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Top Photography Sins and Mistakes to Avoid

OCTOBER 4, 2014 BY NASIM MANSUROV 102 COMMENTS

It seems that many photographers go through a certain cycle of mistakes and errors during their photography journeys and careers. Some of these

mistakes and photography sins have become so predictable, that it is usually easy to identify ones level simply by looking at their recent work. During

my past workshops and one-on-one sessions, I have seen many images that could have been great, if it was not for one or more of the typical mistakes

outlined below. I have personallymade many of these mistakes in the past and some of them I am still guilty and ashamed of even today, although I

continuously work hard on getting rid of them.

1) Using SelectiveColor

Using selective color is a cheesy thing of the past. It was cool back in the day when Photoshop layers were introduced, but the whole trend is now a joke

If you find yourself isolating those pretty flowers from a bridal portrait, please stop. Go b ack and wipe those pictures out from your portfolio. There are

very very very rare cases when selective color really works and I can almost guarantee you that none of your images qualify.

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http://photographylife.com/top-photography-sins-and-mistakes-to-avoid 2

Selective Color

2) Those Dreamy Portraits

Diffusion filters suck, plain and simple. They might have looked good back in 1960s, but thats about it. If your photography teacher wants you to use a

blur filter for portraiture, or you find yourself experimenting with Photoshop blur filters to make your portraits look dreamy, time to go back and learn

better ways to capture portraits.
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Dreamy Portrait

Diffused, blurry portraits are a thing of the past. Time to move on.

3) Impaling and Horning Your Subjects

Paying attention to what happens in the background is important when photographing people and other live beings. When photographing subjects with

trees, electric poles and other similar objects in the background, avoid impaling your subject with the background objects. Pay close attention to the

background when composing your shot and if you see anything that clearly stands out behind your subject(s), move around and see if you can find more

suitable framing that works. For the below shot of the happy groom, all I had to do was move a little bit to the right and there would not have been a large

stick coming out of his shoulder:
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Impaled Groom

And this pretty bridesmaid would have looked a lot better without the four horns in the background:
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Girl with Horns

4) Eye-Level Perspective

Most of us are guilty of walking around straight and forcing eye-level perspective in every shot. If you photograph children or pets, get down on your

knees or lay down to get a much better, more natural perspective. Shooting subjects from above is rarely appealing, because you are most likely including

the unattractive floor / ground and other objects in the background that should not be in your shot. Change your perspective more often and be creative

with how you present your subject.
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Different Perspective

5) That Bokeh Craze

If you find yourself in love with bokehtoo much and the term creamy bokeh is what you are after when photographing your subjects, it might be time to

put your favorite 85mm f/1.4 cream machine back in the closet and force yourself to shoot with a wide angle lens for a few months. Completely isolating

your subject from the background often takes away the essence and the story of the portrait.
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Bokeh Craze

Take a look at some of the iconic and award-winning portraits and note how the photographer placed the subject relative to the background. You will see

that without the background, the portrait often loses its essence. It is rare to find story-telling photographs that focus only on the subject alone. SteveMcCurrys Afghan Girl is a rare example that really works and even in this case, if it was not for the torn red veil standing against the green background,

the captivating eyes of the girl and marks on her face, the picture would have never become so iconic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girlhttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Lola-Elise-Portraits-and-Weddings-29.jpg


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Steve McCurrys Afghan Girl

Unless your subject alone can tell a story, you should always do your best to include the surrounding environment, since it will not only complete the

image, but also make it that much more interesting to look at.

6) The Natural Light Photographer

Whenever I hear someone say I am a natural light photographer, I already know what it means. 99% of the time, it simply translates to I have no idea

how to use flash. While natural light is indeed amazing to use in most situations, if you master flash photography, you can make your images appear

natural without that flash look. Flash is amazing, because it is versatile you can create light when it does not exist; you can shoot indoors without

cranking up that ISO; you can imitate sunrise/sunset and you can eliminate those hard shadows when shooting in mid-day sun. If you have no idea how

to use flash, it is time to learn and move away from your only natural light photographer mentality.
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Beauty Portrait Captured with Flash

There are many great photographers that have mastered both natural light and flash, and they do not fall into this category.

7) Converting Blurry Images to Black and White

Although sharp photos are not an absolute requirement in portrait photography, you will rarely see magazines and online publications publish photos that

are blurry due to bad focus and camera shake. There is a clear difference between intentional blur and blur due to photographers error. I have seen many

examples of portrait and wedding photographers resorting to black and white conversion when they capture an important photo that they could not

capture properly. Why black and white? Because it makes the photo appear like old B&W film photos, which were often blurry, due to technical limitations

of camera gear in the past. Hence, such black and white conversion technique is used to hide mistakes. While I personally love beautiful black and white

photos, seeing a large number of badly focused photos converted to black and white just tells me that either the photographer has no idea how to

properly focus, or has technical problems with their gear. If you find yourself resorting to such conversions too often, perhaps it is time to learn how to

use those autofocus modes. And if your gear is malfunctioning, it might be time to get it properly serviced and calibrated.

