7 Photography Mistakes I See All Beginners Make

[@JasonVong]

Save $25 on PPA! www.ppa.com/join/jason-vong Learn to Light FB Group: geni.us/fjh-learn-to-light-fb

[@ColinKlupiec]

Did you notice that helpful shutter speed rule? Start at 1/125 and keep doubling up to 1/1000 as the subject motion increases. Thank you, Jason.

[@LinderGonzalez-ue4kh]

i even pause the video to try to remember the chart jeje

[@lvds5910]

For most of the things he lists the shutterspeed is a great ballpark to be in, but I disagree for wildlife. I rarely ever shoot 1/1000. It's a fine allpurpose shutterspeed, but don't be afraid to go lower. Most of my bird- and wildlifephotography is at below 1/500 and I often shoot at shutterspeeds below 1/100. And of course for birds in flight, especially small birds, 1/1000 is often not high enough.

[@ColinKlupiec]

@@lvds5910 Good insight. Thanks.

[@drovoseg]

Shutter speed rule also depends on focal length

[@MaiElizabeth]

Using vintage lenses, I abandoned my favourite aperture priority and adopt shutter priority and manual mode interchangeably.

[@nevvanclarke9225]

I'm a professional photographer in Australia and I agree with most of what Jason is saying probably the one thing I would also add to all of this is once you find a style that you like stick with it if you believe in it and you like that, Photography then that's okay because at the end of the day it is your art. Don't try to be something you're not. You might try and copy someone else's style and what will end up happening is it won't look very good because you won't be able to do their style.

[@elias.keller_photography]

For outdoor portrait photography there is actually an amazing setting on Sony cameras. I shoot in aperture prio as its part of my style to have a shallow dept of field, but still want the shutter speed to be below 1/250 to not get blurry photos. As I anyway yeet some grain on all my edits, i do not care about ISO so much and thats where this setting kicks in. You can tell your camera to use shutter speed to compensate for the exposure, but as soon as you get above the set shutter speed, it cranks up de ISO instead of lowering the shutter speed. The setting is called "ISO AUTO Min. SS". Give it a try, it was a gamechanger for me! MENU → (Exposure/Color) → [Exposure] → [ISO AUTO Min. SS] → desired setting.

[@KingdaToro]

Canon has this too. By default, it'll follow the rule of thumb of keeping the shutter speed faster than the focal length (i.e. no slower than 1/50 for 50mm) but can be customized. I use 1/500 for airshows.

[@apurbadas7302]

Rather use manual exposure with iso auto, choose whatever aparture and shutter speed you need ,camera will choose the iso. But keep an eye on the iso, if it is too high change the shutter speed or aparture, which of the two less important to you

[@careylymanjones]

"F/8 and be there." One of the most famous mantras of the landscape photographer. Most lenses are sharper, when they're stopped down a bit. And stopping down gives more DOF. For landscapes, you generally WANT lots of DOF. And "being there" when the light is best is best, is key. If that means getting up at 4:00 AM to get to your shooting site for sunrise, ya gotta get up, if you want the shot. You miss all the shots you don't take.

[@Justinian43]

bro, as soon as I saw the limiting of the focusing to narrower areas, man my photos massively improved when it came to nailing focus on shots

[@justneoh8253]

All good advices, but 8:30 illustrates that ability to tell a story/show emotion is far more important than image quality.

[@wildvisuals4415]

True!

[@JackieZupan]

Your last point is the most important, and the one that I don’t think people really think about too often. I know nothing of photography. I’m not a fan of it but I subscribe because you are just that great of a teacher.

[@Tedtt655]

If your not a fan why learn about how to shoot photography,

[@HurveyJones]

Great video! I bought my Canon G9 17 years ago, and it was on the shelf for years and I just decided to get back into photography again. Your energy, you sence of style, your knowledge is great! You've just earned a sub!! Keep up the good work

[@romank90]

#4 - my approach is usually "fight the geometry, work with the light". So wide for up close, tele in landscape so "overall amount of stuff" in a picture is kept to a reasonable amount.

