My father bought me a Nikon D5600 camera with 18-55mm AF-P lens for my birthday! Does anyone have any photo tips for beginners?

Embarrassingly enough, I've never actually used a real camera before so needless to say, I'm pretty intimidated by this camera because there are so many options! But I had mentioned once that I wanted to try photography so my father surprised me with this as a gift and I'd really like to give it a try. Do you have any tips for someone who has literally never picked up a real camera before? Any advice would be helpful! I'd like to take some nice shots around town to show my dad!

Read and understand the manual that came with the camera. I know that it is a dry and uninspiring read, but it will save you from hours of frustrations later. If you don't understand what it is telling you, Google it or come here for further explanation.
Also, a beginner photography course at your local community college wouldn't hurt.

Watch this video then you will understand everything about your camera.

1. Read the manual.
2. Learn to half-press the shutter release button.
3. Study composition.
4. Shoot in Auto mode.
5. Venture into S, A, and M modes only if you are willing to learn photography and are ready to get a lot of bad pictures while at it.

The thing to remember is that good photographs are made by people. The camera, no matter how cheap or pricey, is simply a technical instrument - the artistry comes from the person using the camera.

Next is to look at the handbook and think about all the many facilities which a modern DSLR can offer you. Explore them and find out what they can do for you. Experiments cost you nothing but your time, unlike the good old bad old days when we had to pay for film and processing!

And if you do have anybody near you who does handle a DSLR well, get advice from them, or book in at an evening class.

Besides the obvious, read the manual many times (I periodically pick up my manual and scan through it to see what I've missed) and play around with the features that interest you.

Learn about the basics. Has some good tutorials. Go through the Photo Essentials section a few times. There are many sites out in Internet land that have excellent tutorials and discussions on the basics. If you like videos, YouTube has a bunch of good stuff. B&H Photo's event space videos on YouTube have some excellent lectures covering beginner to mid-level topics.

Without question, the #1 tip for you is to read the manual. Keep it in your bag and read it at least once every year.
Next, go onto YouTube and do a keyword search for "fundamentals of exposure," "fundamentals of photography," and "Nikon D5600 tutorial." Take copious notes keeping track of any unfamiliar terms. Then do keyword searches for videos discussing those unfamiliar terms. Give yourself 6 months to a year before you feel perfectly comfortable. Eventually all of the buttons and dials won't feel overwhelming to you.

The camera is designed to be used in full auto mode where all you do is point and click, just like a phone. So while you're in the process of learning about the exposure triangle and composition, you can still just snap away without having to know what you're doing.

If you want a good photography book that covers the basics, take a look at Brian Peterson's "Understanding Exposure." The typical owner's manual just tells you what the buttons and dials do, but not necessarily why you'd want to use one setting over another. Brian's book goes into the "why" aspect along with explaining the fundamentals of exposure and composition.

You've got a pretty good camera in the D5600. It's definitely good enough for any beginner learn with, and it's advanced enough so that you won't feel as if it's holding your back for many years.