Rix Mascarenhas
Mistakes are human, but is it possible to minimize the mistakes we make? today we are going to see what are the very common mistakes that even professional photographers make.
Even the best photographers have to start somewhere and many spend their entire lives making some mistakes after all it is humanly impossible to go through life without making mistakes.
And even professionals, in any area, make many mistakes during their careers, this is normal and even desirable. The best thing we can do for ourselves, on a professional and personal level, is to admit when we make a mistake, learn from your valuable lessons and move on.
When we accept that failure is part of life, we open a door that leaves us more free to grow, in every way.
In order to achieve creative happiness and business success, we need to abandon some of the ideas to which we obstinately cling. The idea that everything has to be perfect, or that the right moment depends on a number of factors.
This is all like lining up dominoes, if one falls all the others fall. Maintaining an open mind with a constant thirst and enthusiasm for new tools and learning skills will not only help to prevent stagnation, but will also renew our passion daily.
Failure in anything has never been and will never be cool, but it happens is part of life, and it is important to stop appreciating the value that failures can bring to your life. And to help you sleep more peacefully today I will list 6 very common mistakes that even professional photographers make.
6 very common mistakes that even professional photographers make
1 Don’t take chances
By default, our human nature shrinks at the simple thought of stepping out of our comfort zone. We are fearful beings, we tend to always gravitate towards what is safe and easy to control. However, art in general always requires experimentation and this always has a degree of added risk.
This risk can have the most varied formats and reasons, and it is very likely that just by going through it you will evolve. This happens in the most varied branches of art, from music to photography. Speaking exclusively of digital art, photography included, there are not many disadvantages to experiment.
I’m not just talking about rolling around looking for new points of view with your camera, I’m also talking about looking for new ways and doing things. Or even look for new places and things to photograph. All of this has a risk included!
Even if the result does not please the majority, you will learn during the process, and this is priceless. Often we are stuck in the same work schedule and forget that there is a world out there that is evolving at an almost incomprehensible speed.
Think about taking taking a test is the best school or to go for a big meeting with a new client. You will only do these things if you are willing to take some risks. One of the great mistakes many professional photographers make is not to take chances from time to time and try to create something new and surprising.
2 Saying yes to everything
Whenever we really want something to happen we are tempted to say yes to everything that is presented to us, it gets worse when we talk about a career. We always try to please everyone or show that we have mastered many things, and we end up putting ourselves into unnecessary and unpleasant situations. Many professional photographers even put themselves in bad situations because they always try to please everyone and say “yes” to any proposal.
Saying yes to everything and is never the best answered for a number of reasons. There will always be people who want to “help” you and put you in charge of a service or project that at first glance seems to be cool, but which was actually a bomb. The first thing you should do is to analyze whether this contributes to your career in any way.
If your conclusion after thinking about the situation is more positive, of course you should say “yes”. However, if you are not comfortable, just say “no” for whatever reason, your reasons. Often times, saying no can take you to much better and bigger places. It will establish a much healthier relationship between the parties involved, and most of the times they will respect you more because this. Saying “no” is the best way to set boundaries and offer high quality work for both parties.
By setting the right expectations, we can avoid unwanted situations and create a positive experience where everyone involved will enjoy the results much more.
3 Oversharing
Today in the digital age we have an infinite roll of film, or at least almost infinite, and this can create some problems for us. With all these possibilities in front of us we tend to think that all the photos we take are great and should be shared. And therein lies a common mistake even professional photographers make, oversharing, or sharing too much.
I say this because not all the work you do is worthy of being in your portfolio, you should have in your official portfolio only your best moments. If you use Instagram as an official portfolio, put only your best work, if you have your own website do the same thing.
Do not put in your profile works, or photos, that do not add anything to your career, posting simply by posting is useless. If you still want to share this material that does not fit in your official portfolio, create a new profile, or page, and post it as experiments or personal projects.
Offering countless options will only dilute the quality of your work and show that it doesn’t have that much personality.
4 Stay out of date
Keeping a website, blog or Instagram feed up to date and relevant and it is the most important way to increase traffic and promote customer engagement. Obsolete or dated content will give the impression that the business is no longer in operation, and this can be a very big mistake.
There is always some change that you can make your website to stay in tune with new technologies. The content of the website and the blog page, if you use one, should be promoted and edited on a regular basis. Of course, you don’t have to change everything every month, but you also can’t stand still.
