Attached Link: http://www.peternorquist.com/technotes/zone_system_p1.html

Kid, if you have a chance, and really want a better shot of that location, wait for an overcast day and reshoot it. Cloudy skies should help to tone down the harsh over-lit areas of the scene. Get familiar with you camera, it's a nice one. Like Misha says, you can snap away all day in manual mode, twiddling the f-stop and shutter speed settings and see how they interact with each other instantly and for free.

For a quick introduction of how to take advantage of
shutter speeds and f-stop settings, have a look at the
link above, which explains the Zone System of photographic
exposure.