8) Using Wide Angle Lenses for Portraits

That nifty fiftylens of yours is great for everyday photography and portraiture. But if you put it close enough to a subject, it will surely distort their face.

Anything below 60-70mm tends to distort and warp subjects when they are too close, making their facial features appear unnaturally big. It is one thing

to go wide for fun, and another to distort a good looking subject by either going too wide or being too close. If you use a 50mm lens, dont try to frame

your shot by filling the subjects face, especially on full-frame cameras. If you really need to get that close, use a longer focal length lens. An 85mm

portrait lens would fit be much more suitable for the job.
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Wide Angle Close-Up

Wide Angle Close-Up

9) Over-Saturation Galore

I have seen so many great images butchered with crazy colors. When I teach workshops, I always ask people to stay away from the Saturation sliders as

much as possible. A little bit of color saturation is not bad, but too much color makes images appear fake and unnatural. While the definition of color and

its intensity varies greatly between photographers, an over-saturated image is easy to identify. Stay away from too much color saturation and do your

best to make your photos appear as natural and balanced as possible.
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Over-Saturated Image

Over-Saturated Image

10) The HDR Hole

When I look at most HDR photos, I sometimes wish that HDR was never invented in the first place. HDR is a great technology, but people overuse and

over-abuse it too often. Sadly, most HDR photographs appear plain ugly, with photographers trying to pull something special from a failed photo. There is

now even a term for such ugly photographs: Grunge HDR the ugliest thing of the modern photography world. No shadows whatsoever, flat, ugly and

over-saturated images. Yuk.
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Water Wheel

If you find yourself liking such unnatural, ugly photographs, you are probably stuck in the HDR Hole. If you have been in the HDR hole for more than a

year, it is time to move on from your GND filters are for noobs attitude. Buy yourself a good set of filtersand learn how to do it right in the camera.

Sadly, many of us get stuck in the HDR hole. I found the below graph to illustrate the point quite well:
http://photographylife.com/lens-filters-explainedhttp://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Water-Wheel.jpg


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Stages of a photographer

Unless you learn how to properly use HDR and make it appear natural, I would recommend to move on to something new / different. In my opinion,

exposure blending techniques are often far more useful than automated HDR tools with those Grunge HDR presets.

11) Gear Lust

Many of us are victims of gear acquisition syndrome (GAS). As Bob Vishneski pointed out in his funny diseases that plague photographers article, you

could have a number of different addictions that will get you nowhere. Stop worrying about your gear and the latest and greatest. Upgrade only when

you truly need to upgrade. While we post lots of gear reviews and other gear-related content here at Photography Life, we would hate to see any of ourreaders lust for more gear. Treat photo gear as your tools to create photographs. Do not buy something new just because it is better than what you

already have. We typically recommend to skip at least one generation of cameras before upgrading. Manufacturers always want to lure you with newer

gadgets, which is why they make more gear year after year. Look at Nikon, which has announced a total of 9 full-frame cameras in the last 2 years! Stop

worrying about what you have and concentrate on your photography knowledge instead. Gear lust will get you nowhere.

12) Gear / Technical Problems

If you are constantly fiddling with your camera to set it up properly, have no idea how to yield sharp photos or get your exposure right, it is time to spend a

bit more time to get to know your gear. You will not be able to focus on light, composition and framing if technical problems are on the way. First, get to

know how to use the tools properly and only then focus on making images. There are many resources to get that knowledge see our photography tips

for beginnerssection for a long list of articles on exposure, settings and camera gear.
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Gear Technical Problems

13) Lack of Composition and Balance

Many of us, including myself, suffer from composition and framing problems. While we are still working on adding more articles on composition andframing, I would recommend to read up on composition from other sources and books. Studying art will give you plenty of education on composition and

as you take more pictures and look for better light opportunities, you will learn how to achieve proper visual and color balance in your photographs. Dont

just blindly follow composition rules there are exceptions to every rule. Yes, placing a subject in the middle of the frame rarely works, but it does not

mean that you should be avoiding center placement in every photograph just to be in line with the rule of thirds.
http://photographylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Fuji-X-Pro1-Autofocus-Makes-Babies-Cry.jpghttp://photographylife.com/tag/composition


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Negative Space in Composition

14) Those Big and Ugly Watermarks

People get so scared that their photos will be stolen, that they put large, ugly watermarks all over their photos. The thing is, if someone wants to stea

your photo, they will find a way to get rid of your watermark. Opening up an image in Photoshop and using the clone tool is not hard and most people

know quite well how to do it. And if they dont, using a simple crop tool found on any photo editing software tool is even easier. In my opinion, the only

proper reason to put a watermark in images is to have people find the person who took the photo. And for that intent, adding a small watermark in the

corner with your name or logo will be far more useful than slapping on a fat and ugly watermark. From my personal experience, photos that do not contain

watermarks or have a very small text/watermark in one of the corners have a higher chance to get viral and shared between people on the Internet.
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Personally, I rarely ever use watermarks in my photos. I have done it in the past and I abandoned the practice, since they do nothing to protect my work. In

fact, I would love to have a big corporation steal my photos, because I would sue the heck out of them and get rich! Sadly, my photos are nearly not as

good to be a target of theft!

