Learning Photography – 5 Common Mistakes To Avoid
Photography is an exciting and challenging hobby that is accessible to almost everyone who has an interest in it. The learning curve can be rough or steep depending on the methods you wish to learn, but for the most part everyone has the potential to pick up a camera and create interesting work right from the beginning. However, there are a few common pitfalls that you may want to avoid so here is a list of the five most common mistakes.
Gear Everywhere!
It's easy to get swept up in all of the possibilities for your photography gear. The list of cool photo equipment is endless- filters, tripods, extra lenses, lights, reflectors and timers and so many others. However, without a solid foundation and a clear understanding of what your camera is capable of on its own, you'll never be able to show true mastery of all of those accessories. It's best to start off small with a basic digital SLR (or 35 mm film camera if you prefer) if you're serious about learning photography. Once you've gotten comfortable with using your equipment and have goten some great shots, it's time to start looking at some new accessories.
One Missed Shot
When you get started, you're going to miss lots of shots. In fact, not only will you miss a lot of great photographs, you're also going to mess up on photos you were able to take. For this reason, it's probably a good idea to take every photograph at least twice. This will help teach you about the subtleties of your camera's inner workings, as well as provide a bit of safety in knowing you won't miss the important things. Besides, in the day of digital the cost of shooting thousands of images is no more than shooting only ten.
Turn the Flash Off
You don't need it. An automatic flash can prevent you from properly learning how to handle complex lighting situations and sometimes even ruin your images. You should turn your flash off and get used to working with natural light and your camera's settings so you can further develop your photography skills. You can take pictures without a flash in almost any environment. All you have to do is be a little creative in how you use the light that's available.
Improve Your Composition
Although you see it done commonly, you don't need to center your subject in the center of the image. This can create unnecessary space in your pictures and make them less interesting. Picture the frame or viewfinder of your camera as a cropping tool so you'll always compose exactly what you want in your picture. Good framing is something that doesn't take long to learn and will improve your work for a lifetime.
Simple Cameras
Simple digital cameras with giant LCD screens on the back are certainly tempting, but if you're hoping to learn about the art of photography and challenge yourself to improve, you're probably not going to get anything out of a point and shoot camera. Many beginners pick these cameras due to their convenience and affordability, which is absolutely fine if you're only intending to use it for non-professional or artistic purposes. If you want to take great pictures and expand your knowledge of photography, you will need to have the right photo tools for the job.
Now that you know these 5 common mistakes, you can steer clear of them and focus your efforts on practicing and expanding your photography knowledge. The only things that are important are building good shooting habits and continually challenging yourself to do better - the rest will come over time. Just keep taking pictures every day and before you know it you'll be creating images that you'll be proud to display in a picture frame in your home or office.
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