5 Mistakes New Photographers Make
When you’re first starting out as a photographer, or if you just want to know a few tips on how to improve your photos, this post here is gonna go through a few mistakes that beginners often make—and how to avoid them. Even those of you that consider yourselves a little more advanced might find some good pointers!
I’ve come up with 5 mistakes that I often see beginners make that should be avoided if possible.
1) Paying attention to composition.
Whether it’s getting the right angle, getting close enough, or simply eliminating some objects from the shot, this is one of the most obvious ways that you can tell a beginner from a pro. Composition is EVERYTHING. There are so many ways to get quality composition in your shot, and you bet there are a million Youtube videos out there with a multitude of ways to get good composition.
Far too often, I see beginners that don’t pay close attention to what is in their shot. If you’re a portrait photographer like me, you’ll want to make sure that there is nothing in the shot that is distracting the viewer from the main subject. This doesn’t mean that you can never have something more interesting than the subject, but that the subject needs to be in a place that will draw the eye to them. (Side note: the eye most is most naturally attracted to the lightest point in the picture).
For example, if you’re in a senior session and your subject is sitting in the middle of the road, legs criss-crossed. Oh look, there’s a busy street with passing cars in the background. You could use that photograph and maybe the cars aren’t too noticeable. However, I guarantee that a professional photographer is going to find a better angle so that there is no risk of distraction in their composition.
Now, here’s the thing. Sometimes you’re going to have a lot of distraction in a photo that you can’t get rid of. Say, you’re shooting a wedding and there are a million people around. What you COULD do is utilize those “distractions” to frame your subject. You can do this by blurring out the distractions and focusing on the subject, or make your subject the central point in the shot. Those are just a few suggestions; the possibilities are endless! A good rule of thumb though, is that you take a moment before capturing the scene in front of you and ask yourself, “is everything in this shot detracting or adding to this image? What does it add to the story? Is absolutely everything important in this composition?” When is doubt, simplify. Most viewers like to have 2-3 aspects of composition per photo. So don’t overdo it and don’t be afraid to eliminate some things!
2) Blurry Images
Blurry images mainly stem from a shutter speed that is too slow. Fast shutter speed = clearer photos. However, you’ll want to be careful when upping the shutter speed to also open the aperture wider so that your camera lets in more light. Without a wider aperture to let in enough light, the images might be less blurry, but they will be too dark to see what’s going on. Shutter speed and aperture have a give-and-take relationship. The faster the shutter speed (ex. 1/1600) requires a wider aperture. The slower the shutter speed (ex. 1/100) requires a smaller aperture (the higher the number aperture, the smaller the hole (ex. f/13). There is a balance that needs to be maintained in order to get consistent quality images.
A good guideline to keep in mind: your shutter speed should be faster than one divided by the focal length of your lens to avoid camera shake and blurry images. For example, if you have an 85mm camera, the shutter speed should be 1/85th or higher. If you’re in a situation where you need as much light as possible (say, for right photography) then you’ll need to set your camera on a steady surface or use a tripod. If you don’t have a tripod, then I would suggest keeping the shutter speed where it needs to be and instead upping your ISO (this is only if your aperture is the widest it can be). This is set of a last-resort since ISO tends to add a lot of noise and grain to an image, but it’s the next-best thing.
I like to use lenses that have the capability of shooting in a very shallow depth of field (like f/1.4) so that I can let in as much light as I can!
3) Shooting in manual mode.
I bet you’ve heard many a time how only real photographers shoot in manual mode. So, wanting to be a real photographer, you keep your camera in manual at all times. There have been far too many times in my early years of photography where I missed a great shot because I was fiddling with the exposure settings in manual. Those images were either way under or way over exposed.
This is not the case! For beginners, it can be very overwhelming when you first get your camera. All those buttons and settings… it’s a lot. As a beginner, get to know your camera one step at a time! Auto mode will help you ease into using your camera. Then, try moving to aperture priority.
Aperture priority allows you to change the aperture, and the rest of the settings (shutter speed and ISO) automatically adjust so that your image is evenly exposed. You could call this the semi-automatic setting for your camera. Don’t worry about staying in auto mode for a little longer! It’s hard when you’re first starting out and you’re worrying about composition, your subject, white balance, etc. on top of making sure your shutter speed is at the right speed. Also, always take a few test shots before beginning the session.
There’s nothing wrong at taking things at your own pace. As long as your improving, you’re doing great!
4) Using on-camera flash
Have you ever taken a picture on your camera using the pop-up flash? Well, you probably know what I mean when I say it’s… trash. Unless, of course, you’re trying to go for a specific look, and the camera flash is the look you want! What I mean by the camera’s built0-in flash is that generally your subject will look washed out, flat, and textureless.
The main problem with the flash is that you aren’t able to change the direction the light is flashing. The best way to use a flash is externally, something that can bend and turn so that it faces a wall, or the ceiling that will allow the light to bounce off surfaces and therefore, evenly illuminate a room and the subject(s).
There are flashes out there that you can attach to your camera that points up toward a ceiling, but this is only ideal for indoor venues with lower ceilings. A high ceiling will be too far away for the flash to bounce off of.
5) Being too timid with creativity
Far too often, new photographers are too afraid or shy of trying anything new. They stick with what they’ve seen or what they’ve been taught instead of stepping out of their comfort zones. I get it, it’s completely understandable! You don’t want to take the time to go out of a limb if you don’t know that the picture will turn out great! The chances are, the photograph may not turn out how you envisioned, but if you never try anything new, you’re never going to grow and progress as a photographer. There is no growth in the comfort zone. It’s so important not only for beginners to consistently try new things, but to KEEP trying new things after you’ve become more advanced.
There are a multitude of ways to stay creative: learn how to add something a little extra to your photos using Photoshop, go all-out on an indoor studio, try a funky new angle, use prisms in your photographs, experiment on some new poses, literally the possibilities are endless!
As you try new things and master them, before you know it you’ll become known for shooting in a certain style and your viewers will love you all the more for it. Branding comes naturally when you don’t let your fears keep you from developing your niches. So go out there are do something a little crazy, edgy, or completely different from what you normally do! I promise you won’t regret it.
What other things have you struggled with as a beginner photographer? I would love to hear your thoughts!
