Typical Rookie Mistakes

TBR · July 9, 2010

Hey guys, I was reading another post and Matt made a comment that the original poster didn't make the typical rookie mistakes. So a question came to my mind...:scratch

What are the typical mistakes that rookies make???

I am really looking forward to getting into wedding photography and I'm sure there are plenty others on here that are as well...:D

Qarik · July 9, 2010

here are some that come to mind:

1) undiffused direct flash work
2) backlit shots with undexposed subjects and/or over exposed back grounds
3) not mindful of cluttered or distracting backgrounds
4) too much tilt
5) poor white balance and/or mixed lighitng issues
6) too much variety in processing

TBR · July 9, 2010

I never really would of thought of the processing point... I'm glad that you pointed it out... I'm still experimenting with a work flow and style that I like to use but will make sure to get it in order before I head out...

From the beginning of my work with a non-camera flash I diffused it a good amount of the time... I did it cause it looked better to me then read almost every where that it was the way to go... A while back I made a foam thingy and really liked the results I got from it. I'm now working on making the device look a little better. There is something I don't like about using exposed staples...

Do y'all think that a white balance filter is a good investment? If so which one do you use???

tenoverthenose · July 9, 2010

Here's my growing list...

1. Not managing client expectations
2. Not knowing what EVERY aspect of your camera / gear does and how it effects the final image
3. Not knowing how to approach various lighting / environments to get the best results
4. Not storing digital files correctly
5. Not learning composition (especially chaos, horizons, lines through heads)
6. Tilting the camera because of #5
7. Postproduction because #6 & #5 didn't work
8. Trying to copy the work of others
9. Backup equipment?

Qarik · July 9, 2010

tenoverthenose wrote: »

Here's my growing list...

1. Not managing client expectations
2. Not knowing what EVERY aspect of your camera / gear does and how it effects the final image
3. Not knowing how to approach various lighting / environments to get the best results
4. Not storing digital files correctly
5. Not learning composition (especially chaos, horizons, lines through heads)
6. Tilting the camera because of #5
7. Postproduction because #6 & #5 didn't work
8. Trying to copy the work of others
9. Backup equipment?

haha...yes but most of these are not rookie mistakes.

Qarik · July 9, 2010

TBR wrote: »

I never really would of thought of the processing point... I'm glad that you pointed it out... I'm still experimenting with a work flow and style that I like to use but will make sure to get it in order before I head out...

From the beginning of my work with a non-camera flash I diffused it a good amount of the time... I did it cause it looked better to me then read almost every where that it was the way to go... A while back I made a foam thingy and really liked the results I got from it. I'm now working on making the device look a little better. There is something I don't like about using exposed staples...

Do y'all think that a white balance filter is a good investment? If so which one do you use???

as far as processing goes, try getting close to "reality" with touch of a "pop" (boost contrast, colors, levels, sharpen,etc). Do this for thousands of images until you get so efficient at it, you could do it in your sleep. You will get sick and tired of it but it will ground you and train your eye for what looks right. You can throw in BW while you are at it to keep you from going crazy.

When your eye is trained..then go ahead and start "offroading". imo your "offroad" work will be much better once your eye is trained.

Matthew Saville · July 9, 2010

I won't say "this is what some people do wrong", but I will say "this is what you should avoid"...

As mentioned already, learn composition so you don't have to rely on less timeless things such as tilting or photoshop effects. Also, understand your camera like the back of your hand. There's absolutely ZERO reason for you to go into your first wedding without knowing how to ROCK natural light, and make flash look good too. I don't care if you have to spend 8 hrs a day practicing with your camera / flash, my point is that you don't need to be at an actual wedding to practice. Same with portraits and posing, etc. You should be able to convince 100+ friends to "model" for you before your first wedding, at the very least. Again, why go into your first wedding with poor portraiture skills, if it doesn't take a real wedding to practice portraiture?

Next, BACK. IT. UP. Three separate copies of your images before you go to sleep. One copy on your computer, one copy on an external drive, and of course your (formatted) memory cards. Even though you format cards, the images are still there until you shoot new images. So that counts as three copies. And if at all possible, one of those copies should be off-site. Either get a DropBox etc. account and upload the entire job to a "cloud" type server, or at least take a portable external and drop it in your mailbox to out of town relatives, or your processing lab, etc. Or since I live in an apartment and my garage is separate from my house by about 100 yards, I leave a portable drive in my car, which is quite convenient when I take the time to download photos at the actual venue. (Or you can get one of those hyperdrive etc. type storage devices, and leave that in your car. But you get the point. BACK. IT. UP.)

Other than that, there's not much else. Be prepared, and if you're not prepared, don't take the job. If you're still in the stage where you hate your photos from just one month ago, you probably shouldn't be shooting a once-in-a-lifetime event just yet. That's the bottom line. Preparation, confidence, and consistent results...

