Mistakes are part of any learning process and you will definitely make some while learning photography. Many people look at the many instant feedbacks on digital photography and feel it is easy, but there are definitely some common mistakes experienced by beginners in this field.
Due to the wealth of experience we have gathered over time, we have compiled a list of the most common mistakes beginner photographers make that can be avoided with some prior knowledge. The mistakes include:
#1: Not reading the Camera’s manual
There is no way you will understand the features of a camera without checking the manufacturer’s manual. Although the writings in most electronic manual are not very user-friendly, still it is important that you have a full grasp of the functional features of your equipment.
#2: Thinking you need particular equipment to capture certain images
You will be making a mistake to think you need a DSLR before you can put something on eBay. Those point and shoots are usually enough most times and they should work for you. However, you can choose to use equipment like DSLR when you need extreme close-ups like jewelry.
#3: The missed focus
You are making a mistake when you allow your camera choose your focus point. It makes you focus on the wrong part of your image frame from time to time. This can be difficult to fix especially when you are using a shallow depth of field. So always nail your focus in the field. You can achieve accurate focusing by using the spot autofocus mode of your camera to choose your focal point. Try to fix your focal point on the subject’s eyes, especially when focusing on people or portraits.
#4: Slow shutter speed
When you use a shutter speed that is too slow, it can make your photos look blurry or less sharp. So, when you shake your camera, it can reduce the sharpness of your image. A good way to tackle this is to use a shutter speed that is at least equivalent to the focal length of the camera lens.
For example, you can use a shutter speed of 1/50 of a second on a full frame camera with a 50mm prime lens. Therefore, when you use an APS-C (crop) sensor camera, the shutter speed becomes 1/85 of a second as the focal length of the lens is multiplied by 0.5. Pay attention to the focal length as you zoom in and out when using a zoom lens.
#5: Awkward pose suggestions
Not all your subjects will feel comfortable with that entire pose you find online. So don’t try to treat them like professional models and ask them to follow those poses. They can feel awkward when you tell them to stand in a particular way. So, what you can do is try to use those poses as a basic guideline and then concentrate on putting your subjects at ease. Don’t be too rigid; engage them with friendly banter and eye contacts and encourage them to feel free and be themselves. On the other hand, you can just go ahead to learn some great hand poses to make your portrait photography natural and beautiful.
#6: Buying too much camera
Digital cameras come with a lot of artificial intelligence in them and buying too much of them is not advisable. When you buy too much of digital camera, you will have to invest a lot of time to read about them before you can learn about the ins and outs of the camera. So save yourself the stress if you don’t have much time to take a class or buy a book. You can purchase the simple point and shoot cameras; they are very simple to use and does not require too many technicalities. Remember that even when the price of DSLRs are close to point and shoot models, there is still a big difference in their learning curves.
#7: Not buying enough memory cards
Don’t think memory cards are too expensive and buy a small quantity. As a matter of fact, memory cards are no longer expensive. Get a good supply of memory card and get a better picture quality. When you have more memory cards, you can always shoot at the highest resolution of your camera and you can be guaranteed a very good picture quality. You will still get an amazing quality even when you have to crop your pictures.
#8: Not backing up pictures before deleting
Many people don’t realize that images are often gone the moment they erase them. Although there are some file recovery systems that might savage pictures, still they are not too reliable. So the best way to ensure you don’t lose your pictures is to back them up before deleting.
#9: Not checking computer software’s compatibility with your camera
You will definitely use a computer to edit your images. There is no other way about it, you will need to use some color editor, as well as some lightroom plugins so you could have the best image output that your clients will like. Therefore, you will be making a mistake not to check for the computer software’s compatibility with your camera. Always run the software you want to use for editing your pictures on your computer before you buy a camera. There are many computers available today operating with high megapixels, so make sure your computer is not too old to avoid slowing down your work.
#10: Not buying enough batteries
When you don’t have spare batteries, your work might be affected. The battery is very important for your camera to function efficiently. You can conserve your battery life by using a reader to transfer images instead of connecting the camera to your computer. Furthermore, always keep spare batteries even when you use proprietary batteries for your camera.
#11: Shooting everything in auto exposure or program mode
Don’t try to shoot on auto when you are learning. It won’t tell you much when you are trying to troubleshoot. The best way to learn is to adjust the settings to manual. This way you will figure out what you did wrong easily.
#12: Not viewing a picture at 100% on a computer
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is editing their images on their camera. You have to resist this urge and never delete until you get back to your computer. Who wouldn’t want to get a great grunge texture for their images? That can only be achieved on a computer. However, always keep enough memory cards on your camera in case you need to edit a picture you accidentally take.
