I'm guilty of pixel peeping on my tiny LCD screen, zooming in on max and getting angry because I'm expecting something that may camera+lens cannot provide - maybe I watched CSI enhance photos too much hehe ("csi miami enhance that license plate" in google).
My worst habit is not looking at the settings. I just look and go yup it's in focus and shoot only to find out the shutter speed was wrong or the exposure isn't right. Mind you I'm fairly new at photography but it still frustrates me that I don't take my time.
This is actually very underrated. The type of timing and patience you need for really good landscape work is not conducive to people waiting on you. It makes them uncomfortable and the stress of knowing that they are waiting makes you perform poorly and rush.
Yassss. I don’t even have kids but just when traveling with friends or my girlfriend, I’m a bit of a d&%k when it comes to lollygagging behind everyone shooting and shooting. One solution is including the wife or kids as subject in the landscapes, but that trick only works for so long. Mostly when traveling I try to go out when everyone else is sleeping or having a late-afternoon nap. Being alone is ultimately the only solution for finding the space and time to find a really good landscape.
My worst is your worst. I bring a really light tri-legged seat - and a thermos of coffee. And I have made it illegal to do anything before I have sat down. Sipping coffee. Forcing myself to "sense" the place. Reminding myself to "see" instead of "look". Reminding myself to listen. Reminding myself to identify distractions (I have had so tunnel-vision at times that I did not see "that crazy thing in the frame" before being back home seeing the plastic bag on monitor... Still imperfect - but it helps. At least the pulse from hiking has dropped. And it makes me walk rather than moving like road-runner on speed.
I have two. 1)Not taking enough time to just enjoy the moment and take it in. It's nice to be able to look at your images at a later date and reminiscence but sometimes I forget to pause and enjoy the experience when I'm there. 2)Never editing my photos and sharing them and/or never being happy with my editing and either discarding everything or not sharing them at all. I'm my own worst critic.
Completely agree on both and I have lately been working on being present, spending time just being in the moment. I may miss something but that's alright, sometimes it just best to have the memory in your head. I edit and share my photos but many times I feel like I should be working on prints versus sharing on social media. I enjoy sharing them but I think I'd learn more about my shooting errors if I would start printing. I've never had anyone tell me that a photo sucks, or even provide constructive feedback, they just praise. That's nice of them but I also need constructive feedback even if negative.
Ed Hovrud I agree with you, wholeheartedly! Experience the scene, forget the praises from social media, and just be present with the moment, discover and learn.
My worst habit was thinking that I had to travel away to get great images.For the past 3 months I have been getting out regularly to local spots, finding new ones, and revisiting the same ones in different light and weather.It has been a real eye opener for me.
Same. But the real problem is when i want take photo, there are some external factor like some stranger think i get some picture for spyin' people or for something bad. And some people think, because i use smartphone and i am not worthy to get picture with my gear
6:25 thunder sound was so life like that I jumped up and looked around the room and since the window was closed I looked for something that had fallen like a bag of marbles, which I don't have. I did find a stack of boxes right behind me that may of shifted and risked falling on me so I adjusted that and that re-listened to your video and heard the lightning. Really funny!
My worst habit, by far... not checking all my camera settings before i get started. Was auto focus off (from prior shoot). Why did I leave my iso as 2,000. I have taken many shots only to find out I have some really goods ones at a super high iso and that are pretty much junk
@@thedavidbrother2 I have old D5500 and on recommendation of a professional, I put it on auto and set the minimum shutter speed that I can easily get away handheld. The iso went to 3200 but I took some shots for learning. When I went home worried about noise, surprisingly those noise were in control. The key here is to get the exposure right. If you want cleaner image, use DXO software which can further clean your image noise. Previously I didn't have courage to go beyond ISO 800. But here we have to be clear that raising iso decreases dynamic range too. So avoid going beyond 3200 at any cost. Better use flash wherever applicable. There is no other way out. With slower shutter speed, the pictures are gonna blur. Using tripod helps in some cases.
