The things you learn when you thoroughly read your camera manual. So I think the reason my photos haven't come out so well, was because I had the resolution set too low. It's a $100 Vivicam 3750 camera and it was a gift, so I can't complain.

I've now set the resolution to 3.1 mega pixels, even though my web search tells me that 4.0 pixel pictures are now the standard, so hopefully my pics will come out better. I can't compete with my cousin's $500 camera, but then again I don't think I would spend that much money on a camera. And despite my camera's cheap price, I did win a prize in my department's photo contest. It's never about the camera, it's about what the photographer sees. But it is great to have a camera that can take good pictures.