15) The Spray and Pray Mentality

Sadly, digital photography created the spray and pray mentality among many photographers, where one takes thousands of pictures, hoping that one of

them will turn out to be a Pulitzer prize winner. Those fast frames per second and continuous AF-C modes in modern cameras are not created for the

trigger happy photographers that will shoot anything and everything given the chance. They are there for special occasions, such as photographing

subjects in motion. Unless you are a sports, wildlife or action photographer, stay away from shooting continuously and focus on capturing unique

moments instead. Before you squeeze that shutter release button, pause for a second. Think about what you are about to photograph. Focus on framing

composition, visual balance, background, surroundings and your subject. Dont take a picture just in case and learn to slow down and pre-visualize you

shot instead.


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16) That Darn Superzoom!

I dislike superzoom lenses (here comes John Sherman with a part three to his 18-300mm article!). Not because they are generally inferior optically, but

because they teach photographers to be lazy. A one lens for all attitude might be suitable in rare situations (such as when traveling), but for most of us

it only harms our potential to make great photos.

Dont be afraid to carry multiple lenses and swap them. Dont be so concerned about dust and your gear condition. Move around. Use your feet. Dont just

rely on a superzoom lens to do the walking for you.
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FILED UNDER: PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES

TAGGED WITH: BLACK AND WHITE, BOKEH, COMPOSITION, FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY, HDR PHOTOGRAPHY, TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is a professional photographer based out of Denver, Colorado. He is the author and founder of Photography Life, along

with a number of other online resources. Read more about Nasim here.

Comments

1) Jon McGuffin

OCTOBER 5, 2014 AT 9:09 PM

Well Nasim, Im quite proud and glad to say that I feel Ive done a pretty good job of late getting around nearly all of those things above you recommend

with the exception of maybe 1 or 2. Great article and thanks for the post. Now please get on with that D750 review/preview weve been all waiting for!!!!

Reply

28) Nasim Mansurov


Thank you for your feedback Jon! I am working on the D750 review :)

Reply

77) jim ballantyne

OCTOBER 6, 2014 AT 2:59 AM

see 11).

Reply

102) Fred


Yes Jim!. (why I DBR reviews deliver me not into temptation)

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Reply

2) Sherry Rosen


Best article Ive read in a very long time!

Reply

29) Nasim Mansurov


Thanks Sherry!

Reply

3) Alex


Congratulations! Great article.

Reply

30) Nasim Mansurov


Thanks Alex!

Reply

4) David A. Hamments


Hi Nasim, good points as always! Just had to point out that in number (8), I think you meant warp, not wrap. Also wanted to let you know that Ive

received my sensor cleaner from you and it is indeed VERY effective and easy to use. Im looking forward to your detailed review of the D750, as Im loving

mine.

Keep up the good work!

Cheers and good light,

David A. Hamments

Reply
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24) Nasim Mansurov


David, yes, that was certainly a typo on my end! Thanks for letting me know :) Glad you like the sensor gel stick, it is a great product!

As for the D750 review, I will be working on it this week!

Reply

5) Henrik Manoochehri


Hi Nasim;

Just traded Nikon gear for Fuji. No high speed flash sync? Oops! As you advise above, I try to use flash for creative lighting but this new camera system

has taken away some of the potential creative power from my gear and I have to use technique, I guess to compensate. Any advice from you or anyone

would be appreciated. what technique or gear is available to replace the high speed flash/fill flash issue with slow syncing gear?

Thanks

Reply

17) David B


Henrik, I also shoot Fuji, among other cameras. No high speed flash sync is a big problem for Fuji. I struggle trying to shoot wide open or close thereto

during beach vacation, because 1/180 is simply not good enough. And to carry a bunch of ND filters with you on vacation is ridiculous. Honey, wait, I

am just going to unscrew this one filter and carefully try not to have it fall in the sand, and screw on that ND filter!

In that regard, I have discussed that issue at length for a guy who runs Fujirumors site. We disagree. He thinks that Fujis developing a flash (per

rumors) with Hi Speed sync would cure the issue. I disagree because I I believe the inability of Hi Speed Sync is a Camera limitation rather than Flash

limitation. You know like Nikon flashes all can sync hi speed with any camera at D7000 and above level, but you are stuck at listed Flash xsync on all

the Nikons under the D7000. Same flash camera limitation prevents FP.

Now with Fuji I guess we will find out soon if I am right or Fujirumors guy is right. Nissin i40 flash is coming out next month for Fuji. we KNOW For a

fact that that particular flash does Hi Sync speed on all the other platforms: Canon/Nikon/Sony as it is out already for these. So if Hi Sync on i40 would

work with Fuji XT1, I am wrong, if it does not, the Fujirumors guy is wrong.

By the way, the present Fuji flashes (Ive owned two of them including the 42model) suck in general notwithstanding the lack of hi speed sync

Reply

26) Nasim Mansurov


David, yes, ND filters are a pain, but they are the only true workaround in daylight situations. Hopefully Fuji will address these issues in the future,

since flash is definitely its weak point

Reply


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Maybe you guys can enlighten me on why electronic shutters havent taken over yet. It seems so simple to just let the brain of the camera control

front and rear curtain virtually rather than having a slit physically move across the image plane. Why hasnt every digital camera cone completely

electronic shutter by now. It would eliminate so many problems.

