Everyone, even professionals, makes mistakes, although their mistakes are rare and usually caused by lack of concentration. Many mistakes can be easily avoided by just remembering them, understanding their causes and following the basic rules of photography.
1. Blurred Photos
Usually, is the result of camera shake. The easiest way to fix this problem is to buy and use a good sturdy tripod. If for any reason you cannot take pictures with a tripod, do not forget to set the ISO depending on the light. This will allow you to increase the shutter speed, thereby reducing the likelihood of camera shake during shooting. The rule of thumb for such cases states that it is necessary to use a shutter is equal to 1 / focal length, or even less. In other words, if you’re shooting at 200mm focal length, shutter speed should be set to a value equal to 1/200 second and less than a second. View tips about Making Great Images in Low Light.
by Jay Maisel
2. Too Much Contrast (Overcooked) Images
Overly contrast images obtained in certain high-contrast environments. We have to learn to recognize them. Shooting in the woods on a sunny day or photographing at noon on a bright sunny day. Excessive contrast can be mitigated by using a diffuser or fill flash, depending on the situation. As a rule, the best solution is to wait for better conditions for shooting. Read more about shooting in harsh light.
by Points North
3. Underexposed Photos
Underexposed shots often arise due to the errors in a camera built-in metering. Remember that the camera medium tone frame is light gray. So, if you shoot a scene, which is dominated by light colors, it is necessary to increase the shutter speed or open aperture wider.
4. Overexposed Pictures
Overexposed images as well as overexposed, often obtained due to errors in the camera automation. So that when the frame is dominated by dark colors, it’s advisable to increase the shutter speed (compared to the one that offers the built-in metering) or reduce the aperture.
by Jason Rogers
5. Flare and Ghosting
Glare and halos occur when, for example, sunlight falls directly on the lens. It is experiencing multiple reflections, reducing image contrast and sometimes leaving the photographs aperture markings. The simplest solution in this case is to use a lens hood. However, sometimes it may need something more, then you can try to protect the lens from the light with your hand or a hat. Another possible solution could be to use an external flash. Read about how to choose external flash.
6. Distracting objects
Some objects may spoil your picture, for example, the branches of the trees, the grass, the telephone wires or birds passing by. Most viewfinder shows only about 92-95% of the image. Keep this in mind when photographing. Alternatively, you can move the camera around to see what is on the edges. Or use (which, of course, better) preview function.
7. Crooked Horizon
It’s probably the most common mistake that we all do. There are several ways to solve this problem quickly, for instance, turn on a function to show mesh on a screen that is available for many cameras. Another solution could be to buy a special liquid level and carry it with a camera.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
As you may have noticed the pictures above do break the basic rules of photography, however authors were able to take advantage of these mistakes and achieved pretty impressive results. The violation of the rule in these photos yields an opposite effect when put as a focal point. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner in photography, remember – photography is an art, an artist should not be afraid to experiment, and sometimes breaking the rule pays off in the end.
Few words about post-processing
It’s practically impossible to take flawless shots all the time and quite often you wish you could salvage some great photos. Luckily, in the digital photography it’s much easier to correct or improve your photos after the shooting through the post-processing in the digital darkroom. Do not underestimate the power photo editing software like Photoshop has to improve the quality of your photographs. Sometimes it’s truly amazing what skilled post-processing specialist or a retoucher could do to your photos to make them reach 100% their potential. Read more about the power of the digital photo editing Nothing Photoshop can’t handle.
Taking into account these most common mistakes and the basic rules of photography will help you avoid them and save a lot of time.
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