Thanks to a good sale, a coupon, and a husband who spoils me way too much just enough, I have officially entered the world of digital SLR photography. I’d been researching it for a while, primarily because I was frustrated with my inability to take a good indoor candid of my kids in a low-light setting, and everything came together this weekend, enabling me to bring home one of these little beauties:

It’s a Canon Rebel XSi, generally considered an “entry level DSLR.”  (Which I think is code for “An SLR you might actually be able to afford, if you save up for a while.”)

For the most part, I’m clueless.  I’ve been playing with the settings, and have taken way too many pictures of my kids, the cat, wooden blocks, water bottles, dining room chairs, the mailbox, books, the remote control, Mickey Mouse sugar fruit snacks, and anything that gets left on the kitchen counter.

I’m already impressed that it can take great indoor pictures, even when handled by a clueless person, such as myself, who is still mostly using the Auto Mode. Imagine what award-winning photography I’ll be able to produce when I actually know what I’m doing!

I’ve begun the learning process by reading almost everything The Pioneer Woman has to say about photography and am starting to delve into Digital Photography School, a site run by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger fame. But I have a feeling I have a long, long way to go.

In the meantime, if you already know how to use an SLR, please share: What do I need to know, get, learn, or conquer in order to get a handle on this new toy? What advice would you give to me, a complete newbie to SLRs?