it takes a lifetime ;-) more seriously, it takes practice. LOTS of it. in the past only people who decided to allocate sizeable budgets could really practice and go through several rolls of film per week (or even per day, on vacation). today, luckily, thanks to digital cameras, anyone can take a hundred shots in the day, check results, see what worked or did not work, delete the poor shots, and learn from this. as a result, the learning curve can be much faster, especially if you're motivated. bottom-line: - practice, practice, practice. Take shots all the time, of people, of places, objects, buildings. Try out: change the framing, the composition, try to shoot against the sun, sideways, back to the sun, try natural and artificial light. Try large apertures and small ones (to vary depth of field). Try fast and slow shutter speeds (try panning). Try wide angle and long end of zoom. Try to work on exposure (overexpose on snow / white sand). Try to expose on this or that element of the picture. Try bracketing. And so on - many well known photographers have taken hundreds of shots PER DAY for years. And the great shots they have published are maybe 1/10'000th of their actual production - you'll need a camera that allows you a good deal of control. To start with and to control expenses I'd go for a superzoom such as a Canon S3 IS or a Panasonic FZ7. Sure a digitial SLR will give you superior results but (1) they're expensive, (2) if you want 12x zoom it will be VERY expensive, and bulky, and heavy; (3) they don't let you compose your picture on the screen, which slows down the learning curve - BUY A GOOD BOOK. It does not matter whether it's about digital or analog photography: all the principles are the same. It must be a book that explains about focal lenght and effects, aperture and effects, about light, etc. And if possible that has sections from various big name photographers together w advice If you do this you can become pretty decent in a matter of months. Then whether you remain pretty decent, or whether you become very good or even great - this will depend a lot on whether you continue your efforts, and a little on whether you do have some artistic talent. And eventually, of course, you'll need a superior camera because, today, only digital SLRs can handle difficult conditions (sharp contrasts, poor light) properly. good luck