 He learned how to read and write in Russian between the ages of 14 and 15, and he studied German from German-speaking people in Khiva living at the White Mosque.His first teacher was Volga German photographer and filmmaker Wilhelm Penner, who introduced him to photography and camera work.In the conservative Islamic society of Khiva, where there was a religious ban on the depiction of all things animated, Devanov managed to pursue his hobby of photography.