Photography Mistakes I Still Make Today

It’s been over 7 years since I started taking photography seriously and in that time a lot has changed. However one thing that hasn’t changed is making mistakes. We will all make mistakes regardless of whether you started today or have been doing this for 20 years, it’s just those mistakes will be different. In this blog I will share the mistakes I make today, however when I say mistakes I really mean things I noticed in myself that I don’t like or wish to improve on. Maybe some of this resonates with you.

Not Working The Scene

When I get to a new location or spot an interesting scene, I take the photo that I had in mind and assuming I like the photo, I will walk away happily. I then get into editing and realise that there was another composition or if only I waited for something else to happen or moved the camera to a different spot. Hindsight is great but I really need to work the scene more and not just walk away with one good shot because I suspect I left a lot on the table over the years with this attitude.

Not Being Present

There is nothing better than walking around taking photos with some music or a podcast. However I recently found myself not being very present when shooting. I’m either in my thoughts or focused on the podcast / audio book I’m listening to. Although there is nothing fundamentally wrong with this, I’m now leaning more towards shooting without any music or distractions. By not being present, many opportunities are missed. Not to mention the safety aspect when in a big city.

Slapping On Presets

I love presets because they save me so much time and give me a consistent look. The presets I use are the some ones I sell on my website and I have been using them for years. Some of them are over 5 years old therefore they have been tweaked and improved to the point where I can use them as one click edits bar some exposure adjustments. Although this is insanely time saving, it also means that I’m no longer being creative. So from time to time I start from scratch and edit each photo on its own, or at the very least use the presets as a guide and modify them further. This isn’t really a mistake more so a habit that can limit me, but I felt it fitted with the theme of this blog.

Treating Photography Like a Task List

This is something I only noticed recently after meeting other photographers who are not as reliant on their work to make a living. I noticed how my approach to photography is similar to that of a project or a task list. Each step needs to be closed, finalised and published as quickly as possible. This means that I can often rush during the shoot, then power through the editing as quickly as possible and finally I will only feel rested when the images are finished, synched, posted or archived. Although this is efficient, I also feel I’m not utilising all my creativity to the point where this just feels like a process and not an artistic pursuit. Not sure what the solution is for this yet, however once I know I will let you know!

Rushing The Process

As you can see the overall theme of my mistakes and areas I need to work on, is rushing the process. Honestly I feel like I’m rushing every aspect of my photography. Whether it’s due to the intense travel chapter of my life or perhaps because this is now how I make a living and a large part of social media is showing up as much as possible. Either way this is something that I will need to address.

Not Focusing On The Art

Another conclusion I have made is that I feel like I’m prioritising the business side of what I do as opposed to the creative. This is something that I only noticed recently and upon reflection this has only become an issue since going full time with photography and online creation. This is a catch 22 because if I just pour all my effort into the creative aspect and focus on the art of photography, the business side will suffer and vice versa. Similar to treating photography as a task list, this is something I need to take away and think through.