=Matt=

tenoverthenose · July 9, 2010

Matt I'm surprised you didn't mention using a flash bracket

JayClark79 · July 9, 2010

We all know Matt LOVES flash brackets lol j/k

I would say a rookie mistake is thinking anyone with a DSLR camera can shoot a wedding

I would recommend taking your camera along to some weddings that you are invited to, but dont get in the main photogs way.. I would also recommend asking a local photographer if you can tag along and watch how they work.... I would also recommend shooting any type of event you attend.. bithday parties, reunions... whatever take your camera and practise... being trusted to photograph someone's wedding is a major thing.. if you screw this up the couple can never have those moments recreated

Matthew Saville · July 9, 2010

tenoverthenose wrote: »

Matt I'm surprised you didn't mention using a flash bracket

Oh good grief. Yeah. If I see someone using a flash bracket, please don't be offended if I smirk. I'm prejudiced against brackets and I can't help it, even if you use one well. In my opinionated opinion, flash brackets usually imply a lack of understanding about light, or a "play it safe" attitude that may hinder your work from standing out among the rest. I'm just making an observation. Give me ANY lighting situation, and I'll show you how to shoot it *without* a bracket. ;-)

=Matt=

kevinpw · July 9, 2010

Qarik wrote: »

here are some that come to mind:

1) undiffused direct flash work
2) backlit shots with undexposed subjects and/or over exposed back grounds
3) not mindful of cluttered or distracting backgrounds
4) too much tilt
5) poor white balance and/or mixed lighitng issues
6) too much variety in processing

i seem to always be guilty of #3, but one question comes to mind, who's to decide what's distracting and not distracting? isn't that mostly subjective?

could you elaborate more on #4?

kevinpw · July 9, 2010

tenoverthenose wrote: »

Here's my growing list...

1. Not managing client expectations
2. Not knowing what EVERY aspect of your camera / gear does and how it effects the final image
3. Not knowing how to approach various lighting / environments to get the best results
4. Not storing digital files correctly
5. Not learning composition (especially chaos, horizons, lines through heads)
6. Tilting the camera because of #5
7. Postproduction because #6 & #5 didn't work
8. Trying to copy the work of others
9. Backup equipment?

could you explain #5 and #6? or point to resources that teach those subjects?

thanks

smurfy · July 10, 2010

could you explain #5 and #6? or point to resources that teach those subjects?

The stickies at the top of the weddings forum have some great information and recommendations for books and other resources.

And if I may add a few to the excellent lists above:

1. Cutting off hands and feet in the composition
2. cropping at a joint
3. not fixing skin issues in post,
4. shooting heavier females from unflattering "cool" (often low) angles, adding double chins and even more visual weight
5. Being clueless about giving direction, so every photo is either the couple looking at the camera and stiffly smiling , or kissing.
6. Those kissing shots are all with puckered lips

one question comes to mind, who's to decide what's distracting and not distracting? isn't that mostly subjective?

No. Definitely not. When 99 out of 100 people think a photo is gorgeous, that is not subjective. When we are emotionally attached to our own work, we may think when it is criticized that the criticism was just a matter of personal taste.
But often, in time as we grow, we realize that the photograph was not nearly as good as we once thought.

A beautiful setting near mountains may be gorgeous, but if a tree is growing out of the groom's head or if a mountain line enters the bride's right ear and comes out her left , it's distracting. Move for a better angle.

Some photographers can shoot for years and still not "see" these issues. I don't personally think that just anyone with $ to invest in good equipment and the desire to learn can become a good wedding photographer. A person needs that 'artistic' gene, for lack of better wording, to become good or even great. (And in getting advice from Matt Saville, Patrick (tenoverthenose), and some others in this thread, consider that a huge privilege. Their work is consistently breathtaking.)

WillCAD · July 10, 2010

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Oh good grief. Yeah. If I see someone using a flash bracket, please don't be offended if I smirk. I'm prejudiced against brackets and I can't help it, even if you use one well. In my opinionated opinion, flash brackets usually imply a lack of understanding about light, or a "play it safe" attitude that may hinder your work from standing out among the rest. I'm just making an observation. Give me ANY lighting situation, and I'll show you how to shoot it *without* a bracket. ;-)

=Matt=

I've never heard anybody take such an extreme position on flash brackets before (though I've heard of folks who don't want them due to bulk or say they don't need them for most of their shooting).

Sounds like an interesting topic for further conversation. You should start a new thread!

Moogle Pepper · July 10, 2010

This is very good information! Reading this makes me relook at my present and past work to tell me how I have improved over the past year and that there is still so much more for me to improve upon.

mmmatt · July 10, 2010

This is the thread that is being refered to by the OP. http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=172125 My intent for that comment wasn't quite as hardcore as what is being discussed here. I see so many first wedding sets that are snapshotty. His were not snapshotty because he took the time to compose images and capture emotion instead of just getting the subject into the view finder and pulling the switch. Things like soft focus, improper DOF, cropping out important subject matter, improper exposure, lack of white balance correction and overall poor composition are other typical rookie mistakes. His shots were well composed, well exposed, and he did a great job of controlling/using DOF. To do that you need to be very familiar with your equipment and its use so he passes that mark.

Overall his images show great care in composition by utilizing negative space, his horizons are level and he caught lots of great emotions which means he was patient and looking for expressions while composing artful compositions. Not easy to do and especially not easy for a rookie.

The points made in this thread are great, but that is what I was referring to. I'm not saying the guy should go out and start a business yet, but I think he is showing lots of promise and has obviously been doing his homework. Probably has a natural eye too. He said later in the thread that he had to cull about 2/3s of his images from the day so it is safe to say he didn't nail the bulk of them but he showed his favorites from the day and I think they are pretty good compared to most of the "my first wedding" threads I see.

Matt

Typical Rookie Mistakes

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