Give yourself a few constraints as early as possible. Pick a camera. Buy a cheap prime lens. Stick to that one camera, that one focal length. For the lens I’d suggest 50mm, but only because that’s what I started with. A 35mm would work just as well if you prefer a wider view. Avoid zoom lenses—they make you lazy. Then go. At first you will find that your photos aren’t great at all—in fact they are quite bad. Go on and make some more. Make enough bad ones and soon you might start making one or two good ones.