Continuing from my “Giving You Feedback On Your Photography” post here on my blog, here’s a couple of the most common problems that I see in the images that I’m asked to review and give feedback on. Have a look at the list and then your shots. Be honest… then, of course, we can discuss your shots!
1. The image is out of focus. Either the camera was moved while the shutter was open or autofocus was not used, or used correctly, or the shooter manually and incorrectly focused the shot. Most common reason, the camera was moved while the shutter was open.
2. THE IMAGE IS OUT OF FOCUS!! (For you Fight Club fans, think the first rule and second rule of Fight Club!)
3. The image is too dark or under exposed. I see this a lot. Most amateur photographers underexpose their images.
4. The image is too light or over exposed. This isn’t as common as under exposing images, but it’s a very common mistake.
5. The image lacks interest. Maybe this mistake should be 3 on this list… I see a lot of shots that make me ask “why?” “Why was this image taken?” So, ask yourself, why are you shooting this image? What’s interesting about it? What could draw someone into the image? What is going to capture and maintain a viewer’s mind and imagination?
6. There are things in the image that just don’t belong. Sure, you’ve shot a photo of an amazing sunset…. But… you shot it off your back porch, so instead of the viewer seeing a beautiful sunset and the mountains, the viewer sees the railing of the porch, an arm of a chair on the deck, cables running through the corner of the image and into the house, a telephone pole or two, telephone cables, maybe a stop sign, and then maybe a bit of the sunset. So, what could been amazing, well, isn’t. Take the time to compose your shots.
One sure-fire way to make sure you don’t repeatedly make the errors on this list is to take one of my workshops that are given around the country, Jeffrey Aiello Photography Workshops, one-on-one tutoring, and remote tutoring. Whether I’m giving a workshop or a private lesson, I work very hard to improve the photographic and photo editing skills of my students.
Workshops are great fun and you’ll learn more about photography than you ever imagined. Have a look at my testimonials page, Jeffrey Aiello Photography Testimonials, to get an idea as to what to expect from a multi-day workshop. If you don’t’ have the time to devote to a multi-day workshop, then a private lesson may just be the thing you need to ramp up your photo skills.
Have a look at what I offer and please contact me to sign up for workshop, private lesson, or remote tutoring and really take your photography to the next level!
Happy Shooting,
Jeff Aiello
