This is the best advice. Years ago, I bought an Olympus 3.2 MP for $75.00 used. I have not used one before and that camera was a trouper. For five straight years it gave me great color and great photos and a chance to learn how to use it. It was a wonderful starter camera and now it has given up the ghost. But what a ride that was. I miss that old thing now. I have an Olympus and Fuji point and shoots and they do not hold a candle to that now defunct Olympus.

I have found that point and shoot's help me with the basics of photography. I have taken a lot of turkeys to get that shot that said "I made It!" It allowed me to experiment with the rule of thirds, how to compose and use the tools that camera had to offer. How do you think outside of the box? these cameras force you to do just that. When you think that you will be in situations that need more flexibility then DSLR's will be the next logical solution. How much photography will you be able to do? That is up to you, but as of now, point and shoot's are what I can afford. If when I can afford a DSLR, I will get one. But what I have learned is as valuable as if I had more expensive equipment.

Romantic candlelight


Looking at the rose


Tiger drinking water, Point Defaince Zoo, Tacoma., WA

My moniker came from the fact I am the proud owner of a cat and her name is...I am sure you can guess what it is.

Hi Hippo, just hit reply or quote a reply and you will come to a box with three boxes that will allow you to browse your computer for photos and you can upload. Hit send and there you are.

I am also into arts and crafts and enjoy making things out of reusable materials such as paper, glass and other materials.

plastic bottle, glass beads and a votive candle


glass bottles cut with glass cutter, glass beads


Paper Mache

All of these photos were taken by a point and shoot. I learned a lot form the first one I bought. It was a 3.2 MP Olympus that I bought used for $75.00 and lasted 5 years of continuous use. it is now a museum item as it gave up the ghost. but the photos it gave were of great quality. I now have a fuji and Olympus Point and shoot.

Bee on a a Daisy


Bleeding hearts


Theler Trail, Belfair, WA

I just turned 60 and if anyone thinks I am old, that is from their perspective, then I am old. Now, so what? I will live my life and you will live yours. Age iws what you make of it. That is another thing in life, I pay no attention to or what people think. It took me 60 years to get here and here I am.

You go girl! I have been taking photos since 1979 and I can say that I have taken a lot of turkeys, but as time progressed, I found my niche. I have never really thought what people thought of my photography over the years as I have gotten lots of praise and a lot of "Why did you even take that?'' Comes with the territory. If it is fun for you, that is what it matters most.

I have an account in fickr and my photos are in the cc license and you can download them easily. Look at the flowers sets and you will find a lot to choose from.

www.flickr.com/photos/kitkaphotogirl

This was taken originally in color, but I made it into a B&W and it turned out to be better for the medium in my opinion.

Allyn, WA Pier

I bought a used 3.2 MP Olympus camera on Ebay for $75.00 six years ago and it was a trouper. It had taken millions of photos and now it is a piece of history. The fuji and the Olympus cameras that I have bought since do not hold a candle to that old Olympus. The color and the photos were excellent. But fixing it would have cost a whole lot more than the camera was worth. I miss that old work horse.

Here is a photo that I took of a craft project that I made. I used the glass beads in a plastic soda bottle that I cut into a small vessel. I put in the glass beads in and then inserted the votive in the middle of the beads. I put a black cloth on my table and just used the light from the candle. I zoomed in and you get to see the different elements just by zooming in. By being in close, you get the feeling of intimacy and romance. Believe it or not, this photo has been used in blogs to demonstrate romance.

Candles to me denote a sense of romance or a nice candle light supper, and I would like to have seen some wine glasses and a plate or two by the candles. It would have given the candle scene a little more focus and movement. In short, it would have given the candles something to do.

I try to go to a scene at different days and time of the day to get different perspectives. When I get a project like this, I will have hiked a lot as I would be all over the different sides of that bridge. One thing that I would be doing is taking parts of the bridge and making closeups of the different elements that make the bridge. One bridge that is hard to photograph but has been photographed to the hilt is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco. I wish that I had taken the time to do just that when I lived in the Bay Area. Your bridge project, I probably would have spent several weeks taking different angles. Depending on the time of day and your own mood, no one photo will ever be alike.

This is not a poisonous snake, and in Washington State we do not have the dangerous variety. It gets to cold.l