I have never watched a tutorial with so much value. Mark is one of the very rare photographer who is not afraid to share all the tricks of the business.
Mark, here is one I see all the time from my better half. I have coined it “Post it Now” fever. Instead of taking your time and editing the pics to the best of your ability, But rather just doing a “quickie edit” and immediately slamming the “sub par” photo on Instagram, Facebook , etc. just for the sake of getting it up ASAP. It just leaves me just shaking my head. I think this is a serious problem that goes against the whole premise of photography or at least the photography that I was introduced to 30 years ago. Now, I can’t imagine there isn’t plenty of other peeps doing this as well eh?
I recently started my hobby in photography and im already guilty.. posted some of my best first milky way pictures on instagram without any watermark and some simple lightroom editing (while i have about 5 different exposures for all shots lmao)
I genuinely laughed out loud at "pixel peeping". Two years in, I do this. Probably because it was a habit I developed when I started submitting stock images to Alamy, looking for grain even on images I have no intention of submitting to them.
The more I watch your videos the more I realize how similar of photographers we are... As you were listing those off I kept thinking, yep that's me....
Good list. My worst is sleeping in, definitely sleeping in. I procrastinate to the point of missing the best of everything by about 5 minutes. At least I'm consistent... Edit: I did manage to cure myself of one bad habit. On winter hikes I've made it a rule that I can't take any pictures in the first 20 minutes of hiking...it's surprising how long a tripod can retain heat even at -30, and more than once I've ended up hauling around a tripod frozen shut from just a bit of melted snow.
I second this. I'm an insomniac and a night-owl, and don't sleep much at all and I'm never tired or miss it, but mornings I value my sleep and hate getting up and despise alarms. This is ESPECIALLY prevalent when I'm camping, usually for photo outings and I want to stay in that nice warm comfy sleeping bag for as long as I can, because where I live in Montana, it gets Damn Cold in the mornings.
A lot of these hit home for me. Especially the “editing too quickly” issue. This often leaves me with nothing else to do until the next shoot, which is dangerous if I dont get out and shoot for a few more days or weeks. Leads to stagnation and a decline in my creativity.
My worst habit is taking a few shots of the first good composition and thinking I've got the shot. I've got to slow down, walk around a little more, find a few more compositions, take a few more pictures, focus on a few different areas in case I want to blend exposures, etc.
I use to switch out my lenses many times during a single outting and what always resulted was a sensor full of dust and artifacts that show up on the images. Now I use one lens 90% of the time and only switch out lenses when it's absolutely necessary for a composition. This allowed me to shoot faster and move on to the next scene thereby getting more images in overall, higher keeper rates, and lastly peace of mind knowing there's no sensor dust to ruin my images.
I am guilty of changing lens and leaving the camera open without a lens. Now I just cover the opening with the cap that came with my camera. So easy and keeps my sensor clean.
Agree with your No. 1; I was on a workshop at the weekend and felt completely over whelmed with all the subjects available and I found it difficult to find compositions that worked. I ended up buying a 'view catcher' which the photographer recommended to try and help me search for compositions without the need to get my camera out and to help break larger subjects down into smaller interesting compositions. Thanks for the video.
Hello Mark. I found this video strangely reassuring for the simple reason that I too fall foul of all the bad habits you expound including the one where I go to bed with the best of intentions and then, alas, when the alarm wakes me early in the morning ... well you know the rest. Even my best laid plans for a photographic excursion mysteriously go awry. On the positive side, I am determined to pursue my hobby and to get the best results I can. In recent years my "bad" habits show signs of withering under the strain. Thanks to you I sense I'm not alone. Many thanks for an excelled video.
