What kind of camera should i invest into?

so i currently own i Kodak Easyshare Z760 . its 6.1 mp , and it has 3x optical zoom. if you have read my previous questions i want to go into a creative photography course. I'm only 15 so i have 2-3 years to build up my portfolio and yes i do need to sumbit a portfolio for this course 10 pictures either color or b&w .

ok . thanks :) so how do you cultivate this seeing eye .. like i take really good pictures once in a while... i'm really hard on myself and only have 4 out of like a million pictures i've taken

The fact that you only have 4 keepers out of a million is a very good sign that you're developing The Eye.

Here are a few more things you can do:

-- hit your local used book store and get an armload of old National Geographic Magazines. These contain the best photessays ever made. Every day pick a Shot of the Day -- one you wish you'd taken.

-- go through your daily newspaper and look for "filler" shots. These are often the most challenging to pull off because they're mostly non-news and derive their interest from artistic flair. If you can do these you can do anything.

-- find a photog whose work you like and find out all about him or her. When I was a tyke my hero was a guy called Boris Spremo -- he worked for the Toronto Star and I thought he was God! Look him up.

Hope this helps and good luck.

You have a camera. Learn to use that. Remember pictures are not made by the camera - you can have the most expensive one available yet still take c&*p photographs. Learn the rules of composition - then go and practise them on anything that is around you - then learn when you can break them. Learn to cultivate a 'seeing eye'. Look at great photographs and try and work out what makes them great.

Whilst the most important part of the photograph is the photographer, a good camera can make a world of difference.

You want one with an adjustable focal length, aperture size and shutter speed. Unfortunately these are quite rare properties on compact digital cameras.
The larger SLR ones are the best bet for serious photography.

You should look into getting a 35mm SLR digital camera. You can check out www.samys.com They have good info, good prices, and manufact. rebates. Good cameras are Canon XTI, D30 or D40 or Nikon D200, D300 or D80.
They also can come in packages with lenses and built in flashes.
Reccommned getting a 2Gb Scandisk memory card.
Ultra III or Extreme IV series are pretty good.

Ther are some people with a natural talent for taking good pics. For seeing good stuff to shoot. Don't worry about that. You shoot what you like and what you think is good. Others will try to control your "artistic" sense.



When you have time, check out my portfolio.
www.geocities.com/mjmedrano

Skills can't be bought, so use what you have for the moment. When you manage to get into the class, then upgrade your camera. Right now, you have to just keep on shooting, learn the rules of thirds, composition and toy around with exposure controls on your current camera and experiment with simply everything. Photograph everything and keep experimenting. Good luck!