Go to the articles section and read about plants and lighting and fertilizing, also read the stickies in planted tanks. Get an idea of what you want to do with the plants and which ones you like and what type of lighting.
Mostly newbies will start with low to medium since there is little extra to do for them, cost wise or time wise. Low light plants will add to a great environment for your fish, and make the tank look nice too. I like my low to medium light plants.
My two cents worth is that you not leave your light on for 12 hours straight hoping to make good light for your plants. Can lead to algae as can over feeding.
If you aren't home on a regular basis to turn the light on and off, get a timer and give the plants a 2-3 hour rest period in the middle of your 6-8-10 or 12 hour light period. It has made a big difference for me in avoiding an algae problem.
People here are generally great with your questions and very helpful.
Some of my first plants were Banana plant, moss ball, and chain sword and a good group of plants are the Anubias, for low light. A couple of my favorites are Ambulia, mosses, and ludwigia repens x l. arcuata.