Reply

42) David B


Henrik, electronic shutters have nothing to do with Flash. 1/32000 is coming to Fuji XT1 in December via firmware @electronic shutter mode.

however, as in with all the other mirrorless cameras that have these electronic shutters, the flash feature shuts off and no flash is available for

use with electronic shutters. So flash turns off and you have to go back to mechanical shutter to be able to operate flash. Fuji is not alone in this,

Panasonic m43 cameras that have been equipped with silent electronic shutter feature for couple of years (G5 was the first I believe, now all their

cameras have it) and the flash turns off if electronic shutter is engaged.

The plus of 1/32000 shutter speed is you can shoot all these 56/1.2 wide open in the midday sun!!! of course if you need fill in flash you are

screwed.

Nasim, not only DSLRs can do Hi Speed Flash. Most every other mirrorless mfr does. Sony A7series/A6000 does HSS with HVL43/58/60.

Panasonic/Olympus does HSS even with older Olympus flashes. It also helps for m43 that 2013 and newer models like Olympus EM1 or

Panasonic GX7 has a native Flash xsync 1/320 which is not too shabby :)

Reply



Sorry, Im still not understanding what the difficulty is in having the computer within the camera body synchronize the flash burst with the

electronic curtain at any speed. There must be a technical/engineering reason why this seems impossible. That is my question. But this is off

topic in any case. Great article and hope there are sequels.

Reply

65) gianpaolo


the problem is data readout from a dense sensor.

this is a rather lengthy process, that is done a strip at a time (therefore the roller shutter effect).

a solution would be to stop acquiring light and temporarily store data in the sensor itself, but, being analog data, this is not easy. (of course,

a true digital approach would involve an awful amount of siliconA/D ultrafast and massively parallel, 10s of megabytes of on chip storage

etc.).

global shutter was last used, i think, in D40/50/70 6MB sensor, giving a nice 1/500 sync.

it is interesting to see if this a problem that will be given priority in the future; i am afraid that daylight flash is used only by a bunch of

professionals, of limited sales volume for manufacturersand it is a difficult problem, that would need a lot of R&D funds. we will see

Reply


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86) Neil


Those sensors in the D40 et all were CCD based so global read was possible. No global read in CMOS which is why you dont see any

reliable electronic shutter for CMOS cameras..

Reply

25) Nasim Mansurov


Henrick, flash is one area where Fuji cameras are very weak. I f you need high speed sync and faster sync speeds, DSLRs are still the way to go.

Hopefully they will address those issues in the future

Reply

67) Eric Duminil


Thats the biggest reason why I bought Fuji X100s and not the X-System.

Those X lenses look so yummy though.

Reply

87) Neil


The lenses are fabulous. I had Fuji X for 14 months and again have a Nikon D750 Ive been shooting for the past 5 days or so. Fuji has a lot going for

it. There are some definite advantages in a mirrorless system over a DSLR and some disadvantages.

Reply

6) Don B


I agree with all of your points except for one. I especially agree with That Bokeh Craze. But, my zooms are permanently frozen on my cameras :).

Reply

27) Nasim Mansurov


Don, as long as you know what you are doing with those superzooms, you are in good shape :) I was mostly referring to those that have no clue and

use a single lens for everything


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Reply

88) Betty


I got rid of my 200-400 some time ago (for inability to pair satisfactorily with converters) and went back to a 500mm and found my photography

improved. As you know, I have very few faults, but one tiny and rare shortcoming was that I have a tendency to fill the frame at the expense of

taking a wider view or exploring a different perspective sometimes. Using a fixed focal length, especially when one is confined to a safari vehicle,

has forced me to introduce more variety into my work with beneficial results.

Reply

7) Michael Switzer


Great article, although I really like the picture that illustrates #4 and HDR can really be spectacular in landscape if used properly.

Reply

31) Nasim Mansurov


Michael, HDR can be spectacular, but sadly, most people that do it end up overdoing it. There are a few great HDR photographers out there that make

realistic HDR and their photos are indeed amazing.

Reply

66) Sascha


Hi Nasim, I totally agree. I am an HDr photographer myself, and I totally dislike this grungy look, I try to use HDR only when it is necessary and not

just for the sake of it. Unfortunately it gives photographers like me who do like to create HDRs a bad reputationTake a look at my pictures if you

like: https://500px.com/vortilion

Most of them are HDR or Exposure Fusion.

Reply

97) Patrick O'ConnorOCTOBER 6, 2014 AT 9:15 AM

Excellent photos. Some photos show evidence of HDR but subtle enough to not be distracting.

Reply
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8) createthisdotcom


I found this article depressing, but a bit amusing, like, when you look back on your younger selfs adventures with the opposite sex and facepalm.

That graph is disturbingly accurate. I wish I knew where I was on it. Sigh.

Reply

33) Nasim Mansurov


Why depressing? :) Most of us go through these problems, although there are a few more points to add.

