Multiple cards:
USB Memory Sticks:
Ipad: (you have to connect the camera, I think)
Mac Air Book:

or: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&sku=B31B186002

A friend of mine who is an artist has for many years worked with children and adults using "art therapy".

Recently, I saw an interesting idea for a self-portrait. All I saw was the bare feet and hands of a person obviously sitting on the floor, ie. no face shown. On the floor surrounding her (she identified herself in the post) were several objects, pictures, and 'whatever' she thought said something about herself.

You could have them make a collage of who they are by cutting photos out of magazines as a start, with the goal being to make one (a poster) of their own photographs.

I definitely think you are on to something and you will make it work. Have fun!

Another thought: For the participants who may say. "I can't find anything", you might want to include something more specific. I notice you are in Florida. You could have them look for something found on a beach, or something you can pick up on the beach to photograph, something man made or something natural. Have them look for a word on a sign. (Maybe, "No Trespassing" will show up!) Have them look for a car, a truck, a motorcycle or bike that they think would best represent who they are or something about them. Tell them it might just be some part of a vehicle, rather than the whole vehicle, or part of an object, not the whole that might be important, too. Have them photograph shadows of something. Have them photograph a favorite color, but the color has to be on a door. Have them photograph a favorite color, but in three different shades of that color. Have them look for three different sizes of tires (later ask them if the tires can be used to symbolize life).
Anyway, you get my drift. Sometimes specific assignments can help.

I would agree with docrob and amyinsparta above. YOU decide what you want blurred. In general, consider what is the main subject of your photo and what do you want it to convey to those who see it. Then decide how best , or what techniques should you use to bring emphasis to your subject, or what other elements do you want to include or exclude from the frame or other parts of the image that play a supporting role to the main subject.
For example, you might have a background that if shown in clear focus would distract attention away from your main subject which happens to be in the foreground. Let's suppose you were taking a photo of a friend in a city park. In the background, however, there was a large green, unattractive garbage truck. It does not go well with the image of your friend. So, you choose a very shallow depth of field which blurs out the truck, we no longer see a truck, but instead a blurred green color that actually makes a nice backdrop. We do not see a truck, but just a green blur.
Photoshop actually has a method of putting blur into a photo. Blur can imply motion as you have pointed out. Motion might be very important to the effectiveness of the message you want to convey. You might want to have a racing motor cylce in clear focus, but how best to show that it is also speeding? Add blur.
Another common example of intended blur is found in moving water whether it be a waterfall, ocean waves, a fountain or running faucet, rain, any moving water, adding blur can have a wonderful effect.
My pet peeve for blurs is having a prominent blurry out of focus object in the foreground. I am almost always disappointed to have that happen in one of my images. Yet, there are exceptions, too. In the end it comes down to your own preference. Whatever works for you.

Thanks, Rpavich

Great info and explanations. I did not realize one had to cover up the dome when facing a flash.

I think a reading-from-the-hand-method came from first taking a reading from a gray card, then from the hand comparing the two, so that when taking later from the hand instead of a gray card, you would have an accurate comparison point, ie, a consistent point of reference.

For example, if I take a reading off a gray card and get f/5.6, then immediately take a reading off my hand and get f/4, I know there is a one stop difference between my hand and a gray card. So, next time I do not have a gray card, I'll just read off my hand and then compensate by adding one f/stop.

As MT point out 50mm is the "normal" lens. That is basically what we see with the naked eye. I think you will be amazed at what will be included with the lower numbers. Consider trying a rental first.

As Jen points out, overexpose the whites. Experiment with metering. Lock in brighter areas by zooming in or even aiming at the ground. Use exposure compensation then HDR. Just like at night when you over expose, under expose, and combine to help mollify the effect of bright night lights, do the same in the bright time of the day. It is also a way to avoid the washed out skies.

Create your own shade using your body, an umbrella or reflector. Get people into shade to avoid the squinting eyes. A bright object (snow!) can be used to reflect light into a shaded side of a face.

I guess you ask because so much emphasis is put on the "golden hours of dusk and dawn" that not much writing is spent on the mid-day sunny hours.

More info:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/macro-extension-tubes-closeup.htm

We had a friend who was a wonderful photographer who we had "do" our wedding to save a few bucks. Luckily, he took one of my favorites I have of my parents enjoying a laugh, but we wished we had hired a pro.
Our friend had many shots of a character he liked, but was really at our wedding because he was a neighbor more than a close friend. We have almost none of various family members, mainly because he did not know they were family. For example,my wife had an aunt who travelled many miles to join us...no picture of her. Same with other friends. A pro gets families together, people get bugged, it takes time, but in the end, the pros do best.
At my daughter's wedding we hired a pro. She did fine, but my daughter has favorites taken by some of her friends. Nevertheless, I would go with the pros. You will get those group pictures of family that you will later be glad to own.
From my nephew's wedding, we used the pros family shot of our family as a Christmas card. It is several years old now, but still a favorite.
PS Oh yeah, I just remembered our card this year was taken by the pro at my niece's wedding. So, go with a pro!

You can save yourself a lot of grief and objections when taking candid shots of kids you do not know. A quick hello to the parents usually breaks the ice. Something like, "Wow, what a cute kid, mind if I snap some pics?" is usually enough. If you meet resistance, smile say you understand and move on.

The "ghosting" around the trees can be fixed using Layer Masks in Photoshop, placing a darker sky on top of the HDR version, then selecting it and blending it in using "Refine Edge".

I believe HDR is a serious method to help reveal details in what would otherwise be dark areas of a photo.

While looking for patterns.....

red

Here is a free site that e-mails weekly info if you wish:
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-tips-for-beginners

For those of you who mentioned Bryan Peterson, why not take a course from him?

http://www.ppsop.com

I have enjoyed taking courses here: http://www.betterphotos.com

For a month you are given weekly assignment to submit 3-5 images you have taken which are then critiqued by the instructor. You not only see your photos, but the photos of each person in the class with all of the critiques. It is a great way to learn getting you out taking pictures. The pros are excellent photographers and not once did I receive any condescending comments. On the contrary, they make an extra effort to be helpful and not judgmental. One of the instructors, Rob Sheppard, has written several books on photography similar to Peterson.
Visit Rob's website and in the right hand column, a gray shaded area, look for his video tips for Photoshop. Great tips and lots of free advice throughout the site.

http://robsheppardphoto.com/

Another site that has free tutorials for all levels of photographers is the Cambridge in Color. Guaranteed you will also be impressed by the quality of photos that members of that forum have posted, and the same can be said for Luminous Landscapes.

Photography Forum is another site I frequent.

Wonderful books on learning photography were written by John Shaw, so google him.