Good suggestions by everyone, good to see some knowledgable photographers here.
If I may, add some tips to the all ready posted ones.
Tips For Begginers:
1) when deciding on a camera purchase, you may want to consider what your end product is going to used for. For example, if you are just posting for the web a low pixel count mat be just the ticket. However a low pixel count isn't so hot when it comes to print, especially large format prints. The higher the pixel count the greater the resolution. (If Shot Properly).

2) Shoot, shoot, shoot.. experiment, don't be afraid, with digital, film processing costs don't factor. If your cam has preset shot modes, use them all. If your cam has the ability to shoot manually, experiment with film speed or ISO's. These can make a world of differences for capturing correct colour, focus and exposure.

3) Be concious of the available light. ( I'm Assuming That Begginers Don't Have Articifial Light Sources). Soft, indirect light is usually prefered and easier to work with. Be creative, if the sun is shinning through a window, and it's super bright, hang a piece of translucent cloth in front of the window. A shower curtain can do wonders. Something to take the "Edge" off of the subject. Use a bounce card or something to reflect soft light to oppose the brighter, harsher light. place this more or less opposite your main light source. Move it around while looking through the lens. It can be as simple as a piece of white paper.

4) Use a tripod. It may seem cumbersome, but well worth the effort. One may think that they are a "Steady Eddie" when hand holding the cam at lower shutter speeds, but 99% of the time you'll get a slightly blurry pic. If your cam can shoot "Rapid Fire", shoot 2 or 3 frames. At lower shutter speeds this technique can offset the shutter bounce that can also result in blurry pic's

5) Focus techniques (This could get complicated) If your cam has but one focus point and you want a different part of your subject sharp.Sometimes auto focus features pick up on the closest object. You can get around this by A.) shooting with brighter light, increasing the focal distance. B.) Trick your camera by focusing on something relativly close to the point you want focused, then re-frame your shot.

Post Production or After Effects.
Back in the day there where none of these except the dark room, a microscope and a fine tipped paint brush. Todays computer programs are deffinatly making it easier to produce fine photo's.
However, do not rely on these to work magic if you don't shoot somewhat correctly the first time.
When exploring all, and I do mean all, the options that various programs have. I would choose one of those that have the ability to increase or decrease the exposure, colour saturation, contrast and of course a crop option.

I could go on for pages of info on how to shoot as I've been a shooter since as early as I can remember.
I currently use a Nikon D5000, 12.0 mega pixels and a Nikon D70, 6 mega pixels. Both of these are full size, 35mm frame camera's with all the bells and whistles for manual options.
I have an 18 - 55 Mil. and a 55 - 200 Mil. lens kit and I'll swap these back and forth on the cam bodies, since the D5000 has greater ISO capabilities. I also use a fisheye lens that mounts on the 18 - 50 and an LED ring light that mounts on the fisheye.
For after effects I use Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and Corel Painter.

Here we have an example of soft, indirect, directly over head light. W/O a bounce card. This was shot with the D5000 using ISO 800, 52mm, f 5,6 and 1/40 sec.



This is the same, but with a bounce card.


This, now the editted version of W/Bounce card


Please feel free to contact me with any questions that anyone has regarding photoraphy.
Please see some of my other works. http://www.behance.net/gallery...

Excellent tips, thank you!
My most difficult subjects are red/violet shades in Orchid blooms, especially those which have that wonderful fluorescent sparkle. I took about a 100 pics of my Potinara Red Heart 'Neptune' to get the correct shade.
http://cubits.org/orchids/thre...
I have a Nikon D 50.The first lens wore out on me and I replaced it with a new AF S Nikkor 18 - 55 mm 1 : 3.5- 5.6 G. I am using Adobe Elements 4.

Wonderful information! Back to my tripod. I get lazy!!! My dad was a professional photographer and was a combat photographer in the CBI (mostly Burma) in WWII. I grew up with the smell of hypo. I was a professional artist for years but changed my career in the 90s. Now I shoot every day.

I have trouble getting orange to not turn gold!

Thanks for explaining the bounce card concept...I have a shiny - ish sheet of aluminum on my
counter in the greenhouse to keep all the dirt off the heater and it does a nice job..I discovered by accident!

without the 'bounce card' and with

That's really working!

dumb luck

Some excelent tips! Thank you so much. My biggest problems are finding an uncluttered background and that shaky hand after my morning pot of coffee. Guess I'll have to break down and but a tripod.

I know what you mean about the background Carol, all I see is the flower then later
when I look at the picture...I see the dogs face, or the wheelbarrow!

Lindsey, Good job Experiement with that card now, move it around a bit.
Tripod; sometime shooting on the exhale and waiting between heart beats get tiring.
Purple's and violet's:

Oh Wow!

Shooting in harsh light ? The Sun's making too many shadow's ?
Try this low cost effective way to offset the light.
Use diffusion on the light source or somewhere between the light source and the subject. Distance makes a difference.
Diffusion is available in different 1/3 f-stop increments and many different materials. Need to travel light ? try flexable/foldable types.

I'd love to see your techniques in action! Can you show us a diffuser?

Diffusion can be a hood for your flash, hand held or frame mounted for easy positioning around large lamps or dealing with the sun. The material itself comes in a variety of thickness's and opaqueness. It can be purchased in 12" X 12" squares or long rolls. Cloth, known as silks, paper or plastic.
I know $$ can be a concern, so use an old straightend hanger, make a frame and clear tape your diffusion to it, no stand needed for smaller subjects unless you're using a longer lens and can't be right next to the subject. Diffusion can be a piece of sheer cloth or old clear shower curtain. Anything that converts straight beams of light to a soft "Fluffy" light, Remember the thicker or more opaque, the more F-stops lost.

Pictured below, first a sample of very light diffusion.


This one shows the use of large, very harsh and bright lighting instruments with 6' X 6' framed diffusion, stand mounted. Notice the position of the diffusion,on the right side of the Foto., between the light source and the subject. On the left we see two lamps using some sort of reflective material as an indirect source. Again softening the light.

Great examples. I'm going to try playing with this. A whole new world. I could use it for close ups outside too.

Along those lines ( I hope??) I have on occasion placed a white printer paper in front of the flash to get red shades more accurately.

Same effect, anything to soften the light.

Pic of large roll's of diffusion and color correction gel's

When possible, move your subject to some interesting angle.
This one totally back lit, Setting sun, exposed for the dark pink spots.
Nikon D70, ISO 320, 105 mm lens (55-200mm,F 4.0-5.0), F/ 4.8, 1/320th/sec.

Played with reflected light on this Phal lueddemanniana today.

Whoa Kathy, nice shot. Super detail, love the reflection, showing the texture on the petal.