Originally Posted by hhmoore

If you think the DSLRs are expensive, wait until you start pricing decent lenses.
You don't need a DSLR to take good pictures, though; a decent point and shoot can take some outstanding, clear pictures. (Skip the phone pics.) The trick, or part of it, is learning how...and you'll take lots of poor pictures in the process of figuring it out. There is just no substitute for practicing, you have to look at the images with a critical eye - otherwise, you'll just take the same quality pics over and over...getting lucky with a good one every now and then.