for static screen captures, use these key commands:
full screen: apple-shift-3
selection: apple-shift-4 (then draw a selection around the object you want to capture)
window: apple-shift-4, then hit the spacebar. Will capture a screen shot of whatever window you hover over, even windows in the background, menus, the menu bar and the dock.
There is also an app called Grab in the Utilities folder, which will give you more options