Top 10 Photography Mistakes

Top 10 Photography Mistakes

       There are certain photography problems and mistakes that commonly occur for new photographers .The good news is that many of these mistakes are easily corrected with a bit of know how.

1

Blurry Pictures

One of the top complaints from amateur photographers is that their images have come out blurry. The simple answer to this problem usually is that there isn’t enough light reaching the sensor, so the camera struggles to take a sharp image. Various ways to solve this issue include using a tripod or a monopod (a must in low light conditions!), choosing a higher ISO setting for faster shutter speeds or using flash to freeze any movement.

2

Too Much Contrast

A photograph with too much contrast has a strong difference between light (highlight) and darker (shadow) areas of the image. This is very apparent in photographs taken on a sunny day. Use flash to fill in the dark shadowy areas of the image and try underexposing the image by one or two stops to see the difference it makes.

3

Red-Eye

Although red-eye can easily be corrected with an image editing software, it’s a great idea to know how to prevent it from occurring. Red-eye appears commonly in light-eyed people when the camera flash reflects off the retinas in their eyes. You can prevent red-eye by avoiding your camera's built-in flash whenever possible, also many cameras have an automatic red-eye reduction mode. Another technique is to have your subject look away from the camera for the photo, in order to avoid the reflection in their eyes. One last trick is if the room can be made brighter to allow maximum light into the subject’s eyes, their pupils will shrink due to the brighter light. Though for most situations, this may not be practical.

4

Off-Colors

Off-colors, or color casts are a well known problem in digital photography. In digital imaging we can use the white balance (WB) settings to deal with this problem. Choose “auto” or the proper WB settings for the scenario. For example, an indoor photograph tends to look orange because the incandescent (tungsten) light bulb emits “warm” or orange light. The tungsten setting devised for this scenario will add blue to balance it out.

5

Less is More

When framing and composing our photograph, we want to create something interesting for the eye but at the same time avoid excessive distractions. Normally, one main focal point or area is enough. If you have a focal point in the background and a distraction (like rocks) in the foreground, crop the image by zooming in to avoid the distracting item. This effect also may be done later with your image editing software. The point is to have a photo where the eye is drawn to the main attraction.

6

Subject is Too Far

In every photograph we shoot, we want something engaging in the frame. If your subject is too far away, it will not make much impact. You can move closer by using a good quality telephoto zoom lens or we can crop the image later with your image editing software. Remember to shoot the image at the highest resolution possible because cropping reduces the quality.

7

Low Resolution

Shooting at a low resolution may allow you to store more images on your memory card, but it is a bad idea. Using a low resolution setting means that the image quality will suffer, and you won’t be able to print large photographs without noticing the pixels. Additionally, every time you save a jpeg file it loses some quality. If you start off with a small file, your editing options will be very limited. Buy additional memory cards and take your photos with higher resolution and avoid low quality files!

8

Too Much Noise

Digital noise is analogous to grain on a film photograph, those unsightly little speckles on your image. The higher the ISO the more noise will appear, and the more you enlarge the image the more you can see noise. Night time images are prone to noise as the camera struggles to record detail. To reduce noise, use the largest image quality setting and always use a tripod so that you can choose the lowest ISO setting without causing blur.

9

Underexposed Pictures

An underexposed image is one that is too dark because there wasn’t enough light reaching the sensor when the image was taken. If you see on your LCD screen that an image looks too shadowy and underexposed, you can try opening the aperture to allow more light in. You can also adjust the exposure on a DSLR, selecting the ‘+’ to add more light, usually in ½ stop increments.

10

Overexposed Pictures

If your photograph is too bright and lacking in detail, then it is overexposed. This means there is too much light hitting the sensor. Overexposure can be particularly bad on bright days or with light colored subjects. To correct for overexposure, you can try underexposing the image by choosing -0.5 or -1 and seeing if more detail has been retained. Additionally, use spot metering for accurate results - pick a grey mid-toned area in your image as the guideline.

comment

Top 10 Photography Tips

Top 10 Photography Tips

1

Compose in Thirds

To use the rule of thirds, imagine four lines, two lying horizontally across the image and two vertical creating nine even squares. Some images will look best with the focal point in the center square, but placing the subject off center will often create a more aesthetically composed photograph. When a photograph is composed using the rule of thirds the eyes will wander the frame. A picture composed by the rule of thirds is more interesting and pleasing to the eye.

