Blog 9: Common Mistakes New Photographers Make (and How to Fix Them)

So, you’ve finally picked up a camera, maybe it’s a shiny new mirrorless camera, or maybe just your phone, and you’re excited to start capturing the world around you. You head outside, take a few photos, and… they don’t quite look like how you pictured them in your head.

Sound familiar? Don’t worry, every photographer starts there. Even the pros took hundreds of poor photos before they got any good. The trick isn’t avoiding mistakes, it’s learning from them.

Let’s go through some of the most common beginner photography mistakes and how to fix them so your photos start looking the way you want them to.

A disclaimer before we continue, Photography isn’t something that you can just go away and master over a week or two. It is a hobby that requires hours of practice to succeed. And if you get the bug, it will take over your life! And those willing to get out and practice frequently will reap the best rewards from this amazing hobby.

1. Sticking to Auto Mode

Ask a few photographers about Auto Mode, and you’ll probably get a dozen different opinions. On the surface, it sounds great as your camera handles everything for you: shutter speed, aperture, ISO. Simple, right?

Well, not quite. The thing is that your camera doesn’t know what you’re trying to capture and it’s just making its best guess. That works fine sometimes, but with tricky lighting, especially low light, Auto Mode can really trip you up. The camera often slows down the shutter speed to let in more light, and if anything in your scene moves like a person walking by, a waving hand, even a gentle breeze, then your photo ends up blurry. Cue the confusion and frustration when you check your shots later and wonder what went wrong.

To fix it:
When you’re starting out, Auto Mode can be a real lifesaver. It takes care of all the technical stuff so you can focus on the fun part of framing your shot and capturing the moment. You won’t nail every photo, but that’s totally fine. The goal at the beginning is to get comfortable with your camera and start developing your eye for composition and timing.

Once you’ve got that down and feel ready to take a bit more control, try switching to one of the semi-automatic modes. Aperture Priority (A/Av) lets you control how blurry or sharp your background looks (that’s your depth of field), while Shutter Priority (S/Tv) helps you manage how motion appears and whether you want to freeze action or create that cool motion blur effect.

Only after you’re confident with those and understand how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together should you move to Manual Mode. It’s not as intimidating as it looks, but jumping into it too soon can be frustrating. There’s nothing worse than fumbling with your settings and missing the shot altogether.

Even many professional photographers stick to the semi-auto modes when it makes sense as they’re quick, reliable, and still give you plenty of creative control. Manual Mode is fantastic for tricky lighting situations or when you want full control over your image, but it’s not always necessary.

So, think of Auto Mode as your training wheels, perfect for getting started and learning the basics of composition and timing. Just make sure you don’t stay in it forever. The real creative fun begins when you start taking control of your settings and shaping your photos exactly how you want them.

2. Forgetting About Composition

Ever taken a photo that’s perfectly in focus but still feels… boring? That’s usually a composition issue. And as mentioned in the previous point this is the most important aspect of photography. It’s not necessarily about having the latest and greatest camera, or what mode you take the shot in, it’s about what you capture and the story that picture tells.

To fix it:
Use the Rule of Thirds - imagine your frame divided into nine equal parts by four lines (like a noughts and crosses grid) and place your subject along those lines or at the intersections of these lines. Add leading lines (like roads or fences) to draw the viewer’s eye or use natural frames (like windows or branches).
And always, always check your background, because no one wants a tree “growing” out of their head. Most modern cameras let you add gridlines in the settings which you can see in the viewfinder or on the screen, so you can use these to help frame your shot as you are taking it.

3. Ignoring Lighting

Lighting can make or break your photo. Harsh midday light often creates sharp shadows, while dim evening light can lead to blurry shots if you’re not careful.

To fix it:

Shoot during golden hour (just after sunrise or before sunset) for that warm, soft glow. Indoors, get close to a window for beautiful natural light. And if you’re stuck in bright sunlight, then find some shade or use a reflector to even things out. Don’t shoot towards the sun as your subjects will be very underexposed against a very bright background (unless you want your subject(s) to be shadows). And when shooting inside during the daytime, always stand with your back to the window and allow the natural light from outside to help illuminate your subject, as shooting towards a window will overexpose the scene dramatically.

4. Not Checking Focus

We’ve all been there, you take what feels like the perfect shot, only to zoom in later and realise it’s slightly out of focus.

