First off I would like to point out that from amateurs to professionals we’re all guilty of making mistakes. With the advent of digital photography, and the proliferation of cheap DSRL cameras, the tolerance for even the littlest photographic mistake seems to be unacceptable. This is a stark contrast from the days of film when these errors were considered a nuance and artistic. I’ve personally taken the artistic stance on these little errors, but there are a few mistakes that can ruin an otherwise great shot. It’s these errors I’d like to cover to maybe help a few friends and photographers.
When I first started shooting I never checked my settings, mainly due to the overwhelming nature of a DSLR to someone who has never used one before. It’s taken me a few years to develop a workflow that suits my needs and helps keeps my errors to a minimum. The biggest part of this is rechecking my settings to the point that it has become an OCD. Seriously, I get a little anxious when taking my first shot if I haven’t prechecked then checked again just to be safe. Before I leave for a shoot I check to make sure everything is set to what I consider a neutral position. For example: camera set to manual, shutter to around 300, ISO at 100, aperture at 5.6, camera isn’t locked to the remote only option, auto focus is on, and my memory cards are reformatted. These settings will be different for everyone, but this is what works for me. When I get to my location I run my mental checklist again then adjust as needed during the shoot. Something I’ve had to add after purchasing my Nikon D7000 is making sure I’m on manual, aperture priority, etc., periodically due to the settings dial being so easy for me to bump.
My above image is a great example of how my rush to take a photo took precedent over checking the settings, ruining a good image. When I took this image I had a little time before I was scheduled to be somewhere and happened to see this chain at the last minute. It would have only taken me just a few seconds to go over my settings and notice that my auto focus was turned off from the night before. I shoot with my AF notification turned off so not having that beep was nothing new as I took photo after photo, changing compositions, stepping closer, and backing up. In the camera's little LCD everything looked good. It wasn’t until I loaded the images into Lightroom and started my reviews that I noticed not a single point was in focus. As a smaller image it looks great, but It was meant to be larger than what you see here. So, what was to be one of my favorite images now has no place in my portfolio, but still makes a fine example for this lesson. In some cases you could just go back and reshoot a poorly executed photograph. Unfortunately this isn’t one of those subjects. Since taking the shot the area has been cleared by flood waters making this a limited time opportunity.
This photo was the turning point in my work flow. I was resigned to never make the same mistake, or anything similar again. I can’t stress enough the importance of developing a checklist and sticking to it. Not only will it help become better equipped for those chance photo opportunities, but it’s likely to improve your photography as well.
What mistakes have you made durring a photo shoot?
What mistakes have you made durring a photo shoot?
