Photo Tip of the Week: 11 Mistakes Photographers Make (And How to Avoid Them)
Photography is a fickle friend. An image that is 99% awesome could end up being 100% terrible because of a silly little mistake here or there. Fortunately, most of the mistakes photographers commonly make are easily avoidable!
In this week’s Tip of the Week, we highlight 11 of these mistakes and offer simple solutions for steering clear of them.
Skewering Your Subject
It’s easy to focus your attention on your portrait subject and forget that there’s a background to consider. If you aren’t careful, your cute toddler can look like she’s got a tree growing out of her forehead.
Avoid this mistake by paying attention! Survey the composition of your shot, and if need be, move your models (or yourself!) to frame a better image.
Forgetting the Foreground
The foreground shouldn’t be forgotten either, especially in landscape photography. Without something there to draw the viewer’s eye into the image, it ends up just being boring.
Avoid this mistake by carefully composing your landscape shots to include a foreground feature. Doing so gives the image depth, draws the viewer’s eye inward, and adds some scale to the scene as well.
Small Subjects
Sometimes it’s good to take a step back and give the scene you’re photographing some context. Other times, that just makes your primary subject look small and unimportant.
Avoid this mistake by playing with your framing. If you’ve taken a photo and the subject looks small to you, move in for a closer shot and fill more of the frame with the subject.
Not Considering Light
Lighting can make a photograph amazing or it can turn an otherwise beautiful scene into a nightmare. Shadowing on a model’s face, for example, or a cityscape cast in shadows, do not a good photograph make.
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Avoid this mistake by moving or waiting it out. Move your subject or yourself, or if your subject is immovable, figure out a better time of day to get the light you need for a beautiful shot.
Shooting at Eye Level
Whether it’s a landscape, a wedding portrait, or a picture of your dog, standing straight up and snapping a photo doesn’t make for the most interesting composition. If photographing a small subject, like a child, photographing them from your eye level and shooting downward can make for an unnatural looking shot.
Avoid this mistake by varying your perspective. Sit down, lay down, and kneel. Shoot upwards and downwards. Play around with perspective to see what best suits the scene you’re capturing.
Being Afraid to Use Natural Lighting Indoors
Just because you’re shooting indoors doesn’t mean you have to use a flash. Flashes can be great, but they can also cause portrait models to look pale, washed out, and unnatural if you aren’t careful.
Avoid this mistake by moving your model closer to a window, a door, or another natural light source. Have your model look toward the light for a soft illumination of their face and nice shadowing elsewhere in the frame.
Using a Wide-Angle Lens for Close Ups
Your wide angle lens can be used for a variety of shots, from landscapes to portraits. But close up portraits should not be one of its uses. A lens with a focal length of less than around 70mm can distort facial features and make them look unnaturally large.
Avoid this mistake by not filling the frame with your subject’s face. Take a step back! Alternatively, stay close up and use a different lens, like an 85mm portrait lens.
Putting the Subject in the Middle of the Frame
Placing your subject in the middle of the frame can result in a composition that is static and boring.
Avoid this mistake by adhering to the rule of thirds. Place your subject along the lines of the thirds grid for a more interesting composition.
Underusing Negative Space
Sometimes compositions can suffer from having way too many elements. A photograph with too many elements to attract the attention of the viewer’s eye can feel chaotic and muddled.
Avoid this mistake by resisting the urge to include everything in the shot. Instead, look for areas that can serve as negative space – be that an area that is devoid of texture, color, or light. Doing so will allow you to create an enhanced mood in the image, as well as draw more attention to your primary subject.
Settling for the Postcard Shot
It can be hard to resist the temptation to snap the same shot of a landmark that everyone else does. But taking the easy way out prevents your creativity from truly shining.
Avoid this mistake by moving around to find new and interesting perspectives. You might just discover a vantage point that turns into the postcard view of the future!
Clinging to Fads
Photography fads come and go. And while there’s nothing wrong with using selective color while it’s a fad, continuing to use it after it has worn out its welcome is a huge no-no.
Avoid this mistake by getting it out of your system! If you love a fad, use it while it’s still a hot trend then move on to the next thing!
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Conclusion
Although photography is an incredibly personal expression, there remain some things that you should avoid doing at all costs. This list, although certainly not comprehensive, provides some insight into some of the most common mistakes that prevent good images from being great.
That said, it’s important not to get locked into too many rules because that can restrict your creativity and result in an equally poor image. Finding that balance between thinking outside the box and being wary of common mistakes is where you will be able to create your most dynamic images.