The importance of tripods.

I'd just like to stress how important a tripod is, and how it is absolutely vital that it is in every photographers army. This is something that you really want to splash out on as it WILL make the difference between a professional looking shot, and a poor amateur shot. If you have the budget go for Manfrotto, these are "Industry standard" and are well respected, well worth saving up for and worth the money in my honest opinion.