5 Photography Mistakes To Avoid

by Catherine L. Tully

I provide photography for many of the articles that I write, and this has not only been fun, but has been a nice addition to my income as well. I won’t pretend the learning curve isn’t fairly steep, but I will say that it is worth a writer’s while to head on down the road to learning some things about photography. Having a few ideas in mind of what you don’t want to do is a great way to begin… 

If you are trying to provide photos for articles, here are some thoughts on things to avoid:

+ Taking Too Few Pictures

You are always better off having too many photos to choose from than too few. Sometimes you can think you took the perfect shot, only to find out when you bring it up on the screen at home that it is blurry. Digital photos have no developing costs–so shoot away!

+ Framing Poorly

Do you have an interesting shot–or is there a better one? Experiment with how you frame things in your viewfinder. Try things such as changing to a vertical view or putting the subject a little higher or lower in the composition of things.

+ Slanted Photos

Line up your shot and take just a second to make sure you are level. You can fix the slant later with digital photo editing programs, but why waste valuable time?

+ Bad Backgrounds

Try to avoid problems like trees that look like they are growing out of people’s heads or a lot of “clutter” in the background, which can distract from your subject. Before taking the shot, look carefully through the lens and make sure you have the photo you really want.

+ Lack Of Direction

When taking photos of people, don’t be afraid to give them some direction or talk to them a bit to make them more comfortable. Quiet photographers tend to make people nervous, and most won’t be able to tell what pose looks good or if they are in a position that looks unnatural.