9 of My Worst Habits as a Landscape Photographer
We all have them, some more than others, but one thing we all have in common is a desire to eliminate them. What I’m referring to are bad habits. I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but in this video and article, I discuss the 9 worst habits that have negatively impacted my landscape photography over the years.
#1. Quick Edits
When I get back from a shoot I always download the images and back them up, but unfortunately I don’t stop there. My excitement usually gets the best of me and before I know it I’ve reviewed all the images, 5 starred my favorites and even placed a quick edit on many. I’m trying to get better at letting images rest for a day or so and then take a look with a “fresh” set of eyes.
#2. Single Lens Shooting
I often end up shooting the same composition over and over with subtle variations in camera settings. The problem is that I end up sticking with one lens as I don’t want to alter my composition. When this happens I feel as if I’m not maximizing my time at a given location and generally end up with a Lightroom folder that looks like this:
#3. Not Chimping Enough
I frequently hear how you should not chimp, but I think it depends on what you’re photographing. The idea behind the “just say no to chimping” movement is really predicated on photographing things that are unfolding quickly — sports, wildlife, weddings, etc. — but generally speaking, landscape photography is a bit slower. I say chimp more often and take advantage of the extra time you have. I can’t tell you how many issues I’ve uncovered by zooming into my images while on location.
#4. Avoiding “Bad” Weather
When I see rain and thunderstorms in the forecast, my immediate thought is to reschedule my shoot, but these conditions can produce rather dramatic images. Sure it’s a pain shooting in the rain, but your extra effort is usually rewarded with unique images.
#5. Lazy Lens Changing
This has to do with changing lenses while your camera is mounted to a tripod in order to avoid altering your composition. I do this all the time and end up leaving my sensor completely exposed to the elements as I reach down to grab another lens.
#6. Sleeping In
A rather common issue within the world of landscape photography. The sun rises early especially during the summer months and some days it’s just easier to hit the snooze button.
#7. Pixel Peeping
This is a tough one for me as I do this on every photo I edit – half the time I’m not even sure what I’m looking for. I consistently find myself zooming so far into an image that I can actually see individual pixels. I realize people don’t look at photos like that whether they’re online or printed, so why am I doing it?
#8. Fix it in Post
The habit that’s been nagging me the longest – this has to do with identifying distracting elements within your composition and rather than adjust your composition, you think, “I’ll just fix it in post”.
#9. Sensory Overload
The feeling of rushing around trying to quickly set up your composition when you arrive at a location. Sometimes I need to rush, but more often than not I have time before the “good light” arrives, but I constantly have to calm myself down, breath and take my time identifying the best composition. I usually operate better this way.
Those are my 9 worst habits in landscape photography — hopefully you’re not familiar with any of them as you’ll be in a much better position than me. What are your worst photography habits?
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