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*~* Diane_BN *~*
Hi, and thanks for the compliments- I LOVE photography, and it's really come in handy with documenting the kiddo's growth and changes. I spend plenty of money on equipment, but, from what I've seen on the baby boards, I'm still under what many are paying for mall studio packages! LOL! 
I bought my first digital way back when I took my first puppy home- I wanted puppy pictures! It was a $400 2MP hulk of a Canon Elph (such dainty little things these days- but, not mine). I probably learned a lot about framing shots then- and I learned a lot more over the years (we have well over a 1000 pictures of our dogs and fosters in our online album- heheh), but, it wasn't until we upgraded to a DSLR to take pictures of Gabe, that I really learned about manual controls.
And it's kind of funny to look back through his baby pictures, because the learning curve is SO obvious! 
I think you'll find your film experience transfers very well into DSLRs- there are some fundamental differences to work through, but, you'll have all the bones in place. It's a very rewarding hobby, and I'd love to do it for more than that, one day. There are some great books and websites out there- you just need to feel comfortable with the technology, and you'll get there!
In case you haven't picked up on it, I LOOOOVE to talk photography. So, if you want a really long drawn out answer to a question, feel free to ask!
Thanks again! I love your ever changing siggie, btw- such wonderful pictures from a beautiful wedding!
Re: *~* Diane_BN *~*
Thanks for the great reply. Sorry for the late response; I haven't really been on in the past couple days.
Wow, 1,000 pictures--that is a lot of practice. But I kind of figured that, like anything, it's a practice-makes-perfect kind of skill.
My dog was part of the inspiration for me to get better at taking photos too. When we adopted him last year, the first few photos we took of him were so bad. He's mostly black with dark eyes, so of course, without decent lighting you can't really see his face in the pictures. I've gotten a few good posed shots outdoors, but I'm still not very good at catching him in action.
Do you have any fave Web sites or books you'd recommend to a beginner? I only have a point-and-shoot at home right now, but I do have access to a DSLR at work that I could practice with occasionally.
Also, on an unrelated note, I love the pumpkin hat you posted. So cute! You're really good. I'm kind of a sporadic knitter. I love starting projects, but I'm not very good at finishing them. With all the wedding planning over the past year or so, I haven't had much time to knit, but I'm definitely thinking about picking it back up again.
Thanks again for all the photo info. I will definitely page you if I run into any more questions. :-)
- Diane