The PHOTO MISTAKES Beginner Photographers Make

Composition isn't easy and I was never naturally good at it but when I understood why my images didn't work it help me improve. In this video I share 7 composition mistakes that I have made as a photographer.
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[@pgtips4240]

Photography to me is quite a strange subject to try and analyse, more often than not you get images that seem to break all the rules but still somehow work. I honestly have learned more out of my flukes than intentional compositional study.

[@cfrost87]

I got some photos of a song sparrow as a train was going by in the background. The train car was bright yellow, giving the background some cool color.

[@georgeliu3028]

That's cool

[@DubYahJohn]

It's lovely to hear you talk about Negative Space and explain that empty space is different to neg space. It really frustrates me to hear photographers and judges, not understand this. I've come to photography from an Art background and was taught that negative space defines the subject. It is a common exercise to draw something ie a pair of scissors, by drawing the shapes around them. Great video today. For me, composition is King, everything else is secondary.

[@NigelDanson]

Thanks - completely agree

[@Adzdiary]

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[@Adzdiary]

🥺🎥👉💰👉📷

[@clockWorks10]

Even the pictures that you use as examples of what to avoid look amazing, the the good ones look stunning. I think what puts them over the edge for me is the lighting. I recently got into photography, and I find it's fairly easy to forget to consider the shapes the light make, and the pictures you showed here are just amazing.

[@richardrutte5870]

This is one of the best talks about composition I’ve seen, and I’ve watched a lot of them! Thank you so much.

[@jiffijoff9780]

wow, excellent. Composition in a nutshell - 23 minutes of video consisting of about 23 years of analysis, experience and development in photography. As impressive as it is helpful. Thank you!

[@metalmick99]

Nigel, this is one of "those"clips to me: so full of useful advice and examples that it warrants watching again, and making notes. And the way you explain things makes so much sense. I immediately understood and related to the points you were making. I think taking time at a location is something everyone *can* do. Even me. 😉So thanks so much for this.

[@SkullCollectorD5]

Thanks Nigel, super useful tips! Breaking the cycle with a 'why' question is so important as you say, because talent and flukes can only make so many good photos. This is where I think you need a foundation in theory to be able to evaluate, and you do such a wonderful job presenting theory without making it feel like theory.

[@andrewfuller62]

I think to have the mindset of "how will that look from different perspectives/angles?" is a good one to carry with you whenever you shoot landscape images. This allows for the creative arrangement of the elements within your shot(s). For those who may struggle with getting good shots, it is often a good idea to actually shoot a bunch of images from these different viewpoints/angles and to then critically analyse them once you get back into your editing software back at home. This gets you into the "Why?" area much quicker and as a matter of course.

[@scotty4418]

Review stage definitely a key component to the learning cycle. In the Fire Service, the process was called structured debrief and same principal as photography i.e. what went well, what didn't and what you would do different the next time. Hope you get your MRI soon Nigel and you can embark on your journey of recovery

[@darthnoxious3874]

You're BEYOND helpful, your photos are so beautiful, absolutely captivating. I am so grateful for your tips, these videos are so encouraging and helpful!

[@aljo.antony]

Taking enough time is the key in creating a compelling art. This includes taking a lot of photos, analysing them, revisiting the same places over again and again, observing and many more.

[@rauberdaniel]

Great advice! I should definitely take more time evaluating why some of my images work or don't work. The feeling of being in an incredible landscape but not figuring out a working composition really is a tough one.

[@sauravus]

Absolutely amazing video! Nigel you're amazing

[@dylanevans2469]

One of your best yet in my opinion This video really resonated and deals so well with issues that will be common to so many of us. It takes real discipline to avoid being 'lost' in the experience, slow down, and really think hard about the compositional elements. Great piece of work. 👏

[@sifux]

You really help me with what I think is the hardest part in photography!!! You videos are not only inspiring but soooo informative!!!!