I can relate to most of your worst habits. Especially last one 😅 First day on beautiful location is always the worst. This year I am struggling with not making so big panoramas and generally overcomplicating photos. Instead of shooting one single frame with a little bit worse lens often I do big HDR panoramas, additionally with focus stacking and then in post-processing sometimes one frame was in another white balance than others, isn't pin sharp or whatever. This is one of my the biggest struggles.
A little story; watching Judge Judy as she's evaluating a wedding photo with some leafy green bokeh. A very nice shot, too. "I would not give a photographer one red cent for anything that was so out of focus!" Sorry it is off subject but Just had to relate it to your channel! Enjoying your videos immensely, Mark. Your laid back attitude helps one to relax which leads to better internalizing of a subject.
My worst habit, #1 NOT playing/experimenting around enough with what my camera can and can not do. As a beginner/leaning into intermediate (At least I am off auto and on manual) but still having issues with the confidence to take crappy shots in the name of learning! #2 Not understanding and setting my own presets in LR. I seem to be doing slightly different settings for EVERY photo. Again consistency issues.
I am an old film photographer and always try to get my best image in-camera. Now with digital, I usually only have to make minor changes in post. I tend to shoot in all lighting and conditions, I never wait around for sunrise or sunset. If I am at a location nothing is going to stop me from shooting. Maybe this is because I am somewhat physically handicapped and can't walk very far before having to sit down. But it can also help me to consider shooting at different heights etc. I do chimp more than most because I know getting back to an area takes me much longer. Love your channel, keep up the good work.
Great video Mark! Yes, those habits are mine too. I think my top 2 worst ones though, and you touched on it, are forgetting to turn VR on my lens "off" when on a tripod (especially on zoom lenses), and then back on when I am hand holding...uggghhh. My second is not taking the time to visualize the pic, and removing the distractions from the main focal point. Many of my shots end up being "too busy", and if I just would have taken the time to visualize, and then remove, if possible, any "noise" from the shot. Thanks again Mark for all your vlogs. They are awesome. GO DAWGS!
Sensory Overload - OMG! At least now, at 63 years old, I don't do the second part for me - which I call Spin and Shoot. You would have laughed at my 20 year old version of sensory overload combined with spin and shoot. However, there was one time, about 5 years ago, I looked out my window, saw a bald eagle in a dead tree over looking a lake with the continental divide just behind. I grabbed my point and shoot, whirled around the corner to the deck, and started shooting. I caught him in the tree and 11 shots of him taking off and going into flight. That was one time I wish I would have had a better camera, lol. ** Thank you for all the information you're sharing, and your wonderful way of presenting that information.
I use the camera body cap when I am changing lenses. Because....THAT'S WHAT IT IS FOR! LOL. That way you don't feel you have to do this silly dance with lenses, or feel that you have to rush when switching. I like my photography outings to be relaxed and controlled , even in the rain.
Mark, I appreciate the “not chimping enough” comment. When I first heard that bit of advice to NOT chimp, I had some “yeah but” thoughts running through my head about composition, framing, etc.
Great vlog, Mark! I share many of these bad habits. One other that you didn't mention is "not taking the shot". I spend too much time looking for the perfect shot and wind up shooting nothing at all. When I DO manage to realize I'm thinking that way, I try to change my perspective. Looking for a great sunset and can't make it work? Shoot an intimate scene of a single tree instead. A good shot of something you weren't planning on is far better than no shot at all!
Really funny because you hit the nail on the head with my bad habits, especially 'running around like a maniac on location'. I get overwhelmed with everything on location and want to take pictures of EVERYTHING all in one image. I'm trying to pick out a subject and only focus on that subject.
Mark, what you call sensory overload translates to me as enthusiasm and excitement. You clearly love what you do so its arguably not really a bad habit; more just your nature. If you lost that same enthusiasm you may also lose the motivation to get out of bed and go out on a shoot in the first place. Love your honesty!
