Done deal - just purchased the Canon Rebel XT - one last request

[mazz]

Again, I appreciate everyones helpful advice. I'm not sure if I'll opt for the extra grip in the future.

Anyway, I went with the kit lens for now and in the future hope to add to my collection. I guess once I really have more of a clue about photography and all those special terms that I'm fairly clueless about right now. Which brings me to my last request.

I'm looking for good sources for the basics of photography as well as some more advanced readings after getting through the basics. I'm open to web-sites and books for resources.

Thanks again for all the helpful hints.

Also, I'd be curious to know how many years it really took you to go from novice to pretty darn skilled.

[aparmley]

While there are, I'm sure, enough great websites out there that can help you along, such as www.Luminous-landscapes.com, I just picked up a book recently called Understanding Exposure Revised Edition By Bryan Peterson. I am only about 1/3rd of the way through it and already I am liking it a lot. I mean there were things that I learned here in hanging around the forums, but he lays everything out there nicely and it just seems to be the kinda read I was looking for; it more or less brings it all together so to speak [For me he is repeating alot of the things I already know, which means he starts at the basic, foundation level an inexperienced, but interested photographer can follow; like I said though, its providing me ways of looking at the technical side of cameras that make sense and make other things I already knew make more sense, full circle!]. I am really enjoying it, like I said, so I suggest it. head over to Amazon.com do a search on it and read the back cover... highly recommend...