Take a look at your holiday snaps from last year. Have you noticed how seldom the photographer appears in any photograph. Now is the time to do something about it, because this nice new digicam of yours features a nifty little gadget which lives hidden away among all the other controls of your camera somewhere, but it's time you started using it.
The electronic self timer on your camera will delay the release of the shutter for approximately 10 seconds after you have pressed the shutter release button. This should give you ample time to take up a suitable position in front of the camera to include yourself in the picture.
To ensure a perfect picture, place the camera on a tripod or some other firm support. Compose the image in the viewfinder and take up your position. The red warning light on the front of the camera will blink steadily during countdown and just before taking the picture it will start to blink faster. To cancel the self timer you usually press the shutter release or self timer button again
It can also successfully be used to avoid camera shake when capturing night shots or macro images. Just make sure you put the camera on a stable platform or a tripod.