The Worst Photography Advice

There is good photography advice and there is bad photography advice. The difference between good and bad often depends on who is receiving the advice, because everyone is in a different situation.  What works for some won't work for others. And in many ways, I think the advice from professional photographers often translates poorly for enthusiasts who only go out when they can. 

Pay for Photography Experiences and not New Camera Gear 

It's pretty common to hear a photographer / influencer explaining to their audience why it's better to save up money to pay for photography experiences than spend those extra dollars on new gear.  Usually, we are being told this by an influencer who is standing on the deck of an Antarctic cruise ship right after returning from photographing penguins on a glacier. 

And look, I get it. It makes a certain amount of sense. If you only have a limited amount to spend, then it makes sense to allocate as much as you can to getting out in those places that interest you. At least it should.

But it's just not that simple.  I have a full-time job with only a limited amount of time off available. I am married, I have a teenager.  I’m lucky if I have three or four hours for photography, twice a month. Maybe I will have time to go out and take a few photographs.  I am just not the kind of person that gets up on the weekend and leaves home without taking care of my family obligations first. 

So time is the one thing that I don’t actually have and that means that I can’t actually allocate that extra money to pay for photography experiences.  For me that doesn’t mean spending all of that money I don’t spend on trips to Antarctica on camera gear. I just don’t spend it.  I allocate what I can spare to new equipment when I can and I spend money on photography trips if possible, but ultimately the idea of balancing new gear and photography experiences doesn’t make a lot of sense for many people.

Never go to the same place twice

One thing I often hear photographers say is that they never go to the same place twice, and that they approach a scene like they are never coming back.  And maybe there are some places where you just won’t get a second chance to go back, whether it's in a remote location or time just changes what was once there.

But I think many of us who photograph in certain areas do have the opportunity to revisit locations, to approach various scenes multiple times over the years.  And so generally, I think you should approach every scene like you will come back. What I mean by this is that you approach each scene like it’s a learning opportunity. Be strategic, compose photographs, process them, review the compositions online, post them to your social media. And then look to go back and photograph the location again with those learnings in mind.

Doing this helps you create better photographs of those specific locations, but also helps you build the skill set that you can apply while photographing new ones 

Only Photograph at Sunrise and Sunset

    Lots of photographers tell you to photograph only at sunrise and sunset, and the blue hour and the golden hour which occurs around those times.  And I agree that you should try and get out at sunrise and sunset as often as you can. It can be really rewarding, and at sunrise it can be pretty peaceful as well and that’s often a nice experience.

    But the idea that you should only photograph at those times is just not on – you will miss out on so much if you chose not to take photographs during the night or the day.  Whether its astrophotography or architectural photography, there are so many opportunities outside of the sunset / sunrise times.  I could go through a whole list of times when photographing during the day is actually better and more interesting than sunrise / sunset, but I think that exploration is something every new photographer should do themselves.



Take your Camera Everywhere

    I hear photographers say that you should carry your camera at all times, and maybe that’s partially true for professionals who make pictures full time.  But I don’t agree with that philosophically. I think it makes sense from a creative and mental space perspective to avoid walking around with a camera all of the time and trying to make pictures. That kind of behaviour often leads to burn for normal people.

    And for the test of us who aren’t pros? If we want to have a camera other than a phone for full time carry, that often means buying more equipment. And that’s great for camera companies, but not for the family budget.

    More importantly, who has time?  Trying to get up, get ready for work, drop of kids at school or sports practice, all day in the office. Its just not that practical to build up this commentary and pressure on people to believe that they always need to be walking around with cameras.

    If you want to carry one around then great, if you don’t also great. Its really not that big of a deal if you don’t carry a camera all the time. Go out when you are in the mental space to take photos and focus on that only, that’s what’s best for me.


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