There are a lot of bad photography habits out there and while some are worse than others, sometimes there are habits you have that you may not even know are bad until someone makes you aware of them. There are so many aspects of photography that you may have a deficit in your knowledge base that is holding you back or you may just be doing something that is inefficient. Hopefully, this list will help you with your photography.
1. Avoiding the user manual
RTFM – Read the Photographic Manual. The more commonly used acronym has the ‘F’ being a different word that you can probably guess. Seriously, though, read your manual. You may not need to know every feature your camera has (some functions are very obscure and some are probably useless to you), but looking into what they are will help you learn what your camera is capable of. You may even find a couple of functions that will become immensely helpful that you didn’t know existed before reading your manual.
Some photographers say learning to practice photography skills by using a camera manual is like learning to drive using a car manual. While there’s certainly some truth to that idea, you shouldn’t avoid the potential lessons your camera manual contains.
Modern DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are packed with an enormous range of features and functions. Even if you’re an experienced photographer, these functions can provide useful photography resources to help improve your photo composition, camera settings, and overall success creating images.
If you avoid the user manual, you may miss helpful camera settings that can make your life easier as a photographer. Even if you don’t carry the manual around with you to all your shoots, you should definitely read it through when you first start using your new camera and keep it handy in the future should a question arise.
2. Shooting with a “fix it in post” mentality
Your future self will eternally hate your past self if you shoot thinking, “Oh well, I’ll just fix that in post.” Take the time to make sure you get your image right when you are taking your pictures and don’t punish your future self.
It’s also important to recognize that Photoshop isn’t magic. You can’t fix anything easily with Photoshop, and some things you can’t fix at all. Spending extra time setting up your shot and selecting the ideal camera settings will result in a better photograph that requires less work later on.
There’s no better way to keep learning than by slowing down as you shoot, so you can explore the scene and the various photo compositions available.
Programs like Lightroom and Photoshop are valuable photography resources for shutterbugs of all skill levels, but they won’t save your bad photography. Focus on the scene in front of you, be realistic about your capabilities as a photographer and as a photo editor, and distribute your time accordingly.
It’s infinitely easier to create a good photograph when you’re shooting than to turn bad photography into passable photography in post processing. Overcome the lazy mentality of dealing with issues later by solving photographic problems now.
3. Overdoing it in post
I edit my photos. I am by no means saying you should not edit your photos. Just be careful not to over process. This is usually a malady that people new to photo editing software suffer from and I definitely overdid it when I was a beginner. Below is a picture I intentionally overdid in Photoshop. If you look at enough photos online you will definitely come across tons of over processed pictures. The aspects of retouching that I believe you need to be most careful with are sharpness or clarity, saturation or vibrance, and contrast. I have also seen people who process HDR photography do so with a very heavy hand. HDR can be great, but when it is overprocessed I find it looks tacky and surreal.
Photographic communities on the internet are often echo chambers for reinforcing bad habits. There’s no limit to the bad photography you can find in photo groups on Facebook and all the other corners of the internet.
A photographer who overdoes their own editing will often commend overediting from others. They may perpetuate the idea that all colors must be saturated, all images filled with corner-to-corner detail, and all subject matter is worth photographing.
Move beyond bad photography by familiarizing yourself with the subtle editing of true professionals. Look at any issue of National Geographic and you’ll see how the experts do it. Editing is minimal as a rule and photographs are true to life.
Sliders and presets in Lightroom make it easy to overprocess your photographs, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should. A lighter touch in editing is ideal when you’re learning how to be a better photographer.
4. Thinking it’s your gear that is holding you back
It’s really not. The most important tools you have are your creativity, your imagination, and your perspective. Can a better tool help you better realize your vision? It definitely can, but it is your vision that is most important. There is often a lot of importance paid to what camera and lens shot what. While the average person may attribute better pictures to better tools, we as photographers should know better. Many of us, however, fall into the trap of gear lust and I am definitely guilty of this. I try to fight it though and I believe you should too. I spent many years with my trusty old T2i and it served me exceptionally well.
At this point in digital photography technology, even smartphones can produce impressive images that are rich in detail, color, and resolution. Film and TV directors have captured feature films with DSLRs, and whole ad campaigns with iPhones.
In the hands of an experienced or talented photographer, any camera can create beautiful photographs and video. It’s a question of knowing how to use your camera’s settings and capabilities to their fullest potential.
While learning how to be a photographer, many of us feel like the equipment is failing us in some way. We imagine that we may be able to improve our bad photography with a sharper lens, a faster autofocus system, or a higher-resolution sensor.
Just as babies learn to walk before they run, photographers need to master the technology they have. Get consistent with your gear before you convince yourself your gear is limiting you in some way.
5. Centering the subject
Centering a subject is something that is very common in beginning photography. Learning the rules of composition will help your photography immensely. Centering can definitely be used to great effect once you know what you are doing, but I would advise you to avoid it for a while if you are a beginner. I went digging through my archives and found the below picture of a tree where the centering definitely made for bad composition. I tried to give the tree importance but the centering was a bad idea. I should have stepped back and gotten more of the background to make the image more impactful.
