Best way for an amateur DSLR photographer to improve?

[jmlowman]

I've been playing around with Canon SLRs since the early 1970s. Now I have an EOS 40D with 28-135mm, 10-35mm and 70-300mm lenses.

I'm not trying to be a professional photographer, just looking to take better photos. No plans to publish, but I do contribute to a well-known site that hosts photos of old railroad depots and stations that are still standing.

My main interests are depots, landscapes and cityscapes. I've looked at classes at the local university and community colleges, but they tend either to revolve around photo editing or beginning with black and while photography and darkroom techniques. I'm certainly interested in learning more about photo editing, but am not at all interested in portrait or studio photography, film, or anything that can't be done with my current setup.

Along the line I've bought a few books, so maybe the answer is to crack a few of them and try some of the techniques.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance,

Jim