5 Facepalm Worthy Mistakes EVERY Photographer Makes and How to Avoid Them

I was recently thinking about how I could help every single new photographer on the planet. This required lots of thinking….I realized my brain power wasn’t quite enough to accomplish this task so I got together with some of my photographer friends and asked them this question. What is the most ridiculous mistake you made when you started photography?

After a few frothy pints of ale at Ye Old Secret Photography Pub, we came up with this list of five face palm worthy common mistakes every new photographer has made. I bet you’ve made at least one of these mistakes. Me, I can proudly say I’ve made them all.

If you are just dipping your toes into that great big photography ocean, then you can learn from these mistakes. Trust me, learning from these mistakes by reading this short post is much better than making them out there in that great big world of ours.

Drum roll please!

Facepalm Mistake Number One.

Always bring your camera with you! Once in a lifetime photo opportunities are always unexpected! You never know when you will see the greatest photo opportunity of your life. Make sure you have your camera with you. I recently had to join Bigfoot Anonymous because I forgot to bring my camera.

Facepalm Mistake Number 2. 

Always double check that your memory card is actually in your camera. You don’t now how many times I’ve grabbed my camera, lined up the perfect shot pressed the shutter button only to find out I left my memory card at home! Oh while you’re at it, make sure you have a spare memory card in your camera bag or your pocket. This has saved me more times than I can count.

Facepalm Mistake number 3.

Always check your camera battery before you leave the house and while you are at it, make sure you have plenty of spares that are charged! Battery drain is a real problem. 

Facepalm Mistake number 4.

Get rid of the lens cap! Well, don’t get rid of it entirely. Just remove it before you get out of your car. This one took me a while to get used to. I always want to leave the lens cap on to protect the front element of the lens but now I take it off and stuff it in my pocket as soon as I get out of the car.

Facepalm Mistake Number 5.

Always take the shot!

There are tons of ways to improve your photography but there is one simple thing that most new photographers seem to forget. I made this a rule for myself years ago and I have managed to stick with it. I would highly suggest that you do the same. Always take the shot.

This one rather simple rule will help you in more ways than you could imagine. Hesitation and photography do not mix well. The word hesitation by definition means you are unsure of yourself. Don’t be. Photography is an art form and art in its most basic sense is freedom of expression. You can’t have true freedom with hesitation. 

Most of us have heard this very popular saying, “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Now apply this same logic to photography.

It is better to have taken the shot than never have taken the shot at all.

What’s the worst thing that could happen? You end up with a shot that is out of focus, has bad lighting or an awkward pose? So what. All of those things are common mistakes that you can use to your advantage. You can’t be expected to learn if you don’t make mistakes. 

On the other hand, what’s the best thing that could happen? You could very well end up with the shot of a lifetime! 

Always take the shot!