1. A great camera will NOT make a great photograph unless it’s operated by a great photographer.

2. Beginners are absolutely capable of making great photographs if they have passion.

3. Read your camera manual – several times. The answers to most of your early questions are in there.

4. Take pictures of things that you know or care about.

5. Don’t try to learn everything all at once. You don’t have to become an expert photographer, post-processor and printer all in the same week.

6. If you’ve got less than a year under your belt don’t spend too much time fretting over your portfolio. It will change and when you’ve got more experience.

7. Don’t get hung up on things like “workflow.” Spend most of your time looking for light, learning to see and making photographs that matter.

8. Study the work of the true photographic masters. I am talking about people like Margaret Bourke-White, Alfred Stieglitz, Man Ray, Paul Strand, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Edward Weston NOT the cool kids who have lots of “likes” on Facebook or Flickr.

9. Great photographs are as much about feelings as anything else.

10. Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst – so stick with it.