No Pictures

You don't mention the model of the camera.
I do have a few ideas on things to check, however.

I can tell you that many digital cameras SAY they can accept any alkaline batteries to power them. I've found that while technically speaking, that is true, regular batteries cannot supply enough power to actually make the cameras work. (And you only get a few pictures before they are spent!) That could be giving you just enough juice to power up, but not enough to take a picture or show your screen. (I am also assuming you are inside and still not seeing the pic screen. The screens are very hard to see outside in the light.)

I would suggest that you try the Energizer "e" batteries in the silver and BLUE packaging. Those are made especially for digital/electronic devices and are very powerful. In fact, once they no longer power our digital cameras, we do not discard the batteries. They have more than enough "juice" left to power other everyday items. Our hair trimmers have been running on an old pair of the "e" batteries for two months now!

I would also double check that you have the card inserted properly. They have little metal strips on the backs of the cards, and each camera is often different in how they go in. We have three HP digital cameras - two of them require the card be inserted with the metal strips down and facing the user, but the other one needs the metal strips facing AWAY from the user.

I hope this helps you - perhaps you can post again with the brand and model number of your camera, and get a little more specific help.