{"id":30569,"date":"2015-11-18T06:00:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-18T14:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/?p=30569"},"modified":"2024-04-09T06:14:06","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T13:14:06","slug":"top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid","title":{"rendered":"Top Photography Mistakes to Avoid, As Told by Six Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Getting started in any field is a challenge. Equipment, technical terms, tricks of the trade&#8230; trying to absorb everything at once can be overwhelming. Ever tried to start a journey in professional photography? A career as a photographer, with all its twists and turns, can be incredibly exciting if we learn what to focus on and what to ignore. This week we&#8217;ve asked six top photographers from the Unsplash community to share the most common mistakes they&#8217;ve made and advice on how to avoid them. Enjoy!\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Being_afraid_to_shoot\"><\/span>1. Being afraid to shoot. <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/matthewwiebe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Matt Wiebe<\/a><p>, the talented photographer and videographer behind the shot you&#8217;ll find below, says he&#8217;s &#8220;made too many mistakes to even keep track.&#8221; His best advice is to just keep getting out there and shoot as much as possible. According to Matt, you eventually start to develop an eye and individual style.\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/11\/09060443\/MattWiebe.jpg.webp\" alt=\"MattWiebe\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30579\">\nOne of Wiebe&#8217;s stunning street shots. <em>[via <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/AubuQC_T5G4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a>]<\/em>\n<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Perfectionism\"><\/span>2. Perfectionism.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>\nAh, perfectionism. You&#8217;re standing there right in front of the object and that annoying little voice keeps telling you to wait until you have a better camera. Or nicer weather, better temperature, warmer light&#8230; the list goes on. Dutch designer <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/fresonneveld\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fr&Atilde;&copy; Sonneveld<\/a> suggests that &#8220;when in doubt, [we should] always snap that frame.&#8221; In her opinion there&#8217;s nothing worse than missing out on a moment because you don&#8217;t have a certain camera in your hand or are afraid to capture the image. Go for it!\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Fr%C3%83%C2%A9Sonneveld.jpg\" alt=\"Fr&Atilde;&copy;Sonneveld\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30577\">\nFr&Atilde;&copy; proving that any moment is a great opportunity to practice your skills. <em>[via <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/H50k2TE7tYU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a>]<\/em>\n<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Bad_timing\"><\/span>3. Bad timing.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>\nSlovenian photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/aleskrivec\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ales Krivec<\/a> has noticed that when shooting sunrises or sunsets most people tend to either come too late (sunrise) or leave to soon (sunset). In his opinion the most beautiful light is <em>before<\/em> the sunrise and <em>after<\/em> the sunset when the colors in the sky change rapidly from dark red to vivid orange. He also suggests to avoid the most popular view points as it&acirc;&euro;&trade;s always interesting to go further and shoot from a less known location. His passion for landscape photography is also evident in the hundreds of shots in his <a href=\"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/dreamypixel\/shop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Creative Market shop<\/a>.\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/11\/09060449\/AlesKrivec.jpg.webp\" alt=\"AlesKrivec\" width=\"1000\" height=\"645\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30576\">\nA stunning sunset captured by Ales in Bled, Slovenia. <em>[via <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/h4ub7SSYxm0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a>]\n<\/em>\n<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Falling_prey_to_impostor_syndrome\"><\/span>4. Falling prey to impostor syndrome.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>\nPhotographer <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/samuelzeller\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Samuel Zeller<\/a> isn&#8217;t afraid to express his point of view.\nAs unbelievable as it might sound, however, his biggest mistake was thinking that his images <em>weren&#8217;t good enough<\/em>. What you see featured online is usually the cream of the crop. So instead of comparing your work, he suggests asking your friends (photographers or not) and never judging your own images based on others&#8217; work. There will always be someone more talented, more technical and with more &#8220;followers&#8221; than you. Look at where you are and improve until you become more confident.\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/11\/09060453\/photo-1430418817663-71fc73dfe0cc.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Samuel Zeller\" width=\"700\" height=\"465\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30603\">\nSamuel&#8217;s disregard for comparison shows in his uncommon, fresh perspective. [via <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/OCXlnnD3I0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a>]\n<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Being_afraid_to_make_mistakes\"><\/span>5. Being afraid to make mistakes.