No Clue where this goes...

So, I have been using a little P&S sony cybershot camera, it was good, but I really never got into photography with it.

However, I have been wanting a better camera. I was minding my own business at home on Monday when UPS showed up on my doorstep and handed me a package from Amazon. When I opened it it contained a brand new Cannon Powershot S2 IS, case, battery charger and 1 gig memory stick. It is amazing! The friend that got it for me was trying to do it anonymously, but Amazon messed up and put her name in my box...I would have figured it out anyway since it is the same camera that she has.

I now find myself wanting to learn enough about photography to do this amazing gift justice...and that is how I landed here.

My primary subject is my special needs daughter MJ and our primary location is at WDW (we live directly behind it)

I am looking forward to learning from all of you.

What a great friend, and welcome to the forum.

welcome youll love it here and learn alot

Awesome, why don't my friends buy me gifts like that?

Always great to have a willing subject and a great location. Now you have the equipment we expect to see some great results posted here.

We're a friendly bunch, you can post the photos you're less than happy with too and we'll dish out the free advice which will be worth every penny you pay for it!

Welcome!

Does your friend need another friend? LOL Welcome , you will find the answers to most all of your questions on POTN all you have to do is ask and some one will be glad to chime in to help.

That is a great present. I take most of my photos of my 3 kids in various scenery and the S2 has performed extremely well. I think you'll be happy with it specially the 12X zoom that'll allow you to get some candids that your other camera might not have been able to get.

Welcome !! You've come to a great place to learn and share.

Thanks for all of the welcomes guys! I shot about 400 pics on the camera this weekned and I am in love! And officially a camera snob (lol) I probably don't know a 1/4 of what it can do but I had such a great time with it.

I did notice two things I had trouble with:

1. Chopping the heads off (this seemed to happen most when I used the viewfinder as opposed to the screen)

2. It seems that after it auto focuses I have to be very careful to apply slow steady pressure to the shutter button or I get horrible blurriness.

It took me a while to figure out that the yellow box means it isn't focusing. Now I get to find out what the software can do after dling it to my computer. I am waiting for some basic photography books from the library because I don't know a thing about it, so it would help to know what all these things are.

You may be having trouble seeing all the viewfinder; this isn't at all uncommon with optical/electro-optical through-the-lens finders, and is more common if you're wearing glasses. Make sure the diopter is adjusted right and try moving your eye around to see where you best see the whole finder.

And learning to depress the shutter smoothly and gently is something we all struggled with at one time or another.

Thanks for that encouragement Jon! I really needed it, this seems like so much to learn...I wish my books that I ordered from the library would get here