Photography- pausing to see

I've always loved taking photos, and wish I did so more often. It's fun to mess around, especially since choosing which digital shots to print results in fewer and better actual photos than taking your chances with 35mm film. I've taken two photography classes at Squam, and admired some fancy cameras...

On occasion, a shot just works out really well, and the desired effect comes across beautifully...

Other times, someone or something gets in the way. I'm working on not getting too annoyed or frustrated, and every once in a while, it's kind of funny...

I used this flower from my garden as an accent in a recipe I prepared for this blog, and I was messing around with the background. Food styling doesn't come easily, but I can only laugh at my cat:

Thanks for respecting the copyright on these photos. Do you have a favorite camera to recommend? I'm looking for better manual settings than average digital cameras have. Maybe a new polaroid?