Thanks for all the help everyone...

Thanks for all the info, everyone...there's a lot here. Wow. And yeah,
the Nikon is an SLR. But I'd never be able to afford a D70 or even a D100.

As far as what I want to do with the photos--I'm not actually sure. I
don't think I want to publish them but the occasional publishing of a
few would not be out of line.

W/re do I just want to ogle naked chicks: <wicked grin> I can do that
anywhere. Ogling naked chicks is what leads to the desire to create
naked chicks for other people to ogle, nes pas?

Maybe I *do* know what I want to do with these shots. Hmmmm.

I think I need to know the basics of photography in general first. But
I'm going to print all y'alls answers to keep them around. I never
expected such--how to say--such cool answers.

Oh yeah, I guess I should have mentioned...I kinda sorta write erotica
and have been trying to do it for a living. I just got told that based
on a proposal I wrote, www.flamingobooks.com would be interested in
seeing a finished manuscript. An okay like that is somewhere between a
"this isn't for us, better luck next time" and "we'd like to publish this".

So I'm coming along. I won't deny that I like naked chicks but I will
deny that "ogling naked chicks" is my prime reason for photographing
them. I guess my motives could best be stated as "I want to find the
extraordinary in the pedestrian and the Divine Spark in the female
form." But I knew y'all would think I was a troll if I came out with
*that* one.

Thanks for the info.

Dave