The Big 3 Photography Mistakes Even Pros Make

[@Lightning8482r]

Yeah, great words! It’s really hard these days with social media, where you can always find someone better or more creative than yourself. Everything happens and evolves so quickly now that it feels like there’s barely any time to truly learn and perfect one thing. It’s always important to remind ourselves to create from the heart and not for external validation... Your own pace matters, not that of a feed or algorithm.

[@thegoyzilla1]

One of the best lessons I learned in photography was to value feedback on work. I have a few trusted friends who are quick to point out crap, but also to praise shots they love. Your point on buying the next "tool" is so spot on, and I made a few mistakes the first few years with some "poached egg" gimicks that are now collecting dust. These days, going into a concert shoot...I have my kit, and I feel like I am constantly trying to push the envelope. It's important to look back over the years, and be able to see a progression I think. Love your channel, very happy I stumbled onto it.

[@mbvmbvmbv]

i am absolutely loving this channel!

[@GoodPhotos]

Excellent again! On point #3, Master Ansel Adams said "There’s nothing worse than a clear, sharp image of a fuzzy concept." (Technical skill only gets you so far...) In the film days, we used to sneeringly deride folks with their 'point & shoot' cameras. (I'm not proud of that.) It took me WAAAAY too many years (and time for the tech to catch up) to realise that our tools have come to a point where we can always have that 'clear, sharp image' whether we've watched your superb Exposure Triangle video or not! The cameras are that good. What has yet to be (and may likely never be) replicated by AE/AF/AI is that simple concept of 'Point & Shoot'...WHAT to "Point" at - ie: what's in the frame, what's NOT in the frame and is what's there pleasing or interesting to the eye... and WHEN to "Shoot" - when to press the shutter for the best 'Decisive Moment' as the master Henry Cartier Bresson called it. It's important to know the technical skills, but far more important to work on developing good composition (camera location, position and juxtaposition...as well as lens choice) and timing (being in the right place at the right time and pressing that shutter when it's more opportune for the image we want.) Keep it up. I'm really enjoying your channel!

[@CraigComerford]

When you said you were going to focus on photography for your return (missed your posts, glad you are doing well!) at the expense of the 'other' more reflective stuff you'd been posting, I was a little "Can't we have both?" - I needn't have worried - your vids will never be without a healthy dose of philosophy and that's awesome - never stop being you, mate! (Craig from Australia)

[@sheswhisky]

Ive been watching your vídeos for the last few days. I wanna start working as a professional photographer. So nice to see how you approach photography, very philosophical way to see things, you frame photography in phrases. So glad I found you here ❤

[@rororolling175]

The great philosopher of photography great video men a lot of people need to hear this

[@peterroberts9580]

Fantastic! As always Cody, well done.

[@friesewiese]

Just stumbled upon your channel and im really liking your philosophy so far! I hate people talking about newest gear and bringing 15 cameras and 37 lenses for every photowalk and then spending more hours in lightroom than composing the image in the first place.

[@janicelind247]

I totally love your channel and how you view yourself and the world. You make such great points in this video.

[@malcallm]

Very inspiring! I find it especially challenging to try to get out of my own patterns by observing the work of other photographers while not following trends.

[@speakvisual]

"There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are." - Ernst Haas “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.” - David Bowie

[@andystiller3793]

With regard to the 2nd mistakes. My newest camera was knowingly purchased to compensate for my lack of skill (and mobility). I bought it knowing my current camera was capable if I had the skill, time and help required. It was to get running photos of my (now retired) assistance dog. I consider it a great purchase as I had less time to get that shot than I thought. It has also taught me lots that I wouldn't have learned without it.

[@HenkeB515]

Very true and very well put! I recently got into photography having dabbled a lot in music recording and production, where it’s exactly the same issues… plug-ins, presets, that current sound, etc.

[@simon359]

It’s all about creating a style, and that only comes from shooting a lot. It’s OK to copy at the beginning, enjoying the masters work, but eventually you need to take your own path. Just like a musician, you’ve learned the notes and the songs of others, now it’s time to create your own works! This can take years to hone. Learn to trust yourself and practice, practice practice! It’s all pretty simple really, just photograph what interests you and try to be, like a kid! And never be satisfied with the first shot! Go back year after year and see how things change. And examine your work a lot, playing around with cropping and color versus black-and-white. In the end, it’s just like jumping into a swimming pool, let the water overtake you! Hopefully you find passion in the process!

