No offense taken....I am teaching my kids to use a manual camera and we take my older D60 out on AP or SP mode and when the shot is composed we look at the settings the camera chose to match our input...and it is a teaching moment to discuss how they correlate. It is a starting point. For example, if we are in AP, then when the camera chooses the shutter speed, we look at the how and why. In a recent photography class, the instructor had the students go out with a notepad to record the settings at each AP and each SP setting to compare and contrast the results. It can be a very good teaching tool. This method can actually teach the student to pay more attention to their shutter speed/aperture. Some people learn more by doing than reading.

Hey everyone! I have been following the forum for about a week and I am impressed with the comments and advice that is offered!
I am a stay at home mom and an amateur photographer hoping to progress to the next level. I just got my own website and have been doing fairly well with a few seniors and friends and family.
I LOVE taking close ups of flowers and water, and just about anything else that will sit still.

I look forward to getting to know all of you and learning from you!

Ok, my images aren't showing up, I will try again....

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I was taking pictures at a friend's wedding recently and took this image. I am pretty happy with my editing results, but don't know how to remove the shadow from his face. I was there as a guest, not their photographer, but they liked my version of "the kiss" better than his. Is it possible to remove the shadow? The first is the original, the second is my edit.

Thank you! I will be heading up for a visit weekend after next.
I will check it out....hope the weather holds!

My parents just moved to CleElum, and I haven't had a chance to explore the area yet....I MUST go find this lake!

Simply gorgeous!

YouTube is an excellent place to find tutorials on Photoshop.
Just type in what you want to do and the version of Photoshop you are using and someone will show you step by step. You can also just Google the same and find all kinds of tutorials. Without doing this, I would be lost. Also, Photosop User Magazine is amazing. It is a little spendy, but they are SO full of tips and tricks it is worth it.

I almost always shoot in full manual mode, but if there are situations where I am moving quickly and don't have the extra time to fiddle with the dials to get what I am looking for, I will switch to Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority depending on the situation. They are a great tool and can help you learn how shutter and aperture work together to shoot better in manual mode.

See if Amazon has a "For Dummies" book for that camera. They have one for just about every camera made. I have one for each of mine. They are way easier to understand than the owners manual.

I have a D60 and a D7000. I LOVE my D60 and only upgraded to the D7000 for some easier menu options and a couple of other features. (And because I got a fat check from the government for being a full time student...lol) If you love your camera and you are comfortable with it, and you are happy with your images, I don't see any need to upgrade! The D60 is an awesome camera and I don't think you can go wrong with it. If you want to learn about more of the functions and capabilites, check out the Nikon D60 For Dummies book. You can get it on Amazon really cheap and it is SOOOOOO much easier to understand than the owners manual. I know pro photographers in the area that still use D50s and D70s. Enjoy your D60!

Check out KenRockwell.com He tests and compares every camera that comes out and is brutally honest in his reviews. I have a Nikon D60 and a D7000. I love my 60, but wouldn't trade my 7000 for anything.

Use the third one, Definitely. I use Adobe Lightroom 3. Keeps all of your images organized right out of the camera, you can tag them, color code them into catagories, and make as many catalogs as you need. You can make presentation slideshows, create pages for your website, and do some of your editing before you send it off to Photoshop, etc. From there you can make a separate folder for each shoot, person, etc and name it with whatever helps you remember. You can then import the finished images back to another Lightroom catalog for finished images if you wish, or just leave them as they are. As far as at the shoot, I have my camera set to number each shot starting at 1 and use a running tally and add the person's personal info nest to each number as I go. I can put that info right into Lightroom as you import.

I am an adult college photography student. It is important to get the equipment list for the course of study she is taking before you go buy a camera. My school requires digital at 10mp or higher and an 18-55mm and 55-200mm lens. I bought my first camera, a Nikon D60 with both lenses from ebay from a photographer that was upgrading for $650. You will find that the equipment list is going to be quite extensive and expensive, so it is better to know exactly what you need before you go out to buy. Most financial aid is usable for equipment required by the program. After my first year, I received a little bonus from the Fed. Government for being a full time student that helped me buy my D7000 a new lens, and a new computer.

The best thing I ever did was go to Amazon.com and get the "Nikon D60 For Dummies". They have a book for almost every camera under the sun. So much easier to read than the owners manual, and explains absolutely EVERYTHING in an order that makes sense. It stays with my camera!