Common Mistakes That Beginner Photographers Make
Photography may seem easy at first; all you really need is a camera and a subject. And while it's true that almost anyone can point and shoot, it obviously takes much more than that to make a good photographer. As with any craft, part of the growing pains newbie photographers experience is making a lot of mistakes and learning from them. With that said, here are some common mistakes beginner photographers need to watch out for.
Relying too much on auto settings
A camera’s auto mode is quite convenient, but you lose a lot of flexibility when relying on it too often. This is why all beginner photographers must master the fundamentals of basic photography: aperture, shutter speed and ISO — also known as “the exposure triangle.”
These three aspects affect how light interacts with the camera, and thus, how the images appear. Tweaking these settings precisely can mean the difference between an amateurish shot and a professional one.
A useful beginner's guide on Photography Life lays down the basic functions of the exposure triangle. Shutter speed determines the length of time light is let into the camera sensor, with slower speeds generally used for low-light or nighttime photography. Aperture controls how much light travels into the camera body, and it's also responsible for manipulating the sharpness of the image. The smaller the aperture, the larger the depth of field, and vice-versa. ISO is a way to manipulate image brightness without touching the other two settings. However, indiscriminately increasing it affects the overall graininess of the photo. Once you have a mastery of all three, you can easily address issues like blur, poor focus, and image noise — giving you a solid foundation for more advanced photography techniques.
Failing to have the right equipment
There’s a really famous debate amongst photographers - does gear make you a better photographer?
In short, I think the answer is yes. When I switched from my beginner camera to my full-frame, amazing Sony A7III (Sponsor me, Sony?) my images were taken to the next level. New things were possible.
But you need to know what you’re doing before you know what equipment you need to buy to elevate your photography.
For most beginners, the default kit lens that comes with your camera is enough to familiarize yourself with the basic camera settings. But as you start to zero in on your own photography style, you should consider investing in more specialized equipment.
The variety of photography lenses on Adorama highlights the sheer number of lenses and accessories that beginner photographers can use to hone their craft. If you're a portrait photographer, an 85mm or a 105mm f/1.4 is a great choice— as it delivers natural-looking bokeh thanks to its defocus control feature and wide aperture. On the other hand, sports and wildlife photographers will love the Sigma 120mm-300mm f2.8, which allows you to zoom in and take bright photos under the available light conditions. Different lenses fulfill different needs so be sure to explore your options.
Not minding your composition
As a newbie photographer, it can be challenging to think about composition, especially when your shoot involves a lot of moving parts. Often, you’ll be tempted to click away, hoping at least one of your photos will turn out well. While this approach can work occasionally, a better practice is to always be mindful of your composition. Rarely will your subjects be arranged to create a perfectly balanced photo, but an expert photographer can find the most creative angles to enhance a shot and tell a story.
The helpful photography composition tips on National Geographic lists a few of the composition basics to keep in mind. These concepts include balance, negative space, leading lines, juxtaposition, and of course, the rule of thirds.
Over processing your photos
Most professional photographers modify their photos in post-processing to bring out the best in each picture. To a new photographer, this process can feel like making high art. But adding too much sharpness and saturation in post-production can make your images look cheap and unrealistic. A good rule of thumb is to capture most of what you want in your raw image — contrast, brightness, focus — and tweak the rest (like color balance) in post.
To get acquainted with the process, the beginner-friendly presets on Adobe Lightroom can be a good place to start. There are lots of free presets available online for landscape photography, indoor shoots, low-lighting, and portraiture. Once you've gotten the hang of it, you can further experiment with the software's bells and whistles, as its flexibility with exposure, hue, and tonality makes it suitable for beginners and veterans alike.
I want to note that over-processing your photos is a stylistic option, but if you’re doing it because you don’t know what you want out of the image and can’t make it work the way you want, you can improve your photography by taking the extra time to work on composition in preproduction, and then manipulate the image to your liking in post.
Are you guilty of committing any of these mistakes? If so, don’t feel too bad. As we’ve mentioned in a blog post entitled 'How I Got Started With Film Photography', messing up and learning to embrace your errors are necessary stepping stones on the journey to self-improvement. Besides, it’s never too late to rectify them and take your photography skills to the next level.