[@thomasgartman4025]

Very thoughtful, very honest video. You're exactly right. I've been obsessed with photography since the summer of 1989. I've been taking money for my shooting since 1990. It has only been in the last ten or fifteen years that I didn't feel weird telling people I'm a professional photographer. I got to the point that I rarely went out and shot for fun. Too many other things were happening. In the last few years, I've made personal shooting a regular thing. It is a different thing from being on the job with my camera. I will challenge myself in different ways, usually with some sort of limit. I'll only use one lens, a prime, of course; I'll require a specific timing goal with sports or action photography; I'll take exactly the wrong equipment for the job; I'll borrow a camera with which I'm completely unfamiliar; I'll limit myself to my old, manual focus 55 f/2.8 macro THAT WON'T STOP DOWN; always something to throw a wrench into the works. No matter how much I grow, or how much I learn, or what cool equipment I use, (I have lot of stuff because I'm a hopeless hardware junkie.) or how much people compliment my shooting, those three points you just discussed are always hanging in the background, making me wonder how or what I can do better. Keep up the good work, and keep thinking like that.

[@VirtualGuth]

With few exceptions, I have come to the conclusion that those who can take great photos are out doing so. While those who can’t go on to create KZbin channels where they about taking pictures, or talk about their cameras, or perhaps both. You seem to be one of the few exceptions. But you also have an incredible ability to teach the very things that are essential to making really good (if not great) photos consistently and that is no small feat. I’m curious to know whether you studied photography somewhere (or with someone), or if you are self-taught? Whatever the case might be, it is obvious that when it comes to photography you know your stuff - your images back this up.

[@jjstarrprod]

Great analogies. I'm an animation filmmaker turned photographer, turned teacher of both. And same, I also liken the art of filmmaking with cooking, like how fresh are the ingredients (plot and characters), how long and intense does it need to be cooked (lighting, pacing/editing, acting performances), how many spices do I need to add on top of it (VFX, music)... Etc. Good to know the same could be done with photography.

[@luzr6613]

Good analogies - well put. I think that the link in these trajectories is about how we as individuals view both ourselves and the world, because none of this is inevitable in the 'photographic journey'. While i can understand (and i see this stuff in some others) the sort of phenomena you're sketching, personally i've been immune. I've been immune not because i'm clever or 'talented' and have been cognizant of the traps and worked to avoid them, but because i am shit and - critically - i recognize and embrace that fact while working to be a little less shit. There are people who 'like' my eye... who 'like' my images. I don't know if these people are shit too, but i do know that they are engaged in a social ritual that has no objective meaning beyond its performance and that has no relation to the actual 'objective' quality of my images. I also know that the last photo i take on the last day of my life still won't be good enough. Anyway... i love photography with a passion. 0430: time to drag my arse out of bed because there's a ditch i saw yesterday and i think there's something in the bottom of it worth shooting. Great vid - have a good one. All the best from a cabin in a swamp in a rainforest in New Zealand. Cheers.

[@whereisyorick]

i totally thought you were going to talk about presets/luts when you made the cooking applicances allegory haha

[@koobs4549]

Great analogy! I think often people conflate talent with skill. Skills can be learned & improved upon, skills eventually become a mastery of tools & the ability to problem solve. Talent on the other hand is a lot more effortless. It’s the ability to create something people like, without having had put in the time to acquire the skill. Between the two, skill beats talent 100% of the time, however, if the talented person puts in the time, to learn the skills, lookout, because they’re going to take it to the next level. All things equal though, I’d take skill over talent 100% of the time. I’m talented, I have an aesthetic eye & have the natural ability to know what a good photo looks like. I am not skilled though, I don’t know how to get what I want from the light & the equipment I use to capture it, no matter the situation. That’s where skill comes in, you learn it by failing & then overcoming your failure, to the point where your success becomes repeatable. Or you learn it from someone who has made those mistakes & teaches you how to overcome them. Skilled people make a living at what they do, talented people usually do it as a hobby.

[@juanmanueldiaz8147]

I love this video and advices, working in all this. In the way. Regards from Argentina!!!!!

[@PROVIIA]

Side note: that’s a pretty cool hat.

[@youngbloodbear9662]

I'm starting photography purely because I want a better way to capture little moments that my phone camera lets me down on- it doesn't really make sense to me to think about it in terms of pleasing other people

[@Bobcat-1967]

"You can't polish a turd" but you can roll it in glitter.

[@Mr.Nobody_etc.]

