thanks!
i really enjoy photography, in an amateur self-taught hobby sort of way.
verne, you asked about exposure settings. it was on auto, with the flash. here is what canon thought the right exposure would be:
1/60s, f/2.8, ccd width 5.69mm, focal length 5.8mm (no filter). i took it with my canon sd300 i mentioned on another thread.
i took a couple shots without flash, and one with. the ones without flash are the more classic "snowy city" shot, included below for comparison. personally i like the more chaotic effect of the flash bouncing off of the snow, and the way it oranged up the lighting.