How to Avoid the Most Common Amateur Photography Mistakes at All Costs

We share over 3.2 billion images each day. Technology has made amateur photography accessible to everyone. But without photography skills training, your images can fall into the void.

There’s nothing worse than looking at your photos to find you failed to capture the magic of the moment. The photography industry is unforgiving of amateur mistakes.

We can help you avoid this. You can take photos that impress, dazzle, and zap life into your subject.

Want to avoid common mistakes? Read on for our photography tips.

Amateur Photography Compositions

Aim to fill the frame. Negative space can create drama, but too many blank areas detract from your subject. Use a free background remover to swap dull elements for bold details.

The human eye needs a focal point in an image. You can use the rule of thirds for this. Place your subject on one of the intersections for impact.

Blurred Images

Handshake is the most common cause of blur. You can remedy this by choosing a shutter speed to match your focal length: 1/40 of a second for 40mm.

A higher shutter speed freezes action. Try out different speeds to see their effect. Creative blur can liven up your photography.

Choose a single-focus mode for static subjects. Use continuous or servo focus for moving subjects.

What’s That Noise?

Noise occurs at high ISO settings. ISO is the digital equal of the speed of photography film. Higher ISO settings capture more light on the sensor but can add grain to your images.

Try to keep your ISO as low as possible. If you need more light, try a wider aperture or slower shutter speed with a tripod. This is ideal for landscape photography with little subject movement.

Generic Points of View

We all know what things look like from a standing level. Try to match eye-level for portrait photography. Experiment with low-angle, high-angle, and unusual viewpoints to add intrigue to your image.

Move about. Climb, hike, crouch, lie down and seek a new perspective.

Data In One Place Does Not Exist

Schofield’s 2nd law of computing. Back up your photos to an external hard drive and the cloud. Some photos are once-in-an-age; you need to keep them safe in case of loss, theft, or file corruption.

Avoid saving images to your computer’s hard drive, or worse, your desktop. RAW files are large and will fill up most local drives fast. Saving to your desktop saps RAM from your computer; you’ll need this for editing.

Always Shooting in JPEG Format

JPEGs have their place. They are web-ready, save on storage, and easy to share. Their limitations lie in their automatic sharpening and lossy compression algorithms.

RAW files keep all the data from your image. This lets you adjust the exposure, white balance, and temperature after your shoot. RAW editing is non-destructive; your original image stays unchanged until you export it.

Ready to Photograph the World?

We hope our guide to amateur photography mistakes boosted your skills. Practice new techniques and see what works for you. Analyze the work of the masters to learn new methods of production.

A cutting-edge camera is no substitute for experience. Whatever camera you use, get out there and make stunning images.

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