Question about blurring the background-is it possible with a point and shoot?

I had a an em from a reader and decided to post it since there are others who might the same question -How does one achieve the blurred background effect without a fancy camera?. I asked my very good friend from Endless Light Creations to help me answer this questions. Thank you so much, dear friend!
Hope this helps!
Bless y'all and happy pic taking!

Rachel asked:

I was looking at your blog about the photos your kids entered into the contest. I was wondering how you add the depth to the photos. I love photography but am new to the whole digital editing. I noticed your kids photos have the depth that has to be added back in but I have never known how to do it. I only have basic free editing software but can't afford the expensive ones. Is there a way to do it with the cheap ones? All I know how to do is crop and adjust the color.

Dear Rachel!
I didn't add the depth of field in post processing. That came about from the aperture setting in camera.

The best way to get that effect with a point and shoot camera is to:
1. Choose the portrait (head) setting.
2. Pull your subject away from the background.
3. Zoom in as far as you can with your camera (just the optical zoom, not the digital zoom.)
4. Step back to get everything you want in the frame.
5. Click the shutter.

Your mileage is going to vary with this method, but it gives you a place to start. Unfortunately point and shoots don't offer the flexibility of settings like an SLR or a DSLR camera does. Sometimes you can fool it into giving the results you want.

If you are more interested in learning about how your camera works, may I recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It's complicated, but I read it the first time while I still had my point and shoot. I keep my copy at the library, LOL.