Something I’ve found helpful in learning how to take better pictures is http://www.photosig.com. It’s a place where you can upload photos and have the whole community critique them and give you pointers on how it could be better. They’re not a shy community so sometimes the feedback is a bit harsh, but they are open to anything and everything. Another cool site is http://www.worth1000.com – as in “A picture is worth 1000 words.” This page is about contests – they tell you a subject or idea and you have to take a picture of it to see who wins. There are different categories – one for beginners. It starts off on the Photoshop contests tab so don’t forget to check out the Photography section!