Sorry for the late reply Mojo. My grandfather is doing well.
I have actually taken most of my best photos on full automatic mode. When I take macro shots I put it in manual mode so I can find tune the focus a little better. Other than that I just take lots and lots of pictures untill I get one that I can live with. It just takes time and lots of experimenting.
Here is a link to a roundtable discussion on Reefs.org where they shared some tips for photography. I have used some of the tips and it seems to help me get better shots.
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog...lk_013101.html
HTH,
Andrew