Number #1 for me is always questioning if my image could be better as I work with it in post. I have decent technical ability with PS and LR, but having technical skill isn't the same as knowing what you want out of an image and the SIMPLEST way to get there. You know...which of the 8 different ways to add contrast should I use on THIS image. I've finally gotten paste the habit of over-cooking my images and have embraced being subtle in post....but even being subtle presents me with too many options. So, like so many other things in life, I'm hoping that with time and practice, I'll start putting images up on my wall that I don't question and just enjoy.
Def agree on chimping.. I came back from Iceland with blurred pictures in one of the locations. I was positioned in a flowing stream whilst trying to do a 2sec exposure. When I'm back home, realised my pics where blurry.. possibly due to the strength of the river stream being too strong for my tripod camera setup, resulting in camera shake.. lesson learnt..!!!
Your self-effacing nature and humility are very pleasant traits, and make an ideal platform for giving advice. In addition, you have a rich, deep speaking voice, with great timing and cadence. I avoid going out in midday with cloudless skies. Is that a bad habit? From years of shooting landscape, I just don't think I will snag a "keeper" under those conditions.
Not trusting autofocus ! I just started photography about 4months ago. On the 1st my mom had a ruptured aneurysm. She is getting better everyday, but she can't feel or move her left side yet.. She will though.. She loves my photography and and it's you and a few others who inspired me.. Now I love it.. I love your videos, they inform with good info. No filler and you seem like a great person.. TY
I hadn't "identified" these bad habits for myself... but ... yep, tbh, it's me on nearly every single one! Some great points to consider for correcting these. Thanks, Mark!
I become redundant. I take the same shoat multiple times as if something about it is going to change. I'm not talking about reframing or recomposing a shot, which is acceptable and something I should do. It's almost a manic OCD kind of thing where I worry I didn't get the shot the first time I took the picture. Really stupid.
And yet, another top notch video there sir! I think my worst habit is rushing. For whatever reason when I sit there and think about it, I rush. Also, another bad habit would be just taking photos. Not composing them, just taking random ones of things that look nice. For example, yesterday I was shooting down at Fort Myers beach (here for work). I came back to my hotel and found that half of my photos weren't really composed all that well. I had to crop way in to get any kind of composure. I think that is mainly due to my constant rushing. But, I do try to slow down when I actually think about it. Thanks again for another great video! I always look forward to Wednesdays!
When changing lenses in the field I usually do leave the body on my tripod or strap, but instead of taking the lens off then going and getting the lens and getting it ready then putting it on, I'll grab the new lens first, slightly un-twist the lens on the camera (just enough for it to not be locked, but not enough for it to disengage), then take the body cap off the new lens (in my hand), take the old lens off the camera, holding the rear element down, put the new lens on, then put the body cap on the old lens, and the entire process takes about 5 seconds max as when you do it a few times you can kind of do multiple things at once.
I do pixel peeping too when I edit my photos but I do that to inspect an image after using unsharp masking or clarity enhancement. Looking at pixel level helps me determine if I have overdone sharpening when I see white artifacts, halos or ghosting around dark-light transitions. Sometimes they do destroy the details critical within the image.
I too share some of your bad habits! My worst habit (and I’ve really worked at breaking it) is trying to get the Perfect Image. All it did was stifle me. Since giving up this habit, my photography has really improved. I enjoy the process so much more.
I get the sensory overload thing too, but I kind of embrace it! Just feel so stoked! I had that this evening when walking a new beach at golden hour and I came upon seven huge sea turtles scattered across about a half mile of deserted beach. Couldn’t help myself! But I agree, that stoke does have its downsides and you can get super scattered
Watching your video ... both your #8, and #7 I can give you a tip on how to fix both of those issues. Slow down... compose the image before you shoot your image. This means checking your corners. I come from the film era, and if you have ever shot with a film view camera you develop some habits before you snap the shutter. And that's really examining your image before you take the shot. You always check your edges, the balance of the composition, and recheck your exposure before taking the shot. With digital camera's we often get a little lazy and snap happy, but with a view camera... and it costing $10.00 or more an image for film and processing costs, it causes one to double check everything. Because with transparency film, you don't have easy post processing to fix your errors in exposure, so you have to get it right the first time. I still take out one of my 4x5's on occasion to keep myself focused on good habits. It's a slower more meditative process, and it helps all my photography in both film and digital in the long run.
