Wondering if anyone knows a decent guide for some basic settings to use for cameras (I have a dslr)... I've had it for a bit and after a few tries can usually get the settings to something I like, but I'm about to go on vacation to the beach and might not always have time to figure it out on my own... so just looking for a basic guide for settings to use in certain situations (most likely dictated by lighting).

example: wasnt sure if there were better settings to use for trying to get a picture of lightning so took a while to get it satisfactory... seemed just a little off for a few tries.

Another question since I'm on the topic... I know there are different ways of changing the exposure/appearance of exposure but what would I want to change if I were going for the different exposures of an HDR pic?

Every photograph is based on lighting. You're going to have to be a lot more specific.

What do you know already and what are you looking to learn? Posting your pictures and describing the problem might help. I would hold off on using HDR till you figure out your photos first. It's easier to take a good picture in camera before butchering it with stuff like HDR.

What camera are you shooting with? Lenses?

Best advice I can give you...based on your info...

The more light available the less stable you need to be for a decent shot...

In darker situations...the auto-timer and putting the camera down for the shot is better...

using a cannon rebel xti with the only the lens that came with it for now...

I'm not looking for huge specifics, I'm just sure that I could use some general settings to get me started in the right direction for a lot of common lighting situations...

like as another example: I dont know where I'd start if I was taking a picture of the sunset... I'd have to take at least a few shots before I even know if I'm heading in the right direction... I haven't had a whole lot of opportunities to use the camera in different situations so just looking for a basic outline... not sure if there is one but I'm guessing there's something like:

sunlight:
shutter speed: xxxx
ISO: xxxx
aperture: xxxx
etc..

I understand that it's not exactly something simple and I can eventually fine tune it to what I want... I dont really have issues with that, just have issues getting there at a decent speed at this point. If there were something to set me at a good starting point, I would much more easily be where I want to take the picture. I really dont have any specific examples of what I'm going to be pictures of seeing as I havnt been to the place... thus why I'm asking for just a broad outline/guide if anyone knows of one...

I understand that lighting is complex and different situations call for different settings, but there has to be some sort of pattern for similar shots which would mean that if there's a basic guide, I could start from there instead of starting from scratch.

Hope this clarifies what I'm looking for...