Some factors to consider:
ISO: the higher you use, the more flexibility in terms of apertures and shutterspeeds. When you use ISO 100, you are normally limited to a wide open aperture and relatively slow shutterspeeds (below 1/60).
Exposure: manual metering off your hand is best. If that is too advanced/troublesome, AE or Tv should be acceptable, but you have to accept that your camera will get fooled sometimes.
Lens length: 35/50 mm lengths (film) are preferred. Any wider and you get distortion which does not look good for people. Any longer, and depth of field and working distance is not good.
Having said the above, Henri Cartier Bresson used Tri-X (ISO 400), and a M3 and got great results. David Alan Harvey (National Geographic) uses Velvia/Provia (ISO 50/100) on an M6 and got great results too. I guess the key thing is to be out there taking the pictures. Technique will slowly but surely be learnt as you take more pictures.