Most of those habits would disappear if you switch to shooting film but others would come about..lol When shooting digitally use a 512 mb card it'll force you to slow down and think more about each shot - Break the spray and pray habit. My worst habit is taking the shot and thinking the lighting wont get any better..most of the time it doesn't but occasionally if I waited just 5 or 10 more minutes...always working on patience.
Great point on the lens changing. I know first starting out(and now) we get impatient and carless when switching lens. Usually I'm in a desert setting with high winds and sand, you already know where this is going.....lol
Back in the 90s i was on a 7 day canoe trip using a Nikon F90 with Fuji velvia. I switched lenses the lazy way. Got home, processed the dozen or so rolls, and discovered a thread in almost every shot! This was before digital editing was easily available. Photo Disaster. :-(
Watching this vid. I saw a lot of my bad habits. One of my worst is #9 but others certainly come to light. I'm one that has a tendency to rush things. Thanks for pointing out the errors we both share.
Great video as usual! One of my bad habits is waiting to long to pack my gear. I know that if I try to do any kind of logistics at 3:30 in the morning I'm goibg to fail miserably! Every piece of gear, boots,clothes must be prepared the night before, still I sit back and say that I'll fix that in the morning...
I do #1 and #8 for sure. Really they are kind of similar. I'm a busy person with a job and a three year old and when I get an evening or morning out to shoot I'm usually pretty excited so I can get to a spot and get way to rushed to find a spot or then look at a composition and think maybe a different focal length. It's hard to control yourself sometimes!!
Situational composition rut. Finding when I download the images from a trip that I was so taken with a particular sky, weather pattern, landscape feature, sun light, or negative space composition (which is my greatest weakness) that I seem to have completely failed to notice so many other possibilities surrounding me. I try to be conscious of it when I’m on site, but I still talk myself into making sure that I have the perfect iteration of whatever it is that has me so fixated before I move on.
Wow, Mark, you made me feel good about # 5. I got my first mirrorless recently (A7Riii) and that’s actually how I’ve ended up changing lenses! Then again it’s not rocket science, I suppose, having the exposed sensor facing down in the direction of gravity... This was a great video as always. Your humility is damn refreshing in this sea of Y/T instructors. I loved the item about being lazy about changing lenses when you’re shooting landscapes. I’ve been working on that one for a while. I see you shoot on Sony-which 16-35 do you have and do you like it? Haven’t invested in a wide-angle yet for my mirrorless. Thanks again, man, keep ‘em coming.
My worst is just not getting out enough to take photos or it's just not knowing what I'm looking for but I'm slowly working on getting out more and finding new places near me I can go
Those are happening to me, too. Well, not number 5, but the others, I'm totally with you in the exact same order. It's not my worst habit, but the one I dislike the most: Number 6. Basically everywhere you are hearing "Ah no, that's bad light, do sunsets!" - I guess the only reason why this is all over the place is because sunsets/sunrises aren't *good* light, but *easy* light. I got photos where the whole fore- and midground are completely irrelevant (they are just silhouettes with nothing special in it) due to the awesome sky in the background. But my definitely *worst* habit is: being afraid to post photos in public, like instagram and so on. Which is basically nonsense, but still...
We are all different, and yet, so alike. You mirrored so many of my bad habits, especially #8. I need to dedicate an entire weekend just to delete images that are so similar that I can't even remember why I "shot" them in the first place.
