Photography: what are the most frequent mistakes when starting out?

As the saying goes, " no one is born learned " and therefore the error is a constant presence in our photographic journey.

Fortunately, by practicing photography constantly, it is very easy to improve quickly and correct our mistakes, even if sometimes we have to pay a penalty first: many "wrong" photographs!

However, there are some mistakes that are constant especially if you are a beginner and that it is very easy to avoid to focus on the most important things. So let's see what are the main mistakes of those who are beginners and how you can avoid them.

Mistake #1 - Forgetting to charge the batteries

Leaving for a photographic outing, driving kilometers by car, arriving at the desired place and discovering… that you forgot to charge the only battery you have.

There is no worst nightmare for a photographer , so don't forget to always check the battery charge and bring some spare ones.

Mistake #2 - Not emptying SD cards

Here's another typical mistake that scares photographers: having the ideal scene in front of you and seeing the message “ not enough memory ” on the camera display.

You can fix it by immediately deleting some old photos that you have on your memory, but this is often not possible, so always carry empty memory cards with you.

Mistake #3 - Leaving image stabilization on when using a tripod

Image stabilization is a handy device that can reduce camera shake and improve image quality when used properly. Once activated, image stabilization counteracts slight camera shake to reduce blur in photos.

It can be so effective that cameras and lenses equipped with the system allow you to use a shutter speed between three and five stops slower than cameras/lenses without this feature. This makes for sharper images in low light conditions.

Everything OK? Well, yes, but not always.

In fact, when image stabilization is used with a tripod, it can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help. If your camera is already set up on a tripod, it should be stable enough on its own.

In this case, with image stabilization turned on, the system may try to compensate for tiny shakes that otherwise wouldn't have an effect on the image, by increasing the blur rather than reducing it. Check the user manual of your camera or lens to learn how to turn off the system while shooting with a tripod and you will get sharper images. Don't forget to turn it on again when holding the camera, otherwise you may run into a new error.

If you don't have a tripod, the best ones are those made by Manfrotto:

• Manfrotto MK290XTA3-3W
  Tripod with Bag, 3 Movement Head, 3 Sections in Aluminum, Black
• Manfrotto MKBFRTA4GT-BH Befree Advanced GT
  Travel Tripod, Twist M-Lock, Ball Head, for Canon, Nikon, Sony, DSLR, CSC, Mirrorless, up to 12kg, Bag Included, Aluminum Black.

Mistake #4 - Using the wrong autofocus mode

If you're just starting out, you may not pay as much attention to how the camera focuses on your subject . Working in automatic mode is always dangerous: if the camera doesn't focus in the right place, our photo could be ruined. Normally, modern cameras have three focus modes that you can select.

If the conditions allow us to use the autofocus, we can proceed by choosing between three modes of operation: single focus (AF-S for Nikon, and One Shot for Canon), continuous focus (AF-C for Nikon and AI Servo for Canon), auto focus (AF-AUTO for Nikon and AI Focus for Canon).

Probably the most widely used focus mode is single focus : by half-clicking the shutter button, the camera starts focusing on the subject you've decided to capture and then locks the setting until the focus is activated. shutter.

Once locked in, rest assured that your subject will be in sharp focus. Single focus can be used for photography: stationary subjects, for portrait photography, for landscape photography.

Bottom line: use single focus with static subjects because focus locks when you press the shutter button halfway down and therefore cannot track moving subjects.

Continuous focus , on the other hand, causes the lens to focus on the subject continuously, which makes it ideal for tracking a moving subject. In this focus mode, the camera lets you take a picture at any time, even if the subject is moving.

If you press and hold the shutter button halfway, the camera continues to focus on the point you've selected; thus, if the subject moves, the camera will continue to focus based on its new position.

Continuous focus is suitable to be used for continuously moving subjects such as: children, animals and for sporting events. Obviously the faster the movement of the subject or the more erratic the direction of movement, the more the autofocus system can be misled and therefore the result will be negative.

