#1. Know your gear
#2. Know your rule of thirds. (composition)
#3. Get out as much as possible and start shooting.
You have a dslr which is great to learn on because it gives you instant results. You can view the image immediately where as film has to wait to develop to see the result. Having instant access to the photo you just took has both positives and negatives to it.
The positive is you can see what you just shot. The downside to this is that you will find it harder to be a disciplined shooter. Since you can view instantly, you will tend to take many different shots and hope that one of those shots will please you.
Shooting on film takes much more discipline because, you have to really think of the composition of your shot. You also have to take every other aspect of photography into consideration when shooting film. You cant just say, "nah i dont like that one, ill fix it later." In a sense, you can fix film later but you start to understand photography much better when shooting film.
Out of the three tips I listed, number 3 is the most important. Learning your gear and composition will come with getting out and shooting. Most importantly,
Have fun!
Most photographers love photography because it is fun for them. No one is gonna say, "Aw man, I have to go shoot this Ferrari later but I really don't want to."
Have fun!
