aperture priority mode is the most generally useful. Try and keep above around f/8 if you can. Rule–of–thumb: shutter speed needs to be higher than the reciprocal of the lens length (1/100th for a 100mm lens). [on dslrs, it might need to be even faster, try 1.5x lens length]
Learn to support the camera properly, with your body, a bag, a tree, a wall, whatever. The more stable your shooting platform is, the sharper your images will be.
White–balance is king
learn to use spot metering
It’s all about the final image. Look critically at images (yours’ and others’), and see which ones really work for you. If they don’t, why not? Once you work out what the image should look like, it’s easier to make it in the first place.
Move. You get a different effect if you walk up to a subject and use a wide–angle to if you just zoom in to it. The interplay of focal length, aperture and shutter speed is the key to image control with an slr.
Read. There are some very good books around, both to develop the skill in using a camera, and to develop your art (I reviewed a few of my favourites – yes, yet another link to my own blog )

To be honest, it’s all a little overwhelming at the moment. I’m still getting used to the camera, and am trying to use manual exposure as much as possible so that I learn what to do, and what not to do. Hopefully this should be something that will come with time :–)

Perhaps it was a little over–zealous of me to say that I would like an L–series lens, but hey, it’s the truth. I’m sure that it’s completely unnecessary for me at the moment, and my eye probably couldn’t tell the different anyway. However, this entire thing has somewhat of an addictive nature about it and I can’t help but admire the craftsmanship that goes into the production of them.

So, for the time being, I won’t be buying anything else for the camera.

That’s what you think. Photography is a hideous addiction :–)

I have a 70–300 lens, but I hardly use it now; the 120 is plenty. Unless long lenses are also fast they’re very hard to use for the kind of photography that I do, at least. And fast, long lenses are very expensive. I hire them when I need them for something specific. The thing I most want to buy is a 12–24 or similar; I’ve really missed the field of view that an 18mm lens gives with film.

But yes, 55mm isn’t really sufficient for most photography.

Anyway, with all of this photography lark, I’d really like to get the website up and running so that I can host my images nicely.

Use flickr ? If you want a bit more control, gallery is great.

I would absolutely love a Canon L–series lens.

Don’t worry about the series of the lens, or the letters, or the manufacturer or whatever. Worry about what images it will allow you to create that you otherwise can’t. Photography should be entirely image–driven, not technology–driven (I wrote a little about this a while back)

Seriously. Go and take photos, rather than becoming a “measurebator”, spending your time on internet forums discussing gear.