How can I find a professional photographer to view my pictures online and give me advice ?

I would like to find someone who can not only look at my pictures, but give me advice and help me use my camera to get the best possible pictures. I have a Minolta Dimage 6. I just started taking pictures and would LOVE to take great pictures. I have tons of neighbor kids I took at a local park that has tons of flowers and such. Those, I think, turned out really nice. One mother used my pictures for school pictures instead of paying the school. That really made me feel good. But there is still so much I do not know and would like to learn. I just havent found anyone who will take me under their wing and help me. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP!!!

How can I find a professional photographer to view my pictures online and give me advice ?
You do not need to go to formal school to become a photographer but you have to learn it from somewhere be it from a class room environment or from you reading and doing things on your own.





You also have alot of people here that can give good advice (and bad) so you have to take it with a grain of salt and not get offended when somebody tells you something that you don't want to hear. You need to have a website or something and give a link to your pictures.





Below is some information that will also help you.





1. You should learn the technical aspects of photography and your camera (composition, shutter speed, rules of thirds, depth of field etc), once you understand these you will be able to create better images.





2. Shoot in "M" (manual mode) because you will have more 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.





3. You can start reading all kinds of books on this subject and get information from the internet. This includes web based classes, manufactures web sites to personal blogs.





4. Buy the best DSLR camera that you can afford this also includes good lenses. Take out your camera and manual sit down and go over all the buttons and knobs etc.. this is the best way for you to learn what your camera can do.





5. Start shooting with your camera to get practice and from what you are learning from reading and doing you will get better. Practice does make perfect. 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.





6. You can get yourself a job as a photographers assistant (be it payed or free) and learn from that person.





7. My suggestion is to find a part of photography that you would have an interest in and point in that direction.





Since you have access to the internet here is a start: Some you have to pay for and some are free, start with the free stuff of course.





http://www.photonhead.com/beginners/.......


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


http://www.shootsmarter.com/


http://www.webphotoschool.com/


http://www.kodak.com/eknec/pagequerier.j...





http://www.lexar.com/dp/index.html?cmp=e...





Studio Lighting info


http://www.photo-seminars.com/Portraitur...


http://www.studiolighting.net/portrait-l...





Photoshop classes


http://www.russellbrown.com/





Just incase you need info on a degree


http://www.photographyschools.com/





Hope this helps,


Kevin
Reply:Try pbase.com
Reply:What exactly do you want to do with your photography?





Are you getting ready to become a pro?





To start you can become a student member of both ASMP and NPPA. Those memberships will get you connected to some pros and help you in your quest.





You may find that like most pros, going to school and learning how to compose, expose, develop and print your images is the first big step.





Since you did not provide a link to some of your work, we really cannot comment on your images.
Reply:www.deviantart.com





millions of users and ask for opinions on how to get better when you submit your work
Reply:I belong to a Nikon Users group (www.nikonians.com) that is a great community for sharing ideas. I'm sure you could find one for Minolta photographers as well. One of the advantages of asking photographers who use similar equipment is that they can give you constructive advise and techniques, directly applicable to your camera.





Go to Yahoo Groups and look at the photography forums. If you don't see one that suits your interests, start one.