Sadly this is all digital, except for the black and white with the spider, and the hands holding the film camera. I want a scanner
Wether I'm any good is up to you, but here goes.

































And some newspaper stuff

I'm sorry if this was too much. I hope you like

Ross & Mogharr, thanks a lot

Ross, The camera is a AE-1. Nice to see another film user. I'm only into medium format now (6x6, black and white) but as far as 35mm goes, I have an old A-1 back home. Keep shooting film!

docinsano wrote:

Agreed, the lighting on a lot of those shots, well, it's superb. How do you do it? Man, I really should start taking more pictures... I did however, take the photo for my av. It's cropped and whatnot but i took the pic.... just a fun fact.

Thanks a lot for the compliment. How do you do it? I guess you just need to open your eyes to the world around you, and have some equipment knowledge.
Also, yes, you should take more pictures! Get on it, chop chop!

Blackout wrote:

The spider one is awesome. Did you provoke it with a pencil or something to get it to rear back like that?

Thanks. My spiders were not very cooperative, so I killed them. Slow enough to give them time to make the stance, but fast enough so they don't coil up, without damaging the remains too much. Guess how I did it!
Although I don't generally like killing things, they turned out interesting IRL. Very statuesque, like frozen in time. Thank you for the interest

docinsano wrote:

Just a quick question for those who have a bit of photo-knowledge: For the amateur photographer, what kind of setup would you recommend? Digital or Good Ol' Fashioned Film? Any good online photography resources? Anything Else?

Film and digital are two completely different procesess. The usual online debate of which is better is a foolish one, it's comparing apples with oranges.
Different people favor different mediums, that's the way it's always been. It's up to you what works best. I suggest you try both, if you can. Both have pros and cons.

Digital is instant-gratification, barely any limit to how many pictures you can snap away in one session. You see the result on your screen, you can delete it if it didnt turn out well, and try again. You can go on fully automatic settings or fully manual (with DSLR's(the ones you can't fit in your pocket)). Pictures from digital cameras that can shoot in RAW format(most if not all DSLR's), can be tweaked to infinity in image softwares. My blue docks picture, for instance, actually looked greyish purple, with orange lights. I'm not saying it in reality looked like either, I'm just giving you an idea of the potential. If you go for a DSLR you can get a lens with very variable focal length (from rather wide angle to a decent zoom). I have to go against ross_rifle and say that you don't need a high-end digital for it to be worth it. Any "yesterday's" DSLR will do great for learning and exploring. I'm still using my "old" Nikon D70, it's the one I used for the pictures I've shown. Lenses matter more than camera body, in my opinion.

Film is a slower process. On a roll of 135-film(35mm format), you have 36 frames(pictures) at your disposal. You can't go back and redo a shot. It requires you to think before you shoot, and to pick your subject with heart and mind. If you want to try film, go for an old 80's manual film camera. No automatic settings, no auto-focus, no zoom lenses. It may sound restrictive, but I think it broadens your vision in a whole different way and teaches you the laws of photography better. It's like math without a calculator, you're forced to learn to think for yourself, and by so enabling you to do so much more(no matter what medium you end up using).
Film is a slow, hands-on process. I started out with digital, but later felt it lacking in soul. Film photography really filled that gap for me, both in quality and in feeling of the process. Some like it, some don't. There's little I love more than watching a print fade into existence under the red light of a darkroom. You need a lot of patience and love for the medium.
It seems safe to start with digital, you can play around a lot and explore your taste. If you later end up using film, I bet you'll still have use of your digital. As to my best of knowledge, there are three main types of photographers:

- The all-digital, technology freaks that seemingly only judge by specs and features, who love the freedom and the speed of process.
- Those who realize the pros and cons of both, that use both for different applications, but usually lean toward one or the other.
- The die-hard, old style photographers, whose old metal cameras they know inside-out, as though it's an extension of their own limbs.

Hmm, I'm straying off topic... I hope I helped, and feel free to ask more.

www.dpreview.com A good resource for browsing digital cameras.
www.apug.org A great film user community.
http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm#EV A lot of this is beyond beginner-stage, but you should read the chapter I link to. It's the basics you need to know to use manual film cameras.

Pardon the bump, but for the love of peanut butter and jelly, post more pictures!

Here's a casual portrait from January: