I thought it would be fun (for you, not so much for me) to share my top 10 mistakes in my photography journey. Hopefully if you’re starting to get into photography you can learn from my mistakes!

P.S.- It was harder than I thought to post some of my not so great photos, so please be kind!

Poster image for blog post about photography mistakes

My top 10 Mistakes (in no particular order):

1.Doing my first family session without knowing a lot about good lighting.

One of my friends asked me to do a session for them because she knew that I liked photography. This was just barely after I had gotten a DSLR camera. I was pretty comfortable shooting on manual mode, but I didn't know a lot about lighting, other than I should shoot around sunset. At one point I had the whole family facing into the sun. It wasn't very flattering on them, and those poor souls were trying the best they could not to squint. I learned what to do instead after that.

Not the most flattering light. And this wasn’t the worst of them either. I got rid of those.

2. Not being consistent with the pace of my learning and practice.

I tried out a lot of different hobbies before I finally decided I really wanted to focus on photography. While I definitely don't regret trying all those things, I do kind of wish I could've started to focus on photography sooner, and practiced more consistently. I could be a lot farther along now if I had, but that's ok. I figured out what I really wanted to do in the end. And honestly, it might change in a couple years and that's ok. I don't think it will though.

3. Being more focused on poses than camera settings.

Doing sessions are hard. Especially when you're first starting out. There are so many things you need to think about including exposure, focus, temperature settings, lighting, background, posing, framing, and little details that might mess up a final image. There were so many times that I was more focused on posing the family instead of making sure my shutter speed was high enough to do those running/walking shots. Or making sure that as it got darker I adjusted my ISO. This is still something I have to remind myself to do sometimes.

This photo could’ve been sharper if I had taken a moment to increase my shutter speed.

4. Getting a bridge camera first instead of a DSLR.

I wish I would've just invested from the beginning in a DSLR. Then I wouldn't have had to relearn settings and buttons.

5. Not investing in my learning.

I am a free girl through and through. If there are skills I can learn for free from various blogs and websites, I’m totally there reading tons of posts. When I decided to buckle down and really wanted to improve my photography there were a couple mini online classes I paid for. They weren't that expensive and I learned a TON.

6. Not shooting in RAW.

I had a fellow photography enthusiast tell me she had tried shooting in RAW and didn't like it. So I didn't try it for FOREVER. Once I did, I saw a jump in my images.

This was one I took a couple months after I started shooting in RAW. The colors are so much richer!

7. Not using back button focusing.

I didn't want to feel uncomfortable in learning something new. So it took me years to finally muster up the courage to use it. I've never gone back.

8. Not switching to Lightroom sooner

I had done a trial of Lightroom and didn't like it so I decided to buy Photoshop Elements instead. Lightroom is a deceptively simple program though. Until I saw a video of someone editing in Lightroom (in one of those classes I invested in) I never knew that you could do so much. Now I do 90% of my editing in Lightroom and I love it!

9. Being afraid to post images that might be a little different than the mainstream of photography.

Once I started my business I feel like I really started to fall into my style. One way I noticed this was that I was really nervous my clients and others seeing my work wouldn't like what I do. I had never felt that way before, so it was equally exciting and scary. In the end, I posted the images anyway. I still get a little unsure at times because I feel like my photography is not the dominant style right now, but when I try to get my images to look like mainstream photography trends it just doesn't feel right. So I'm just going to keep doing me.

This was one of those that I was nervous about including in a client’s final gallery. I still just love this photo!

10. My #1 Mistake: Being afraid to try new things!

So I’m sure you can see a pattern emerging! I was too afraid to try new techniques! Once I tried all those new techniques listed earlier, I saw a BIG jump in my photography and it was super satisfying. I definitely learned that it is GOOD to be uncomfortable because that means that you're learning new skills and pushing yourself to be better.