Admit it, everyone of us has some kind of bad habit. Be it as a photographer, or in our personal life, we all have something to confess. Coming back to photography, one could develop a bad habit due to lack of knowledge on the topic, or simply due to sheer laziness. And if we fail to identify such habits, they will keep dragging us down and slow our progress. To help us learn about some typical bad habits, photographer Gordon Laing shares with us some of his own worst photography habits:
Most of the bad habits in photography develop in the early days. For instance, beginners are so obsessed with bokeh they constantly use the widest aperture they can. Whereas in reality a decent depth of field is much more important in order to capture the details. And it’s the same with ISOs. Beginners are hardwired to set their camera ISOs to the lowest values. It’s essential to understand that cameras handle higher ISOs much better these days. And, the truth is that a noisy image will always be chosen over a blurry image.
These kind of habits vary by person and can impact everyone differently. For instance, some photographers have a bad habit of chimping too much, or checking every photo after you’ve taken it. This can slow them down and even cause them to miss out on important moments. There are also some photographers who like to get themselves the latest gear with hope that it will magically improve their photography. It would probably be a better idea to invest in learning to use what they’ve already got than buying expensive new gear.
Are you guilty of any of these bad photography habits? We’d love to know. Let us know in the comments.
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Thanks for the reminder about changing with the new technology. I have been making photographs for over 50 years and have had to adapt to many changes. I am guilty of all of the bad habits you mentioned in the video, plus the habit of chimping. I am working to correct those habits by being aware of them all the time. I switched to mirrorless a year ago after debating with myself for a long time. I’m very happy I did and have been learning a lot.