Photographers often get stuck in traps that drain time and energy without adding value to their craft. These mistakes can be discouraging, leading some to abandon photography altogether. However, identifying these pitfalls early on can save you a lot of frustration, helping you grow without unnecessary setbacks.
Coming to you from Max Kent, this insightful video explores three common photography traps. The first trap involves an obsession with sharpness. When you’re new to photography, it’s easy to think that achieving the sharpest image is everything. Kent describes his own journey of prioritizing technical clarity, aiming for hyper-detailed shots where every element is in perfect focus. But this approach, he explains, often strips images of depth and feeling. High-resolution, crystal-clear shots are valuable when clarity is the goal, but pursuing this approach too rigidly can leave your photos feeling clinical and lacking emotional resonance. He suggests that exploring movement and texture can often convey more atmosphere and storytelling than a razor-sharp shot.
Another significant trap, and perhaps the most relevant today, is the influence of social media. Kent reminisces about a time when Instagram was a space for genuine engagement, where posting infrequently still allowed for meaningful interactions. Now, however, the platform’s demand for daily posts has shifted the focus toward quantity over quality. Many photographers feel pressured to post frequently, which can lead to either burnout or the temptation to alter their style for better engagement. This can distort the creative process, as you might start taking photos simply to please the algorithm rather than pursuing subjects that matter to you. Kent advises against compromising your style for likes and followers. Instead, he recommends finding satisfaction through physical expressions of your work, like prints or exhibitions, which can bring a sense of authenticity and fulfillment that social media metrics can’t provide.
Kent’s journey serves as a reminder that staying true to your creative vision is more rewarding than any amount of social media clout. By focusing on what you genuinely enjoy capturing, you’re likely to find a deeper connection to your craft and produce work that feels true to you. That's just the start, so check out the video above for the full rundown from Kent.
You mentioned 3 traps and described 2.
This article is a little confusing and that is the social media subject and posting! Does posting to like Instagram produce sales for a pro, like do people buy from your Instagram place?
I am kind of older than dirt and recently found out I am an introvert, the lone woof type, so socially not into it for social on line never came till about 2010 so for me that was about in my 60's.
I really envy or even worry about Pros making a living with images and finding work to capture for someone else but that is it, for someone else and not able to get a grove of their own, that is the part that worries me about new photographers.
I have mentioned this before, I see wedding photographers in great numbers on weekends covering the 4 or 5 events yes big bucks with big vans etc.. But where is the me time like for new moon times and getting out at night for some dark sky astro milky way on a beach with a small rolling surf the night sounds of birds and gators chopping down on some helpless critter.
I have to salute the Pro's of today for their wet times and dry times with most times family. But just get a off time to have some fun with the camera I call it the challenge times of relaxing.
Always take time for a sunset with someone, it may reduce those dark circles around the eyes for too much time in front of that monitor.
Don't be a sucker - Social Media is rotting your brain. Delete those apps and take pictures. Show the pictures you like to your friends and loved ones, you know - the people who Actually care.
Actually, I get more real feedback and notice from the regulars on my social media who look forward to my posts. Most of my friends and loved ones don't seem to really care that much, but they will always pretend interest.
"What was the piece in the middle again?" - Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda" ... and me here.
I tried a few times and only found sharpness and instagram. Okay. Instagram is not an issue for me - I was born before that became important to the younger generation.
Sharpness, though ... Okay, my twist on this is that I prefer my equipment to be able to deliver lots of sharpness, in case I decide I want it afterwards. But that does not mean that I don't know where it fits and where it doesn't. All those depth of field tricks and the occasional motion blur are definitely important to me. If need be I would even apply some of that in post processing, even though I believe that getting it right at the time of shooting is best.
So, sharp as can be as a technical option is good. Unsharp as a creative element at the time of shooting is also good. Losing some sharpness in post processing is okay if needed. Adding sharpness in post processing was no option through most of my life, but even if it can be achieves - to an extent - today I am still wary of it.
Thee is one shot where I might apply a bit of sharpness even today, although it won me a prize ... well, it must have been about twenty years ago. It shows a guitarist on stage during a solo, with his fingers on the frets in total motion blur - perfect. A spot was giving me a bit of backlight and nicely filled the space the guitarist left open on the right of my 35 mm (3:2) frame, also nicely blurred from the narrow depth of field. But the overall sharpness of the guitarist was - to my mind - a bit more blurred than it should have been, because in those days we didn't have image stabilizing yet, especially in film cameras, and I was struggling with the available light - no flash; that would have spoiled the whole thing from the start. One day, when I get the right algorithm for this, I will try to get a bit more sharpness, provided it will then look the way I want it to. If not the picture will stay as it is.