You mention having your camera on the tripod and all set up, then you want to change lenses. Please consider leaving your camera as is on the tripod, have a body cap in your hand, then remove the lens and quickly install the body cap. Go to your bag and switch lenses. Bring the new lens up to the body, remove the body cap, and quickly attach the new lens. Sensor has minimal exposure to elements and this may be faster. You could also keep a rear lens cap in your hand to place on the back of the first lens.
Identity crisis. I love landscape and consider myself a landscape photographer but when you open my photo library its 90% photos of the family. It's the, "I can't get off into the wilderness alone" effect. Its difficult to explain to people when I try to tell them I really am not into portraits when it's all they see, lol.
Hi Mark! Congrats on 30K. The biggest thing about your videos is that everything is discussed clearly so that a reasonable person can understand and can engage himself/ herself in the comments discussion. Actually, many other helpful tips/ experiences come up in the conversations! Keep producing good works!
I feel like I just sat through a Photographer's Anonymous therapy session. I do all of that stuff. I also tend to get 'tunnel vision' where I try to see the composition in the same way I've seen my other photos - trying to make the new location fit what I'm used to seeing instead of seeing the new place, new color, patterns, textures, light, for what it has to offer. Really great video thanks.
I actually only have one habit I used to have that I’ve almost completely gotten rid of - and that is trying to make my photos perfect. Life and nature photos are representations of a moment - not as you wanted it to be but as it was. At least that’s what I look for. Anyone can create a fantasy in photoshop, but if I base a decision to go somewhere based on a heavily edited photo, I will be disappointed once I arrive. So I keep it simple. And I accept those “bad” photos as learning experiences.
You are not alone. I do at least 1-4. Especially pixel peeping and sensory overload. Thank you for your wonderful videos and tips. I look forward to them each week. Keep up the great work.
For lens changes on the tripod (assuming its not extraordinarily windy or wet out) just tuck your new lens into the elbow of you arm wedged between your arm and body, take off the current lens, swap lenses in your hands, attach the new lens, place the back end lens cover back on the lens you just removed, and then bam, you swapped your lenses without changing your composition and only exposed the sensor for 2-3 seconds. Thats my common practice!
Many Thanks Mark! & tips from my modest scuba diving photography experience: - not to shoot more than 10 photos per dive: positive constraint to focus on composition, light,... - the best dive is without a camera: you see/discover far much corals and other animals (to meditate)
Not so perfect weather and not so perfect lighting stop me all the time. I think I am going to start "storm chasing" or go in search of foggy situations. Florida is pretty flat, hot, and sunny so being more creative is a must. Thanks Mark. How about top spots in the mountain areas to photograph? NC, SC, GA, TN area? Thanks again.
I can't help you with locations, but when you are looking for foggy situations, one tip: Look at the air humidity in weather forecasts. It needs to be as high as possible, at least above 90%, next to 100% are even better. It is not the only condition for fog to appear, but definitely the most important one.
Mark this is a great set of things to look out for, especially if you are new to photography and in particular landscape photography. I especially liked how you demonstrated how to change a lens. The key thing here is to know your camera first before attempting to do this exercise. Practice the exercise at home first in a clean dustless environment before doing it outside. I like your videos that I have seen so far, great for learning the basics.
Wow, great self reflection! I bring my dog everywhere but sadly she's an added stress that makes me rush. Definitely an uneasy feeling to rush photography or anything artistic.
Haha I liked the part where you looked up close at the framed photo so true. We get so obsessed over sharpness when it hardly matters. Only if you’re doing large prints. I just started and that is something to consider when printing large. But most of the time it doesn’t matter, so great point. I used to obsess over those details and completely missed getting the composition right.. making for a razor sharp snapshot.
Not a habit but a comment on the saying on your shirt. Sometimes when laying in bed with a thousand things going through my mind I sometimes try the following mantra. Breathing in I think, relax. Exhaling, I think let go. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it's good when it does. Luckily I don't have any bad photography habits, so that doesn't stress me out (LOL).
