When I’m asked about my advice for new or beginning photographers I always recommend they learn to use their camera in manual mode. Manual exposure, manual focus. Using manual control you learn much more about exposure and focus, additionally, you slow down a bit, especially at first. Slowing down gives you time to consider your photograph. Learning to manually control your camera will be my first bit of advice. I probably shoot 90% of my images in manual mode.
The second bit of advice I believe is important is to learn post-processing. In today’s digital age post-processing is the darkroom of our photographs. When we think about past masters of photography many, if not most, developed their own photographs or had a very talented darkroom person. In fact, I can’t think of a single photography master of film days that just sent their film to the neighborhood drug store or any other mass production film processing business. Why, because how the image is developed post shutter click is nearly as important as the setup pre-shutter click. For me, the straight out of the camera jpg is not unlike using the neighborhood drug store or the “one hour photo” development store. Yeah, it’s a usable image, but they are more often than not, lacking. Can you image Ansel Adams or Edward Weston putting their camera in auto mode, clicking the button, and using the in-camera processed jpg as the final product? Me just writing that probably has those guys rolling over in their graves.
If you truly want to be the master of your photography do yourself the favor of learning to control your camera and the development of your images in post.
Photographer Clay 
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