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>\nWhen you look at <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/joshuaearle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joshua Earle<\/a>&#8216;s work, you can&#8217;t help but admire his amazing attention to color and eye for nature. This talent has emerged out of a process where he &#8220;learned that the key is in making new mistakes&#8221;. He admits that every time he embarks on a new project or trip he does things wrong, and ends up wishing he had done something different. However, he tries hard not to repeat errors whose lessons he has already learned. When something doesn&acirc;&euro;&trade;t go as planned or you really mess up, just make sure you use it to grow and only make the same mistake once.\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/11\/09060458\/JoshuaEarle.jpg.webp\" alt=\"JoshuaEarle\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30578\">\nJoshua&#8217;s unique style is a result of his continuous learning process.<em>[via <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/kpAXYoXSeuY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a>]<\/em>\n<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Thinking_youre_done_learning\"><\/span>6. Thinking you&#8217;re done learning.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>\nIn <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/blakeverdoorn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blake Verdoorn<\/a>&#8216;s words, &#8220;never be satisfied with where you are.&#8221; There is <em>always<\/em> something new to learn. Read blogs, take classes, just get out there and try new things. Experiment. There is no harm in trying. Blake suggests that you &#8220;use whatever you think is better than you as inspiration&#8221; rather than a source of dissatisfaction with your current state.\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/11\/09060502\/Blake.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Blake\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-30607\">\nReading, learning and watching new lessons about photography has led Blake Verdoorn in a path of professional growth. [via <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/MRlFzAfJGLk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unsplash<\/a>]\n<\/p><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bottom_line_Your_eyes_are_unique_lenses_use_them\"><\/span>Bottom line: Your eyes are unique lenses, use them. <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><p>\nFearlessly and unapologetically. Your eyes, which determine the way in which you perceive your surroundings, are the most important tools in photography. Each of us frames reality differently, and that is precisely where all innovation comes from.\nBe sure to check out more work and inspiring stories from these photographers in the upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/mikaelcho\/the-unsplash-book\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#UnsplashBook<\/a>.\n<\/p><hr><p><strong>Products Seen In This Post:<\/strong><\/p><p>    <figure id=\"card-302564-144926731\" class=\"product-card half no-pinit\" data-product-id=\"302564\" data-index=\"0\" data-width=\"half\" data-pin_it=\"no-pinit\" data-module=\"Product Embed\" data-block-id=\"144926731\"><\/figure>\n    \n    <figure id=\"card-73573-937243404\" class=\"product-card half no-pinit\" data-product-id=\"73573\" data-index=\"0\" data-width=\"half\" data-pin_it=\"no-pinit\" data-module=\"Product Embed\" data-block-id=\"937243404\"><\/figure>\n    \n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getting started in any field is a challenge. Equipment, technical terms, tricks of the trade&#8230; trying to absorb everything at once can be overwhelming. Ever tried to start a journey in professional photography? A career as a photographer, with all its twists and turns, can be incredibly exciting if we learn what to focus on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[96,105,1054],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-30569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creative-inspiration","tag-photography","tag-photos","tag-photographer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.4 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Top Photography Mistakes to Avoid, As Told by Six Professionals - Creative Market Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top Photography Mistakes to Avoid, As Told by Six Professionals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getting started in any field is a challenge. Equipment, technical terms, tricks of the trade... trying to absorb everything at once can be overwhelming.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Creative Market Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/crtvmrkt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-11-18T14:00:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-09T13:14:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/2015\/11\/09060443\/MattWiebe.jpg.webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Laura Busche\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@creativemarket\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@creativemarket\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laura Busche\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid\",\"name\":\"Top Photography Mistakes to Avoid, As Told by Six Professionals - Creative Market Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/09060443\\\/MattWiebe.jpg.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-18T14:00:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-09T13:14:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e49444db004baa7d03b048743c86efe6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/09060443\\\/MattWiebe.jpg.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/09060443\\\/MattWiebe.jpg.webp\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Top Photography Mistakes to Avoid, As Told by Six Professionals\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Creative Market Blog\",\"description\":\"Creative Market Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/creativemarket.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Top Photography Mistakes to Avoid, As Told by Six Professionals - Creative Market Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/creativemarket.com\/blog\/top-photography-mistakes-to-avoid","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Top Photography Mistakes to Avoid, As Told by Six Professionals","og_description":"Getting started in any field is a challenge. 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