[@tuberisnaturesparesort]

Open aperture also means a less sharp image. Basic knowledge: Every lens is sharpest in the middle of theyr aperture stops, usually between F6 and F9 A must for objects with fine details or landscapes

[@othales6325]

Wide apurture mean narrow depth of field, the image is still sharp because the plane of focus is still there. So, just more detail out of focus doesnt mean the image is not sharp

[@andychandler3992]

Most social media platforms are useless when it comes to learning photography. I've always appreciated the fact you've never acted as the "totality" of photography. I'm reminded of the joke: How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 10. One to change the bulb, the other 9 to tell the first guy how they'd have done it better. Everyone has an opinion and usually those opinions contradict. Find one or two good people who's work you like and have them mentor you. I'm not going to take snark and vitriol from someone I'd never take advice from. I prefer the old grizzled veterans of photography who can look at something and say "do this better" or "you did this very well." I've had the all blurry photos happen to me. I remember taking a photo on my Leica M2 and for some reason I threw my focus close and not into infinity. Everyone loved the photo even if I thought it was crap. I did an epk for an artist and shot a random shot of him walking down the street (it was improve and not on purpose). I didn't catch focus. Strangely, he and everyone loved it.

[@juliorichards1729]

Yes, yes, and yes. This is exactly what I need. I'm at the baby stage with this and this is exactly the tone and rhythm I can follow, lol. Great video!! Subscribed.

[@IllFlyIt]

I took a screenshot of 4:12 for quick reference later on. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@EiBiTGaming]

"Don't shoot for the photography and camera community, shoot for your community" Well said Jason.

[@diegochavez3599]

Great advice Jason! I'm guilty of many of those. I've learned to embrace the imperfections in my photography as well as my own personal style instead of comparing myself to other people.

[@thePixBloomLab]

I can relate too here

[@FFXIDrago]

That final words are so damn important. You and your audition should like the photos you take and not just some random dudes at the internet. I am just a beginner and its a hobby for me - not something that pays my bills. I bought my Z5 just a few months ago. I watched several videos like that and i learned a lot at the theoretical part. After testing some stuff i saw at the videos I started to play around with different settings and it is so much fun to see how the different settings and also the different perspectives change the look. So specially if you are a beginner just play around and compare the pictures on a big screen to see the differences - that helps a lot to get a better understanding and feeling for your equipment and how your photos will look.

[@the_rat_run]

10/10 for this video, Jason. You nailed it with the final sentence! fun watch too...

[@roncuz808]

You're the only guy on KZbin I've seen with entertaining videos and speech. Also, using the analogy of buttholes to aperture was magnificent. *chef's kiss*

[@wildvisuals4415]

😂right

[@eggcanoe]

Thank you for these guides. They are very helpful and easy to understand! ❤

[@sidp.1915]

this video is quite good. I'd love to back and rewatch/ rethink about how I do my photography along with this video

[@thepast5488]

Jason you're a Hero.

[@davidscottbowlesphoto]

Vongs never wrong ❤

[@docandersonshow]

For a long time, I was seduced by low f-stops and wide open lenses. But the more I shoot, the more I stop down. What I’m learning is a lens with a low F stop means it’s going to have better performance a few stops down, whereas, a slower F stop is not going to look as good at the same setting if that’s as low as the lens can go. Avoid the extremes and find your lens’ sweet spot.

[@MariMari-to3pm]

Jason, your favourite eye is the left one. Is your favourite hand also your left hand?

[@jack1ako]

Great video. First time I’ve come across your channel. Mad that the photo at 0:48 was taken in Norwich which is only 20minutes from where I live.

[@matrixate]

Always be critical of your own work.

[@wytheman]

thanks for the tip, what i like your videos is u guys don't forget to say thank u for watching in the end...

[@jhenrigarrote]

That's why it's best to learn to shoot on manual first, understanding the basics and experimenting on different settings... Also learning how to use manual lens ( vintage or new) is a must as it's very helpful in tight spots and situations, rather than always relying on AF all the time... Photography is very deep, just because you have the latest high end cameras available in the market, it doesn't mean you'll shoot much better than a season veteran using a Pentax m42! 😂

[@poolgod80]

Can't thank you enough...you still remember to help the beginner photographers out there

[@hermanweiss8158]

👀Is that TAKA at 9:37

[@WhosAston]

Even at 1 AM with blurry vision and only one eye open, I knew I saw Taka. Had to go back a few times because it had me confused.

[@jameshart3225]

2:40. What setup do you have there ? What’s the wire for? I want something just like this. Hope you respond !

[@royernest7740]

Great advice Jason. Keep going!

[@bobbullethalf]

You know, over the years doing photography I have changed my position in “blurry” shots. I have had some great photos that were not tact sharp but had meaning to them.

[@HalalGuyinUSA]

Great information! I am just starting my photography journey and taking one step at a time to avoid mistakes. Your tips are very useful!!

[@LarsBergan]

Jason, I just love your style and how you communicate in your videos! Excellent information and the humor spot on, love it! Keep up the great work 🤩

[@maykelmatias]

Thank you Jason for all your tips and tricks videos.

