6 years ago, that was me.  In those days we sent in colour slides but now magazines want big digital files.