Photoshop Elements is essentially a "Lite" / hobbyist version of the regular Photoshop... It covers the basics but does a lot less with fewer features and options. There's also Lightroom, which is a complete photo management solution, more than an image editor. It's kind of in the middle with what it can do for image manipulation.
Anyway you could try out a free trial of each or any of the above, just download and go, to see which you like http://www.AdobeTrials.com PS - Prices for all are a ton cheaper if you happen to be a student or teacher, or could become one.
Elements 100.00 CS5 500.00 Elements is great for basic photo retouching and general work. CS5 is for more graphics oriented work and large scale photo retouching. A lot of people use Lightroom and Elements for photography, 300.00 for the two.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.