[@BouvToTheMax]

Keep up the great photography journey Jason!! A+ content as always.

[@ElliottHurst]

Huh, that pic at 0:49 is in Norwich! nice.

[@chadprorok9415]

First thing I noticed!

[@juanplus3324]

The new Adobe PS and LR now have amazing AI to help with your post..Bokeh and Denoise are my favorite features. Now I don't worry too much about my ISO and aperture.

[@PronoyM]

This was really helpful. Thanks man!

[@Jasrickvideos]

What monitor or phone app do you use?

[@starchildarryl]

This was awesome. I love your straight to the point with a tad of humor delivery

[@wildvisuals4415]

Same 😂

[@Tumppi20]

What is that phone mount at 3:28?

[@AkashRamani]

Interested in the same question

[@ElMarioVlogs-]

great video! I thinkt all those points are important but #7 is something I was thinking recently.. it's like we are always creating for other creators instead for our clientes. Thanks for all your advices.. saludos desde México!

[@vernonr7404]

I started out learning from FJH and trying to emulate HSS using the Sony A7Riii and 85 mm GM. But then, as soon as I got comfortable with HSS, FJH switched to ND Filters. I've been reluctant to dive into ND Filters and relearn. How about you? I know: HSS drains your battery faster!

[@jasonbodden8816]

You're not really re-learning anything much. You're just getting your background exposure the way you want it first with the ND filter - which doesn't rob you off flash power because you get to shoot at or below your camera's flash sync speed - then turn on the flash and get your flash exposure on your subject. Not that much to it. You'll get it.

[@vernonr7404]

@@jasonbodden8816 We'll see. Ordered a K&D ND Filter yesterday on Amazon Prime Day. Tired of experts slamming HSS.

[@Rob_Bot]

Great video and lessons!!

[@neSsuChan]

Such a great advice.

[@WeWynne]

I was the 700th like. It was nice watching it role over from 699 to 701 and as I type this 3 more just rolled in. Great content as always. I feel like I pick up a lot from your videos and also it sets my mind more at ease. I'm too hard on myself. Try hard and do your best, but don't beat yourself up. Pobody's Nerfect.

[@fernandezjoey]

thanks! Jason

[@Wandy1D]

I always enjoy watching your videos. So much so that the only notification I have set up on my KZbin app is for when you upload new videos. I love how entertaining but yet educational your videos are.

[@JasonVong]

Super honored to be on your notifications. Thank you!

[@Tron1974zig]

Can you tell me which application you are using. that you can use your mobile phone as an external monitor - thank you and thumbs up.

[@sylvestersim423]

Thank you.. Very informative video.. Reminds me why I started my photography journey

[@gameornogame]

I have a F3.5-5.6 lense and with 3.5 i manage to get a decent bokeh. For landscape i use F5.6 or higher

[@krunksoft]

You just saved me alot of anxiety. Thank you sir!

[@sux0r]

Wasn't sure where to ask you, so asking here. Can you please make a video to color calibrate my monitor? Should I buy a colorimeter like the syder pro? Thanks

[@markhawkes4063]

Great video and very true. When did you visit Norwich?

[@DrClumber]

The F-stop thing drives me nuts! You see someone posting a picture saying: It's not sharp! and in fact it is incredibly sharp, just that it focussed on the tip of a nose or a random fluff of hair. The 'chase for bokeh' is guilty of this, leading to silly discussions about orange shaped or rugby-ball shaped bokeh balls... like huh?

[@fiddleandfart]

Indeed! Sure, I love the wide aperture, limited depth of field thing... (almost an overused visual cliche now!), but the bokeh discussion DOES get a little silly! But I've been using that technique since the Sixties on film (using longer lenses) - decades before I ever heard the word "bokeh!"

[@oobbe]

Tip of the nose is super sharp but everything else is a blurry mess. Some people like that shit, others don’t. I would prefer having the entire face in focus and super sharp.

[@MKc-pm9tw]

With regards to being "so [worried] the settings I was using had to be 'correct'...," that line from the Pirates of the Caribbean seems to apply here: "They are really more like guidelines, anyway."

[@wildvisuals4415]

Love this!

[@jncSmokeY]

Jason Vong for President 🫡

[@JoHdsgn]

thank you for the video. I need some advice ! I got a sony A7 IV with lens FE 4/24 - 105 G OSS and I'm currently doing shooting for E-commerce product ( small product ). I've been struggling to set the right setting and get the right quality of picture. CAn you please help me out with the specific setting of the camera or perhaps make another video how to set up a camera for e-commerce shooting.

[@jakebailey5033]

I would look into Macro Lens.

