Look in the photo forum for instructions on how to post. As for a camera, prety much anything is doable... i.e. there are lots of different approaches.
If you are (not so) old school, you can take film images, and have them put on CD or scan the prints.
But if you are looking for digital imaging, anything from a cell phone camera up to the latest top of the line $10,000+ camera will work.
Regardless of the camera, the quality of image you will need for posting on the web is far less than almost all cameras are capable of these days (even cellphone cameras are now measured in megapixels). At most, you will need an image of 800x600 or less at about 72dpi resolution (which is the screen resolution). More than that, and the image either gets really big, or you are capturing quality that is not visible. If you want to print, you will need about 300 dpi resolution minimum.
For good layout pictures, a few things to think about:
- a macro function for getting really close
- no digital zoom (or turn it off)
- a tripod is always useful
- a way to compensate for the lighting (colour shift) - this might be done after the fact with image software like Photoshop or PhotoElements
There are lots of advanced "point and shoot" cameras available, and they are getting cheaper and smarter all the time. I am very happy with my Canon G5, and I had a G2 before that.
Spend some time at a camera shop if you can, explaining what you want to do. Walmart may have the best price, but they won't likely have the know-how and advice you might want.
Andrew