In my pic, I wanted to focus on the dog and not the surf behind him. I shot it with the following settings, called EXIF data:

Device: Nikon D3100(nl)Lens: VR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G(nl)Focal Length: 240mm(nl)Aperture: f/6.3(nl)Shutter Speed: 1/400s(nl)Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority(nl)ISO Sensitivity: ISO 100

The ISO setting is the sensor's sensitivity to light. Higher numbers are used in low light situations but the resulting image can be grainy. Since I was shooting in bright light, I set it to it's lowest setting for the sharpest image.

The aperture is 6.3, which is pretty wide, and the shutter speed 1/400s which is pretty fast. These settings are good for moving subjects, but also good for a narrow depth of field, blurring what is in front of and behind the subject.

You can use manual settings on your point and shoot to do the same thing, but it's often easier to use the automatic settings on your camera. Try using the camera's portrait modes.

Since I semi-retired a year ago, I've been studying and learning photography. I carry my DSLR just about everywhere. It's in a camera bag, with a shoulder strap, so it's really not that big of a deal, at least to me.

I got some good advice years ago from Jon Eisberg. If you want to get a few good photos, take lots of them. For every good shot I get, there are fifty that suck. For real photographers, like Jon or Phil Milinski, I'm sure their average is much much better.

Finally, learn to use the photo editing software that came with your camera, or buy Photoshop Essentials or something. You can take a mediocre photo and tweak the lighting or crop to make a good photo.