Outdoor Photography How To

We can all learn from our mistakes, especially when it comes to photography. Photographer Ben Reeder has been there and done that (even when he probably shouldn’t have) and is here to share what he’s learned.

In a video titled “Don’t Make These 7 Beginner Mistakes in Landscape Photography,” which we have embedded at the bottom of this post, Reeder discusses some basic photo errors and then shows you the right way to do it.

“When I started shooting Landscape photography, I made a ton of mistakes,” he admits. “I had boring compositions, my photos were under exposed, blurry, and out of focus. But I’ve learned from those missteps, and in this video, I share my top beginner mistakes to avoid.”

Reeder breaks down these common mistakes into three buckets: 1) Mistakes you make before shooting; 2) Mistakes you make while shooting; and 3) Mistakes you make afterwards in the editing process.

“Landscape photography takes time,” he says. “It takes reps with your camera.” Watch below as he explains how practice will help you overcome these seven deadly sins of landscape photography. We’ve put time-stamps where you can find each mistake (and solution) in the video.

Mistake #1: Too Focused on Gear (1:00-minute)

Mistake #2: Overconsuming Information (2:35)

Mistake #3: Being Too Focused on a Single Element in Your Composition (3:26)

Mistake #4: Only Shooting at Eye Level (5:32)

Mistake #5: Not Checking to See If You’re in Focus (7:24)

Mistake #6: Not Being Prepared (8:02)

Mistake #7: Relaying on Auto Adjustments and Global Edits (9:33)

After you watch the video, check out this tutorial from another photographer with five more landscape photography mistakes that beginners always make and how to fix them.