The first step towards taking better pictures is to learn the limits of  your camera.  A camera records less of the field of view from the darkest dark to the lightest light than your eyes can see.   When you make a print, even less of the recorded information is revealed.  It is possible to create an illusion that your mind interprets as all of the scene it saw, but the reality of film or digital sensor is that a lie of omission is always produced on paper.  Once you understand that your camera always is producing an image that lies, you will see the importance of controlling the light that strikes the sensor or film and post processing your images.

What makes some photographs stand out of the crowd, manipulation of the image.  All the images created by the accepted masters of photography were created with manipulation with the majority of them done in post processing.  Anyone that does not manipulate the image is not producing the best image possible from the recorded image.  If the photographer is not manipulating the final image all it means is that all of his prints will be manipulated at the discretion of the lab technician doing the final printing, and the web images are the result of the camera manufacturer's idea of what the "ideal" result should be (and they generally strive for good skin tones as most cameras are sold to people that are going to use them for family pictures). 

Manipulation of an image can be done prior to clicking the shutter button.  Using reflectors or fill flash to soften shadows, flags and scrims to control the light that hits the scene, adding make up, body painting and shooting with UV light are all ways that manipulate the image the camera will see.  Other ways include controlling the aperture to create bokeh or a tack sharp image, using shutter speed to stop action or create motion blur, and filters can be used to polarize the light hitting the shutter or myriad other uses.  The more you can do in camera, the less work you have in post processing.

Post processing is where the old masters really stood out.  Hand cutting masks for sharpening, dodging and burning parts of images, bleaching or blackening negatives, solarizing, and many other techniques were invented by them to produce images that told the story they wanted to reveal.  They knew back then that an image was not true to what they saw.  For many of them, the caustic chemicals used to produce their images, wreaked havoc on their health.  We are extremely lucky that in our digital darkrooms, we are able to work safely and efficiently.  I am much happier that I am able to use adjustment layers and create digital masks. 

Try to remember that you can and should control the images you create.