On writing

I recently met two school friends and one of them said to me, "You always wrote the most beautiful essays and had to read them to the entire class. I was green with envy." I was stunned since I don't remember this at all. She also said that she still can't write a decent report for work. Is writing a talent you are born with or can you learn it over time?
It's true that I always enjoyed reading and writing. My greatest influence was my 3rd and 4th grade teacher. Not only did he teach me local history, he also was a freelance writer and photographer for our local newspaper. On top of that, he managed the library which was open once a week. I often went there and listened to the stories he told us. They were mostly legends about the rich history of our area and I could never hear enough of them. What would my teacher say now that I have followed in his footsteps and have published eight photo features in a newspaper and a couple of magazines?