[@KonfusedKris]

Really useful tips. I really like how you emphasised how you can learn better composition. Just because it doesn't come naturally doesn't mean you can't improve and get better. Good life advice, not just for photography!

[@scott-richardson]

I really love the way you explain your thinking with regards composition and how you find elements that can connect and tell a shared story. It's something I constantly try to do and hearing you explain your thought process was really refreshing. Great video :)

[@gord_tomlin]

Excellent set of tips, Nigel. Giving yourself enough time to be able to take your time is a big one.

[@Stephy2387]

Fantastic video! I love how you are interactive and draw on your photos and really explain it, makes it easier to follow! Thank you!

Thank you, Nigel, for such an enlightening video on composition. I fit into that category of those not naturally gifted when it comes to composition. It was very helpful to see your examples of what worked and did not work in your photography. I do appreciate you sharing those mistakes as well as what you got right. For me, although all the tips you gave were extremely relevant, I had one point that I related to quite a lot. It was at the very end of the video when you talked about taking time, "having an apple." I love travel photography. However, I don't always have the luxury to have an apple and take in the scene that is before my eyes. I am often rushed when doing travel photography. It was very refreshing to hear about the problem you had in Antarctica when you didn't have enough time to explore a scene for very long. Thanks for this great video and the tips you gave us.

[@happytang1802]

Thank you for the samples and analysis, they help me understand why most of my landscape photos don’t work. I might not remember all of them the next time I take photos, but will make sure to keep 1-2 in mind at a time

[@keithtimmis]

Really useful content. I get such a lot from this sort of review of what works and how to make your photos better. Thanks!

[@shengyetang7220]

Definitely one of my favorite tutorials.Thanks, Nigel. My personal trick is listening to some music that organizes my mind very well while trying to figure out what is the suitable composition.

[@runqiyuan8721]

Thank you for this amazing walk through! It explains to me why in a lot of situations, I look at my photo, feel like I captured something important but the picture just does not seem right. I need to think more about light and shape!

[@besosdenyc]

Thank you! You gave me so much to think about and put it all into context. I now understand the concept of negative space because you explained it so well and showed us the other elements that come into play. I can’t wait to go back out and take photographs exercising the concepts I learned here.

[@marcelguempel]

This is my first Video Ive watched from you now and Im impressed how much I need to think about when I take a photo. Thanks for this🙌🏼

[@3Elements]

Thanks for making this really quick but densely packed informative piece. I just subbed because you didn’t spend half the video telling me about your channel but went right into the crash course. Thanks and will be checking out all your other vids!

[@JECiappetta]

Fantastic video! Very helpful tips for some self-reflection and to improve my compositions. I'll absolutely be putting these into practice.

[@mariebird01]

Thank you, Nigel, for another interesting, informative video. I question everything in life, as a normal matter of course. So indeed, the question 'why' in photo compositions should be my priority - why it is working, or why doesn't the same scene work. You are an inspiration with your great information. Hope your knee is less painful, as time goes on. No doubt Pebbles is thinking and hoping the same!

[@luisart6651]

This is amazing and delaightully clear, this makes me think in all of those things that seems to me noisy in my photos, inspires me to create walls with all of this posibilities and anotations, there are plans for create a photo studio with some folks I know, if that makes somewhere, I definitley will take all this advices to, thank you Nigel!

[@SteveZodiac777]

Another cracking video! I do admire how you analyse a photograph and draw out your advice and tips.

[@endevorarya]

This is my first time watching, experiancing your video. This is wonderful. It works for anyone to see and learn and not only for starters, it is very very good for experienced ones as well. Thank you.

[@florencequinn7720]

Great one Nigel. Thanks for all the tips. I’ve got the same shot of the rocks and Mads at Dranganir (of course I was standing next to you!) and converted it in B&W; I like how it emphasizes the shadows and the contrasts in the image.

