I found Living in HD through a Panasonic Lumix discussion group on Flickr. A site dedicated to Lumix photographers and I'm glad I did. It's been just great talking and getting to know other members of the Living in HD family.

That's a tough one. I like them all but if I had to choose I'd say the male and female Barn Swallows. They must have had a nest near by because everytime we went down to our boat, they were together. I grabbed my camera and got the shot of them sitting on the boat line. I had to wait for the right moment, they kept flying off as I got close so I had to be patient. The wait was worth it. I think the picture came out great.

To start taking great pictures, I found that simply reading the manual is very important. I know that the manual is boring and you don't have the time. Trust me, it's the first most important thing to do. I read it over and over to learn how to use all the features my Lumix camera has to offer for each situation. Also, purchase a book on photography, I bought Scott Kelby's The Digital Photography book and it has been a bible for me. His simple approach has helped me improve my skills ten fold. Finally, practice, practice and more practice. I must have taken hundreds of shots to learn good photography skills over the years and I'm still learning. As a matter of fact, I plan on taking the Lumix Photo Academy classes after the new year and one more thing, just have fun.

After researching the best camera to buy for the money. I found that the Pansonic line was the right choice for me. My first Lumix, the TZ5 is a great camera, The quality is my favorite thing about it. Not only does it take great pictures, the feel of the camera and the build is outstanding. Over the past two years I've never had a problem at all. It's just a awsome point and shoot camera. But don't let the fact that it's just a point and shoot fool you, my Purple Annual pic ( taken with the TZ-5) won photo of the month at a contest, up against DSLR's no less.

I bough the new Lumix FZ-35 back in September and I have so many favorite's on this one. The camera is well built, easy to carry and lots features to choose from. As a nature photographer, my favorite thing has to be the 18 times optical zoom range and the image stabilty control. They work great together to get that clear shot from a distance. Plus, the FZ-35 is compatible with other Panasonic products such as the AVCDH lite for viewing HD movies on a Panasonic Viera flat screen is a added bonus. I can't wait to try that out.