Rodd, my camera is not that expensive. A DSLR yes, but at the low end. The know how has taken a bit of time and some patience, but it's not exceptional and anyone can do it, if I can then ANYONE can do it!!
I took over 50 photos last night and of those, in my opinion, the best are shown, but that's the wonder of digital photography. You can ditch what you don't like straight away.
Give it a try and experiment. There's loads of info on the web for whatever kit you have and loads of ways to get the best. You could well be very surprised at what you can get. What, apart from a bit of time, have you got to loose??
When I first started in photography I used to develop and print my own b/w photos and I used to buy my film by the yard. I have no idea how much I threw away, but I learned how to hold the camera above my head, at my waist and in all sorts of places without looking through the view finder and now I can usually get what I an trying to get candidly.
Now, instead of throwing away film you chuck bytes that cost nowt. Give it a try you may well be surprised even if you only have a little pocket point and squirt camera. I have one in the car!!