Finally! changing aperture...

[kaleidoscope]

Don't know where my camera manual is at the moment, but I was able to access it online. And after rereading several times it finally sank in how I can change the aperture! (besides it adjusting by using the zoom).
I NEED to find that book! I don't like having to try to read it on the computer, plus I'd like to take it with me and take notes from it.

I"m still trying to work out how to do a portrait/shallow depth of field so I get that nice blur.

[katrinak]

wide aperture, distance between your subject and the background, and a long focal length and you've got bokeh

[kaleidoscope]

Thank you Katrina. I've been learning about that. Only I've discovered in the last couple of days the smallest aperture my camera has is 2.6 *sigh* While it sort of gives some blur it's not a really deep one. Focal length - I'm not sure about this. Will have to research. Not sure there's much I can do with a point and shoot, at least, for what I want it to do.

[kaleidoscope]

OH.... ok... well, when I zoom in (I think that is what you were meaning by a long focal length?) , the lowest aperture my camera will go is 5.5

So I guess the type of portraits I'd be better off with are ones with an interesting background (but not distracting) or the draped sheet kind. And I can forget about those neat object ones where the object goes from sharp to blurry.

[katrinak]

leave more distance between your subject and background and you can still get it.