You'll be better able to determine the outcome if you have a good idea how your camera will behave. Additionally, I find it's very hard to take a bad digital image. If you're disappointed with an image, try cropping. Horizontal images can become vertical and vice versa. I prefer the panoramic format, as it enables a more dynamic relationship between elements within the image frame.
Many digital cameras come bundled with decent photo editing software.
Save a copy of the original image, then experiment. We understand you're working on a Java based project with some folks in San Francisco. While Jezebel allows me the freedom of complete control, there are opportunities working within a team that I find far more enriching. I've been working with the gurus at jGuru on developing a portal. Epicentric enables members to customize a wide variety of content modules.