OK, if you want to get into photography, don't mess around with point and shoots or bridge cameras, get a DSLR with a kit lens. You can get amature ones fairly cheap TBH. Canon, Nikon and Sony are the 3 big brands ATM that are being reviewed alot in the magazines. Sony have just brought out a new range, so you may be able to get one of their older models a bit cheaper (alpha 200, 300, 350) instead of say an alpha 380. There's not alot of differences and the lenses fit the same.
If you buy a camera with a kit lens, you can buy more lenses later, but the kit lens is absolutely fine for doing portraits (honest, I use my kit lens for portraits!) if you want to expand and get macro lenses and distance lenses etc, you can. You can use the on camera flash and upgrade if you want to an off camera flash (jessops sell them for around £100 but you can get them cheaper).
It's not expensive to get into, but it's very easy to want more! There's cheap DIY ways of achieving alot of things, like a backdrop, you can buy them for however much, or use a sheet, ironed and stuck to the wall. There's alot of scope to expand your kit, but all you ned to start with is a body and a lens (which you buy together).
I'd advise you to buy practical photography (best mag I've found), maybe a book, join the photography club in the clubs section (read through it, there's a few posts explaining aperture etc, ask questuins and people will answer - and I'm more than happy to answer any questions that I can) and maybe do a course (colleges often have free ones throughout the year).
You're best off going to a camera shop and seeing what you like, what feels right in your hands etc and then looking online for the best deal though.
Let us know how you get on xx
Feel free to ask away - I'll also be happy to help all I can 
Maybe! LOL So I'll have a look in the photography group! 
