First things First

So before we post anything about how to get a better composition in your photography, or how to prepare for a shoot, every photographer should first understand how to work a camera.  We will try to keep it simple and easy since photography should be mostly about passion, and enjoying your art, which in return will lead you to understand more about the specifics of how your camera functions. 
While some people will tell you to shoot in many of the automatic modes your camera most likely has, most, if not all professional and semi-professional photographers will tell you to always shoot manual. When shooting in manual, you will want to understand the three main things that will affect your photography being exposed correctly: ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed.
To keep things easy we are going to very basically explain these aspects. 

ISO
ISO is your "film sensitivity", with digital photography it is your sensors sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO the more sensitive to light the sensor will be and the brighter the image. However, be warned, the higher you raise your ISO the grainer your image will be.

​Aperture
Aperture is the hole in which light travels through, located in the lens. Aperture affects focus and exposure. The lower the number you have your aperture,  the more open, or bigger the hole is, and the shallower your focus will be. Meaning on what you are focusing on will be in focus clearly. The larger the aperture is, the smaller the hole is, and the more clearly everything will be in focus. This more open the hole the more light it lets in, thus the image will be lighter, while the smaller the hole the less light it lets in, thus the image will be darker. 

Shutter Speed
Shutter speed refers to how fast your shutter opens and closes, which lets certain amounts of light hit the sensor or film. Shutter Speed is represented by a fraction or in seconds. It is read as 1 100th  of a second, 1/100, and 3 seconds. The longer the shutter speed is, the more light that hits the sensor and the brighter the images. Faster shutter speeds, however, let less light hit the sensor and thus create a darker image. It should also be noted that hand held shooting, shooting without a monopod, or tripod, should only be done at 1/60th or a second or faster .

Managing these three key aspects to exposure and image quality will help any beginning photographer to first understand their camera, and lead to overall better photography.