Avoid These Common Photography Mistakes
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 @ 05:54
If you are a new photographer, chances are you have tried to capture the perfect shot, only to find that it did not turn out like you expected. Glaring red eyes, a blurry foreground, or some other problem turns the perfect shot into something for the delete file or garbage can. Here are some of the most common photography mistakes and tips you can use to avoid them.
One common photography mistake is too much contrast. Contrast refers to the difference between dark areas on the picture and light areas. Too much contrast usually comes from the light, not the actual items being photographed. Bright sunlight or light that is positioned high above the subject will increase the contrast of a photograph. You can fix this problem by changing the light situation, like waiting until later in the day to take the picture or using a fill flash. Black and white film or settings on your camera can turn contrast into an important part of the picture also.
A second common problem is a problem with exposure. Both film and digital prints can be under or overexposed. Underexposed pictures look dark and grainy. This can happen when there is not enough light in the picture, so the solution is to add more light or change f-stop (aperture) on the camera to allow more light into the lens. Overexposed pictures will look washed out. This most commonly occurs in bright light situations. To fix this, either shade the subject to eliminate some light, or set the camera one or two f-stops from lower than what it automatically wants to do.
