Photography: 10 Things Not To Do

Becoming a better photographer doesn't happen overnight! It's something that takes time and lots of practice! Today I'm here to share with you 10 things not to do. Kelli and I created this list based on mistakes we first made when we first started photographing. These are 10 common mistakes that you don't want to make. Enjoy! 

1. Use Auto Flash ALL The Time Oh no no no no. This is a common mistake that is so easy to fix! Just turn off your automatic flash. See how in the above examples the auto flash makes the photo look flat and washed out, don't let this happen to your photos! Natural light is lovely, so take advantage of it!  

2. Ignore Your Color Story and Composition How many times have you seen a photo with a super distracting background? The above example is a little extreme, but always be sure to choose backgrounds that compliment the people or objects in your photos! Choose a color that makes your color story stronger, not more busy. 

3. Plan To Crop Everything Later Kelli told me over and over that she never has to crop a photo in photoshop because she always composes photos exactly how she wants them through the viewfinder. I love this challenge! When you compose a photo how you want it, you will get the best point of focus and a stronger image than if you crop everything later. 

4. Pose In Direct Sunlight This is something you should never do, if you can avoid it! Unless, of course you want a photo that looks something like this... 

Wow! So unflattering. Now, There are ways to make sunlight work for you but this is most definitely not it! Direct sunglight has ruined many pretty photos, so don't let it ruin yours! Read more in our articles about tips for outdoor photography and working with backlight and sun flare. 

5. Ignore The Details... They're Not Important It's easy to forget to snap photos of little details in our day to day lives. Below is a collage of some of my favorite small moments over the past few years. Don't ignore the details! Be intentional about capturing them on camera. They might just turn out to be some of your favorite memories. 

6. Copy Someone Else....Exactly A lot of young photographers make the mistake of being "too inspired" by another photographer. Sometimes people don't even mean to "copy" but it doesn't make it ok. Copying someone you admire is awkward for you and for them... it's just no good. It's ok to be inspired by other people, but don't use their exact ideas and compositions! Create something fresh and beautiful that you can be proud to call your own. 

7. Post Every Photo You Took Today Have you ever seen someone upload every single photo from their holiday on Facebook? It kinda feels like they didn't take the time to go through and pick the best ones. Don't do this. Posting too many repeat photos takes attention away from your best photos. Take the time to choose your favorite photos before you hit the upload button! 

 8. Take Photos Exclusively At Night I used to be one of those people who took ALL my DIY photos at night because I just didn't have time to do it during the day. See the above example for what a huge difference some natural light can make. Both photos were taken without the flash on auto settings. There will, of course, always be instances where night photos are necessary- like a party or event. These days, if I have a choice I will ALWAYS take my blog photos during the daylight. Even if it means I have to wake up an hour earlier or rearrange my schedule it's very worth it!  

9. Stick With What You Know Don't forget to branch out. As a photographer I always go through phases where I learn a new skill and then use it a whole lot. Sometimes I get in a rut where I don't try new things for a long time. I think it's important to never stop learning. I do better work when I'm actively learning new things and challenging myself. What about you? 

10. Post Your Photos To Facebook & Never Look Back One of the saddest things about living in the digital age is that many people no longer print out their memories! For the first few years of my dating relationship with Jeremy I made this very mistake. I realized that I was posting photos online, but not doing anything else with them. Since we've been married I've been making an effort to print photos out, order albums and frame photos in our home. I love this habit. It's healthy and makes me more thankful for each and every memory when I see the photos. If you're not in the habit of printing photos, order some today! I promise you'll be happy you did. 

Thanks for reading! I've had so much fun teaching photography lately! Thank you for all your kind comments. It's fun to hear that some of you are super excited about photographing your life too!

xoxo. elsie 

Comments

[CHICKYTHING]

This is my favorite post ever! I love Emma's don't do shot! Hilarious~

[Ana]

I loved this post! Actually, I've loved all the previous post with photography tips, but I think that talking about what NOT to do is so important, especially for beginners like myself! Some of these are things we wouldn't even think about at the start, until we get the pictures on the computer, only to see they're not what we expected and can't figure out what went wrong.

I think that these are great tips for anyone who's using a camera, no matter how often. :)

[Lexie]

Thank you for this series. One of the points on my list this year is to get better at photography so this is very helpful. Especially as I'm such a beginner!

[Natasha Fatah]

This is all absolutely excellent advice. I just made the direct sunlight mistake today, and then had to reshoot a bunch of outfit photos.

Thanks guys, these tips are so helpful!
xoxo
www.natashafatah.blogspot.com

[H.K. Kim]

I really enjoy reading your photography tips. I am a beginner at this and have learned a tremendous amount about photography by reading your posts. Thanks a lot ~*

[Sophie]

i really need this advice. i take terrible photos! thank you!
sophie

[Erin]

Hi Elsie, I have a question I read your photography post on sun flare and I tried it yesterday at the golden hour, I place my subject in front of the sun and the picture turned out where my subject was too dark and you couldn't see the sun at all it didn't even look like there was sun behind him, could you tell me maybe what I did wrong, I tried it with the flash on then off then I went through all the settings I tried standing in different angles etc. nothing they were all dark ugh so disappointed any tweaks you think I need to make would help! Thanks!

[Carrie]

LOVE all these tips!! Such good reminders, encouragements, and info!

[Mademoiselle Meese]

these tips make so much sense! thank you for sharing!

xx,
donyel

http://mademoisellemeese.blogspot.com

[rory]

I'm a sophomore in high school and one of the courses I'm taking right now is Photography. Using film and all...no digital! I prefer digital, but it's always fun to see my negatives come out once I've labored away developing them. Same with the prints! after choosing settings, burning and dodging, etc in the dark room, I love seeing the final result. People take for granted the digital pictures (I did, too) til I started taking the Photography class! We also take digital pictures though, and I can really see the parallels from what I've learned in school and what you've been posting about. You really know your stuff and my teacher has been impressed after I've followed your tips! Sorry for the wordy post, but you deserve a proper thank you for all of the photographing tips you've been posting lately! They mean a lot to some of us! <333
Rory
www.WearAboutsBlog.com
www.chictopia.com/WearAbouts

[Jenna]

I love these tips! Not using autoflash has been one of the best photography decisions I have ever made. I want to keep challenging myself to produce the best images possible for my blog, and your posts inspire me to stay on the right track!

[Candy]

Thank you!! So helpful...really love these tips. Hope these will help me take better pics for my blog too.

[Tabetha]

This has absolutely been my favorite series! Thank you so much-- I just received a camera for my birthday & will definitely be referring to these often!

http://aclosetintellectual.blogspot.com/

[Vivi K]

This post is amazingly helpful! Thank you so so much for your great tips! :)

http://vivikstyle.blogspot.com/

[Mere]

These are so helpful. I especially love the one about taking your photos to avoid cropping! such a time saver!

[Lina]

Wow this is so helpful... For some reason i really hate flash they flattened all the colour and texture..

-xL
www.ame-mayu.blogspot.com

[Rae Veda]

Great tips! I love your photography posts. xo, rv

http://aneclecticheap.blogspot.com/

[Ana F.]

These are great tips and made me think about some things that I've been doing! Thanks for sharing :)

[Helena]

That was a really helpful post! Totally agree with you about printing photos!

I was just wondering though, do you need to have an expensive and fancy camera to take good photos? Also, what program do you use to write on your pictures?

[Cori Preston]

Great advice! I am always trying to improve my photos and these are definitely things to keep in mind.