Don't give up on your equipment. Digital photography can be a challenge because you need to be both camera wise as well as computer literate. Computer photography software can be as great a challenge as learning to use your camera properly. All of the advice that you have received here has been excelent. Now for my 2 cents. Join a camera club if you can. I belong to one at our church, and it has been a great help to improving my photography. We submit 3 - 5 pictures on a selected subject and then explain what we did to achieve what we are showing. I'ts OK to submit something that you are having problems with because that is where you will receive help. An added bonus is you get to interact with some great people with common interests. A second place you can get help is from the internet. Go to Google Videos and enter your subject matter, such as Nikon D5100, Bryan Peterson, Moose Peterson, Photoshop Levels. Google will then give you an endless assortment of Videos to choose from. Bookmark your favorites and you are set. I hope that this helps. Please don't give up. I hope this helps.