Hi Cody, the key element here is creating to please others or social media. Since I am not on socials, this is not an issue. I have a page on Flickr but Instagram I only left two photos there. Why, simple Flickr is free, 1,000 photos, no sign up or hassle to share (send them a link and done) . Since you do a lot of film your skillset is a cut above the digital only shooter as it requires more skill and you talking points here are spot on. I'm a vintage mostly CCD shooter with a decent collection of all types, point & shoot, bridge, DSLR most brands. They all have their strong and weak points and render differently. So am I any good and how do I know? Fortunately I have two gifted instructors, one is a retired photojournalist of 30 years tenure and the other .. well he is the photographer for the NY Mets. Upon recent submission of work, they both now say I have gotten the skillset, but as you point out, now the creative chops is the question. For instance, have you ever taken an 8 minute exposure in pitch black of a landscape ? Me neither but when I saw the one Greg did, my jaw dropped. Kaj did one where he stood on a small island in the middle of a busy bridge and the light trails look like they are coming right at you, amazing shot. So what did I do, well I like old buildings and I found one made in the 1800's an old military bunker, the wood door had a hole rotted in it so I have read the Olympus C8080 can shoot perfect in pitch black, I stuck it and my hand through the hole and well, it did a perfect job and I obviously was shooting quite blind. I tried the Fuji S9600 too it just barely fit, no comparison to the Olympus, yeah gear matters a lot under certain circumstances, so I don't have GAS, I have choices .. lol, sorry for the long read, I decided in 2025 I would try to make some new photography friends since I have almost none. (everybody does the phone thing .. lol)

[@mtmccornack]

So about a year ago I was sitting with an FX3 and a Canon 80D in my lap and decided to buy one more camera... one funny thing is I know all this about GAS and deciding to pull the trigger an an A7cii represented myself at 50 years old possibly choosing a camera that will follow me into my retirement years (if I ever truly get there) This meant I knew i was choosing a camera for life instead of following a tech trend... (canon went to my oldest kid and the A7cii goes everywhere with me now... fx3 is for studio work) now to go hunt some burgers!

[@ebreevephoto]

Thank you!

[@5oclock_Charlie]

2:01 is that a pink panther reference? The live action movie thing...

[@jasontroll]

love this

[@omiddellcash522]

Thank you.

[@markgoostree6334]

Nothing about most of my photography is of interest to anybody... even me... for the most part. I still do it, i just do not show it to any body.

[@thegoyzilla1]

Consider sharing some of the photos you like the most. I felt the same way at the start, and in all honesty...have never stopped sharing photos I personally liked. If one other person likes it, that's good for me. If you do start sharing, let us know.

[@koronka1082]

last one is too real. i think every photographer should find a person that would be judgemental towards their work. Sometimes its very hard to tel what are your photos lacking, especially when you see that somethings not right but people still give you a pat on the back, telling you that you did a great job

[@garymorrow9324]

Just a terrific video Cody. Got me. It's my bad. I spanked myself and will work harder at my photography/.

[@Clubexify]

Oh man, good video. I wish I were as cool as you doin the stuff you do

[@Lightning8482r]

You should feel happy and encouraged to find your own creative path. Everyone is different, so every journey is unique. Remember, comparison is the thief of joy :)

[@Clubexify]

@@Lightning8482r Thank you for you response. It was rather a wink at 9:00

[@Lightning8482r]

@@Clubexify oh sry xD

[@AnthonyJGianotti]

I satisfy my gas with thrift store and dregs of eBay finds. Scratches the itch without hurting the wallet too much 😂

[@K7.2023]

i see your point! ❤😂😂😂 and you are correct! the camera is like a car... you need to improve your driving to be a good driver! buying better car wont solve the problem if you are a bad driver! LoL 😂😅

[@maxwmccoy]

i am cheffffff

[@tvariuness]

chris who?

[@chriscorey5164]

Fortunately for me, I have very few followers on social media! 😂

[@gregpantelides1355]

Thank you, Cody. I would invite you not to discount your work if your photos all look the same. That could be your voice and there is nothing wrong with it. Celebrate it. :-)

[@VirtualGuth]

Ironically, his is some of the best photography out on KZbin (though I get that this isn’t saying much).

[@sonofoneintheuniverse]

My images of eggs are so sharp and incredible that no one around me understand my work. I even have the best camera around. Why are there only idiots around me? ;-)

[@mymmy]

As a Chef that has worked in Michelin star restaurants I feel somewhat insulted by some of these references. (Just kidding - not insulted).

[@Maurice-ud5jn]

"nothing wrong with hamburgers".......not sure Morgan Spurlock would have agreed with you 🤔

[@koobs4549]

Except that Morgan Spurlock’s health problems came from his crippling alcoholism, not his occasional love of hamburgers.

[@kaczynski2333]

How do I know I'm good? It doesn't matter. Ugh