[@aussauce]

This is gold

[@jaughnekow]

good to learn something new everytime. thanks for your video

[@deadlyumbreon]

I'll be there!

[@michaelpoczynek]

Thanks. Good info!

[@explodingheavens]

Beginners: if you get a whole friend or some object in focus on your phone, in apsc, not to mention full frame with f1.2 lens it will be mostly bokeh in front and back part of it, making it almost useless. Going for f16 is not lucky solution too. You got to keep balance between enough of focus and enough of bokeh. Even with f8 you may not get a lot of object in focus, but being a photographer who gets great quality results is also kind of fun road and you will get better eventually. 👍

[@masiguru9982]

People often ask me why I never enter photo contests. I always answer the same: I shoot for me, not for a panel of judges that most likely do not share my vision. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!!!

[@klatchabobby]

Watching this as a cinematographer is so funny, because the logic difference between the two is tremendous despite the goal being almost the same. "Take a good photo," the only difference being you have to take 24 photos per second in cinematography instead of 1. That difference changes things DRASTICALLY. 1. Shutter is no longer an "exposure tool" nor is motion blur considered a bad thing. You set you shutter to 1/48, 1/50, 180 degrees, 172.8 degrees, and it stays that way as long as you're shooting your 24fps film. The only time it can even be considered to change is when you're shooting slow-mo or timelapse, of course, or when you're trying to get some kind of effect through the motion blur, such as 1/96 or 90 degrees for action scenes to make them "feel faster," employed in scenes such as the forest chase at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. 2. ISO is no longer an exposure tool, it's a dynamic range tool. "Set it and forget it" based on the scene's lighting. Why? Because changing the ISO shot-to-shot can introduce varying levels of digital noise and colour shifts. You don't say "the shot's too dark, crank the ISO" because the more you do that, the worse the shot will look. The noise moves in film, unlike stills, obviously. You set your ISO based on the needs of the scene. Balance of light and shadow, such as an indoor scene? ISO 800, standard for cinema cameras. Dimly lit/no major highlights, generally even but "dark" lights, ISO 400, if not less, to maximize the dynamic range below middle grey, which is where most of the shot lies. Lots of highlights, few shadows? Probably outside day? ISO 1000+, to increase the stops of dynamic range above middle grey, reducing clipping of highlights. All of this ISO logic is completely opposite to photography, because photographers don't need to think in dynamic range and stops above or below middle grey. It's a foreign concept. Aperture is one of the only things that IS the same, only you wouldn't jump to it immediately for exposure. You'd look to ND first, then aperture, at least where the camera is concerned, if lights cannot change.

[@WilliamCarterII]

I agree with the Fstop bit. When I shoot amateur football matches i shoot with a higher fstop because I think it looks cool to see the other players behind the fence cheering for their teammates) but when I shoot NCAA football matches I do lower the Fstop a lot bc nobody needs to see a coke ad in the background ⚽

[@Sqeezy3]

Thanks for the aperture joke, going to use it from now on forever 😂

[@JeffreyJDavis]

Another solid vid, even (most) of the cheese was palatable! 🤙😎 Knowing your audience is key

[@MiddleofKnowhere]

Excellent video thank you! These kinds of vids bring to light new ways of thinking for me, that I haven't tried before. Glad you mentioned that wide focus field b/c I've been narrowing mine down of late trying to get better accuracy. Gonna mess with the shutter speeds now as well, so I have a couple of questions regarding that. How much of an impact does free holding (no tripod) have on photo blurriness if you don't have an IBIS body or OSS lens, and then how much will IBIS help prevent blur when you have a slower shutter speed (to allow more light in)? Also, did I even say that right? I've an a6400 atm, but am thinking of going to the 6700 so I can do more street stuff and being steady is kind of difficult for me, so I figured IBIS would help.

[@JasonVong]

Check out my Shutter Speed video when you get the chance. Type "Shutter Speed Jason Vong" and you should find it! But the short answer is, as long as you double the Shutter Speed of whatever focal length you're using, you ideally shouldn't worry about blur when you're photographing still subjects. For example, if you're shooting with a 50mm lens, then your shutter should be 1/100 or more. Increase it incrementally if your subject is moving. IBIS does help with breaking that general rule I mentioned above. You would be able to come down on the shutter; for example 1/50 for a 50mm lens and still get sharp results for still subjects. Because the shutter speed is slower, you then let in more light which can be very helpful when you shoot in low light situations. You can then decrease the shutter incrementally (1/40, 1/25, 1/10) to see how slow you can go and get away with using slower shutter speeds and still get sharp results. Hope this helps!