Can relate to many of these Mark. Mine is not spending enough time to explore the location or just shooting the standard ‘ go to’ shot rather than thinking outside the box a little 👍
It is very good to know that even a competent and experienced photographer like you is capable of suffering from some issues like me. Thank you very much for this video. I thought that only newbies, like me, committed these kinds of bad habits.
Recently I went to the Grand Canyon (South Rim) and while driving from my hotel in Flagstaff, it was raining quite a bit along the way. I was kind of bummed out about it. But when I got there and after a heavy shower had past, there were several long lasting rainbows over the canyon. Great shots.
The pixel peeping one speaks to me on a spiritual level. If an image doesn't meet my ridiculous standards for sharpness on a 27 inch monitor, I deem it unworthy of occupying disk space, even if it, by no means, deserves such treatment from an objective point of view.
Thanks for having shared your worst habits making me reflect my behaviours. #5 (lazy lens changing) = leaving my camera on the tripod without a lens while changing it. Your video made me think of an easy containment: if I am too lazy to remove the body, I can at least mount the body cap during lens change - especially when being outside. Maybe something to consider??
I have started choosing locations based on weather. I have limited days to go out so I have to try and make the best of what ever is available. Also I sometimes get over excited and forget to chimp. which has left me very disappointed a few times
Well said, Mark - bad habits in general, not just for landscape images. #9 should be easy to fix - transfer images to storage device and stay away from LR. Tip for #5, on Sony cams, the lens alignment dot aligns with the film plane icon on the cam body, to speed the mounting process. Strategic chimping can help spot focus point errors, in my experience. Sensory overload is a bad one - try it when first arriving at a street festival type event. Take a breath and realize we won’t get all the best shots right away. Saw a newspaper photographer at a festival - she spent about 30 mins just observing things before starting to take photos.
All these resonate with me. Some more than others. One that I really struggle with is letting my tripod "grow roots". Similar to your point about the single lens (a problem I also have) it all comes back to making myself change my composition rather than spending too much time making many minor Tweeks with diminishing returns.
Hello Mark. First I give you a 10 out of 10 for your honesty about these habits. I was laughing a lot because I have a few of those problems and some different ones. Great video thanks a lot.
I pixel peeped on my recent photos taken in Yellowstone. I justified it because I am working with a new camera so I am evaluating how the different iso settings impacted the images.
I envy your list of bad habits. My list is longer and more troublesome. I'll just mention two of my biggest failings. 1) Trying to make every picture "pretty" in post processing, often by leaning too hard on Clarity and Vibrance. I have enough restraint to use Saturation rarely or lightly, but I make up for that by jacking up Vibrance until all my photos look over-processed. 2) In an effort to avoid banal, boring images, I self-censor by simply not taking images unless I'm sure they are going to be highly appealing. I have a friend who can spot subtle beauty in landscapes. Not me. I need to take more pictures that appeal to viewers even though they aren't obviously gorgeous.
I tend to ignore local stuff. I get the camera out only when I go on a trip somewhere, but don't take advantage of what's around. Even if you have taken images of a place before, the conditions change, and in any case it is good practice to do it again.
Your bad habits are my own, definition guilty of all of them. Over thinking paralysis is probably one of my worst habits. Trying to decide where to go, what to shoot, when to go there, what are the right conditions and so on. Sometimes I stress myself or question myself to the point of not even leaving the house. I hate it when that happens.
Nice video. Not spending enough time on a spot is perhaps my worst habit (because there are so many others...). I only partially agree with #9 (quick edit). As perhaps everybody I am exited to see the pictures when I come home. What I now do is to make a "virtual copy" when doing the first edit. So I can try out several edits (and synchronize them if some are good). My tip: Shoot film from time to time! It always improves my digital photography. Another one (very cheap one): Make a pencil sketch on location. You will sooner find your "perfect" framing (and it is relaxing, too). One doesn't need to be good at drawing to do this (after all, a mountain is just a triangle, a hill maybe a half circle or a house a rectangle). One should a least give it a try!
