I know, that seems like a lead-in to get you to buy some downloadable course in PDF format, but no, I’m not selling anything, just offering up a little advice. I have been taking pictures for over 25 years now and the one thing that is as true today as it was the first time I picked up a camera is this, I have a lot to learn!
You would think that after 25 years that I would know everything there is to know, but the minute you close yourself off to learning, you limit your ability to improve. The first thing I tell someone that asks me how to get better pictures is to learn the basics. I’m talking f-stop, shutterspeed, and ISO. I don’t care which camera you use because in the end, they all do the same thing which is expose a light sensitive media to light. Learning the mechanics of this process will be your gateway to improving your images. Cameras are smarter now, more than ever, but the one thing they can’t do is read your mind. When you look through your viewfinder, you have a vision of how you want that scene to look and all your camera knows is that there is a level of light that requires a certain amount of exposure to try and accurately replicate the tones that the meter is reading. What it can’t do is adjust the exposure for the subject that you have selected or point itself at something worth shooting. These are things you need to learn how to do.
Once you master the mechanics, then work on the aesthetics. Pick a genre and try mastering it. Work on your people pictures, shoot food, take some landscapes, work with your flash, try some painting with light, get some creative filters, learn how to use Elements or Photoshop or Aperture.
There are so many different places to take your photography and you are only limited by your imagination and your willingness to learn. If you are reading this, which I really hope you are, then you already have access to one of the most powerful educational tools ever devised, the Internet. There are so many talented and brilliant photographers out there that are sharing their techniques and experiences that it would take a lifetime to soak it all in. There are also tons of books, seminars, magazines, college classes, workshops, online classes, and even photowalks. With so many resources, your only problem should be deciding what to learn next.
So to wrap things up, learn your basics, then learn the finer points, and never ever be content with what you think you know. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to learning about off camera flash with Joe McNally. 
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That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO and how much light you have. That’s about it!!! Think about it, a pinhole camera has all the above items as well as the new Hassleblad HD3. Film or digital and even video has all those features. That’s why I stress, learn those basics and then for gods sake read the owners manual for YOUR camera. Just because I’m a professional photographer I don’t know how your Fuji, Sony, Pentax, Canon camera works. I have Nikon gear so I understand Nikon,… a little, because they have 20 different models. I didn’t mean to vent here but you hit the nail on the head. BASICS.
Have a nice day everybody and a great weekend
mike meyer