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5 Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Learning Photography

By Autumn Lockwood

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 12Jun2010 Word count: 635 Viewed: 446 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Photography is a wonderful hobby or career that is accessible to almost anyone who is interested. The great thing about photography is that anyone can pick up a camera and start taking pictures, but if you choose to learn more advanced methods there can be a steep learning curve. However, there are a few common pitfalls that you may want to avoid so here is a list of the five most common mistakes.

Photo Equipment Overload!

With all of the photo equipment available, it's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. Tripods, extra lenses, filters, darkroom gear, timers, lights, reflectors - the list is endless. However, without a solid foundation and a clear understanding of what your camera is capable of on its own, you'll never be able to show true mastery of all of those accessories. It's best to start off small with a basic digital SLR (or 35 mm film camera if you prefer) if you're serious about learning photography. Once you've gotten comfortable with using your equipment and have goten some great shots, it's time to start looking at some new accessories.

One Missed Shot

In the beginning, it's common to miss a lot of great shots. In fact, not only will you miss a lot of great photographs, you're also going to mess up on photos you were able to take. For this reason, it's probably a good idea to take every photograph at least twice. This will help teach you about the subtleties of your camera's inner workings, as well as provide a bit of safety in knowing you won't miss the important things. In this day of digital photography, there is little additional cost in shooting hundreds of images compared to only shooting ten.

Don't Use Your Flash

The flash really isn't your friend. An automatic flash can prevent you from properly learning how to handle complex lighting situations and sometimes even ruin your images. Turn your flash off and force yourself to adapt to environmental light using only your wits and your camera's settings - you'll be better for it in the long run. Cameras are quite versatile and can shoot in almost any environment, so try to be creative about how you use the light you're provided, even when it doesn't seem like enough.

Fix Your Framing

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to put your subjects in the exact center of the frame. This can cause wasted space in your photos, or tone down how interesting they are. Picture the frame or viewfinder of your camera as a cropping tool so you'll always compose exactly what you want in your picture. Framing your image properly in the viewfinder doesn't take long to learn but will make a lasting difference in the quality of your photographs.

Point and Shoot

Simple digital cameras with giant LCD screens on the back are certainly tempting, but if you're hoping to learn about the art of photography and challenge yourself to improve, you're probably not going to get anything out of one. Many beginners pick these cameras due to their convenience and affordability, which is absolutely fine if you're only intending to use it for non-professional or artistic purposes. If you want to take great pictures and expand your knowledge of photography, you will need to have the right photo tools for the job.

Overall, these five mistakes are easy to avoid and won't cause you much harm if you happen to stumble into one now and again. The only things that are important are building good shooting habits and continually challenging yourself to do better - the rest will come over time. Just keep taking pictures every day and before you know it you'll be creating images that you'll be proud to display in your home or office.

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