Help a newbie out!

I've had my 350D for about 2 weeks, and despite my very busy school/work schedule, I am trying my best to learn at whatever pace I possibly can. I have a pretty good understanding of how to use my camera, but am trying to learn how to develop an "eye" for photography. What do you guys look for? I guess part of the problem is, I kind of live in the boonies and our "downtown" area doesn't really have much, so there's really nothing nice to see, locally. I guess what I'm trying to learn is how to work with what I've got and be creative.

My setup for now, is the 350D, 18-55 kit lens, Amvona AT-3052 tripod, Sunpak QF-30 flash. My next lens will be a 55-250 IS.

If anyone has any advice they could post in this thread, or recommend links or a book for a newbie (read through the sticky and the amount of choices blew my mind), I'd greatly appreciate it!

There is a very reccommended book called "Understanding Exposure" by Brian Petersen which is good for getting to grips with some of the basics.

As for developing an eye - that should come with time and practice. Look at different angles, dont just go for the first, second or even third thing you think of when looking at a scene. Get up high, down low, close up etc for differing views and experiment. As it is digital it costs nothing to take photos. Also, something in colour may have more impact in black and white so think about how you may like to process the shot.

Also important is how you compose a shot with regards to where you put your subject matter in the frame. If you place your subject slap bang in the middle of the frame it will tend to look a bit boring. There is something called the "rule of thirds" which you should try and use. Imagine a grid when you look through your viewfinder with 2 vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines that splits the view equally into 9 boxes. You should try to place your subject on one of these lines (ie horizon in a landscape) or where 2 of the lines intersect (ie face/eye in a portrait). You will notice that this provides a more interesting composition.

Some useful links:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com …als/understandi​ng-series/
http://www.cambridgein​colour.com/tutorials.h​tm
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=89123
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=22081
http://www.outdoorphot​ographer.com/

Shoot as much as possible. Some people will brag about their "keeper" rates and such but ignore all that for now. Make yourself take 50 or 100 pics a day and then really look at them. Sure, 95% may stink, but knowing why they stink is just as important as knowing why the good ones are good. Also, RTM. Once you've done that, RTM but this time take your time and don't rush through it or skip the parts you think you know.