First thing about photography - as with any art; needs to be learnt, practiced and applied. Serious results needs serious investment (not in the sense of money, but in the sense of time).
I believe your question is regards to equipment purchase. Photography equipment works in a ecosystem. Nowadays with digital revolution every one can become a photographer, which is a nice thing, this again accentuates the fact that one needs to invest time and effort to master this art.
I would recommend to start with a older gen DSLR, a Nikon D90 or Canon 500D. Do remember that all the major players in the photography industry are "Lens vendors" and not camera vendors. If you hate the bulk of the camera, Sony E-mount or panasonic 2/3 mount work well. DSLR body is the most painful part to carry. Once you decide upon the camera, go for the prime lenses or fast lenses. Ignore the electronic view finder, if you are serious enough, it is not needed. Also, serious photographers tend to upgrade the bodies, so your next body may have this as a usability feature.
The only tripod you need would be a gorilla tripod. Defer Flash guns for the time being, soft focus is a different topic - but lets avoid night photography for the time being. Try joining a photography club or going out with friends that enjoy photography. Everyone loves landscapes, but it is portraits that stay in albums (because we are narcissts :lol
. So don't worry about 300mm telescopic lenses. Zoom lenses have a telescopic vision, their time will come. Macro lenses are nice, but as with telescopic lenses, they need steady hand and patience.
Try to avoid "But.. But.. the shopkeeper and that guy on the forum (apologies to 'thatguy' on our forum) has given great reviews; I really need it". I am not asking you to avoid purchases, but defer them untill you feel the pinch. The important things like 'lighting', 'shadows', 'whitebalance', 'aperture' and 'shutterspeed' will keep one mesmerised for a long time. Make sure use "the golden hour" to its fullest.
Photography improves observation skills. Show us what you have got, my suggestions intend to same your dough, and I really don't want you to be one of those other guys who has a nice camera "at home". You may already be owning a nice camera in terms of a iPhone or smart phone, but are unhappy with photo quality. A dslr comes with a better sensor, faster response time (to click). Smaller sensors guarantee huge depth of focus, larger sensors tend to give shallow depth of focus. I don't want to rant about it, but the discovery process itself is so rewarding.
