1. A great camera will not make a great photograph unless a great photographer operates it.
2. Beginners are absolutely capable of making great photographs if they have passion.
3. Know your camera well… Read your camera manual – several times. The answers to most of your early questions are in there.
4. Understand exposure – good exposure is how bright you want the image to be
5. Master the light – Learn to use lights & do your own light settings
6. Explore depth of field – don’t be afraid of low or high aperture
7. Get to know perspective – it has to do with spatial relationship between object in your frame – their sizes, their placements, and the space between them
8. Conquer Composition – how the various visual bits & pieces in a scene have been organized – tell a story, convey an emotion, or catch the viewer attention  
9. Perfect your post – processing
10. Take pictures of things that you know or care about.
11. 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.
12. If you have got less than a year under your belt don’t spend too much time fretting over your portfolio. It will change and when you have got more experience.
13. 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.
14. Study the work of the true photographic masters.
15. Great photographs are as much about feelings as anything else.