Several years ago, I received my first digital camera as a gift. I liked the size and power of the camera, it was compact but powerful. Since then I have purchased the same brand over and over, most of the time I am happy with that decision. One of the things I like to do with my camera is take monochromatic (black/white) photos and macro photos, sometimes also maternity and pregnancy photography too. Macro photos are especially cool. With the macro setting, when you take a picture of something, say a small flower, it expands the subject of the photo to take up the entire size of the photograph and highlights the details and beauty of the object. Macro setting makes the item and the details of the item the focal point of the picture. Another thing I enjoy taking photos of is random patterns and abstract things that people don't think to take care of. They have a tendency to turn out beautiful. For example, one night I took a picture of the rain droplets on the windshield of my car. The street light was hitting the windshield at an angle such that when I took the shot, the water droplets looked like stars and the light looked like the sun. With the dark background, it came out really nice and interesting. When it comes to people, I like candid shots, especially of people laughing, socializing, and just being themselves. I've noticed that the best smiles are the ones that aren't posed!