This may seem drastic because some of these 'nasty commenters' actually have wealth of knowledge and have helped many people. However, one never knows if they are going to get Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde, on that particular day.

I belong to a woodcarving group. We have almost 80,000 members. Many questions get asked over and over again. This can not be avoided in a group that big. At the top of every category is a message from the administrator. It states that, due to the varied levels of skill, many questions will be asked over and over. If you are asking a question, please do a search first. If you still have questions, please ask. If you think a question is stupid, redundant, has already been addressed, or just outright irritates you, please do everyone a favor and skip the question. If you feel you must reply and your reply is deemed rude, negative, or undesirable by the administrator, it will be deleted and you will have 1 warning. If you repeat this behavior, you will be banned. If you take offense to this, please remember that this is not your site. You are a guest here and should act like it. If I want to spend my time breaking up fights, I will go to the playground.

While this might seem kind of harsh, it is a great site with wonderful people. There are hardly any complaints. People get along. The admin really means it to. You will be booted out it you disrespect others.

I would definitely post in a newbie category. I come here quite often and read through the questions posted. There is a wealth of info on here. There are times when I have Googled an issue I had and got technical answers but when I tried those, I would still have undesirable results. I would like to have the opinion of person, whom I could actually ask detailed questions pertaining to a particular photo. I read many questions that have such snide comments directed at the OP for asking a stupid question, or they tell the person to research the question before asking. It makes me hesitant to ask for fear of being called ignorant for not knowing. We must remember that everyone had to start somewhere. We are not born with the knowledge and we learn best from our peers but it is hard when so many think they are above everyone else.

Not long ago, my future daughter in law, was in a pageant. I took some great photos, with the exception of a squiggle mark in the corner of every photo. After determining it was indeed the camera sensor and not the lense, I proceeded to research how to clean it. I watched many videos with different techniques and realized that I would not be comfortable doing it myself.

I took my camera to a local shop and asked about getting it cleaned. I told the gentleman about the videos and my uncertainty and asked about his preferred process. He told me it was my lucky day, as he was about to clean one that had been returned after renting. He showed me how to use a blower correctly, so I wasn't just blowing dust around. He then showed how to apply the cleaning fluid onto a dry swab and to correctly wipe it across the sensor once with the wet side and then back with the dry side. He explained the importance of not using too much fluid and to only use the swab once. The best part was that he let me use the swab on a broken camera to get a feel for the amount of pressure to use. He then supervised while I cleaned my own camera. I left the store with a kit containing swabs, eclipse fluid, and the knowledge to clean my own camera. I asked him why he showed me instead of doing it himself and getting paid for it and all he said was that I caught him on a good day.

Around here, the high school makes announcements and sends home notes, warning students and parents about the dangers of taking senior photos on railroad tracks. Still, there are photos of seniors, on the tracks, in the yearbook.

It seems to me that both the photographer and the subject involved in these deaths, lack common sense. There is someone facing both directions. How can they not see them coming? When I was a kid, my brother and I used to walk down the tracks several time a week. We would go fishing and by walking a mile or so down the tracks, we would shorten our walk by 2 miles. Many times, we encountered trains. We always got off the tracks and waited well away, for the train to pass. I still have several coins flattened by passing trains.

This question probably seems redundant to you. However, as someone who is relatively new to shooting in manual, I actually learn from questions like this. We do not all have the expertise that you have.

To answer the question, I usually shoot in Aperture because it is what I feel most comfortable using. After a while, I will use the other modes until I feel comfortable with them also.

I have a Nikon D3100. I have found that it works in every mode except auto. I have to use the shutter button, when I switch to auto. Unless there is a way to do it that I have not figured out yet.

These are just quick photos I took. I cleared his off the memory card after his mom downloaded the ones she wanted. These are photos of the little guy. I can not wait until spring, so we can go outside.

Thanks everyone. I love this little guy. I did not mention that since then, he has been given a child's digital camera. Well, he won't even touch it. He keeps saying, no toy, want real. I love when young kids show an interest in something and are taken seriously. You never know who they will be as adults.

This Christmas my 3 year old, great nephew discovered photography. He is autistic with other issues as well. He very rarely shows interest in things beyond his toys and when he does, he loses interest very quickly. He was fascinated with my camera and kept wanting to grab it. I decided to let him play with my point and shoot, so he would leave my good one alone. In just minutes, this little guy could snap a picture and then view it. After a while, he got upset and kept saying smudge, smudge. His pictures were blurry. I told him that he needed to hold very still while pressing the button. After a minute, he proudly showed me his almost in focus picture. He was so proud. He played with the camera for hours. None of us had seen him show that much focus on one thing. Then he surprised us all by using the arm of a chair and then a table to hold the camera steady. He said, smudge gone. Guess what this little man is getting for his birthday?

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To make things even more interesting, add food coloring to the water. I used to do this when the kids were little. Looks like I may have to try it again. Thanks for the idea.

I have a Nikon D3100. It is a great camera to learn on. It has auto settings that I can use if I need to quickly catch a moment. It also allows me to learn all the manual settings too. I wish I would have gotten the 3200 because of the WiFi and wireless capabilities but I got a great deal, so there are no complaints here.

Thanks everyone! I'm glad I took my niece with me. She has a good eye. She took the photo. Not the greatest but she is only 7. Now she want to go hiking with her own camera. I have an old Kodak easy share, she can use. It just needs to stop raining as she is very impatient.

I did Google the bleeding tooth fungus. Yep, that is what it is. I can't wait to look for more.

OK. We went back today. My son cut it away from the tree. It appears to be a fungus with a firm foam rubber like texture. Behind the fungus, coming out of the tree was a black, liquid goo, that was full of worms. It looks like the tree is dieing and nature is taking its course.

I thought it could be sap also but the sticky substance seems to be coming out of the fungus itself. I'm going back out today. I'll do a little more investigating, if I can find them again.

I was walking in the woods yesterday and came across this toadstool/mushroom type fungus. Does anyone happen to know what it could be? It has a sticky surface. A leaf was lying over one and it did not want to come off. My niece says it is a fairy house with stained glass windows. I'm not quite sure I believe her but hey, who knows!

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