My top ten tips for beginners! (part one) (Patreon)

1. Your gear is not really important. Really! I became the most popular photographer on 500px.com with Lumix G3 (and you can see some of my first shots ever on the left), maybe the cheapest camera on the whole site :) All modern cameras are good, all lenses are good. Your photos are important, nobody cares about your gear.

2. So, don't spend money until you really know what you want. Until you totally sure that your gear is your limit, not your skills. Don't buy the most expensive stuff, you don't need it. 100%. 

3. Look at this, there are studios like this in Moscow. Absolutely amazing! There are a lot of them, huge and affordable (you can see it in works from thousands Moscow photographers). In my city there's nothing like this. So, I started to work at home, with one window only. And in two years I became more popular than any Moscow portrait photographer. It means you can work everywhere. You don't need fancy studios. Just find something for yourself. Make it your signature.

4. You don't know popular models? Any models? Work with anybody who will spend some time with you. Friends, girlfriend, boyfriend, parents, your kids, it doesn't matter. You have to be good photographer first. Invest in your skills. If you will be really good, a lot of people will contact you.  

5. Don't try to be a Jack of all trades (master of none). Find what you really like and what you can do really good. For example, there are a lot of money in wedding photography, but it's just not for me. I know natural light indoor portraits and I'm good at it. And that's my thing. Of course, you can do a lot of things just for fun (like my travel or  Formula 1 shots), but don't forget where your focus is.