And yes, the graph is very accurate a great reflection of 99% of us :)

Reply

9) Don


I agree on the over saturated. However I shot VIVID at Disneyland and Im glad I did. All the images came alive and thats what I was looking for. Of course

after all it is Disneyland. All with a D5100 Nikon.

Reply

34) Nasim Mansurov


Don, vivid works sometimes, but I hope you are aware that it only applies to JPEG images

Reply

85) Betty


You could have shot RAW and made it as vivid as you like in post process without hobbling yourself to a compressed file with no further options to

try a different treatment of the subject.

Reply

10) Mark Oliver


pretty much all pertinent points are conveyed well in this article. the two most points i really think is very true is the watermarking and super zoom

photography.


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Appreciate it and regards,

Trish.

Reply

37) Nasim Mansurov


Trish, no problem! Dont feel bad, because most of the image samples posted above are mine. Some of them I overdid on purpose for this article and

others are extracted from Lightroom as is or as were LOL :)

Reply

13) Prasad Np


Loved this postand it is good to know how objectively one needs to assess the stage of photography journey one is. BTW I have never understood the

craze or the need for HDR but other sins Guilty as charged

Reply

38) Nasim Mansurov


Prasad, I have also been guilty as charged on a number of these :) As for HDR, you should sit on a few critique sessions and you will see how many

examples come by. Some HDR stuff just destroys my brain cells!

Reply

14) Romanas Narykin


Someone had to put this out, although perhaps you missed a couple of points. A couple of other points, well, Ive long wanted to write separate articles

for those. Thanks, mate, gave me a laugh. ;)

Reply

39) Nasim Mansurov


Thanks Romanas! Hope you can add a few more points :) I had a few more originally, but could not find good image samples to showcase from the

past

Reply
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15) Rick Keller


Nasim,

This is a masterpiece of an article. Forthright, no BS, and straight from the heart. Bravo!

Now, tell us whats really on your chest. ;-)

Rick

Reply

40) Nasim Mansurov


Thanks Rick :DD

Reply

16) Colin


I have been a photographer for 45+ years, and this article is excellent.

So many people dont understand composition, then complain when you tells them the rules of composition, because they think they are being forced

into using them. I try and explain they are not photographic rules, but guidelines developed by artists over the centuries. Yes,, the can be broken, but you

need to understand them before you should break them, and you should be able to explain in plain English WHY you are breaking them!

For me, #9 should read I am a natural light photographer because I have no idea how to use light, and I just point and click with what there.

Reply

41) Nasim Mansurov


Thank you Colin!

Yes, thats what I meant under #9. I did not mean to offend any natural light photographer I was referring to those that label themselves as such just

because they do not know / refuse to learn flash.

Reply

18) Stephen


Jurgen Teller (and many others) seem to have carved out illustrious careers without following anyones well intentioned advice.
http://ilovetheoutdoors.zenfolio.com/http://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/


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Reply

43) Nasim Mansurov


I really wish I did not look up Juergen Teller in Googlemy brain will hurt for months.

Reply

98) Patrick O'Connor


You knowwhen you tell people to not look, they pretty much have to! Now my brain hurts too. This is one of those cases, though, where have a

small brain is useful; mine hurts much less than yours! ;-)

Reply

19) David B


I would only disagree with Tip number 4 that shooting certain subjects (heavier people, people will double chins, large faces etc) from above is beneficial.

In fact these people (I know because before I lost a bunch of weight I was one of them) should ONLY be shot from Above. You will make them look

skinnier and more attractive.

Reply

44) Nasim Mansurov


David, I used the word rarely there are certainly situations where it works just fine.

Reply



I dunno. There was a definite upside to shooting this particular young woman from above ;-)

Reply

20) Lakshman Iyer


wonderfully compiled.. there are still more a photographer should avoid and learn to keep the ART as photography art.. Thanks for the writeup

Reply


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46) Nasim Mansurov


You are most welcome Lakshman!

Reply

21) Martin Duerr


Top article! Thanks for that.

The only thing that is missing is in fact maybe no mistake but it is something like Copying Styles.

Or is there another reason that 99% of all fashion and glamour shots look nearly the same?

You cant name any photographer if you see one of those images.

My personal favourite mistake is #3. Im often so concentrated on the subject that I miss some

of the weird textures that appear later on my desktop. ;-)

Best

Martin

Reply

47) Nasim Mansurov


Martin, I like when fashion is mixed with a surrounding environment to make a nice story but those are very rare indeed, as you have noted.

Reply

52) Martin Duerr


Im glad to have one of Canon Explorers of Light Photographers to be a very good friend of mine.

His advices are indispensible.

One of the most hardest things to achieve is finding a style and avoid the mistakes you described.

But thats like ZEN. The journey is the reward. Getting better every day.

Reply

58) Nasim Mansurov


Martin, great to have good mentors. I would compile a portfolio of photos and sit down with the master to see what he/she says about your work.

That kind of feedback can be extremely valuable perhaps the person can even guide you with the style.

