So if you have subscribed to my new YOUTUBE CHANNEL, then you will have watched me cover this topic in some detail. But I am aware that a lot of people are keen blog readers, so I have got you covered.

Over the last few years of doing photography I have learned so much about what makes a photo look sharper, more aesthetically pleasing and more professional.

So here are 4 mistakes that pretty much all beginner photographers make. I have gone over this in more detail in the video with an EXTRA tip (so definitely watch it) so I shall keep this brief but with some examples from my own work.

• Not Understanding Camera Settings –

This is pretty self explanatory but you’d be surprised at how many people buy a camera, put it in auto and expect their camera to do all the work. Having a good camera is only about 40-50% of it. I remember when I first bought my Nikon D3200 (see review of this here) and was SO disappointed when my photos didn’t come out like the famous Instagram photographers I saw online. I was shooting in manual and at first it was so difficult and frustrating but now I am so glad that I got used to manual mode so early. I can take pictures in a wide range of environments and adjust my settings to make sure the vibe I want is in the photos before I even tough them in post-edit.

• Shooting In Poor Lighting –

Lighting can make or break a photo. You can have the best location and a gorgeous model but with bad lighting the photo can look horrendous. If its too bright you lose a lot of the detail in the photo and no amount of editing can get that back. Too dark and the noise the camera produces will make it look like the photo was taken on a 2004 nokia (which is not what you want when you spent a lot of money on a camera). Planning shoots in advance and knowing what the weather will be like helps a lot.

Both of these photos were taken in my house late afternoon/ early evening. First was taken with ceiling lights and trying to adjust my camera settings in the light. The other was taken using my new super affordable studio lights (click the image below to check them out)

• Poor Composition in Photos –

Composition is a difficult one to explain so definitely watch my video. How you frame a photo and how you pose your models can easily turn your photos from amateur to professional. Don’t just snap away when you get to a location, think carefully about what you want your photos to convey and make sure the angles match up with that story.

A photo my friend vs the one she took of me whilst travelling. Same location, both photos are good quality but thinking about what will actually end up in the crop, the angle and how others are going to view the photo makes a huge difference. Which would you like on IG?

• Practice Makes Perfect

Every quote about practice makes perfect is true. So many people give up when they invest in photography because ultimately the camera can only do so much. It is down to the individual to create stunning images. Learning camera setting takes time, learning to edit takes time, getting your camera settings on point takes time. Practice on friends, family, cats, dogs etc till they get sick of you. Don’t ever give up, you’ll get there eventually.

 

Hopefully this has been useful to you. If you are the type of person that prefers watching videos, I have the link to the full video below. Let me know what you think xxx