With the purchase of my new camera has come some helpful advice:

1. Expose [to the] right [1]
   This refers to the distribution of light captured in the digital sensor and is best understood by looking at a histogram that measures this. A histogram is the 21st century light meter [2]; it is a simple graph that displays where all of the brightness levels contained in the scene are found, from the darkest to the brightest. These values are arrayed across the bottom of the graph from left (darkest) to right (brightest). The vertical axis (the height of points on the graph) shows how much of the image is found at any particular brightness level. Thus, exposing to the right means arranging the photograph such that the histogram looks more like the one on the right than the left.
   

2. Proper White Balance
   Ensuring white is captured as white can be a challenge. Often the solution is to use a white-balance reference card. By taking a picture of the card before a series of pictures (in the same conditions) the photographs can be adjusted accordingly. RAWWORKFLOW.COM discussed the white balance card; what impressed me the most was that the vendor was advertising they had just released Generation 6. Obviously, getting to white is more complicated than one might think.
   
3. Remove the lens cover
   This advice was obviously provided by a professional who uses equipment appropriate for his more advanced level. My camera, however, offers a solution: