Hey guys, I'm new to this photography lark so any comments that you could give me on ways to improve this type of shot (with it being summer, sunsets seem an appropriate thing to shoot) would be greatly appreciated... thanks
Hello! Welcome to shutterbugism. It is a wonderful art to learn and discover the world and ourselves.
One thing which is good to remember when taking a photo is to always make sure you can see into your blacks. If you cannot, it means the photo is under-exposed. With digital, this can be tricky because digital is not as forgiving as analog is with the light and dark factor, so the best way to hand extremes is to meter for the area in the picture which is the middle tone and maybe leaning for a few stops of over exposure from that reading. This will allow you to get all the subtle tones of grey which are needed for the photograph's success.