[@nikcleese6058]

Thanks Nigel. Great video! Using examples of bad shots vs great shoots really highlights your tips much more than any other videos I've watched on composition. What would be really great if at the end you put up a picture, pause and asked the viewer to find the mistakes or the what makes the photo great. Sorta like a pop quiz to affirm the knowledge gained. 10/10 video!

[@ok_marcussharcus]

I value your opinions on composition very much and learn the most when you hop on your ipad and use the pencil to draw out the elements in the photo and really break it down for us in your videos. Thank you for doing that. I don’t see any other photographers on youtube doing that. Great work, as always.

[@NigelDanson]

Thanks so much

[@exoticdriver84]

Thanks, Nigel for showing a super great video, this video teaches and explains a lot about how to take better landscape photos, very cool video!

[@niceshotsph2121]

Very generous to share your experience to all of us. Thank you with feelings..🙏

[@koenpijpersphotography]

Thank you for inspiring me and probably a lot of us regular viewers. Great examples

[@alwynwilliams2661]

Thanks Simon great advice as usual . Can't wait till next week.

[@Pixelpoppy]

Thankyou Nigel..great revision and reminder to be intentional when viewing potential landscape scenes.

[@adventurecoalition3690]

Great presentation, it’s awesome to learn while viewing stunning photos. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise with examples of what to do and not do, much appreciated 🙏

[@nillarafael3883]

Thanks so much for this video Nigel. So helpful, it's almost criminal that we get videos like this for free!

[@sebastianbisewski6063]

Very useful info about needing to know WHY your photos are unsuccessful to be able to improve. one thing I would add, if your struggling to figure out the why, trying comparing the bad photo to one of your good ones. Or someone else's good photo. This way you can look at the differences to identify elements that make an image look good or bad.

[@awsmithjr]

Very helpful and thoughtful, Nigel. Thanks!

[@dankellermeyer9330]

This finally made some sense to me how important composition is and what it is thank you very much for your time I really appreciate it

[@Dustii91]

I'm going over countless videos right now, these pointers are amazing, thank you. Not once held a decent camera, can't wait to get practicing!

[@karimlahlou132]

thank you. a real pleasure to benefit from your advice. You are explaining very clearly those details wich distinguish good photographies from excellent shots!

[@freeelectron8261]

Great advice on composition. Thanks Nigel!

[@ShwumeZilume]

Nigel thanks for these excellent videos, they're the best I've found on improving landscape photography and I really appreciate how they go beyond just the basics. I was wondering if you had any advice or videos on shooting in narrow landscapes such as canyons?

[@hazybrain7]

Thank you so much Nigel - killer tips ( much needed by myself !) I will be practising these for years to come.. Kind Regards from Ireland !

[@cherylfisherphoto]

Really enjoyed this. Great tips & easy to understand explanations. Thank you

[@CDeeez94]

Finally! I found a video about how to actually COMPOSE a photo. I've loved my journey of learning about cameras, photography, and how to edit photos, but finally, I come across a video on what to shoot and why. For the longest time, I've been looking for a video explaining these concepts.

[@patrickfair2672]

I started photography as a hobby and new medium for my artistic talents. It has been a slow process for me since I am learning a lot on my own. This video has been very informative and helpful. Thank you for making this video because it gave me a lot to use. I’m saving this as one of my favorites to revisit.

[@alyamaut]

Top notch Nigel thanks a lot for sharing all this info you rock 🤘

[@brentharrop951]

I would like to thank you. your videos have helped tremendously. have slowed down and started to observe more and I am now noticing small things in my photos that I found myself going back to the location to correct the composition by repositioning my camera then comparing the photos to pin point my errors. once a gain thanks

[@leewolfe]

Thanks as always Nigel for being the consummate teacher. There are many good points here to consider back in front of my photos in Lightroom. Thank you! One point that stood out for me, near the end, is about taking enough time. Ideally, no question, having a lot of time to size up the environment will help. However, it can be a bit of a geographic luxury. Relatively speaking, the sun rises/sets notably more slowly in England than in the more southerly location where I live. The light is changing much more quickly here, and even when I get to a location well before sunrise/sunset, I often don't have a lot of time to size up a given lighting situation because it's morphing quickly. Getting there early definitely helps, but even then I don't often have the time to sit and have that apple.

