Hellobee Boards

@travelgirl1: I would try switching to Av mode so you can set the aperture yourself. The wider the aperture (the lower f-stop number), the more light you let in, but the smaller your focal length. You'll want to close the aperture (increase the f-stop number) in order to increase your focal length so that people on different planes can be in focus. This will mean a decrease in light let in though, so your shutter speed will decrease to accommodate for the less light, unless you're shooting outside!

@travelgirl1: hm...with your kit lens, you're definitely more likely to get good results with groups, since the f stop/aperture doesn't get too low.

There is no need to shoot in manual, but I would recommend trying A/Av, which is aperture priority if you want to start learning about what your camera can do.

I just searched quickly for a better article online that would explain aperture and depth of field, and found this, which will probably explain a bit more clearly what I was saying before:

http://www.exposureguide.com/focusing-basics.htm

When you shoot in A, you pick your f-stop, and the camera adjust everything else to give you a properly exposed photograph.