Are you interested in building your photography skills? Do you have a passion for learning all that you can about taking high-quality pictures?
Photography is an amazing way to express your creativity and build it into a profitable business. But to create quality images that clients will pay for, you need to stop making some of the biggest mistakes that beginners make.
Here are the most common photography mistakes that beginners seem to make and tips for how to eradicate them.
1. Using a Distracting Background
Have you ever seen a photograph where it looked as if the person in the photo had something weird growing out of their head? Then, after hours and hours of looking at the same photo, you finally realize its a tree in the background.
Many beginners make the mistake of focusing so much on the person they’re taking a picture of that they don’t look at the background behind them. Things like position and angle can help you avoid those weird objects in the back.
Start by taking one picture of the person in the exact place and pose that you’re thinking of. Then, look down at your camera’s screen to see if you notice any weird items in the background that could be distracting in the final print.
If so, then you can try to reposition the person or your camera angle to erase the object from the background entirely. Luckily, this mistake can be entirely avoided by learning photography basics and applying bit more attentiveness during the photoshoot itself.
2. Centering Every Picture
Imagine this, one of your clients tells you that they want a picture of them walking in the distance for you to capture the environment around them. Then you take a picture of them far off but still centered in the middle of the photo.
What’s the first thing that people are going to look at when they see that photo? The person in the center, no matter how small they are compared to the rest of the photograph.
Centering is an essential skill to learn for photography, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary for every photo. It can cause the viewer to miss out on the point of the photo in some cases.
So instead of centering your client(s) in the previously-mentioned photo, try taking a few different shots of them in the corner, on the bottom half of the photo, etc.
3. Too Much Composition
Finding the right balance of composition in a photo is tricky for even the most experienced of photographers. Each landscape is different, posing its challenges of contrast and composition.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that beginner photographers often make the mistake of including too much composition in one photo. The more composition in the photo, the more confused your viewer might be on what you’re trying to capture.
It’s like looking at a painting that’s filled with all different colors. Depending on the person, they may not immediately look at the main color that the artist was intending for them to focus on.
Not to mention that there are eight different elements of composition that you need to remember for each photo. Finding the right balance of pattern, proportion, unity, balance, focus, contrast, movement, and rhythm are all vitally important.
4. Blurry Images
Blurry images are unacceptable from a professional photographer’s standpoint. Your clients are paying for the highest-quality of pictures, and you need to deliver on that expectation.
First, it’s important to know what might be causing the blurry images. One of the leading candidates is a slow shutter speed on your camera.
Try finding a large enough camera aperture to keep the shutter from closing too slow. This is especially important in handheld photography. If you’re struggling to find an aperture for landscape photography, then consider using a tripod more frequently.
5. Cut Off Objects Around the Frame
One of the biggest struggles of photography for beginners is remembering what all to include in the shot. It’s very important that you try to get the entirety of your main object within the frame of the shot.
Objects that get cut off in the frame lose the attention of the photo viewer. For example, say you were capturing a high school graduate as they throw their cap in the air.
While it might be tricky, you need to capture the entire body of your client and the cap that’s up in the air. Without capturing the entirety of their graduation cap, it might look as if they’re reaching for a high-five instead.
Of course, there are always moments where you need to sacrifice cutting something off in order to get the main portion of the shot.
If that’s the case, such as the graduation example, then cutting off the lower third of their body to get the cap in the shot is acceptable. That client won’t come back to you asking “why did you cut my legs out of the shot?”.
Avoid These Photography Mistakes with Mastery Lessons
Now that you’ve seen some of the biggest photography mistakes that beginners make, it’s time to learn how to properly avoid them.
Be sure to read this article on why photography is important, as well as why it’s important to avoid these key mistakes for your clients.
For more inquiries, please be sure to reach out via our contact us page and we’ll be happy to assist you further!