THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
6 Mistakes to avoid as a Beginner Photographer
Get a jump start on the art of Photography
So you’ve bought a new camera, go out and take photos, but don’t know whether what you’re doing is right. Don’t know what you should and shouldn’t be doing. I was once in the exact same position!
This is why I have created this guide of the top things you want to avoid as a beginner photographer.
Let’s get into it!!
- Being Shutter Happy!
The first thing you’ll notice when you start shooting is that you’ll take pictures of anything and everything. You’ll take pictures of the same things multiple times without checking what you are shooting; what your results are.
This is probably the most common mistake and we have all been there.
How can you fix this?
Honestly, just take your time. Take a shot, check that it is what you want, then take another. A top tip on checking your shot is to zoom in. The LCD on your camera is small and there is no way you can see everything. So, zoom in and take a good look around and make sure nothing distracting in your photo. Nothing out of place. Get it right in camera and you’ll save yourself hours of editing.
There is no added benefit in taking more shots. The only thing you’ll end up with is a memory card full of bad photos and you’ll have wasted your time going out to shoot.
You’ve got to be happy with the photos you have taken when you get back, else chances are you’ll be demoralised and not go out again.
On the same level, don’t expect too much from yourself at the start. The pros you see on Instagram have been honing their skills for years and that level of quality comes with practice. You’ll get there!
2. Wonky Photos
This is an easy one to fix, but one that is made very often. You can do this in post-editing but, the better you get it whilst taking the shot the less you’ll need to do later on.
The solution to this is to choose a point of reference. Whether that be the floor or the horizon. Chose and then make sure that you check and double-check before you press the shutter. It can be difficult in action photography where the subject is moving however, a tip to make sure your hands are steady and there is minimal movement when you press the shutter is to tuck your elbows into your body.
Doing this not only helps to keep your hands level. It also reduces any motion blur in your images from pressing the shutter.
3. Not Checking your focus
This is an important one as it is really difficult to check that your camera is in focus from the viewfinder or the LCD screen. You don’t want to get back to your editing software, especially if you have been shooting with a model, and realise that most of your shots are out of focus. So it is very important you keep checking your focus.
If you’re shooting using a tripod, I would highly recommend manually focusing on your subject as this is much more accurate than using autofocus for such situations.
For handheld shots, set your camera to one-shot shooting mode. This will allow you the opportunity to reset your focus every time you take a shot to be sure that every shot you take is pin sharp. This will also stop you from being shutter happy as mentioned earlier.
4. Composition
Composition is king. Don’t underestimate how important getting the perfect composition is. Photographers spend hours on getting the perfect composition and sometimes don’t even end up getting the shot because they are not happy with the composition.
Learning composition guides such as the Rule of Thirds or Symmetry are very important to keep in mind whilst shooting, although the composition is subjective to the person viewing. It is not something we notice straight away but getting it right does inadvertently have an effect on the viewer.
Barry O’Connell talks about the different types of compositions in his article, 20 Composition Techniques That Will Improve Your Photos. Be sure to check this out for an informative guide to creating better compositions.
5. Not taking your time
It’s so important to take your time getting the shot. Even if it takes you an hour to get the perfect shot. There is much more benefit in getting one perfect shot than rushing around getting 20/30 average photos of different subjects.
The subject will change as time passes. For example, the colour of the sky may change. Lighting conditions may be different from your first shot till the last. The more time you spend trying to get the perfect shot, the more effort naturally you will put into changing the settings to see what works best.
Taking all of this into account, you will be quickly developing skills by trial and error much faster than if you were to go out and try and take photos of all your planned locations in one session.
6. Share your photos
The last thing I would say is, Share your photos!
Don’t be afraid to share your shots! Whether that be on Instagram, Facebook, Flickr Twitter. Just share!
Are my photos good enough?
You may think that your photos are not as good as other photographers. But you can’t compare your beginning to someone who has been doing it for many years. They are at a different stage in their journey so don’t be discouraged or afraid. Embrace the journey and share it with the world. The photos you take are not going to be seen sat hidden away on a hard drive. To be honest, you won’t be looking at those photos again yourself.
Build a timeline by sharing. That way not only will your followers see them, you can also use them as a reference.
