I have received a Nikon D5000 as a gift but am a complete novice when it comes

[fhotoace]

What a great gift!

At first you can use it as a very nice point and shoot camera by setting the camera in the program mode. And then just shoot like a wildperson so you can get used to holding the camera in its most stable way, looking through the viewfinder and using both hands to hold it (page 30).

Look on page 81 of your user manual to learn more about the Program mode.

As time goes on, you can venture out and use that aperture or shutter priority mode to take a little more control over the images you shoot.

If you can find a weekend digital photo class, take it and you will soon be feeling more comfortable using your camera and having a sense that your photos will come out close to what you want.

For now, visit your local library and look for some good books on photography. Although they are written for film cameras, all the controls you need to use for proper exposures are the same (shutter speed, apertures, ISO's and white balance). Perhaps learning how to use your light meter to determine the correct exposure. It will also talk about long exposures to get shots like star trails, light streaks on roadways and making light graffiti

This link will help you with learning how to compose your images

http://photoinf.com/General/Robert_Berdan/Composition_and_the_Elements_of_Visual_Design.htm

[Jac]

Wow, you're so lucky! Well here's a place that reviews cameras and I thought when I got a nikon camera, I'd watch this video again if I didn't understand how it worked:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXlZW5L2Pbk
Just type it in on google if this video doesn't help. Other helpful websites will appear somewhere.
Also Nikon's website helps quite a bit too.
www.Nikonusa.com

[Jac]

Wow, you're so lucky! Well here's a place that reviews cameras and I thought when I got a nikon camera, I'd watch this video again if I didn't understand how it worked:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXlZW5L2Pbk
Just type it in on google if this video doesn't help. Other helpful websites will appear somewhere.
Also Nikon's website helps quite a bit too.
www.Nikonusa.com