I was part of a discussion recently about iPhone photos. The lady I was chatting to was asking for "proper" camera recommendations because her iPhone photos were, in her words, crap.
I've seen these conversations from a few people recently, and it always gets to me.
"I need to upgrade my camera, because the photos are terrible"
When I mention learning more about the camera, and taking better photos, most people respond that they don't have time, they just need a camera to take awesome photos.
But the bit that they can't quite grasp is that no camera will take awesome photos if you don't know how to use it properly. Not an iPhone, not a point and shoot, not a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
If you don't take the time to learn about photography and learn about your camera, nothing will save your photos.
There are two ways to learn about taking better photos (for free) - take photos, and read. You will only understand your camera by using it. Digital cameras make it so easy to take hundreds of photos while you're learning that all you need is half an hour and your camera manual and something to take photos of (still life is best when you're learning, a bunch of flowers or a tea cup are great starting points)
And pinterest has made it so easy to gather resources into one place for learning. I've learnt a lot about food photography, which has made taking photos of craft projects much easier; and I'm always reading about iPhoneography, cause it's usually the camera I have with me most; you can even get general photography tips.
Are you happy with your photos, or do you need to learn to use your camera?