Reply
http://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/http://photographylife.com/


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59) Martin Duerr


The interesting thing was (and therefore I would recommend a portfolio review as you described) that I havent seen a style in my images but

he saw one. Then he described me what it is and where I can enhance my style.

Reply

22) Carly


Your comment about being a natural light photographer made me laugh. I like how you are making people think natural light photography is for amateurs.

someone working with all different light who obviously has to know lighting to avoid harsh shadows, avoiding facing the direct sun to avoid blown spots

and washed out skin tone, where to place the subject to get the 10 and 2 catch lights, how to use a reflector when needed, ect.. A good natural light

photographer knows not to shoot in mid day sun, and if you have to, find shade. A good natural light photographer knows about the golden hour and other

tricks to using natural light. So tell me, seeing as you have managed to insult a large group of photographers, how is that easier and amateurish than

setting up studio lights where you leave them set the same way every time and you never have to work around any other light. I much prefer the natural

light than washed out flat light. I also like a good challenge with the light nature provides.

Reply

50) Nasim Mansurov


Carly, I think you misunderstood my point I was not criticizing natural light photographers at all! I was referring to people that refuse to learn flash

and claim themselves as natural light photographers. It is one thing to know both and to prefer natural light (which is what I do) and totally different

to only use one type of light and not be ready for situations where flash is needed.

I love natural light.

Reply

23) Colleen


Great article! Funny and spot on. Ive been guilty of many of these sins. I also loved the stages of a photographer graph, but what is /p/ on the how

good you think you are line? Its probably something I should know, and yet another mistake/sin Im guilty of. ;)

Reply

51) Nasim Mansurov


Colleen, /p/ was a group on the Internet where photographers would harshly criticize each others work. Anyone that would submit images to the group

usually would not come back, because they would be told that their images are terrible thats why there is a big drop in that line :)


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Reply

45) Prashant Upadhyay


Hi Nasim,

Very nice article, I am at lower end of the learning curve and making lots of mistake articulated by you :), especially the HDR ones.

Going off tangent ,how do we do a good HDR? I have D3100 , does not have a Exposure bracketing, so I tend to use single exposure for HDR.

The result are over saturated, ghastly and tend to have lot of noise, btw I am using Corel paintshop pro x6 for it.

Do included an article on HDR sometime when you are free.

Reply

53) Nasim MansurovOCTOBER 6, 2014 AT 12:21 AM

Prashant, time to come out of that HDR hole my friend! Dont get sucked in for too long, or you might start to like Grunge HDR :)

And please, especially stay away from pulling HDR out of a single image! I have done it in the past and it is not good. What I would recommend, is to

move on, learn many other photography techniques and then perhaps come back to HDR and see if you can do something that works and appears

more natural. Good HDR = realistic photo, as simple as that!

Reply

57) Prashant Upadhyay


Thanks Nasim

Reply

49) Jan


Great article and made me smile sometimes.

One thing I disagree with you is the use of (subtle) watermarks in a photo.

When watermarked photos shared on my blog or FB, people copy and use them often as background or their profile photoand everyone sees the maker

of that photothats me!

Works very well for me ;-)

Reply
http://photographylife.com/


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55) Nasim Mansurov


Jan, watermarks work when they are done right. As I have stated, leaving a small watermark with name or logo in images can be beneficial.

Reply

54) Alis


Hi Nasim

What a great article. Myself Im/was guilty of a few of these sins. Looking at some pictures from last year, I find some of them horrible. I tended to

oversaturate (probably still do) and also used the button clarity too much (probably trying to cheat on blurred pictures).

I did the selective color thing lol

I am also guilty of the natural light BUT most of my pics are working dogs (while working) and running dogs so although Id like to learn more about using

a flash (I dont even own one, please dont throw stones at me), for now I dont have the time. I am now trying to take better action pictures.

I also suffer a bit from GAS and just bought the 70-200 f2.8 vr II. I already own the Nikkor 180mm AF and Tokina 50-150mm DX AF 2.8. So before I bought

the lense of my dreams (and the one of many peoples dreams I guess) I rented it for a week. I used it for our dog seminar and had so many more keepers

than with my other lenses. The fast AF-S focus made all the difference! A Nikon Cash Back discount and my birthday coming up convinced me lol

I loved the chart and wonder where Im atI certainly like the pictures Im shooting now better than the one I shot last year but will I still like them next

year?!

Thank you for this great website!

Reply

56) Nasim Mansurov


Alis, thank you for your feedback!

Dont feel bad most of the pointed out sins and mistakes were committed by me in the past. In fast, most images from the above article are mine :) I

have tried everything from selective and dreamy to grunge HDR. I was stuck in that hole for a while :)

As for the natural light photos, that does not apply to everyone. You, sports and wildlife shooters do not use flash, so they dont need it. Portrait andwedding photographers, on the other hand, often need to use flash when light conditions are poor

A little bit of GAS is OK, but constantly lusting for more gear is a bad thing. You end up wasting a lot of money and there is no good end to that!

