Help for a novice photographer

I've been shooting in Auto mode so far. Went to the workshop this morning and am raring to start trying out what I learned if there weren't a snow storm going on. I've just been taking my camera almost everywhere and shooting whatever catches my eye. The one I like best so far (only thing I did was a little cropping):

 

HC, the best advice I can give is to just get out and play.
• Experiment with the different settings, learn what they do and never go full automatic. Invest in a quality flash and learn how to use it and bounce it properly. Even grab some photos that others took and try to recreate them, just to see what went into pulling off that shot. Lighting is everything. Well almost everything.
• Play with different aperture and shutter speed settings while shooting the same subject and watch how it affects the end product, everything from depth of field to motion (stop action or blurred) to the way the light plays on on the subject. It's one thing to read or be told about it, so much better to do it yourself and see it first hand.
• If you're shooting a featurey shot, do not use auto focus — zoom in on your subject as much as you can, get it tack sharp and zoom back out to the way you want it cropped. Auto focus can be finicky and change with the slightest of bumps and is tough to get to focus exactly on what you want. I really only use my auto focus when I'm shooting sports and that's because my subject is constantly changing.
• The more comfortable with your manual settings you are, the better you will be and the more fun you can have.
• Make sure your shots are level, unless you are going for that specific artistic shot, but generally keep it level (it can be easy to get lost in a lens and loose your horizon).
• And my biggest error, always make sure you have your card in your camera ready to go. Fun showing up on assignment with no card, the joys of one man doing three jobs, thank god no longer.

Photography can be a lot of fun and a little addicting, the more you get into it, pick up different lenses — watch kijiji and craigslist for the glass, as it can get expensive, but as along as it is taken care of it will last years longer than the body, and as long as you stay in the brand you will be able to use the lenses on any of their DSLR or SLR models. There are also some budget brands out there that make lenses for Nikon and Canon and other big name companies that work great for the amateur photographer.

Hope some of this helps, just rambling off the top of my head. Check the youtubes for intro to photography videos or even the googles.
Have fun!

 

Following up on Beef's great advice, my main advice would be to get out there and practice using the camera in as many scenarios as you can. As you get more comfortable and familiar, try experimenting with different settings.
Also, in daylight, don't take pics into the sun. When I first started photography in 1999, my boss handed me an old Canon AE-1 Program. No tips at all. I was taking a picture of a couple and the wife asked, "Don't you want us standing over here, so you're not taking the picture into the sun?" Lo and behold, that worked much better.
While first getting used to the camera, I would say start in auto mode, then start trying different modes like Shutter priority or Aperature priority. Try taking pics of the same thing with different settings (higher/lower shutter speeds or aperature settings, for example) and then review the differences.
There are some good forums out there with knowledgeable camera people. I believe DPreviews.com has a good forum (I think that's what it's called), plus there's something like Nikonians.org for Nikon shooters.
Another vote here for a 50/1.8 lens. The 85/1.8 lens is also good, but I use the 50 much more. Places like B&H Photo, keh.com and others often have good deals on used equipment as well.