It’s normal to want to center your subject. We all gravitate towards the symmetrical in our world. We hang art in the center of a wall, put dinner in the center of the plate, and try to drive in the center of our lane.
When it comes to learning how to be a better photographer, forcing yourself out of the habit of symmetry is an important step. Asymmetry and the sense of unbalance it may cause will actually inspire your viewer’s eye to travel through the photograph rather than resting in one place.
If the idea of asymmetry makes you uncomfortable, give yourself extra time to play with photo composition for comparison later. Take the same photograph three times: once with the subject dead center, once with a subject a third of the way into the frame, and once with the subject all the way on the edge of the image.
6. Not wanting to look foolish
This is something that I used to struggle with, but now I will happily embarrass my girlfriend with my Spiderman-like photographic poses. What I mean by looking foolish is twofold. The first aspect is about the photographer’s concerns that by getting into an odd position to get the shot they will be stared at or feel ridiculous.
A lot of times, great shots are made by completely shifting perspective and getting into an uncomfortable or weird-looking shooting position. The best piece of advice I can give to help you get over this fear is to always tell yourself that the awkwardness will pass, but the image will remain. And if you are photographing in a location where you don’t know anyone, you are not likely to ever see any of these people ever again so just go for it!
The second aspect of not wanting to look foolish is to not take pictures of people who catch your eye on the street. While it can be intimidating to take pictures of strangers, you will be surprised at how friendly most people are. You can either approach your subject and ask their permission or sometimes you can just smile and nod to your camera and that will be enough. This style of photography is definitely one that takes a lot of courage, just remember that the energy you project will impact your subject. If you look nervous, they will in turn be nervous. If you can find a way to be confident you will get a much better response.
7. Moving the camera from the subject to adjust settings
This was a big one for me. I used to constantly pull the camera away from my face to adjust the settings. Once I forced myself to learn by touching the buttons and dials I used the most, my shooting became much faster and better. I also missed a lot fewer shots. It takes time and a lot of practice, but you will feel tons better when you can quickly change aperture, shutter speed, and ISO without taking your camera off of your subject.
If you’re using a camera with a viewfinder, get used to examining your settings at the bottom of your viewfinder window. Learn where the settings will appear, and develop muscle memory for how it feels to change the settings.
Some photographers like to use helpful accessories like button covers to make button identification easier without having to look at what they’re doing. These are certainly a great option, but you can achieve the same goal with practice.
When you want to learn to be a better photographer, a vital part of the process is learning your gear. It should become an extension of your hand. Drill yourself on changing settings. Practice the most common camera setting adjustments you’ll likely use over and over again.
The sooner you learn to make changes without looking, the more confident you’ll feel and the less likely you’ll be to miss your shot while staring down at your camera.
8. Stopping the learning process
Since you are reading this article, you are already avoiding one of the major pitfalls of photography. Not expanding your knowledge and learning new ways to shoot, different ways to look at the world, trying new photographic styles, and generally getting out of your comfort zone is probably more endemic of photographers who have been shooting for a while. If you keep reading, keep looking for new inspiration, keep having your photos reviewed, and keep working on your skills you will always be looking with fresh eyes and your photographic journey will last a lifetime.
Practice is one of the most important factors for learning how to be a photographer. Just because you may have mastered one skill doesn’t mean you’ve mastered them all! Taking time away from your camera will make your photography skills rusty. That’s why it’s so important to continue learning and growing as a photographer.
When you think you already know all there is to know about photography, take a look at professional photography on social media, in a coffee table book, or in a magazine. Look at the images you find and try to reverse engineer them.
Was it a fast shutter speed with a wide aperture? Did the photographer zoom out while the shutter was open? What camera settings helped achieve the image? Learning is a lifelong pursuit for photographers of all skill levels. Accepting that fact will help you move beyond your ego so you can continue to make some fabulous discoveries through your images.
How Can I Improve My Photography Skills?
Now that we’ve established the wide range of bad photography habits you should work to avoid, let’s approach your growth as a workable process.
Improving photography skills and growing as an artist is only limited by the effort you put into it. Fortunately, the internet is full of valuable and specific resources to help you improve your photography. Here are some important steps to help you grow your photography skills:
Know Your Camera Inside and Out
Whether your camera is brand-new or you’ve had it a while, there are probably a few features you’re not taking full advantage of. Read reviews about your camera, check out tutorials, and explore the full range of your camera’s capabilities. You won’t regret it.
Try New Techniques That Intimidate You
Go out on a limb and try an advanced technique or two like astrophotography or working with strobes. Learning by doing is the best method. Take a chance and see what you can achieve.
Study Other Photographers’ Images
Reverse engineering photographs is a great way to familiarize yourself with how to handle complex lighting and photographic situations. Spending time intentionally viewing and absorbing other people’s work will certainly help you improve your own.
