Taking Still Photographs

Obviously, I've taken still photgraphs before.  I think in this age of technology, most people have at least used a camera once to take a picture of a friend or event of some sort.  But one thing I would like to learn is how to take pictures that carry an underlying meaning with them.  What I mean is not just taking pictures for the sake of taking them, but instead taking them with meaning.  I paint and draw, but the art of photography is definitely something I'd like to learn as I progress through this multimedia course.