First-time copywriting attempt

First, good for you that you're "finally diving into it" .

Second, your lack of confidence will and does show in your writing. Nobody got it right the first time (I think). But if you're hoping to persuade anybody, you have to write it like you mean it, not like you're afraid of it (the product/the copy/the reader/the website).

Third, copywriting is a conversation with the reader. Good copywriting creates vivid imagery, but it does so effortlessly, not with long sentences and stacked adjectives.

And, last (and maybe this should have been the first), you're losing everyone at the headline. It's vague and confusing and it doesn't communicate anything to the reader.

When you simply have no idea where to begin and how to continue, look at similar websites and see how they do it.

Hope it helps, good luck!

Does it really make sense to you to open the door by banging your head against it... instead of simply turning the knob and pushing it open?

Pick up a book or two on the subject.

Alex

Maybe it should be based on both. You can read a lot and that helps, but, from my experience, you will only get more confident by practicing; by making mistakes, and by overcoming them (and here is where books, and courses, and more experienced copywriters can help).

Just a comment on your site setup: In my humble but correct opinion, too many photography websites lead with a single slide show. Yes, that is the product. Yes, her photos are great. But that is not all the customer is buying.

All the copy that provides context is buried in bios, about us pages and such. If it's possible, I would match each image with more copy. Explain when it was shot, where, how, more info about the subject, etc. Romance the photos with great copy as I'm looking at them.

For example, why are the great stories behind this artist's work buried in the bio page?
Biography | Steve McCurry

This is where so many sites miss opportunity. The story IS the product. I would move the stories front and center.

Similarly, for your site, I recommend matching the great photos with much more background. Since I am a dumb American, I had to look up where Kamchatka is. Put all that information upfront. So when somebody lands on the site they can quickly find out what it is and where they are. You have all this info but it is buried.

For example, under "the Artist" you say "Kamchatka's winters often border on the brutal, freezing the land rock-solid until the sun of spring again warms the land. As if to make up for this, the summers are times of sudden abundance: berries and mushrooms sprout in profusion unimaginable in milder climates, the streams teem with huge, summer-fat salmon and trout, the woods are packed with wild game, and the lakes are black with ducks and geese."

Wow, get that stuff out in the open where it can breathe. Notice how Saddleback Leather tells you their story right on the front page:
Saddleback Leather Co.
You can buy leather products anywhere. But they have built a brand on the story.

Notice how J Peterman sells socks.
English Socks > Accessories et al. | The J. Peterman Company
You would have bought these at Piccadilly Circus to watch Don Budge win Wimbledon. These socks have been handmade in England by Scott-Nichol for over a hundred years.

Sure, they are great socks, but they are still friggin' socks. But they give you a story.

Think of it this way. Let's say you are the artist and you have a shop called the Art of Kamchatka in Manhattan. Some upscale people walk in. What would you say about the photography for sale to kindle their desire?

You might say, "Hi folks. Welcome to the Art of Kamchatka. Have you been here before?

Oh! It's a good thing you came in today because I just got these pieces back. I LOVE this shot. Look at these two locking horns. I took this shot from a Chinook helicopter on the last day of winter. These two are fighting over a girl. Can you believe it?...

Let me give you some background. Kamchatka is the northern part of Russia, kind of like Alaska. The wild beauty is stunning. I grew up there and started taking pictures of wildlife when I was in high school. My dad was a bounty hunter. He says Dog the Bounty Hunter is a pussy! While he was capturing outlaws, I would shoot pictures of snow eagles...Look at this other shot here, another amazing picture. Do you folks buy a lot of artwork? Really, this would be great in an office or den....."

Tell me a story.

I agree: the site is not, and should not be, for everyone. In fact, your response seems like a perfect illustration: if someone gets there, and

1) Sees the heading that says "The Art of Kamchatka";
2) Looks at the full-screen image of two reindeer battling;
3) Reads the caption that says "The Struggle for Dominance/Two of the larger bulls stamp and blow threateningly as they maneuver for advantage",

and still doesn't have any idea of what it could be about - that's not someone for whom the site is intended. So far, you and I seem to be in complete agreement.

Now, Joe Ditzel's comment about telling stories, rather than just having small captions, is brilliant; I'm consumed with envy at being able to dissect the problem down to its core like that, and I'll be restructuring the front page so I can tell more of the stories behind the images. My friend has a certain untutored freshness to the way that she relates those stories, and it'll take everything I've got to translate them into English without spoiling or losing that effect. But someone who doesn't get the message at all? "Thank you for visiting; hope your day becomes more pleasant and less confusing!" I.e., not my target market.

As the Japanese say, "the reverse side also has a reverse side." Imagine a page that explains everything you want, in great, precise detail.

...and then, the immediate reaction of anyone whose inclination is artistic (rather than intellectual) will be to instantly bounce away from that page, because they - i.e., my target market - are looking for art. Not verbose explanations of what the site is about. The words come later - AFTER the art has had its impact. Perhaps as a dessert to be savored after the tasty meal, but not the meal itself.

If you're suggesting that buying art is primarily an intellectual pursuit, you may want to reconsider that point of view.

Perhaps the title - you know, "The Art" part, as well as - ah - the full-screen photos?...

It may be that, in order to critique effectively, understanding the basic intent of what the OP is trying to do is a requirement. I don't know this for sure, but most of the advice I've received in this thread has ranged from useful and supportive to incisive and stellar - and no one, until now, has missed the intent of the site. But I sincerely do appreciate your time and effort in trying; if only the best cooks brought food, it wouldn't be much of a potluck.