Hi Rachel,

Shooting digital now days allows us to take thousands of images without much cost. In a weekend at an event I take 2000-3000 images a day. Many of them are out of focus, poorly exposed or just plain garbage. But, because I shoot so many, by accident a few turn out to be keepers. As we gain more experience, we increase the keepers and decrease the garbage shots.

If I shot film, I could never afford to shoot the way I do. Having digital allows us to experiment, refine our technique and bump into a good image more frequently.

How to become a better photographer?
1. practice, practice, practice
2. read books, magazines and the web
3. learn post-processing
4. ask other photographers
5. study light
6. learn what makes a good exposure and all the different controls your camera has to create an exposure - quit using the Auto modes and learn to use the 'Manual Mode'
7. learn what makes a good composition
8. did I say practice?

(I am still doing all of these and someday I hope to become a good photographer)

Good luck and have fun!