hey! I didn't start using a camera until I was in college so if she's younger that that...she's already has a leg up on me!! I'd say get her a nice camera that allows her to change lenses and use creative settings so that she can experiment. I learned soley by trial and error...I made a lot of mistakes and figure out what I was doing wrong so that I could correct it. I read a lot and went on a lot of forums. I'd say, try to find a community intro class and let her get her feet wet. Some photographers go to "photography school" while others are self taught...so it's different for everyone. I think it boils down to how bad you want it as a career....b/c then you are willing to absorb any kind of information weather it's from a book or a class. :-)