[@gurhanpekuz1813]

Great talk about photos. Not many people critique photos. Thank you so much

[@danielcalvocamacho4538]

Great video! Thanks a lot for the tips you shared!

[@cheevvie8479]

first vid i have seen from you, really helpfull and interessting, will keep watching you in the future, big thanks!

[@peeterkress9034]

Thx a lot! Very simple explanation and correct approach to landscape photography! Resp.

[@grahamegannon9708]

Thanks for this great informative video Nigel. I am off to Sutherland and Caithness next week and these tips will come in very useful in hopefully taking better photos! Most of these tips are my failings in getting good photos. Thanks again.

[@ashleytoltonart]

Another awesome video! Thank you!

[@prof.livingston2485]

This is a great video with a lot of potential. I love seeing the notes on the tablet-- that is super helpful. It would be fantastic if you could make a more succinct version of this for sharing with my photo students.

[@bernardj.vandenberg3025]

Great video Nigel, very helpful

[@jonathanm9436]

Terrific! You've just taught me a lot in a little time. Thank you. Subscribed. 😉😉

[@GreenEyesAnthony]

Awesome video, keep up the good work. Thank you!

[@Daidylan]

Great video. Learnt so much in 30 mins. The best

[@kermitface4602]

I am not a photographer but this video is still really interesting to me. You are very good at taking pictures!

[@peterplantec7911]

Nigel, you accomplished something here. I actually picked up some new ways to think about composition. My self-analysis will be better now. Thank you. Oh, and your personality comes across nicely here.

[@paulburwood8231]

Great set of tips Nigel.

[@dougwinger5959]

Super cool that you use what did not work in your photos to explain composition. It's a great lesson and will help me!

[@supertaufiqr]

Heaps of great tips! Thanks Nigel

[@Icelandlover]

You are an excellent communicator. I appreciate the quick "inside stories" behind some of the picture. Also your use of the Ipad and the pen is very effective. Btw, i have seen the black church of Budir 4 out of 5 times on trips to Iceland but with this beautiful perspective at 16:00.

[@MichaelShainblum]

Killer video Nigel and some goregous images, I really liked that one from Madeira.

[@glynparry6598]

Excellent stuff. Thank you 🙏

[@barriewesterink9285]

Thanks a lot for all the info.. Deff a lot of points on struggling with 😊👍

[@StephenBridgett]

thanks Nigel, all good information

[@johnkeating3891]

So much good advice in such a short time!

[@DariuszTech]

Very nice video 👍 Thanks for sharing this 😊

[@JayJayNay]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you.

[@jammy5947]

This is one of the best photography tips video I’ve come across. Thank you so much for taking time out to create it. Super useful and easily understood for a beginner like me. Sub’d and liked 👍

[@QuietLightPhoto]

Solid tips there Nigel! thanks also for the shoutout!

[@joebailey8328]

Great video Nigel. Due to your fantastic advice, I’ve challenged myself to identify strong elements in other photographer’s images and write positive comments. Using your criteria helps provide specific feedback and hopefully this will help others feel appreciated too.

[@michelleleehuntemann4706]

I think all your pictures are fabulous!

[@mrdude272]

This is a great, straight to the point video and I really like your personality. Thank you for this. Cheers!

[@NigelDanson]

Thanks so much!

[@CA-cm5ne]

Hi Nigel, a great lesson about photography. Thank you :)

[@geopapa80]

Great video. Very helpful!

