If you could only give one piece of advice to a newbie....

[daft_biker]

.....what would it be?

I'd go for learn to use exposure compensation.

[giacomelli]

For a very Noob I would say "don't ask 'what camera should I buy?'" but get some ideas from the reviews and then visit a store and find out for what is best for them :-) This isnt easy advice too follow on some fora.

[RogerMac]

Take a lot of pictures and be very self-critical of the results

[TheFatControlleR]

Understand the aperture/shutter speed/depth of field relationship.

[OneTen]

Think about what you want the final image to look like, then consider the composition and exposure values to achieve this.

[Barney]

Think about what you want the final image to look like, then consider the composition and exposure values to achieve this.

Along a similar line I'd say before you put the camera to the eye think about what you want to achieve with an image and what compositional and technical elements will help you achieve that.

[Fen]

Look behind you!

Sometimes the best picture isn't always in front of you. Look around and see what else is there.

[Barney]

Look behind you!

Sometimes the best picture isn't always in front of you. Look around and see what else is there.

Yeah, like a PCSO.

[Luis_Rubim]

just go out and take pictures!

[Mike Lowe]

Understand the aperture/shutter speed/depth of field relationship.

Yeah, that's the initial thing. I remember learning this many years ago at school. So many flummoxed faces, was quite amusing.