Workflow
We can get ideas from each other but everyone should develop their own digital workflow (software & hardware). Since 1986, I've mostly been a Windows user. Currently I am running OS X Snow Leopard on a 13" MacBook Pro - with an external ViewSonic (PC) monitor because it's economical with great color rendition. Compared to Windows file management, Mac Finder is extremely limited. Adobe Bridge and/or Preview fill in the gaps.
I organize my photo library by relevant topics in a folder tree. Some photographers perfer to do this by date. I rename my files with A Better Finder Rename (be sure to turn on the multi-step interface!) because it gives me more control than Adobe Bridge or Lightroom.
I find tagging in Bridge to be easier than in Lightroom - but if someone out there sees it the other way around - please do enlighten me! In general, I love Lightroom for the ease of processing RAW files, organizing, editing, creating collections, applying develop settings to multiple photos quickly and exporting to various file formats, as well as creating slideshows and webpages.
Photoshop is great for finer work with indivdual photos, artistic montages and the like.
I no longer calibrate my monitor - I find the ViewSonic to be a stable enough display for my needs. Besides, printer gamut and monitor gamut are always going to have different ranges even if they overlap. For consistency, as much as possible, I go to the same place to have my images photographically printed. I trust my eyes and my brain to correlate the transition from screen to print for me.
iPhoto is for my cell phone pic's or the rare time I shoot jpg instead of RAW, plus it's easy for me to upload fun photos to my Facebook page.
Learning & Books
I taught myself to use a digital SLR camera with lots of play and experimentation; feedback from mentors and peers; and studying books including the camera's own manual. Basics of digital photography is easily covered by library books. As I progressed, I bought books in areas of topical interest to me. I didn't try to learn photography all at once. I just focussed on what was interesting to me at any given time - whether a content area or a technique or both. Learning about photography is as delightful to me as the work itself - sometimes more so!
Links
Why did I say links and I'm not going to put any links? There's so much out there, I wouldn't know where to start. ;!) What I will say is this... If I want to solve a problem or learn something, I google what it is I need to learn. If nothing relevant comes up, I switch up my search. An easy way to find out which software is better for a given purpose, or which lens, or which anything is to google "x vs. y" - where x and y are the two things you want to compare.
