OK I have my camera... now what?

Question

I have recently bought a second hand Canon Eos 300 SLR (analogue). I want to learn the basics of photography with the aim of becoming at least semi-professional in the coming years. My game plan is to earn enough money using this basic, older, analogue model to buy a new digital SLR when the time is right (purely as I do not have the facilities for my own dark room). Therefore the money I earn will buy me a new camera.

What is the best way to go about this- how should I present my shots, bearing in mind I will have to get them developed out on the High Street; who are the best sort of people to send them to?

Thanks!

PS, I realise there must be a hundred questions on here like this one but as an absolute novice I just need to know where to start. Someone recommended investing in a really nice album and getting my photos developed as white-bordered 8x6s, one shot to an album page, and presenting my work to local galleries and papers- good idea?

Answer 1

Before worrying how to present your prints, it would be a good idea to work on taking pictures worth presenting. And unfortunately the truth is that it is much cheaper to learn with a digital camera because you can take pictures and see them on the computer without paying to have them developed and printed. All of the professional processing operations are capable of taking high quality digital files and producing good prints when you are ready to pay for them.
I would suggest using the camera you have now to take the best possible pictures you can by being very selective in taking pictures (where with a digital camera, you could take more shots and compare them after). You need to be able to find images you can take as conditions vary, either waiting during the day or returning at different times on different days. This normally means statues, buildlings, scenes in parks unless you have someone willng to be a compliant model. If you are interested in informal street scene shots and people shots, you are going to have to take the camera with you and stop and look at the scenes and see the lighting and see the activity and pick out a picture to take.