Reply


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60) Alexander Shmugliakov


One of the most sound articles Ive read lately. Should go at first pages of every new camera sold manual (but then who reads manuals anyway? :))

Reply

61) Balaji SeetharamanOCTOBER 6, 2014 AT 12:50 AM

Great Article! Being a learner i must say excellent pictorial examples. Please continue this good work. One of the mistakes i do is to take multiple pictures

and selecting a better one which i have realized over time by experience is to observe the location for few minutes to preprocess the image in mind and

fire as few shots as possible which will save post processing time. I really follow your blog on these techniques/tips. Thanks a lot from a canon user to

whom you have already promised me last year on a reply to my comment that you will be adding more blogs related to canon as well. I will definitely wait

for that :-) Meanwhile please continue this great work on generic topics

Reply

62) Sneha Rathod


Great article. I am a beginner myself. Just bought a DSLR camera after long wait. I was making many of the mistakes you mentioned above. I will take

note of all these points from now on. Thank you sooo much for writing :)

Reply

63) Sneha Rathod


BTW, I just bought Nikon D5200 :) and I am super excited on owning my first ever DSLR and get clicking.

Reply

64) shivaram


hi

very nice article.i would more then agree with you on the Gear lust and HDR points.

Reply

68) Tom Crossan


Another great article.

I wonder how many of us have fallen for one or all of these sins especially gear lust.


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I know that I have fallen for most including Gear Lust and it has cost me many $$$$$$.

Reply

69) Eric Duminil


For the Eye-Level Perspective, your picture has the advantage of showing the eyes, the smile and the cleavage. :)I wouldnt use it very often, but it works very well for this subject.

Reply

70) David


Great article I am guilty of gear lust just cant stop it. Working hard to avoid some of the others.

Reply

94) Mike Banks


David,

It is truly only gear lust if the gear sits around and you dont use it. Thats the real lust in this equation. Just wanting something because you read that

everyone has one but dont know what you will do with it once you get it.

I have an extensive arsenal of lenses. More than 50. Most are Nikon and many are duplicates in focal length. The reason is that some manufacturers

make lenses that are more contrasty while Nikon offers good contrast but in most cases better color rendition. Sometimes for a particular assignment

I want more contrast so Ill use the Sigma 50 f1.4 Art. If Im going for more color saturation, Ill use the Nikon 50 f1.4.

Where I really suffer from gear lust is with bags and cases. Thats becoming a problem for me.

You will eventually sort out what it is you shoot with most often and pare down the equipment level as soon as you realize that many folks that say

they have this or that are only posting behind the anonymity of a computer.

Reply

71) Karin Ott


Interestingly I resently read an article with almost the exact same points. No doubt we need them :-) But what I liked about the other presentation was it

was presented as phases we go through as photographers. Are they really mistakes? Did you not grow and develop as a photographer from spending

time exploring these different modes of shooting and then move on?

Reply


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95) Mike Banks


Karin,

Good point and well stated.

Reply

72) SteveK


Nasim,

Thank you for dealing with the basics. Easy to get ones head in the clouds, fall into ruts and fads and lose track of the building blocks that make for good

photography.

SteveK

Newman Lake, Washington

Reply

73) Ertan


Actually, all of these may work depending on the case. On the other hand I agree that overdoing these is a huge sin.

Reply

74) Jef


oh my gosh ! Number 7) B&W to save a blurry wedding image and number 11) GAS crysis.Thats totally me :'(

BTW thanks for sharing those sins to avoid :)

Reply

75) James gourlay


Nasim,a very well thought out, articulate and down to earth article,that hits the spot,very well done indeed

James

Reply


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76) Pieter Molenaar


Number 4; Different perspective indeed ;)

Reply

78) Petra de BruinOCTOBER 6, 2014 AT 4:00 AM

Great article! Especially the parts about saturation and HDR. It annoys the hell out of me that so many people nowadays favor an artificial look over a

natural one. Its chosen more and more as the better option, even in photo contests and that makes me sad. A friend of mine feels the need to lift

shadows in most of his photos and after hes done processing a forest he has taken the essence out of it by making everyting flat. He then grossly

oversaturates everything and is happy with the finished product. To me thats bad taste, combined with color blindness:-), but naturally you are then

tought the lesson that the camera is only a tool and cant capture it like real life. Or, its the photographers style.

The different perspective part made me laughI never thought men would need an encouragement to shoot more cleavage:-)

Reply

79) Colin N


Nasim: Congratulations on an extremely detailed and well-considered article. There is certainly good advice for everyone contained within it. As a

photographer, my expertise sits somewhere between beginner and reasonably competent. That said, I hope you dont mind if I make a point, regarding

item 12? We could think of our camera using the analogy of a satnav. After all, a satnav device stores routes to countless destinations but we would not

expect to use all of them. Instead, we utilise each one we need, as that need arises. Isnt this true of our cameras settings? Lets not get bogged down

with every single setting but rather become proficient with the ones that we will actually use. I apologise for waffling on, rather more than I intended.

Reply

80) Philippe


Nasim,

Great and very refreshing article.

Your site is just getting better and better, and as an enthousiast photographer, it has become my first source of information regarding photography

Thanks for your work ,

Philippe (from Belgium)

Reply

81) David M. Gyurko


(The predecessor of) Photography Life made originally the impression of a gear site, but its scope has been successfully extended to photography


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education. The intentional development of photographic taste, standards and of quality in photography in general is both a responsibility and a huge

success story of this site.