2

Avoid Camera Shake

 

 Camera shake or blur is something that can plague any photographer and here are some ways to avoid it. First, you need to learn how to hold your camera properly; use both hands, one around the body and one around the lens and hold the camera close to your body for support. Also make sure you are using a shutter speed that matches the lens focal length. So if you’re using a 100mm lens, then your shutter speed should be no lower than 1/100th of a second. Use a tripod or monopod whenever possible. In lieu of this, use a tree or a wall to stabilize the camera

.

3

The Sunny 16 Rule

The idea with the Sunny 16 rule is that we can use it to predict how to meter our camera on a sunny outdoor day. So when in that situation, choose an aperture of f/16 and 1/100th of a second shutter speed (provided you are using ISO 100). You should have a sharp image that is neither under or over exposed. This rule is useful if you don’t have a functioning light meter or if your camera doesn’t have an LCD screen to review the image.

4

Use a Polarizing Filter

If you can only buy one filter for your lens, make it a polarizer. This filter helps reduce reflections from water as well as metal and glass; it improves the colors of the sky and foliage, and it will protect your lens too. There’s no reason why you can’t leave it on for all of your photography. The recommended kind of polarizer is circular because these allow your camera to use TTL (through the lens) metering (i.e. Auto exposure).

5

Create a Sense of Depth

When photographing landscapes it really helps to create a sense of depth, in other words, make the viewer feel like they are there. Use a wide-angle lens for a panoramic view and a small aperture of f/16 or smaller to keep the foreground and background sharp. Placing an object or person in the foreground helps give a sense of scale and emphasizes how far away the distance is. Use a tripod if possible, as a small aperture usually requires a slower shutter speed.

6

Use Simple Backgrounds

The simple approach is usually the best in digital photography, and you have to decide what needs to be in the shot, while not including anything that is a distraction. If possible, choose a plain background – in other words, neutral colors and simple patterns. You want the eye to be drawn to the focal point of the image rather than a patch of color or an odd building in the background. This is vital in a shot where the model is placed off center.

7

Don't Use Flash Indoors

Flash can look harsh and unnatural especially for indoor portraits. Therefore, there are various ways you can take an image indoors without resorting to flash. First, push the ISO up – usually ISO 800 to 1600 will make a big difference for the shutter speed you can choose. Use the widest aperture possible – this way more light will reach the sensor and you will have a nice blurred background. Using a tripod or an I.S. (Image Stabilization) lens is also a great way to avoid blur.

8

Choose the Right ISO

The ISO setting determines how sensitive your camera is to light and also how fine the grain of your image. The ISO we choose depends on the situation – when it’s dark we need to push the ISO up to a higher number, say anything from 400 – 3200 as this will make the camera more sensitive to light and then we can avoid blurring. On sunny days we can choose ISO 100 or the Auto setting as we have more light to work with.

9

Pan to Create Motion

If you want to capture a subject in motion, then use the panning technique. To do this, choose a shutter speed around two steps lower than necessary – so for 1/250, we’d choose 1/60. Keep your camera on the subject with your finger half way down on the shutter to lock the focus and when ready, take the photo, remembering to follow them as they move. Use a tripod or monopod if possible to avoid camera shake and get clear movement lines.

10

Experiment with Shutter Speed

Don’t be afraid to play with the shutter speed to create some interesting effects. When taking a night time shot, use a tripod and try shooting with the shutter speed set at 4 seconds. You will see that the movement of the object is captured along with some light trails. If you choose a faster shutter speed of say 1/250th of a second, the trails will not be as long or bright; instead you will freeze the action. This technique works well if you are using a tripod and if you are photographing a moving object.

comment

ABOUT US

ABOUT US

We specialize in wedding photography,event photography,portrait photography and on this website you will find a collection  of some of our recent work.

comment