[@jonathandebolster8089]

Very helpful explanation and I think you have developed a natural feel for composing by practice and iteration. There is a big difference between finding reasoning in why a photo works "after" the shot has been captured, and proactively using this knowledge whilst live composing (because one probably does not have the necessary experience, yet). It's good to know the basics, but my advise would be to take as many shots as you can, analyze them afterwards and try to figure out "why" some photos work better than others. You'll gradually start to take less "random" pictures, and you'll get a feel for it naturally. I really enjoyed your video and I also like watching people "explore" their own work from years ago!

[@Suho1004]

As an amateur photographer, I've always thought of these aspects of the art as "ineffable." That is, certain things work (and certain things don't) for reasons that I was never able to articulate. This video tears away some of that veil of mystery, and I think it will help me articulate some of those "ineffable" elements.

[@samevans7753]

Great tips & process, thank you

[@koraiamaya]

Well explained. I learned a lot 💯

[@sancha5250]

Great information; thank you so much ✍️

[@Vavecheese]

Not to boast, but I feel very lucky to have been able to detect most of these mistakes on my own in my time in photography. Took me a really long time, but it all makes sense, if you sit down and think about it! Negative space, elements agreeing with each other, tying them together... Having someone tell you that this does not look good for this reason, or this looks good for that reason, really makes you realize how right they are, and I finally realize all my ideas really do stand! This really did help me understand that I'm going the right way, and gave me ideas for my future amateur photography. Thank you for this!

[@zacharypump5910]

a really neat and contraversial lesson that makes sense when you really think about it: In landscape photography, a photo taken with a wide angle lens is most likely going to be worse than a photo taken with a long / telephoto lens (such as a 70-200mm). The reason is just a matter of odds / difficulty of composition when you're on two feet and are limited by where you can physically be relative to a scene and what objects you can work with within the scene you're inside of. With a wide angle shot, it will almost always flop if you don't have a decently sized, well lit, obvious point of interest, with a supporting foreground / background, without a "clean" frame that doesn't have extra distractions in it, with leading lines that lead to the subject... the list goes on and on. With a telephoto zoom (70-200 lets say), you can be much more precise in what you're choosing as the point of interest, you can compress the image and have more control over its layers, the negative space, etc. So is one lens better than the other for landscape work? technically no, but in practice yes, a wide angle lens is rarely going to be the right choice, because of how incredibly hard it is to position yourself to find the right image at the wide end of the range. Of course I take both when I'm on a hike, but the 70-200 get's used about 98% of the time, and when I finally pull out my wide angle and use it, I almost never love the image afterwards (except once in a while of course)

[@nh-ss5pw]

always liked your shot at 7.31 , quite graphic with the 3rds rule (square for the grasses) and a the lines. Thumbs up 👍👍

[@Calf1lm5]

Hey, im a new videographer, and im learning in videographer school! And i understand your thinking process about compozition, but it really is proffesionally talked thru it will be really hard to understand to a new photographer! But thanks you gave me new ideas!!!👍

[@qfan8852]

As a beginner, I think my major issue is that I think many of your "mistake" examples look great. If I can't tell what's good from what's bad, how can I improve at all?

[@STRAlGHTxEDGE]

I'm a last year photography student in college. The experience of it showed me how subjective it all is. Different teachers will always have different opinions or give different feedback, some of their tips are even the opposite of what I saw in this video. Neither of them are wrong. Art changes constantly. What he shows works for him, take this video as inspiration, not as a set of rules and find out what works for you. When analysing your photos write down what you like and what you dislike to keep in mind during your next shoot. Do what you think is right as long as you try to accomplish your goals.

[@AndyBanner]

Great video, as usual, Nigel. Hope the leg is getting better.

[@jeffreyneville9769]

Very good presentation enjoyed it very much, as you said its sometimes hard to slow yourself down and that is so important. Great job as always, hope you get taken care of soon.

[@momtomany]

This is so helpful!