Mistakes To Avoid

• Over-editing

Post-processing can be a great way to touch up and fix your images to be the best possible, but only if used properly. The example above is a little extreme, and there are many other ways to process and edit the image too much. Things like contrast, color saturation, and strange effects are all things that can be done to an extreme, ruining your image.

• Placing the subject too close to the edge

While this is not always a problem, many times in photos putting the subject too close to the edge of the frame can cause a lazy and awkward composition. Placing the subject in the middle is also not always the best idea, however, if you know what you're doing you can create amazing photographs with the subject in the center. 

Following the rule of thirds is a great way to keep the subject far enough away from the edge and not too much in the center.

• Getting the focus wrong

This can happen when you're using auto-focus or manual focus. With auto-focus, the camera may find a certain element in the frame to be the anchor for the focus while you see that the focus should be somewhere else. There are ways to stop this, such as moving the camera a bit to position the subject where the camera will focus. It takes a bit of practice and getting to know your camera, but after you get the hang of it, it's easy and you'll barely notice you're doing it.

Using manual focus, it's very easy to have the subject blurry and out of focus, especially when using a view finder. A simple way to help you get the focus right using manual is to use the LCD screen and zoom in on the screen, but not with the actual camera lens. this doesn't effect the composition of your image (unless you move the camera), but it does allow for you to get closer and see how focused you actually are on the subject.

• Too many distracting elements

The image above is very busy with tons of things screaming for attention. The subject blends into the background and the viewer's eyes are not drawn there. Rather the attention is spread throughout the whole image with so many elements distracting from the actual subject. This can sometimes be fixed with a shallower depth of field, but the best option is often to find a way to eliminate the distracting elements from the frame completely.