If you have a blog, keeping it up to date is your obligation, even if they are only one post per month, you should do it. The same goes for social media, if you don’t stay active your profile will fall into limbo and be forgotten.
Not keeping up to date is one of the mistakes that even professional photographers make every day. If you don’t have time to do all this administration, hire someone who can help you.
5 Failing the Network
As you probably already know, a fruitful business in photography will consist of approximately 20% photography and 80% marketing and networking, and this is true in any area.
Knowing whether to sell is an essential component for this industry, and to make this happen, you will have to use the tools we have in hand. Not using the tools available to create new connections with people of equal interest is a mistake in any industry, and in photography it is even bigger.
If you go to events a lot, try to get to know the other professionals, if you usually go to workshops, keep in touch with the people who were there with you. Today we have a number of partner media that just grow using this type of tools, create new bonds is important.
It doesn’t matter if the relationship is digital or real, keeping a good circle of people around you will help to share a lot of good.
6 Thinking which equipment is the most important
The latest technology “revolutions” can be irresistible, yes we all suffer a little with G.A.S (Gear acquisition Syndrome).
How not to get carried away by the idea that newer is better, that more expensive is better, that only the latest can improve your photos. Well, it’s not like that, accumulating equipment will only take your focus away from what really matters, your photography.
Having less equipment will make you have to solve situations in a more creative way, and as a result you will learn more. Of course there will be times when new equipment will be needed, this is indisputable, but it will definitely not be at the same pace as they are launched.
Buy only use what you have reason to use today, and get rid of everything that doesn’t add anything to you or your work today will help you much more than you imagine. Thinking that everything can be solved with equipment is one of the common mistakes that even professional photographers make, and to be fair here most of the photographers nowadays.
Use the equipment you have at your disposal and always look for the best you can make with what you have in hand.
Extras – Technical mistakes that every photographer makes
Above we have several very common mistakes even professional photographers make but none of them can be considered a technical error, so here are some technical mistakes that even professional photographers makes from time to time..
Not having enough memory cards
Not having enough memory cards for the photo shoot is a very serious mistake, you always need to be prepared for any eventuality. Memory cards fail, get lost, fill up quickly and all of this is a reason to always have more of them with you.
Have you ever seen a photographer go shooting without a roll of film?
Not having a standard of work in post production
The post process begins when you arrive at the office / studio. So what is the first thing you should do?
A) Sit back and relax? (After all, the job is ready, right!).
B) Eat something and watch Netflix? (After all you are also a living being and deserve it!).
C) Going to see Instagram? (Because staying connected is much more important).
D) N/A (None of the above).
Lots of people will choose one of the first 3 alternatives, and this is a big mistake.
The first thing you should do when you arrive at the office is to transfer the files from the camera to the computer or a hard drive, as simple as that. Don’t run the risk of forgetting, or having a problem with your camera, don’t leave it until later or tomorrow. A lot can go wrong between one step and another and by doing this you avoid running the risk of the files being lost for any reason.
Transfer the files the moment you arrive at your office even if it means not saying hi to anyone and going straight to your computer.
Don’t shoot enough
Sometimes you are so sure of your work that you do that you think that just one photo is enough, and sometimes it is. But it won’t cost you anything if you take another 90 seconds to make two or three variations of the same photo. This can mean having an absurdly better photo to work with, or at least having more options to show your client.
Choose photos right on the camera
You’re on the Uber coming home, and you think; – I will advance the work and already choose the photos here on the camera.
As smart as this may seem, never take this action.
Choosing pictures directly on the camera using the small screen you have available and erasing what you think is bad is a big mistake. The screens of all cameras are not made to have this type of reference, at most you have a small idea of what your photo looks like.
Deleting the photos directly on the camera means losing that photo forever, giving it no chance. Today it is possible to do real miracles with many editing programs so don’t make this technical mistake and only delete the photo after you are sure that it is useless.
Closing
Many experienced photographers have already admitted to having made some of the above mistakes, and this can help you on your photographic journey. When an error happens, we can choose to go through it and make improvements for the next time, as simple as that.
Self-criticism is an important skill for all creative types to adopt, after all, we just don’t know everything!
I can say that I made some of these mistakes more than once. And you ever….. ….. Fill the blank it in the comments.
