12 Common Beginner Photography Mistakes

Usually there is catastrophically little time on a shoot, so it is important not to step on the same rake twice. There is no desire to repeat the typical mistakes many photographers make, which once also stole time that could have been used more effectively for closer work with stock photo sites and to improve professional mastery as a photographer.

Basic list of photographer mistakes

Here is a basic list of photographer mistakes that can be avoided at work:

• Arriving on location and finding a dead battery; always check the charge level (always check the battery indicator before leaving for a shoot);
• Arriving at a shoot and discovering a full memory card; check the card’s free space in the camera before heading out;
• Fussing over a lost lens cap. For example, make it a rule to always put it in the top left pocket;
• Forgetting the tripod plate or the entire tripod (a friendly reminder);
• Leaving ISO from the previous shoot set to a value that produces heavy noise. Set a rule: after every shoot, reset settings to defaults in case something needs to be shot urgently. Also, do not forget to check camera settings before a new shoot;
• Forgetting to set autofocus mode. See the previous mistake;
• One of the most common mistakes is leaving the shutter delay enabled;
• Forgetting to lock the tripod head (same as above -check everything before shooting);
• Shooting with a very long shutter speed in windy conditions (train yourself to review images on the screen, zooming in as much as possible in the viewfinder; if possible, drop them to an iPad and review there);
• Getting carried away with random abstract macro and forgetting to look around, missing something amazing right behind (stay attentive);
• Not allocating or under‑allocating time to adjust tripod height (pay more attention to such things before pressing the shutter);
• Forgetting to clean filters or lenses (try to clean after each shoot, and be sure to check them before heading to a new shoot).

Tips from professional photographers

By the way, here are a few more tips from comments left by other microstock photographers who read this article:

• Do not forget to check frame boundaries to see what actually gets into the shot (thanks to Afagundas);
• Do not forget to reset exposure compensation to zero (thanks to Physi28);
• Do not forget to format empty memory cards (thanks to Livingstonatlarge).

Photographer Afagundas also notes that using the camera’s custom settings ensures a 100% reset to standard defaults.

Time is precious for not missing the chance to capture everything amazing that appears, so use time as economically as possible to seize opportunities.

Realizing this helps deal with workflow drawbacks and remember not to freeze like a statue, inspired by a moment, amid the breathtaking possibilities of the world’s locations and subjects. Thinking out loud…

Below are some shots from a recent trip to Sydney. There was only one morning at sunrise, a skipped lunch, and one evening.

Sydney is a beautiful city worth seeing if there is a chance!

Link to the original article: blog.dreamstime.com/2011/08/01/not-making-basic-mistakes-some-thoughts-_art35812