Thank you, guys, for making digital photography better. It is one of the hardest tasks to increase the level of standards in mass photography despite the

huge pressure from marketing and manufacturers, yet you made it look easy.

Thank you, again.

Reply

82) Mark


You wrote if it was not for one or more of the typical mistakes.

I think you meant if it were not for . common grammar mistake.

Reply

83) Noel


Another great article with sound advice. There are no shortcuts for excellence.

Reply

84) Ray


OMG, My daughter favorite tweet, Just took a step back and said Im guilty

I occasionally will color a flower in a BW senior photothey never buy it! most of the time Print screen and post on Facebook with proof across there

face.

One of my favorite lens for events is my Tokina 10-17 Fisheye, Gear Junky my Nick name, Nikon 85 1.8 and 50 1.8 for portraits WIDE OPEN!

I Spray and Pray at sporting events, Over saturate (I was Fuji Velvia film nut) love HDR!

I will say the last dream photo I did was over 20 years ago with a Cokin filter, and you wont see an overboard watermark on my

photos but I need something to combat these Tech Savvy kids with FB and Twitter.

Good article!

I will say I do not miss the days of camera straps with 4-5 film canister and a long wait to view my work.

Someone should invent a Plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom that Zaps my Wacom pen to remind me to back off on Filters and Adjustment layers.Todays Technology makes it Too easy to avoid Todays top Sins and Mistakes.

Reply

90) Neil


Good article, lots of timeless points. I would like to really emphasize the gear lust. It not only drains the family coffers unnecessarily but really seems to

lead to this superiority complex in people. Id like to also add a thought, too, that perhaps you should have an article on things you can do to become a


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better photographer. First on my list would be to put the camera down. It seems that so many photographers are so scared of missing a shot that they

never put the camera down. Being a photographer removes you from the experience and separates you from the very things that can serve as inspiration.

It also can quickly lead to burnout.

Reply

91) Winc


Great article. You left a big one out in my opinion. The biggest cliche is to stick some neutral density filters on the the lens the moment you see moving

water, transforming it into flowing mist or snow. Its origins in imitation of the limitations of large format lenses in low light are completely forgotten.

Reply

92) Sai


I would be grateful to photographylife if it showed me how to get out of this trap -> 6) The Natural Light Photographer

I really do not know how to use the stock flash on my Nikon D40. No point in buying an external flash if i do not know how to use the one i already have.

Reply

93) Hoeras


Hi Nasim, that article made me smile and agree mostly with it all but as Niels Bohr, Einstein friend and nemesis, once said: An expert? An expert is a

man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.. Hence we learn by the mistakes we make. Also, when I am asked about digitalversus film and that some stick to film and that digital photographer are by nature guilty of profligacy, wasteful in the number of photos they take. Alas,

there may be some truth to that, but the feedback it gives photographers is invaluable I think as a result there are more good photographers that ever,

not all professional, but nevertheless capable of coming up with interesting and compelling images.

Re flash, couldnt agree more. Love natural light, but well used flash can bring about great results, can correct skin tones to a large extent, soften

shadows the art of mixing natural and flash, balance with shutter speed, ISO and aperture balance, well worth the effort. Also, while I dont do wedding

photography any more, I will be attending a wedding and often tell those taking photos to make sure there flash is working on their mostly compact

cameras when taking people photos. They do it, take a photo and see what it does, a good way to spread a simple but good idea and good will.

Love the Afghan Girl those eyes are haunting. Who cares about composition and background, I have taken photos that I was not even aware were

great until I uploaded and looked at them and then they hit me between the eyes. Those moments are rare and precious. No effort, no gain, just keeptrying.

Reply

96) Mike Banks


Nasim,


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Another great article by you. Thanks. I often have arguments with photographers about many of these points. Im not particularly an ART photographer.

I make my living more in journalism. If I were to be sent out on assignment and only shoot photographs with bokeh my subjects might be too isolated to

tell the story Im trying to create.

A hundred considerations go through my head before I click the shutter button. With all the advances in modern cameras and equipment I still shoot 85%

of everything I do in full manual. Thats the way I learned photography and that is what Im comfortable with.

As for existing or available light, this paragraph reminds me of a situation at New York University while studding photography. Several of my class mates

and I were sitting on the steps leading to our classroom one day. The argument was about available light photography. (Actually, none of us could afford

a flash unit, if truth be known), when our teacher passed through our group and listened for a bit to our conversation. He then asked us a question. If we

had a portable flash, would that make it available? We all agreed it would. So, he said, thats part of your available light. I never go out of the house to

walk around shooting for myself without a flash unit. Never.

Reply

100) Daniel


Hi Nasim,

Great article. I like to read it.

Regarding watermark, i have doubt. Some rumors say that we should not submit a watermark photograph to a photography competition. The jury would

eliminate those at first step. Is it true?

Thanks.

Reply



Generally good article with one caveat: if an individual likes the result of one, or all, of these mistakes, it isnt really a mistake.

Reply

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