I don't know about you but when things go wrong for me I want to chuck my camera out of the nearest window and be done with it. As a newbie photographer, it's hard to determine when the problem is actually the camera or the user! So we've put together a short list of issues that come up frequently, and how to sort them out while keeping your camera (and your sanity) intact.

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<div><a title="Headshot by Martin Gommel, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwerfeldein/2104791931/">[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="600" height="387" alt="" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Headshot.jpg"]</a></div>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Headshot</em>
Photo by Martin Gommel</p>
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Here's a list of some common camera issues and how to diagnose them yourself:

<strong>Camera doesn't power on.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Does the battery have sufficient charge?</li>
	<li>Is the battery inserted into the battery slot correctly?</li>
	<li>Has the memory card been removed?</li>
</ul>
[/list]
<strong>Camera appears to be switched off during shooting.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Is the camera in sleep mode?</li>
	<li>Has the battery been completely drained of charge without you noticing?</li>
</ul>
[/list]
<strong>You cannot take a photo.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Is there any space left on your memory card?</li>
	<li>Is your memory card properly formatted?</li>
	<li>Does the battery have sufficient charge?</li>
	<li>Is the camera in playback or review mode?</li>
</ul>
[/list]
<strong>The battery drains too quickly.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Are you continuously using the LCD screen? (Do you always shoot in live view mode?)</li>
	<li>Have you used the built-in flash with every shot? (this is a huge drain on the batteries resources)</li>
</ul>
[/list]
<strong>The camera does not recognize the memory card.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Has the memory card been inserted properly?</li>
	<li>Is the memory card write-protected?</li>
	<li>Have you used the right type of memory card?</li>
</ul>
[/list]
<strong>The flash does not work.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Does the battery have sufficient charge?</li>
	<li>Is the camera set to "No Flash" mode?</li>
</ul>
[/list]
<strong>Your photos appear blurred.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Were your hands shaking when you took the photos?</li>
	<li>Did you handle the camera firmly? (but kindly...)</li>
	<li>Was it too dark where you were shooting?</li>
	<li>Was the subject moving too fast for the camera to capture with the settings you used?</li>
	<li>Did you use a very slow shutter speed?[/list]</li>
</ul>
<strong>Your photos are overexposed, too bright, or "blown out".</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Was it too bright where you were shooting?</li>
	<li>Were you using the correct ISO setting?</li>
	<li>Was the aperture too large allowing too much light into the camera?</li>
</ul>
[/list]
<strong>Your photos are underexposed, or too dark.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Was it too dark where you were shooting?</li>
	<li>Were you using the correct ISO setting?</li>
	<li>Was your shutter speed too fast?</li>
</ul>
[/list]
<strong>You cannot connect the camera to the computer.</strong>[list style="orb" color="grey"]
<ul>
	<li>Do you have the latest version of the software and drivers required to connect the camera?</li>
	<li>Has the camera been connected to the cord correctly?</li>
	<li>Is the memory card write-protected?</li>
</ul>
[/list]
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<div><a title="lined and ready by Darwin Bell, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinbell/4576475841/">[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="521" height="640" alt="" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/headshot2.jpg"]</a></div>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>lined and ready</em>
Photo by Darwin Bell</p>
Of course by no means is this an exhaustive list of answers...but this will certainly get you started with troubleshooting your camera. If none of the above works and you've consulted your manual, it may be time to get yourself to the camera repair shop.