One piece of advice which I have heard from several places is to take more pictures, and look at lots of pictures. It has been said the writers improve be reading other peoples work. I have found with my own photography that the more I shoot, the better I get.

Forums like this provide an excellent opportunity to guide your development, but that feedback must be coupled with action. If you keep shooting on a consistent basis, experiment with different settings in different situations, you will learn a great deal and develop a feel for what works in different situations.

As you look at pictures from other photographers, pay attention to what you like and what you don't like about the pictures. Once you see these things, you should start to see some of those things through your viewfinder and take advantage of them.

I am just an amateur, so take the advice for what it is worth. As I have followed this path, I can tell that my techique is improving, although I still have miles to go.