How Mistakes Can Lead to Better Photos

Landscape photography is a genre with an above-average emphasis on technical skill and perfection, and we often try to avoid making any mistakes. Mistakes are not always bad, though, and occasionally, they can even lead to "happy accidents," as Bob Ross would say. This great video shows how mistakes can sometimes be a good thing and why you might want to embrace them just a bit more. 

Coming to you from Thomas Heaton, this excellent video shows how a mistake can occasionally lead to an unexpectedly good photo. Of course, this is not to say that we shouldn't work to improve our technique, but there is such a thing as an overemphasis on technical perfection. If we allow ourselves to experiment and to leave the door open just a bit for creative uncertainty, not abandoning the process when we make a mistake, we will sometimes be rewarded with unexpected results that we would have never thought of otherwise —those "happy accidents." Be open to that the next time you head out. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Heaton. 

And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out "Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi." 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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1 Comment

I love that this guy seems to only take unique images. So many landscape photographers photograph the exact same thing but he can get a shot anywhere.