Advice for a photographer trying to get better.?

I have just gotten a decent camra Fujifilm S5000. I live in Wyoming and would love to start taking landscape and wildlife photos. I'm reading my manual and learning my camera better. What does it mean to print 6A...what's the best way to catch the vivd colors, catching that animal in a pose (mine always have moved by the time my camera takes the picture). I am focusing on a herd of horses my neighbor owns, I stake out on a hill and watch them and take pictures. Any advice for this novice trying to get better?Advice for a photographer trying to get better.?
You are using a bigger ';point and shoot'; camera, one of the problems you are shooting in maybe ';Program'; or ';Auto'; mode. You need to shoot your images in manual because you will have control over your camera and not the other way around. When you are in one of the ';Auto'; modes the camera will just read the highlights and shadow areas and try to get you a picture. The camera is not smart enough to know what you are shooting and if the horse moves out of the viewfinder at the time you released the shutter your image will not come out what you were trying to shoot.





You need to learn the technical aspects of photography and your camera (composition, shutter speed, depth of field etc), once you understand these you will be able to shoot better pictures. Get yourself a book on ';How To'; (also you can find some information on-line).





Yes it helps if you have a ';pro'; camera but a good photographer can still produce good images with any camera.





Have a look at these websites for some help some are free and some you will have to pay for:





http://www.betterphoto.com/home.asp





http://www.photonhead.com/simcam/shutter鈥?/a>





http://www.lexar.com/dp/index.html?CMP=E鈥?/a> (tips and lessons)





Learn something from one of these places and go out and try it and you will start understanding your camera and what to shoot. Take notes while shooting and then look at your photos on the computer find the best one from that set and see what you did to get the shot.





Hope this helps and keep shooting,


KevinAdvice for a photographer trying to get better.?
Well, I'm not positive, but I believe 6a refers to the standard print size of 4x6';. As for your question about capturing poses, it is rather difficult with your camera (and most compact digicams) because of the delay between when you press the shutter button and the actual capture. So, you really have to be ahead of the moment, anticipating when the subject will be where you want them to be. It's tough. If you are really serious about photography it might be in your best interestest to get a fully manual slr camera, whether it be digital or film. There is little to no shutter delay in dSLRs and film camera.





Vivid colors are a product of your whitebalance settings and the atmospheric conditions at the time of shooting. You will find that early morning and late day will produce warmer colors and the light won't be as harsh. Also, as you shoot more and more you will notice when a day is prime for a good shot. Try paying attention to when atmospheric haze is at a low point, and that will improve your color saturation. Good lighting can also be obtained during overcast days, but your colors will tend to be a little duller, while the shadows cast will be softer.





It's all about experimenting. Keep shooting.