Nine Photography Tips You Should Ignore!

Tips and tricks are thrown around left and right. Here are nine tips you want to ignore.

In his latest video, James Popsys share nine tips he thinks are worth ignoring.

One of these tips is to always use a tripod. Nothing can be further from the truth. There is no direct relation between getting a good photo and using a tripod. Most cameras these days have built-in image stabilization and vibration compensation, which can help in getting a sharp photo. Even then, there is often more than enough light to have a fast shutter speed. The tripod is often basically just in the way and slowing you down.

Another tip he thinks is unnecessary is to use the exactly right focal length and exactly right composition. He suggests shooting a little wider than you think you need. This gives room for cropping and working the photo afterwards in post-processing. As we all know, you can always crop, but you can never add more information to a photo. He also combines these two tips and says don’t spend too much time with the same composition, and go shoot something else.

What tips do you think are overrated?

Mads Peter Iversen's picture

Danish Fine Art Landscape Photographer and YouTuber. He is taking photos all over the world but the main focus is the cold, rough, northern part of Europe. His style is somewhere in between dramatic and colorful fantasy and Scandinavian minimalism. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel for epic landscape photography videos from around the world.

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33 Comments

Provide a written summary of the points so we don't have to listen to so much drivel. Stopped watching after a minute and half which was a minute and a half too long.

This. For the love of God, this.

Yawn.

Two minutes from the start of the video, and still nothing about the "tips you should ignore". Please get to the point. Not trying to be rude but honestly, I am not really interested in all the details of your trip; I am here to hear about "tips you should ignore". Stopped watching after 2 min.

Hi Mads, I would much rather watch one of your videos, which are excellent, or hear your thoughts rather than this.

I have to agree with the previous comments. I think my dude probably had some good points, but after 3m45s and only one point made, I shut it down. Guy was likable, production value was decent, but get. to. the. point.

I have to agree. This site has become barely more than a clearinghouse of recycled content.

I dig James Popsys' videos (rambling and all), so I subscribe to his channel. I saw this video days ago.

So true I’m reluctant to click on another story by now just b/c I know it’ll be another video. It is so much easier to read stories at your own pace, than be forced to listen to someone try to get to the point.

recovered my account just to agree with you.
No offence to anybody who works at stopper, but posting a video and adds 3 words of your own underneath, doesn't make you a journalist/editor. I'm sorry.

I agree. If I want to watch videos, I'll go to Youtube. I don't mind the occasional video or video from FStoppers. I come here for the ORIGINAL CONTENT. There are times that I can't watch a video because of the audio and lack of headphones, I come here to READ.

Agree....my YouTube feed has everything reposted here lol.

Perhaps they have a quota for how many posts they have to put up each day. Quotas lead to lower standards.

FStoppers could you be honest with us. Do you get commission for linking to videos? You seem to be obsessed with headline stories with no content unless you watch the video. I’ll watch the odd video but if almost every article is a video I’m giving up. I think you are starting to ruin FStoppers. I know you can’t run without revenue but what’s the point of FStoppers if you are only a pointer to Youtube

well said.

Didn't have my headphones handy, didn't watch it. Still interested in what he was going on about. PLEASE, sumeraize in the text. Why don't you do that? It makes no sense.

To everyone asking why they don’t just write or summarize all the points, it’s because that’s basically just stealing views from the creator. Like it or not, part of what Fstoppers does is share videos from creators. Whether they are doing this “too much” is up for debate, but it still doesn’t justify just stealing views by just posting their content in written form, regardless of how long that video is.

Had this been an article on a video he made himself, I’d agree, and have in the past, that it should be written. However, if I spent time writing, filming, and editing a video only to have someone else post a “too long didn’t watch” article, I’d personally be a little miffed.

However, I suppose they could pass it off as a “review” if they respond with their own opinions regarding if they agree or disagree.

"...if I spent time writing, filming, and editing a video only to have someone else post a “too long didn’t watch” article, I’d personally be a little miffed."

You shouldn't be miffed, you should take it to heart as instructive criticism, especially when virtually everyone who comments has the same opinion.

Given that the likes on his video are at 1.6k vs 83 dislikes, and I didn’t see any comments on his video telling him to “get on with it”, your idea of “virtually everyone” has me a little concerned.

If anything it’s showed that his style of doesn’t really fit the audience here, which is good for the writers here to take note of. He clearly gets by on his personally, over anything else, and that works for people who like watching personalities, which isn’t going to be everyone. However, to reach the conclusion that you need to alienate your fans to appeal to the curmudgeonly photographer demographic that seems to reside here is a little self centered... and curmudgeonly.

The listed "bad photography tips" are these:
1. Always shoot wide open
2. Pick a style
3. Always use a tripod
4. You need to use filters
5. You need expensive cards
6. Nail your composition (in camera)
7. Only shoot when the sky is fire (golden hour)
8. Always shoot RAW
9. Sensors are everything

The first thing that annoys me is how long he dallies before getting to his point, as already mentioned. It annoys me when people waste my time. Don't try to be your own warm-up act. Tell me what you're going to tell me, tell me, tell me what you told me, then dance the hell off the stage.

The second thing is that this is a list of strawman arguments. I've never heard anybody say any of those things as such absolutes as he claims they are expressed.

Yep, except from YouTube vloggers I never heard those comments

tl;dw

Remember, theses are “bad tips"
1 - Shoot wide open all-the-time - [2:32]
2 - Pick a style (I think he’s talking about genre more than look here) - [4:29]
3 - Always use a tripod - [6:03]
4 - You need to use filters (He’s talking physical lens filters here) - [7:24]
5 - You need expensive cards - [8:36]
6 - Nail your composition - [9:28]
7 - Only shoot when the sky is fire - [10:35]
8 - Shoot raw, always - [11:18]
9 - Sensors are everything - [12:32]

This is a neat table of contents but doesn’t really explain anything so it falls short in the tl;dw category

That is exactly what the article needed. Enough to inform the reader of the 9 tips, and it leads the reader to go to the video to learn more.

If people want to know more details, then the video should be able to help them. If not, the article lists 9 tips "you should ignore" which is exactly what the headline says it will.

Legend! Thank you.

1. Become proficient with a film camera before you start shooting digital.
2. Always shoot at the lowest ISO possible

One tip you should ignore -
Always dedicate all of your free time watching video links.

In this comment section: old men yell at cloud.

Would you care to elaborate, or are you content with tossing a cowardly commentary grenade?

I couldn't help but notice that your profile here is lacking anything that would help one to take you seriously.

Not another video... who has the time to sift out the good bits, if any?

Typical youtuber, but this is exactly what I expect from fStoppers in the last period. Long videos without real content made by exhibitionists and gladly promoted by fStoppers as the journalist geist is gone.

Sorry, not watching videos...

boring lengthy unnesaccery self promotion