[Aliska]

My Canon 20D which is quite an old model I get great action shots with it, depends on what the action is, but a shutter speed anywhere from 1/250 sec to 1/800 sec will cover most subjects. With birds in flight, it usually goes over 1/1000 sec and higher. They are hard to track.

Listen to what they're saying about indoor shots. You need a very fast lens to stop action. I have a lens with f2.8 and can use it indoors with no flash, available lighting, kids playing, older people dancing. it's a 24-70 2.8L with no IS. You can always use the popup flash but then there are other problems. I have one that slides in the flash shoe on top; to use those you have to plan ahead, can't just grab a shot. Even better is a bracket that elevates your flash. You will see professionals using them at weddings, and they use a lot more expensive cameras called full frame, not for beginners.

It took me awhile to learn all this, and I know you won't know what a lot of this "camera talk" means. I won a prize on the pelican shot.

[Melas]

You won the prize for the wrong photo. The bird is nice, but the dancers is a much better shot. I’m digging the nice bokeh. It really makes your subjects stand out.