Skip to content
Halloween photography tips at home
Mon, Oct 21, 24
Beginner Photography Mistakes
Just starting out with photography? Wouldn't it be nice to be aware of a few of the most common photography mistakes beginners make? Even better, wouldn't it be nice to actually understand how to correct those mistakes? For a detailed look at common photography mistakes to avoid and their solutions, check out the tips below!
Common Photography Mistake- Crooked Horizons
You can have a perfect exposure, an excellent subject, great lighting, and nail the composition, but if the horizon is off, that's the only thing that anyone will notice about the photo. A crooked horizon is a common photography mistake. You might be holding the camera incorrectly or simply rushing through the shot. Perhaps you got bumped by a passerby just as you pressed the shutter button or maybe you were standing on a slight slope. Whatever the cause, there are ways to correct this photography error. An in-camera solution is to use a bubble level, which you can buy to mount on your camera's hot-shoe mount. Many tripods have built-in levels as well. You can even use the rule of thirds grid on your DSLR camera from Beachcamera.com and use one of the two horizontal grid lines to get more level horizons. There’s really no excuse for making this photography error because it's so easy to avoid!
Mistake Photographers Make- Not Understanding White Balance
White balance allows you to determine the color temperature of your images. That is, as the color temperature of the light source in your image changes, you can manipulate the white balance setting in your camera so the light is the correct color in the shot. For example, if you're shooting outdoors on a cloudy day, use the cloudy white balance setting to slightly warm up the colors in the image. Unfortunately, a mistake photographers make is not having a very good understanding of how to set white balance. They favor the use of Auto White Balance and let the camera make all the decisions. Though Auto White Balance works great in many situations, it’s a photography mistake to avoid. If you become familiar with the different white balance settings and the situations in which you might use each, you can simply press the white balance button on your camera. Select the right setting, and you'll be in a better position to get a color correct image and avoid this common photography mistake.
Photography Mistake to Avoid- Blurry Images
If your image is blurry, there's nothing you can do to fix it after the fact. That means it's critical to get your photos tack-sharp when you take them. To avoid this common photography mistake and give yourself a better chance of getting sharp images, you need to hold your camera in a way that gives it maximum stabilization. That means holding it with both hands, bringing your elbows to your chest, and standing with your feet shoulder-width apart to maintain good balance. Of course, you can use a tripod to give your camera the stability it needs as well. Sometimes, blurriness is due to a shutter speed that's too slow to freeze the movement of the subject. In such situations, manipulating the exposure settings to allow for a faster shutter speed is the way to go. You'll also want to pay attention to the depth of field, which refers to the area of the image that's in sharp focus. If you have a very shallow depth of field, try using a smaller aperture to increase that depth, and you'll get more of the scene in sharp focus.
Photography Error- Lack of Spatial Awareness in Composition
It's easy to get caught up in the moment and just start taking photos. As a result, you can neglect to realize that just a small adjustment in your perspective or shooting position could enhance the shot greatly. When taking portraits, beginners might cut off the tops of people's heads, or remove their hands or feet. It’s easy to solve these photography errors. Just take your time! Slow things down and really give the shot a good, hard look before you press the shutter button. Be willing to move around, adjust your zoom, and work a little harder to compose the shot, and your photography errors will be minimized.
Mistake Photographers Make- Not Setting the Correct Exposure
Simply putting your camera from Beachcamera.com in full auto mode and letting it do all the work isn't going to get you very far! But that doesn't mean you need to shoot in manual mode all day, every day, either. In fact, the best solution for getting a solid exposure and to avoid photography errors is to use one of your camera's semi-automatic modes like aperture priority, shutter priority, or program. These settings allow you to take control of some exposure controls while the camera retains control over others. That means that you have more input for the final exposure, but you also don't have to worry about making every single adjustment yourself. By using these 5 tips, you’ll step up your photography game right away.
Common Photography Mistake- Crooked Horizons
You can have a perfect exposure, an excellent subject, great lighting, and nail the composition, but if the horizon is off, that's the only thing that anyone will notice about the photo. A crooked horizon is a common photography mistake. You might be holding the camera incorrectly or simply rushing through the shot. Perhaps you got bumped by a passerby just as you pressed the shutter button or maybe you were standing on a slight slope. Whatever the cause, there are ways to correct this photography error. An in-camera solution is to use a bubble level, which you can buy to mount on your camera's hot-shoe mount. Many tripods have built-in levels as well. You can even use the rule of thirds grid on your DSLR camera from Beachcamera.com and use one of the two horizontal grid lines to get more level horizons. There’s really no excuse for making this photography error because it's so easy to avoid!
Mistake Photographers Make- Not Understanding White Balance
White balance allows you to determine the color temperature of your images. That is, as the color temperature of the light source in your image changes, you can manipulate the white balance setting in your camera so the light is the correct color in the shot. For example, if you're shooting outdoors on a cloudy day, use the cloudy white balance setting to slightly warm up the colors in the image. Unfortunately, a mistake photographers make is not having a very good understanding of how to set white balance. They favor the use of Auto White Balance and let the camera make all the decisions. Though Auto White Balance works great in many situations, it’s a photography mistake to avoid. If you become familiar with the different white balance settings and the situations in which you might use each, you can simply press the white balance button on your camera. Select the right setting, and you'll be in a better position to get a color correct image and avoid this common photography mistake.
Photography Mistake to Avoid- Blurry Images
If your image is blurry, there's nothing you can do to fix it after the fact. That means it's critical to get your photos tack-sharp when you take them. To avoid this common photography mistake and give yourself a better chance of getting sharp images, you need to hold your camera in a way that gives it maximum stabilization. That means holding it with both hands, bringing your elbows to your chest, and standing with your feet shoulder-width apart to maintain good balance. Of course, you can use a tripod to give your camera the stability it needs as well. Sometimes, blurriness is due to a shutter speed that's too slow to freeze the movement of the subject. In such situations, manipulating the exposure settings to allow for a faster shutter speed is the way to go. You'll also want to pay attention to the depth of field, which refers to the area of the image that's in sharp focus. If you have a very shallow depth of field, try using a smaller aperture to increase that depth, and you'll get more of the scene in sharp focus.
Photography Error- Lack of Spatial Awareness in Composition
It's easy to get caught up in the moment and just start taking photos. As a result, you can neglect to realize that just a small adjustment in your perspective or shooting position could enhance the shot greatly. When taking portraits, beginners might cut off the tops of people's heads, or remove their hands or feet. It’s easy to solve these photography errors. Just take your time! Slow things down and really give the shot a good, hard look before you press the shutter button. Be willing to move around, adjust your zoom, and work a little harder to compose the shot, and your photography errors will be minimized.
Mistake Photographers Make- Not Setting the Correct Exposure
Simply putting your camera from Beachcamera.com in full auto mode and letting it do all the work isn't going to get you very far! But that doesn't mean you need to shoot in manual mode all day, every day, either. In fact, the best solution for getting a solid exposure and to avoid photography errors is to use one of your camera's semi-automatic modes like aperture priority, shutter priority, or program. These settings allow you to take control of some exposure controls while the camera retains control over others. That means that you have more input for the final exposure, but you also don't have to worry about making every single adjustment yourself. By using these 5 tips, you’ll step up your photography game right away.