Hi Mark, one interesting thing to add. The sensor plane mark (top of the camera on the left side of the viewfinder) is aligned to the white dot lens alignment. So, if you have the camera on a tripod, just align the white dot on your lens with the sensor plane !!!
I definitely have done almost all of the things you mentioned numerous times especially #1 lol!! but one other habit I wish I could start doing again like I did when I was new to photography is experimenting, as well as being open to whats in front of me rather then trying to create what I want to see.
Hi Mark, I really enjoyed your video, the one bad habit I can really relate to that you mentioned is taking the same image over and over again with as you say some minor( sometimes very minor)adjustments, so when I come to look at them in post all I,m seeing is virtually the same shot as I can,t always remember what I changed. I keep trying to stop doing it and I am getting better gradually so thanks for the reminder, regards Ian
hello Mark, very useful video. From now on I´ll try to shoot in "bad conditions" (such as rainy, windy or overcast weather) and also I´ll try to be more careful with camera sensor. Regards.
I am familiar with 9 of 10 bad habits you mentioned. The deepest is pixel peeping. In addition I take a bunch of pictures with a different aperture, while I know f/8 will be enough. The most terrifying habit is to think my gear is poor for my needs. Back in 2005 I’ve bought Canon 5D with set oh L lenses, and was happy with that, but in fact I did not take much photos, because camera was big, bulky and heavy. I did not want to take it outdoors because of that. I have sold it for nothing and decided to switch to iPhone. iPhone is great, but i was not happy with it image quality. A month ago I’ve decided to buy a smallest camera with a decent sensor to take it everywhere with me. So I’ve bought Sony a6000 with f/1.4 primes and 16-70 Zeiss. And now I’m not happy with a6000 because of it’s DoF and Zeiss zoom is so poor quality comparing Canon L. I know how stupid it sounds but this is the ho it works. Sorry for long reading story and my English :-)
I share a handful of these bad habits and had a few good laughs during this video! I really enjoy your photos, channel/videos, and style of teaching. Thanks for all the work you do.
I shoot live music primarily and I have a bad habit of checking my screen too much and miss some great action shots. That’s probably my worse habit. Also not being prepared, getting halfway to a shoot and realising I’ve left something at home.
Also when it comes to lens changing, I have to be quick being at a concert. I have 3 songs to shoot, so usually Ill switch over between songs 2 and 3 and it’s a super quick switch. But then I tend to leave the caps off the back of the unused lens. Now that’s a bad habit.
My worst habit is losing my lens caps. I take it off to take a few shots...tossing it towards my camera case and missing or I jam it in my pocket, take the shots only to find that the cap is gone forever! I now keep 3 or 4 spares in my camera bag and don't get me started on my charger cables because that's a whole new can of crazy!
My worst habit is bringing too much gear...like a ton of lenses, filters, batteries, cards, tripods, an extra camera body, etc., and not needing most of it. But I'm paranoid that if I don't bring it, then I'll definitely need it.
#9 is one of the reasons I struggled so much moving from film to digital. With digital it was just too easy for me to go from what I was shooting to seeing it on the computer without taking a day or two break in between like I would with film while I was scheduling to get them developed.
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your worst habits. Yup, we've all got them. One of mine is rushing the shot. I learned a long time ago that not all behaviour is rational, and that's okay. Look, I’m an old bald guy and I carried a comb in my back pocket for years. Some habits may not be worthy of that much attention. But, just like I keep a list of photography interests in my field notebook, I also keep a list of change worthy habits, or, things to work on. As they say, make it a SMART project: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and on a Timeline. One step at a time, but, the road is not always straight. Now, if I could just do something about this oldguyitis. Signed, the one-handed southpaw phodographer.😜
