Photography is a wonderful hobby or career that is accessible to almost anyone who is interested. The learning curve can be rough or steep depending on the methods you wish to learn, but for the most part everyone has the potential to pick up a camera and create interesting work right from the beginning. However, there are a few common pitfalls that you may want to avoid so here is a list of the five most common mistakes.
Gear Everywhere!
With all of the photo equipment available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. Tripods, extra lenses, filters, darkroom gear, timers, lights, reflectors - the list is endless. However, without a solid foundation and a clear understanding of what your camera is capable of on its own, you’ll never be able to show true mastery of all of those accessories. It’s best to start off small with a basic digital SLR (or 35 mm film camera if you prefer) if you’re serious about learning photography. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with using your equipment and have goten some great shots, it’s time to start looking at some new accessories.
One Missed Shot
When you get started, you’re going to miss lots of shots. There will also be times when you get a shot but it turns out badly. That’s why you should generally take every picture (that you care about) at least twice or at least closely look at the digital image in the LCD screen to make sure it turned out. This will help teach you about the subtleties of your camera’s inner workings, as well as provide a bit of safety in knowing you won’t miss the important things. In this day of digital photography, there is little additional cost in shooting hundreds of images compared to only shooting ten.
Turn the Flash Off
You don’t need it. An automatic flash can prevent you from properly learning how to handle complex lighting situations and sometimes even ruin your images. You should turn your flash off and get used to working with natural light and your camera’s settings so you can further develop your photography skills. Cameras are quite versatile and can shoot in almost any environment, so try to be creative about how you use the light you’re provided, even when it doesn’t seem like enough.
Improve Your Composition
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to put your subjects in the exact center of the frame. This can cause wasted space in your photos, or tone down how interesting they are. Try to imagine the frame of your camera as cropping tool and get everything that’s important in there, without any wasted space. Framing your image properly in the viewfinder doesn’t take long to learn but will make a lasting difference in the quality of your photographs.
Point and Shoot
Simple digital cameras with giant LCD screens on the back are certainly tempting, but if you’re hoping to learn about the art of photography and challenge yourself to improve, you’re probably not going to get anything out of a point and shoot camera. Many beginning photographers choose these cameras for their convenience and affordability, which works great if you’re only planning to take pictures of family and friends rather than for artistic or professional purposes. If you want to understand photographs and the ways in which you can create them, you need to start with the right tool for the job.
Overall, these five mistakes are easy to avoid and won’t cause you much harm if you happen to stumble into one now and again. The only things that are important are building good shooting habits and continually challenging yourself to do better - the rest will come over time. By regularly taking pictures and avoiding these common pitfalls, you’ll be taking great quality pictures in no time that you’ll be happy to display in a beautiful picture frame in your home.