Hi, I just got back on to RaisingThem.  I haven't been on in months...actually probably a year+.  Someone had left a message about this group for me to join because I LOVE LOVE taking pictures.  I just have a Kodak EasyShare camera right now but hopefully I will get a nicer more advanced camera that can do some fancy stuff. 

I adore taking pictures of my kids and also of nature and architecture.   I would love to get tips and ideas on how to improve my picture taking with my existing camera and it's abilities.  It doesn't really have an "aperature" setting but it has things like White Balance and ISO and Exposure Compensation.  I can take Black and White and Sepia pics and the camera will adjust to Tungsten, Daylight and Florescent and Daylight.  It has the dial on top with portrait and action and landscape (distant subject) etc..  I've tried to put together settings in my basement with different lighting to take my own portraits of my kids (expensive to go to JCPenney's anymore) but I can't seem to get the lighting right so I'm still experimenting with that. 

I'm from the St. Louis area...actually live in Illinois now.  I would love to know if any other Photography parents are from an area close to my area but I'm sure this group has members from all over the U.S., so really anyone that has the same problems or has the solutions to my problems with photography or the same interests in subjects etc.... I'd love to chat. 

Thank you for your time.