5 Common Mistakes Made By New Photographers (And How to Avoid Them)

5 Common Mistakes Made by New Photographers

It's difficult starting a new career in photography.  Learning and mastering your camera (among many other things) can be overwhelming.  But know this: WE ALL HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE and luckily, there are things you can do to improve your skills more quickly and avoid making the same rookie errors that hold many new photographers back.

To help you on your journey, I've put together a list of five common mistakes new photographers make and how to avoid them as you embark on your quest to become a better photographer:

1. Use Colors That Are Too Strong or Unrealistic

One of the most common newbie mistakes is shooting unrealistic colors that might look good through the viewscreen of your DSLR but aren’t true colors in the eyes of everyone else.

To avoid this, purchase a good computer monitor that's color calibrated so you can see the image as everyone else sees it, so you are capturing images that look real, and you won’t need heaps of post-processing.

2. Images Are Not Sharp

While intentional blur is one thing, if you are taking shots that aren’t sharp on an ongoing basis, you could have an issue with focus.

Make sure you're always controlling your sharpness adequately and you're well focused on your subject.  Focusing on your subject's eyes are a great way to achieve a sharp image.  And if the background or foreground is out of focus that should be done intentionally. 

To take sharp photos, your shutter speed should be at least one over your focal length, and you should consider raising your ISO too.

3. Poor composition

In today’s world, good composition is essential to learn, especially now that so many digital photographers and "experts" showcase their photos on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

So, what is composition? 

Composition is all about conscious plan and arrangement of the elements in your frame to convey a message and/or ensure the viewer's attention is drawn to a particular area of interest.  Spend some time learning composition techniques up front so you don't waste a lot of time taking snapshot quality photos or picking up bad composition habits.

One of the most popular composition techniques to start with is the rule of thirds, where a subject is deliberately placed in the 1st or 3rd section.  These focal points are important because a viewer’s eyes will naturally want to focus there.

4. Shooting Too Far Away From Subject(s)

You don’t want your viewers to need a microscope to find your subject, unless it's done intentionally.  If you want your photos to get some attention, consider getting up close and personal with your subject.  Use a wide-angle lens and capture the essence of your subject up close.

5. Photos Lack a Subject or "Hero"

While you might be aiming for an abstract shot, without a little bit of substance, your images probably won’t capture your viewer's imagination.  Ensure you have a subject or idea that you’re trying to portray in the image, and you’re not just pointing and shooting at any old thing without a purpose.

Take some time to walk around your neighborhood, and you’ll find plenty of material for your photography.  Strip back the layers and chat with your subject (if appropriate) so you can understand them better and in turn, tell their story better in your photos.

Conclusion

All photographers make mistakes, and, after all, how would we learn if we didn’t make them.  That said, knowing these common mistakes upfront should put you in great position to avoid them on your way to becoming a better photographer!

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