Help from someone with a Nikon d5100?

I recently brought a Nikon d5100 and I've really been trying hard to read the manual an read online on how to use it, etc. No matter what I do my pictures never come out very good. The pictures I'm taking are nothing better than the pictures I've been taking on my old Sony cybershot. I've payed 900$ for this Nikon and I really want it to start showing its worth.

What you need to learn is how to correctly manipulate the settings to do what you want them to do.

The manual may give you a little run-down over how to do it, but it is no where near detailed enough. I recommend a book called "understanding exposure." That will teach you well.

You've paid $900, read the manual from cover to cover more than once in the can, read dozens of articles from experts on the internet and still you can't get it right? I don't have a D5100 but your problem is not camera specific. Don't panic. You are not alone.

What you need to learn next is how to judge light. Start off with lots of it. The sun, it's free. Shoot in places where sunlight is abundant. Shoot flowers, trees, the grass, cars, buildings, anything under the sun. When you get the greens right (you'll know it when you see it), move on to people.

Position your model under the shade where sunlight hits a wall first before hitting your subject. Take lots of shots, whole body, half-body, close-up portraits. Try different aperture settings. You'll know you've gotten it when you make your subject's skin as soft as you can without going blurry.

Here's another page from the internet that may be of help.

http://www.illustratedphotography.com/basic-photography

Also research on composition like the "Rule of Thirds". When you bump into some problem, don't hesitate to ask here again. Happy shooting!