But remember that the continuous focus system, always keeping the focus motor active, consumes a lot of energy. So make sure you use it only when needed and that you have an adequate supply of well-charged spare batteries .

The third focus mode is Auto Focus . Your camera's autofocus system tries to automatically detect whether the subject is stationary or moving and sets the focus mode according to the situation.

However this mode is not always reliable and therefore your choice is: do I run the risk of setting the wrong mode and therefore the focus wrong, or do I choose to delegate (burdens and honors) to the intelligence of the camera?

Mistake #5 - Won't shoot in RAW format

The JPEG format is a familiar format that requires no post-processing and allows for immediate sharing of images on social media. The problem is that JPEG files are interpreted by the camera. This means that while settings such as color temperature and exposure are set according to the camera settings, the camera will process the image to adjust the blacks, contrast, brightness, noise reduction and sharpness.

The file will then be compressed into a JPEG. But because the image has been edited, compressed and saved as a JPEG, the information in the original photograph is discarded and cannot be recovered. This limits the amount of editing you can do with the image in post-production .

RAW files , on the other hand, are uncompressed and unprocessed. Although they appear flatter and darker than JPEG images, they retain all of the information recorded in the original image.

This allows for much more flexibility in post-production, allowing you to take full control over the adjustments you want to apply to a photograph. However, the RAW format is much more voracious in terms of used memory. Make sure you have multiple memory cards of the right format, especially on longer photo sessions.

Mistake #6 - Working in automatic mode

Auto exposure mode means that the shutter speed, aperture and ISO are automatically set by the camera for a given situation, thus letting you press the shutter button and move on to the next shot.

But what if you want to have more control over your images? The biggest benefit of shooting in manual mode (or shutter/aperture priority mode) is creative control. In auto mode, the camera also doesn't always expose correctly, so you can end up with underexposed or overexposed images.

Choose a semi-auto mode instead

You don't need to shoot fully manual to better control your images. Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes let you select and adjust aperture or shutter speed while the camera compensates to give you just the right exposure.

By using Aperture Priority, you have much more control over the depth of field in the image, which determines how much the image is in focus. This is useful for many genres, from portraiture to landscape photography, changing the dynamics of the images according to the situation and the depth of the photos. Being able to take control of the motion in an image allows for much more creative leeway.

Motion blur has long been used to make images more dynamic. Think waterfalls with flowing water and thunderstorm cityscapes, as well as intentional camera movement.

While Auto Exposure mode is useful and often effective, relying on Auto alone allows you to waste your creative photographic potential. Experimenting with manual or shutter- or aperture-priority shooting means you can really get to know your camera and tap into its artistic possibilities.

Mistake #7 - Wrong shutter speed

Each scene and each subject requires different shutter speeds so always remember to adjust them according to what you want to communicate.

A sports car can be shot with a fast shutter speed (e.g. 1/2000s) to freeze an instant, or with a slow shutter speed (1/60s) to create a "panning" effect in which the car is sharp but the background is moved.

Mistake #8 - Not backing up your files

This isn't technically a camera setup error, but if you only have one copy of your images on a hard drive, just one minor disk glitch and you'll have lost all your images, and that for good! The advice is therefore to always have one or two backups of your photos on another hard drive or on a cloud storage service. This is money well spent!

Mistake #9 - Building very full shots

It's the typical mistake of those unfamiliar with composition and still inexperienced: shooting overcrowded scenes.

I will never get tired of repeating it, in photography LESS IS MORE!  

Mistake #10 - Shooting portraits with short focal lengths

Beginners often underestimate the impact that short focal lengths have on perspective and ignore the distortions they introduce, thus reducing many portraits to veritable caricatures.  

Mistake #11 - Always shoot horizontally

It is the typical beginner's mistake, which however often persists even when the photographer is no longer a beginner.

