Common mistakes made by new photographers

This article will introduce some common mistakes among novice photographers. Have you made some of these mistakes?

1. Giving up too early

Many people have done this. They spend tons of money on cameras and photography technique courses/books, travel to a great shooting location, and then quickly – because they’re a little tired, hungry, or bored – give up. There are also many people who don’t put much effort into one place, perhaps thinking that the first photo is good enough. But experience tells us that the best photos often come after trying all the angles.

There are countless photos on the Internet today. If you want to get some different results, you have to spend more time and energy. If you persist a little longer than others, you will become a better photographer.

2. Use a wide-angle lens to take portraits

When you turn on your portable digital camera, the lens is usually at the wide-angle end. Most SLR camera lenses are also located at the wide-angle end when stowed in order to make them easier to put into a camera bag. Therefore, wide angle has become the default choice for many people. However, the distortion of a wide-angle lens is not very suitable for portrait photography, especially when taking close-ups of people. Unless you are deliberately pursuing this effect, remember to turn the lens to the telephoto end. Telephoto lenses tend to produce more attractive portrait photos.

3. Taking shaking and blurry photos

Maybe everyone should review this. At shutter speeds like 1/8s or even 1/80s, the camera is very sensitive to shake. Beginners often don’t realize it, while photographers with a little experience think they are very stable. Unless intentional, blurry photos are generally undesirable. Many photo contests and magazines will not use blurry photos.

The most important thing in taking clear photos is to keep the camera stable, and the best way is to use a tripod. But none of us can always carry a tripod with us, and that’s okay. Many lenses now have anti-shake functions, and the high-sensitivity effects of cameras are constantly improving. So in addition to finding a support to keep it as stable as possible, don't be afraid to increase the ISO sensitivity.

4. Get too close when photographing buildings

When photographing buildings at close range, you need to raise the camera or use a wide-angle lens to get a panoramic view. Doing so will turn the vertical lines into diagonal lines converging towards a point, or cause obvious distortion. How can you make parallel lines parallel in the photo? In theory, you need to keep the camera's focal plane parallel to the plane of the building. There are a lot of photography techniques and methods involved.

Generally speaking, you can hold the camera up instead of looking down. If there are other buildings opposite the building that you can climb on to take photos, be sure to take advantage of them. To reduce distortion, try to shoot with a long focal length from a distance rather than a wide angle close up. But be careful not to let irrelevant things enter the picture.

5. There is no clear subject in the photo

Finally, most photos will never be noticed because they have no clear subject or have too many cluttering elements that make it difficult to notice. People don’t know what to say. This is due to the difference between how we observe the world and what the camera records. We focus on what we want to see and ignore other things, but the camera faithfully records everything in front of the lens.

The most common way to avoid this problem is to shoot closer. Most people will want to capture the entire scene, so they use the widest focal length and stand at the farthest distance to shoot. The resulting photo is small and has little impact. Don’t be afraid to get close and take photos. In addition, you should also learn to use light and color to highlight the subject. Make it a habit to check the background and know what you are photographing.