Canon Rebel XTI W/stabilizer lens

Hello bbridges,
Wow, you asked a REALLY open ended question. But here is a good starting point for Manual mode shooting.
Daytime (Full Sunlight) ISO: 100 (or 200-400 to capture fast motion)
F-Stop: Depends on how much depth of field (DOF) you want The lower the number, the blurrier the background. The higher the number, the more everything in the frame is in focus. Shutter Speed: Depends how much motion blur you want. The higher the number, the less blur you get.


Nighttime (Track Lights) ISO: 800-1600 F-stop: Again, depends on how much DOF you want Shutter Speed: Depends how much motion blur you want. The higher the number, the less blur you get.

Remember when you are panning to capture something in motion, keep on tracking (moving with the subject) even after you have released the shutter. It will help your stability reduce the chances of unintentional blurring.
My suggestion is to go to dpreview.com or stevesdigicams.com and do some rooting around in the forums. They both offer friendly and helpful advice. Also, check out webphotoschool.com
Better yet, experiment with your camera. Pick a time of day and take a series of photos of the same thing, and only change one setting at a time. Make note of what photo number you're on, and what setting you changed (and what it is). Then, when you look at the photos on your computer, match the photo numbers up with the chart you've made, and you'll begin to see a pattern. This is one of the faster ways to learn by trial-and-error. And, this method sure beats randomly shooting and just spinning the dials hoping to get something good. Try to predict the outcome of the shot before you shoot it. Ask yourself what the photo should look like (light? dark? just right? everything in focus, or just the subject?)
As for your lens, check to make sure the Auto Focus settings in your camera menu as well as on the camera are set correctly. And if all else fails, turn off the camera, remove the battery, remove the lens (in as dust-free environment as possible), and then put the lens back on, the battery back in, and turn the camera on again.
Happy shooting, and hope this helps!
**If this response helped you, please take a moment to rate it — thanks!

try changing the aperature and shutter speeds between the two you should be able to find a setting that shoot great outside photos