To fix it:
Your camera doesn’t know what you want to focus on, it just makes its best guess. That’s why sometimes your subject ends up blurry while the background looks sharp. To fix this, switch to single-point autofocus instead of the wide-area options. This lets you choose exactly where the camera focuses. (Pro tip: if you’re photographing a person, focus on their eyes, or at least their head.)

If you’re shooting something that’s moving, like a running dog, a child, or a car, try using Servo (or Continuous AF) mode. This tells the camera to keep adjusting focus as your subject moves.

Most cameras make this super easy: some have a little joystick you can use to move the focus point, while others let you simply tap the screen to choose your subject. And if you’re using a newer camera, you might even have subject tracking, which automatically locks onto eyes, animals, or vehicles for you.

Getting comfortable with focus takes a bit of practice, it’s all about building muscle memory. But once it clicks (pun intended), you’ll notice your shots getting much sharper and more consistent. And before you move on to your next shot, take a second to zoom in and check your focus on the spot, you’ll thank yourself later.

5. Overediting (or Not Editing at All)

Editing is where you can really make your photos shine… but it’s also where many beginners go overboard. Cranked-up saturation, heavy filters, and extreme contrast can quickly make an image look unnatural.

How many times do you see images on a local FB post that you think look amazing, without first asking yourself, ‘Does the sky and grass actually look that colour in real life’? It may be something that gets loads of likes on a FB page, but an overedited image to judges and pro-photographers is like taking a mars bar and coating it in some batter mixture and then throwing it into a chip fryer! Totally over the top and not needed.

To fix it:
Start simple. Apps like Lightroom, Snapseed, or Canva let you adjust brightness, contrast, and color with small, subtle adjustments. Think of editing as polishing your photo, not transforming it into something completely unrecognisable.

6. Shooting Too Much (or Not Enough)

Some people take hundreds of random photos hoping one turns out. Others hesitate to shoot at all, worrying about “getting it wrong.” Both slow your growth.

To fix it:
Be intentional, but don’t overthink. Before clicking, look at your light, composition, and focus, but also give yourself permission to experiment. You’ll learn more from 100 thoughtful attempts than from one “perfect” photo you never take.

A good tip is to just go out with one intention and one lens. Perhaps you even have a few small projects that you can have running to capture intentional subjects. Like the colour yellow, or objects that have a semicircle in their shape.

Once you have come back a few times with hundreds of shots that are all rubbish, you soon learn to be more focused on what is a good photo. And making mistakes is all part of the valuable learning experience that is so true to life for many things.

7. Comparing Yourself to Others

You scroll through Instagram, see a stunning photo, and think, “Why don’t mine look like that?” It’s easy to forget that behind every amazing shot are hours (or years) of practice.

To fix it:
Instead of comparing your photos to someone else’s highlight reel, compare your current work to your past work. If you’re improving, even just a little, you’re doing great. Photography is a journey, not a race. And my other question would be, why are you trying to copy someone else. Look for a niche and a style that you can master which no-one else on Instagram is doing.

Many photos on Instagram have been put through photoshop or other editing software to add advanced effects or filters that you just can’t capture with a camera. These photographers have mastered techniques in Photoshop or similar software that they can apply to pictures to dramatically enhance or alter them before sharing on Instagram!

Final Thoughts

Every photographer makes mistakes, and it’s just part of the journey. Those blurry shots, odd shadows, or awkward angles? They’re not failures; they’re lessons. The more you practice, the more natural everything starts to feel. And once you get comfortable with your camera’s settings and can adjust them quickly without thinking, photography becomes so much more enjoyable.

So don’t get discouraged. Keep shooting, keep experimenting, and most importantly, keep having fun with it. The best photo you’ll ever take is the one that reminds you of why you fell in love with photography in the first place.

If you ever find yourself defaulting to your phone instead of your camera because you think it takes “better” pictures stop right, there! Your phone might be convenient, but it won’t help you grow as a photographer. Challenge yourself to use your camera instead. The more you practice with it, the faster you’ll improve, and trust me, the results will absolutely be worth the effort.

And if you’re struggling to get out and shoot, or you don’t feel comfortable going out alone, try joining a local photography group or photo walk. A quick search on Facebook will usually bring up local meetups, and they’re a fantastic way to connect with others who are also learning. Here in the UK, there are loads of camera clubs full of friendly hobbyists and experienced photographers who are always happy to share tips and help you improve faster than you would on your own.

At the end of the day, photography should be something you love, not something you stress over. Embrace the process, enjoy the journey, and remember that every great photographer started exactly where you are now.