you might want to take a tiny drop of vegetable oil and put it on the base of the barrel where the plastic shim is. Do this with a Qtip and lightly touch around the edge of the barrel base. Let it sit for a few minutes(about 3) and then try removing the lens. If it works, quickly clean the area with alcohol to remove the oil residue and prevent it from reaching the inside of your camera. Plastic responds very quickly to vegetable oils. Try applying a slight but firm downward pressure on the lens and turn to remove. That should free the lens and allow removal.

I do not recommend petroleum based oil because it could react with the plastic and destroy it. Soft mineral oil is ok, but tends to spread faster and farther than vegetable oil because of its smaller molecular structure. You may be able to free the lens and remove it and save yourself the expense of buying another camera. As for recommendation, I would go with a good quality Nikon DSLR. Good luck

Hmmm, maybe you didn't look closely enough. There are the photos of the Homer Spit, which is actually homer. However, my goal and reasons for the shoot wasn't for the town of Homer, but to capture as much of the remaining natural surroundings of the Homer area. I wanted to capture the essence of the oceanic scenery and wilderness that still surrounds homer...

I was doing online research about documentary filmmaking and came across this link:http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/. I'm a subscriber to "documentaries.com," and they posted this video.

It's a feature length documentary posted online. This is for those of you who have cameras with video shooting capability. A majority of the film featured in this "BTS(behind the scenes) documentary, including the documentary itself, was shot using DSLR cameras. It's impressive and incredible how far cameras have come.

This film shows how far the creativity can be extended using a DSLR camera with video filming ability. Hope this gives some of the still photog's some ideas for what to do with their Video capable DSLR cameras.

Hi mknmemries54,

shooting photos with a blurred background isn't too difficult. However, it depends greatly on the type of camera you have and your level of experience to get it right. It can also be done in post, during editing, but the results aren't as good as a photo that was deliberately filmed with a good lens.

Your standard lens will not really do too good of a job. To create a blurred background image with your subject in sharp focus, you need a good long lens. A good telephoto lens is what is needed to create the affect you want. Start by setting your camera at the minimal focal distance for your lens. Focus on your subject at that distance in full frame. Then if you want a good portrait, zoom in on your subject's face or torso to set your shot. Then focus your lens on your subject after framing your shot. This will bring the background completely out of focus, and will make your subject stand out when properly set up with this procedure.

This is known as creating a "Shallow Depth of Field," or "SDOF." Most "photogs" refer to depth of field settings as "DOF," the acronym for the photography term.

There are ways to accomplish this if you have a point and shoot camera, but I'm not familiar with the point and shoot cameras as I only use a DSLR. If you are using a point and shoot camera, please refer to your owners, or operator's manual for instructions on DOF settings. If you own and use a DSLR like many of us, your camera owner's manual will also explain the DOF settings for your camera. You are in the right place here with your questions. I hope this tidbit of info will help you achieve what you're trying to do. Great question, lots of good advice here. Good Luck

the bottom restoration offers the best option for "Saving this picture" Jon. I could not have done any better myself. Having restore a few old photos myself, I know it was a lot of hard work. Your skills at restoring old photos shows. I'm sure the owner would appreciate it at least as much as I did, or MORE. Great job!!!

both birds are Robins as stated. This actually looks like a mated pair, with the male in front and the female, that is actually very plain in the background on the same tree...

Here's mine... think I posted this before, but here it is again. It's nice to "reflect" now and again...

quiet reflections...

the male species of most birds tend to be more colorful than the females. Because of the bright bold color pattern of the feathers and the bright red and black markings on this bird, I would say it's a male. The purpose of the bold coloration in birds is mostly to attract a female and mate. It's their way of advertising to the girls and say: Hey, here I am, and I'm beautiful and available.

Nice shot, just a tad under exposed though, thank you for sharing.

Not sure what you are referring to. I see the trick of light and shadows in the background of the building post, nothing more. The shadows are creating what might appear to be a face, but is actually deformations on the building structure support post on the left side of the building. That's all I can see...

Well, the first photo is actually very average. It's too centered and the cars in the parking lot are a little distracting. Try offsetting the building a little to the left, move back a bit, or zoom out. Use the rule of thirds.

The second shot is very dramatic with the bridge in the fog at night. Again, too centered. A better shot would be to lower, or raise your camera to reduce the sky, or increase it. The rule of thirds will help you improve your otherwise good photos and possibly make them great photos.

The third photo of the fence is OK, but perhaps also a little bit too centered. The composition is good, but what is the story you're trying to tell? The vanishing point is actually well done.

Here is a link that describes the use of the "Rule of Thirds" in photography. Thank you for sharing and for asking for advice and critique. I hope I wasn't too harsh, but I also want to be honest.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds

photo 1, 2 frogs, photo 2, 3 frogs... nice shots, very cleaver hide and seek shots. Thanks for sharing, I happen to be a frog myself, the biggest one in the world perhaps:)

No matter what your subject matter is in photography, or videography, the rule of thumb applies of the "Rule of Thirds" when framing your shots. This will allow you to more effectively compose, frame and capture the shots you want and will eliminate most of the unwanted clutter in your photos. It will also aid you when you want to edit out certain parts of a photo. These aren't too bad but could use a little bit of tweaking by cropping. Just a touch more saturation in the colors will make them really pop, but not too much.

Here is a link that describes the rule of thirds. I use the internet all the time when researching about things I want to learn in photography. Thank you for sharing...

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds

Those 16GB Extreme cards are intended for use in videos and some cameras have problems translating and communicating with the cards when it comes to stills. Try down-stepping to an 8GB, or even a 4GB card for your still shots. The problem should go away. If your camera can shoot video, then hold onto the cards and use them when you want to shoot videos.

I use a maximum size of 4GB for my photography for one simple reason. I can keep better track of the photos I take and sorting through them isn't so difficult. Anything bigger causes confusion and the larger memory cards hold way too much information and photos. Hope this answers your question...

Hmmm, thanks for the response. I would never have thought that CCR could be related to as "Lovely" but I guess it applies. Thanks Don.

James, Alaskanfrog

well, since you won't post the original, I'll withdraw my request. It seems you're getting what you need from your post. May I recommend "Photoshop Elements 10?" It's the newest version of Photoshop Elements and it also has the capability of doing videos as well. I have Elements 9 and will eventually upgrade to 10 to explore the video editing capabilities it has. I'm also a videographer. Thank you for sharing. Here's a link for "Youtube.com" of a video slideshow I uploaded last night. Please feel free to enjoy, comment, critique, although it's not requested nor required. thank you again for sharing your winter photo...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROR_5U-Hm_Y