I am new to slr potography, but it has allways intrested me. I have a nikon and have been taking some pictures at the zoo, and forest preserves that are turning out o.k. But pics of people arn't turnign out that well. Kinda just looks like what a point and shoot could do. Any advice on what to do. read or study up on?
thanks

If you could be a bit more descriptive, it would help.
1) what camera
2) what lens
3) what mode
4) are you using flash
5) are you shooting RAW or JPEG
6) can you post some photos?

We'd be able to help much more with this info.

Please post what your equipment is and a link to some samples so we can better evaluate your problem. It would also help to list your current camera settings (exposure mode, apperture/exposure priority, etc.).

Where abouts in Chicago are you located? I'm up in the NW burbs. Sometimes can be interesting going on a shooting outings with others... Can really give you a interesting perspective, and how others see things and how they photograph them.

Did this a couple times with a beginning photography class, and it was helpful/interesting.

Also, as the others have mentioned, what equipment are you shooting with, time of day, etc, etc. There are so many factors that can make a difference. And a lot of it comes down to getting to know your equipment, and figuring out what works well and what doesn't.