Best bet is to have a read on the web, get out there, click buttons and twist knobs (fnar) and see what effect they have on the photos and then it will eventually click in your head. If you know the very basics of ISO, aperture, focal length etc then applying it to a scene becomes easy with time and practice. You will take LOTS of duffers for a while and only a few good ones, but Im happy if I get back from a day of snapping with 10% good pics.