Shoot!

That's what I say whenever I cut off someone's head - in a photograph, silly - or overexpose, underexpose, blur or otherwise ruin what I hoped would be a great shot.

And then there are those times when, completely by accident, I take a breathtaking photograph. Either it is beautiful beyond compare, inherently funny, or provides a striking commentary on the world in which we live.

Okay, so I've never taken a photograph that provides striking commentary on the world in which we live, but it could happen.

What I would really like, though, is if I get those photographs intentionally at least 80% of the time. That's why I am taking Jodie Coston's Free Online Photography Course at Morguefile.

Heather is taking it too! She took the photos for her first book, Rookie Reiner, by the way. If you're looking for a book contract, you might want to brush up on your photography skills as well, so why not join us?

Heather has the results of the first assignment posted on her blog. I've got assignments 1 & 2 posted over at my blog.

And if you'd like to join us, I make a blogroll over at my blog, so we can see and comment on each others photographs. (I don't think I'll learn as much without constructive criticism and positive reinforcement, which is why I'm pushing promoting this course. ;)

You can also post your results at the Morguefile forum. (Don't post pics directly to the forum unless you mean to release them for use by others.)

What you need to know about the course:

It is open start/end. i.e. You can start when you want, take as much or as little time as you would like, and finish whenever you're done.

You don't have to sign up to read the lessons. You will need to login to post to the forums though, if you want to do that.

It costs nothing. It's free. It's just there on the Internet for whomever wants it. (Thanks Jodie.)

You can use any camera, although some of the assignments will be more difficult if you don't have manual controls. But don't run out and buy a new camera just to take the course (unless you wanted to anyway). Read this great article by Ken Rockwell about how cameras don't take pictures, photographers do.

Did I forget anything? What else do you need to know?