[@SenorGancho]

Great video Jason. So is it 'Mistakes all Beginners Make' or 'Mistakes as we build our craft'? :-) There is no shortage of subject entries in this category but the one that I would add is 'not working the shot enough' The number of times I've come to the 'post' phase and I'm kicking myself "why didn't I take a few more shots'? Often the things I'm not happy with, as you've detailed so well, might have been resolved if I'd just kept working the shot. I'm convinced it's a curse from my Ektachrome 35mm slide days that keeps me from taking a few more shots, and having the awareness to experiment with aperture, composition, shutter speed, etc with the same shot. Great think piece. Thank you for sharing

[@markinri1877]

Great video and very helpful, thanks!!! 😊

[@militarymodellerpaul5932]

If I’m happy with the photo to me it is a good photo.

[@fionazonda8770]

Can u guys suggest me between sony a7 or canon eos m100 for my first camera...i love taking photo nature and people

[@SteveVickAK]

Great tips. I don’t see link to you Sony autofocus guide…

[@manutzsong]

This is so useful.

[@zaryl2k]

i need help with taking a group photo of people. sometimes, a person on the leftmost side appears to be blurry. center and right is sharp. what could go wrong and what is the best settings ya? I'm mostly on P dial though. I should choose A dial (Aperture priority) and set the aperture to F8 or F9 to get all the people in the photo to appear sharp? i'm using a sony A6700 with kit lens 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 together with an external flash. my shoots are mostly indoors. i also have another sony lens: the 18-135mm f3.5-5.6. this one i much prefer as all rounder and for further zoom shots though.

[@gerrygerry-r5k]

start from f22 coming down, the more open your aperture, the sharper everything else will appear. for group or crowds, there is no big deal with background blur, set the shot at f22 and do some tests, while working your way down to find the best spot. hope that helps somehow. also avoid to have people to close to the sides since thats where lenses are usually least sharp. want more room, then take a step back and let the shot have much room by the sides. in post, you can crop in and have a good photo

[@iamgarrettlyons]

I'm a victim of #5. f1.4 is so delicious but i always regret it afterwards when really reviewing them. I'm healing though

[@scotte17887]

Great advice

[@Lak_Photography]

I saw my Facebook page at 1:23!

[@cloydcaesarbernardo7888]

Hi jason, im a newbie and cannot find the answer why my photos keeps on getting circular dark corners when im viewing it on may laptop. Which setting /setup is causing this?

[@Chuck8541]

9:01 Look at that skinny guy! 🤭 Thanks for all the tips, JV!

[@MartinV.]

Great Video

[@gameornogame]

So about the shutterspeed i learned 1 thing before this Video. I do alot of Motorsports photography and I set my shutterspeed to 10x the speed of the car. So if its driving 200km/h i set my shutterspeed to 1/2000

[@davidfinell3357]

While no longer available, I can focus after taking a photo with a Lytro light field camera.😊

[@AlfieFitzpatrick-l4w]

Yes, yes, and yes.

[@CyclingOffToSomewhereIDK]

🤣🤣 Entertaining, informative, and you have a new follower

[@RiccardoGabarriniKazeatari]

Which lens can take a shot like that at 15mm ( 4:34 )? It seems to have a great MFD and to be working well in low light... Is the 12-24 f2.8? I hope not it's just too expensive

[@JasonVong]

That was with the Laowa 15mm designed for Full Frame.

[@Aikisbest]

You had me at the "mediocre at best" AI voice, haha XD

[@rkgaustin]

How do you use your phone as a monitor?

[@zeneox]

You get a thumbs up just because you have Zurich in the video at 7:47 and 8:50 😉👍

[@nremac]

What lens is on the camera in that short clip at 3:37? It looks so compact!

[@JasonVong]

That's actually a fixed lens camera, the Sony RX1!!

[@nremac]

@@JasonVong Ah, thanks!

[@fernandocorona1314]

Flexing but holes is crazy haha

[@TheYllib]

oh man i cringed on the aperture joke lol @ 1:45

[@philippurban4459]

The 3 b‘s are making me crazy

[@kharrell8356]

Jason are you a sony rep (no malice intended) just wondering?

[@Ethefake]

im pretty sure he's just known on youtube as that sony guy, at least, thats usually why i watch his videos (the photos he makes are also really good though tbf)

[@JasonVong]

No official relations with Sony

[@JasonVong]

@@Ethefake thanks man!

[@sachaalleyne3459]

Uh ooh! I, the photographer, am my own audience. I shoot for me. And I’m a pixel peeper. Focus on the eye and not the eyelash is a must 😅 And my subject matter is portraiture, btw.