Partly due to laziness, partly due to lack of awareness, the fact is that 80% of the photographs are taken horizontally.

we dare! Let's try to rotate the camera and shoot vertically! Nothing serious or irreparable will happen to us.

Mistake #12 - Always shoot at eye level

See above… as for the orientation, also the shooting point very often for the beginner translates into eye height .

Let's try to get down or up. Our shots will thank us!

Mistake #13 - Only shoot when the sun is out

As long as the equipment is protected, we can go out even in the rain or snow. Shooting in bad weather produces very interesting photographs.

Mistake #14 - Focusing only on the center of the frame

…. and forgetting objects that have nothing to do with it scattered here and there, at the edges of the frame.
It's a pretty common mistake, partly due to haste, partly due to inexperience, but it's good to work on it to avoid continuing to make it - it's one of those more difficult mistakes to eradicate.

Mistake #15 - Always center your subject and not compose the image

The trademark of the beginner, who doesn't know the rules of photographic composition.

One of the main factors that distinguishes a unique photo from a banal one is the composition, or the positioning in the scene of the subjects we want to shoot.

There are various types of composition (golden section, rule of thirds, diagonal lines…) and each helps to lead the viewer's eye to the points of greatest interest decided by the photographer.

To learn how to compose I suggest the beautiful book The photographer's eye .

Mistake #16 - “Cut off” limbs

I know, it may sound bad but one of the most frequent mistakes of photographers is to "cut off" the limbs of the people they shoot.

In fact, when taking a portrait we often focus on sol

or on the face of the subject and we forget arms, fingers, ankles and feet that are excluded or left halfway on the edges of the photo.

In order not to make this mistake, pay attention to the whole scene you are observing and if you make a mistake, immediately correct the error and shoot again.

Mistake #17 - Taking too many photos

Modern cameras allow you to take very fast bursts of photos ; if you are not a sports photographer, however, avoid photographing the same subject 50 times.

Too many photos waste time acquiring, selecting the best shots, and take up too much memory .

Another aspect to take into consideration is that compulsive shooting " mentally alienates " you from the scene because attention shifts from the subject to pressing the shutter button continuously.

Remember “less is more”.

Mistake #18 - Shooting at the wrong times

Whatever your photographic genre, you will immediately learn that certain photos are only taken at certain times of the day.

If it's easy to understand that you can't shoot a sunset at midday, it's harder to understand why it's better not to take a portrait at midday.

Sunlight changes throughout the day : it's soft and gentle at sunrise and sunset while it becomes harsher in the middle of the day. When the sun is high in the sky it creates very strong contrasts between lights and shadows and tends to make the colors less vivid.

To get the best effects, therefore, you must take advantage of the " golden hour " by waking up early in the morning or waiting for the sun to go down.

Mistake #19 - Not planning the shot

If you don't want to find yourself in front of an incredible sunset and regret not having brought a wide angle, remember to plan your photographic trip!

Planning is not only about the photographic equipment to bring (which and how many lenses, spare batteries and SD cards, various accessories) but also very important secondary elements such as food, the right clothing or the expected weather.

Some shortcomings as well as preventing you from not getting the desired shot can also put you in danger (for example a sudden storm) so always organize yourself before going out!

Mistake #20 - No post production or too much post production

Very often I see shots that, with small changes, could become masterpieces but that are not post-produced because the author is against photo editing.

What is difficult to understand is that whatever Jpeg comes out of the camera is an already modified image !

The choice therefore does not lie in being for or against post-production, but choosing whether to do it ourselves or let the camera do it through an algorithm (created by Japanese engineers) based on standard situations. The choice is yours.

However, we must not fall into the opposite error either. If you visit social media or photo sites often, you may have seen a photo and thought “Oh no, this photo was post-produced terrible”.

Some photographers get carried away when editing their photos: they raise the saturation to obscene levels, increase the sharpness creating ugly artifacts or add color casts that have nothing to do with the scene being shot.