It is common for photographers learning the trade to make mistakes. Some mistakes are so common that nearly all photographers have encountered them at some point. The good thing is that some mistakes can be avoided, even if you do not have excellent photography skills yet. Below are a few of those common mistakes which young photographers usually make and some tips on how to avoid them.
Missed Focus
Focusing on the wrong things while taking photos is a common mistake, especially for those who use auto focus settings. This is more the case when using a shallow field depth. The problem with this mistake is that it cannot be fixed afterward during the photo editing process. This makes it important that you always focus on the right spots in all the photos you take. One way of avoiding this problem is by using the spot auto focus settings of your camera, which chooses particular focus points. When taking pictures of people, ensure that the focus point always falls on the eyes of the subject.
Shaky Frame
A shaky frame usually results in a blurry picture. One of the most common reasons for this is using a shutter speed which is too slow. The result is that the movement of the camera is detected in the picture within the time that the shutter takes to open and close. One solution for a shaky frame is always to ensure that the shutter speed is at the very least equivalent to the focal length. If the focal length of the lens is 50mm, for example, the shutter speed should be at least 1/50 of a second. You can also consider investing in a camera with image stabilization.
Blown Exposure
Shooting in RAW comes with the benefits of being able to adjust the exposure during processing a lot more compared to using the auto mode. For a very dark exposure, the shadows usually end up appearing discolored and grainy. For very bright exposure, the highlights normally get blown out. Post-processing usually cannot be used to recover the details in blown-out highlights. This makes it a challenge to take pictures where the scene has a high dynamic range. A good solution is usually to underexpose just enough to retain the highlight details. The shadows can then be brightened during post-processing.
Centering Everything in Images
Most rookies usually go out of their way to ensure that everything is always in the center of the image. This is not necessarily a bad thing and can be put to excellent use in some cases. However, various scenarios do not call for centering. Experts recommend using the rule of thirds to place subjects. For a person, for example, he should be placed on a third vertical line of the image. For anything which has a horizontal line such as landscapes, the horizon should be placed on any of the third horizontal lines.
Cutting Images
At times, the young photographers usually end up cutting parts of the main subject off of the frame. For example, you might look at a picture of a person and wonder why their feet were cut off. Most rookies usually make that mistake without even realizing it. The solution is to learn how to concentrate on getting your subject positioned well within the frame. If it is not possible to fit all your subjects within the frame, decide on what to include before taking the shot.
