The 10 Most Common Photographic Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

How come the photograph you snap doesn't pan out so well when you check out the finished product? Andre Gunther has posted an insightful piece on the ways that you're screwing up all those pictures you take.

The lessons are 100 percent on target, and a quick read will make you a better photographer instantly. Here are some of Andre's notes on the biggest mistakes along with my spin.

• Images are cluttered - Too often photographers try to cram their entire experience into one photo, which is why you get giant, wide-angle that ultimately contain no real emotion. Gunther explains that this is because your mind processes 3-dimensional space differently than a camera can. What may look rich and detailed in your eye will likely look cold and impersonal on a print. The solution: Get closer, capture a small piece of the scene you're watching, and shoot multiple shots of different things.
• Judging pictures on the LCD display - You can't possibly see any amount of detail on your camera's built-in display. Wait until you're at home, perusing shots on your monitor, before you start throwing out junk. I've been surprised many times by what I thought was going to be a blurry, useless shot which actually turned out to be a marvelous little picture.
• Stuff in the background - Why take the trouble to photograph a monument or a friend if there's something unwanted in the background? This can often be solved by simply moving a few feet to the side or simply having the patience to wait for people to get out of the shot.
• Shooting from eye level - So many people take shots standing up, with the camera at eye level, looking down on whatever it is they're trying to capture. Next time you're photographing a group of people sitting on a couch, sit on the ground and have them look straight at you instead of craning their necks upward. You might be surprised how much better the photo looks!
• People in every shot - Not every single picture has to have mom smiling and waving at you. Sometimes you can capture a moment without your family members in the picture. If you do include people in the shot, try to get them interacting with the environment instead of coldly posing in front of it.
  

Gunther has five more prescient tips for the enthusiastic shutterbug at the link below. Check 'em out! 

LINK: The Ten Most Common Photographic Mistakes