I am by no means an expert, and like every other hobby I have, it's been trial and error. I never even had an interest in "good" photography until we bought our DSLR camera. I didn't even know what that MEANT before we got one. Basically, it means that there's a VERY fast shutter speed, and a wide variety of settings that can be customized. On the Point and Shoot that I had, there was a selection of pre-programmed settings, but the only choice I had was whether or not the flash was on or off. Thus, I had pictures that were SO harsh because the lighting was too low to go without flash and I had to use it. Not ideal. So that's the main difference if you're really new to the camera/picture world.
We are Canon fans at our house. I have the Canon Rebel t2i and LOVE it. But here's the thing: there's still SO MUCH that I don't know about my camera. I'm constantly learning new things and asking people things when I can. If you have a regular point and shoot camera (that means not a DSLR), the best thing you can do is just try to use the most appropriate setting on your camera as the situation allows. Then you could maybe brighten or tone down when you edit (more on that in a minute).
When I first got my camera, I basically googled for tutorials. I also looked at my friend Kristal's blog because we have almost the same camera and she went through a photography challenge and blogged about it. You can read those posts here. The main source of my knowledge actually came from MckMama's blog. She has some posts on photography lessons that are really good. I am NOT good at posting tutorials and things like that, so I would reference these that I liked and also google for more. Just experiment, experiment, experiment!
The best things to practice on at first are still objects, like a bowl of fruit. I remember I put my wedding rings in different places to practice with focus, etc. Take pictures in a variety of settings like inside and outside. The biggest trick to somewhat professional-looking pictures is knowing what setting you need on your camera for what you're photographing. I change my settings a lot when I'm taking pictures. Again, the tutorials I linked to and a plethora of others will help you with this!
Another HUGE tip that I have: tilt your camera a little to the side whenever you take a picture. That's what gives interesting angles. I hardly EVER hold my camera straight when taking a picture. It's always tilted a bit. Simple, but it will change the style of your pictures!
As far as editing goes, I use Photoshop Elements. There are a ton of editing programs to use, like Lightroom and Picasa, etc. I have just always used Photoshop so I'm comfortable with it. Again, my biggest aid in learning how to edit is GOOGLE. Haha! I will be very specific in what I search for: "How to erase blemishes in Photoshop Elements," etc. Just be patient and look through different tutorials. There's a good chance you'll find exactly the steps you need.
The two biggest edits that I do are adjusting the lighting in a picture and darkening the edges of a picture. I also convert to black and white and will very occasionally do an "effect" on a picture. I don't like overly-edited pictures. They aren't natural and sometimes drive me nuts. I think they're great for certain things and certain looks, but I don't do it very often.
The biggest thing that getting into photography has done for me? It makes me see details like I never did before. For instance, on our last day at Magic Kingdom, Kurt and I were spending some time alone and stopped into Main Street Bakery. We sat and looked out onto Main Street while having a delicious cinnamon roll. I can vividly remember that moment by looking at this picture:
Of course you can see details with any camera, but there's something special in capturing them just the right way. That's the biggest benefit I've learned from this hobby.
I know I probably haven't answered your questions very well, and if you want to know anything else, let me know! But that's really how I learned (and am still learning!): researching, trial and error, asking people, and practicing!
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