If you want to become a better photographer, avoid making these common photography mistakes. A good understanding of these common photography mistakes can help you to achieve better photographic results.
You’ve probably heard of so many photography mistakes that you’ve started to develop a sixth sense. But let’s all admit something here: most people who are into photography make just as many mistakes as the novice, if not more. Learn from them, and you’ll be well on your way to building a great portfolio.
5 Common Photography Mistakes to Avoid
1. The camera is out of focus
This is one of the most common mistakes all photographers make. The camera is not in focus, and it’s causing you to lose your shot.
If your camera is not set properly, then you have two options: you can either adjust it manually, or you can use a tripod. If you’re using a tripod, then make sure that it’s set up correctly. If you’re using manual focus, then try moving closer to the subject and taking another picture.
If you still don’t get the shot, then consider bringing out some extra equipment such as a macro lens or extension tubes.
2. Objects are in the wrong perspective
We all know that the world is made of objects. It’s a fact. You can’t escape it. We’re surrounded by them, we see them every day, and we come across objects on a regular basis. But what if there was something else? What if we were surrounded by objects that were in the wrong perspective?
If you think about it, everything you see around you is distorted. The way we perceive things changes depending on our point of view, so even though we may think that our perception of reality is quite clear, it’s actually pretty skewed at times. For example, when you look at a photograph taken from above your head, everything looks larger than normal because your brain interprets the image as being “above” your head instead of “below”.
This effect applies to all forms of media—including movies and books—as well as photographs and paintings. If someone took a photo of someone looking up at him/herself while they were standing at an angle, then everything would appear to be larger than normal because your brain would interpret everything as being above instead of below.
3. Problems with lighting
Lighting is the single most important design element in any space. It can be used to create a warm or cool atmosphere, or it can make the mood feel sterile or clinical. A poorly designed lighting scheme can ruin an otherwise perfect room.
Here are some of the most common problems with lighting and how you can avoid them:
Too high or too low: There’s nothing worse than trying to read a book in a room with low lighting—it’s like trying to read in broad daylight. The same thing goes for too high of a light level; you want to maintain good contrast between your subject and background, so make sure your bulbs are about 1 foot above your subject and 2 feet apart from each other.
4. Problems with choosing the wrong lens or aperture
If you are using the wrong lens or aperture, then the depth of field is too shallow or too deep. A shallow depth of field means that everything in the scene is in focus (or nearly in focus), while a deep depth of field means that only a small part of a subject is in focus.
The distance between your subject and background should be about four times as long as the focal length of your lens. For example, if you are shooting with a 50mm lens, then your distance from your subject to the background should be about 100mm (50×4). If you are shooting with an 85mm lens, then your distance from your subject to the background should be about 200mm (50×4+50). This distance is called “the working distance,” and it determines how close or far away you can get from your subject without having parts of it fall out of focus.
5. Choosing the wrong shutter speed or ISO setting for the movement
Choosing the wrong shutter speed or ISO setting for movement can create motion blur. If you want to include motion in your shots, it’s important to know how to choose the right settings.
Shutter speed is the length of time between when you press the shutter button and when that exposure is finished. It determines how long you’ll be able to see an object moving through space. The shorter it is, the faster an object will appear to move through your frame. A longer shutter speed will create a blurrier image, which is great for still objects but not so good for moving ones.
ISO is a measure of exposure sensitivity. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive the sensor in your camera is to light—and therefore, it won’t record quite as much detail in your image as if you had used a higher ISO number. But higher ISO numbers do come with a trade-off: images may appear grainier because there’s more noise present in them than images taken using lower values would have been able to capture.
