On how to take better pics. Any pointers that can help me improve my pic skills?

I've had this Kodak Z1275 (I'm not a professional) for a while and the other night I decided to test out some of the features. I know absolutely zilch about photography, but I'm eager to learn.

This is the best I could do,



Settings were
Aperture f2.5
Shutter 8.0
ISO200

Picture was taken at 0230.

Besides the hand-rail at the bottom and the building outline on the right, what can I do different and get semi decent pics? Or have I hit this camera's peak?
I'm not going to buy a more expensive camera until I get the basics down first.
If you're gonna flame, be gentle.

 

Use a higher aperture if you want sharper pics or more DOF. Only reason your pics came out bad is because your aperture is set at wide open and that's great if you want to take the subject out of the background(blurry background, sharp object) aka shallow DOF.

 

I will try that. Thanks.

 

If the camera has a self timer on it you could use a tripod (table top models can be had for under $25), that will help up the sharpness of your photos regardless of aperture you use.

What sort of photography interests you? Check out the photography section of your local Barn & Noble or library...there are tons of books on photography theory (lighting, composition, equipment) out there. And most will be useful regardless of whether you are shooting digital or film.

I started digital photography with a Canon A530, that I still carry everyday, and moved up to a Pentax K10D (and a ton of manual lenses for macro stuff), basically I used it a lot and made a mental note of when it wasn't quite enough camera or lacked a setting I needed. That helped me decide on what I needed in a D-SLR. If all I did was high speed sports or birding, I am sure that Pentax wouldn't been my first choice, simply because the fast long lenses aren't available for that system. But since I like macro, landscapes and that sort of thing using manual lenses (that can be had very inexpensively too) isn't a big deal.

Plus, if you have a list of all the things you want in a new camera when you go shopping for one, you are a lot less likely to walk out of the store with the model the salesman wanted you to buy.

 

If his shutter speed is set to 8 seconds, I am pretty sure he is using a tripod or at least setting his camera down on something to leave it steady. I really doubt he can hold the camera that steady with out shaking in his hands.

If you look at the picture, he is doing a wide scenic theme, and I doubt that using just a tripod and "regardless of aperture" will make his picture sharp for what he is doing.

Picture is fine, if you want a sharper picture, a smaller aperture needs to be used. Keep going smaller until you get the sharpness you want. Since you are going smaller in aperture, the shutter speed needs to be slowed too. Just experiment around and have fun.

 

Time to get a better camera.

 

thats a cool pic

a nice car on that road would have been nice too