What kind of camera and software should a beginner in photography use?

I love to take pictures and need some help in becoming an amateur photographer and plan to buy a separate laptop if necessary as of now I have a mac.

If you can afford it go with a DSLR like the Nikon D40 or D60. Of course is money is not an object you can go higher up the DSLR line but a good entry level one will let you learn and grow. As to software fora beginner I would say photoshop elements. It does most of the commonly used functions of CS, its easier to learn, it not expensive and it can use many of the same plugins as CS and you can get actions for it. Probably nothing wrong with you mac laptop but if you get serious about the photo work you want to calibrate the monitor.

Learn to shoot in RAW and try to get as much right in camera as you can, rather than relying on software fixes.

If possible, get a digital SLR. The Nikon D40 is probably the best buy at the entry level, but Canon, Olympus, Pentax, and Sony also make suitable cameras. Nikon and Canon are the two big pro brands, if that counts for anything. If the DSLR is too much, look for a compact camera with fully manual and program modes, such as the Canon PowerShot A590.Any of these cameras will also have fully automatic modes, but you should have the manual control options so you can learn what the various settings do.

Photoshop Elements is a good software package, or you can go for freeware, such as Gimp. I suggest in the beginning you concentrate on getting good pictures in the camera, and restrict your editing to cropping, resizing, and minor touch-ups.

software is not a substitute for a good photographer. you should be using a computer only to 1. store digital photos. 2. learn more about photography and 3. do your homework on cameras and accessories.

the most important part of any camera is the photographer. start with a camera that lets you manually adjust aperture, focus, shutter speed, iso, and white balance. this will let you learn more about taking good photos. keep it simple and leave the bells and whistles for later purchases.

A great beginner camera is a Nikon D40 or the D50. I prefer the D40, but it may be a bit more expensive.