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Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned veteran, chances are you’ve come across all sorts of ludicrous assumptions and accusations when it comes to explaining what’s going on behind the lens.
Well prepare yourself, because today we are going to debunk the most common photography myths and set the record straight once and for all!
1. You Need an Amazing Camera
Obviously not all digital cameras are created equally, but if you’re under the impression that you need a top of the range digital camera before you can be called a ‘photographer’ then you’d be wrong. Photographers far and wide have sold many a picture made with a humble point and shoot, so don’t sweat it.
2. Pro Photographers and Better than Amateurs
Just because so called professional photographers make money from their pictures doesn’t mean that they are better. Plenty of talented amateurs with a passion for photography produce better quality images than many of these pros.
3. More Shots Mean More Keepers
The spray and pray approach has been adopted by photographers the world over hoping that by taking as many pictures as possible they will increase their chances of getting that perfect shot. We’re not saying that this technique doesn’t work, but limiting yourself to a certain amount of frames will test your creativity, plus you won’t have as many shots to process at the end of the day.
4. Beautiful Location = Beautiful Images
It’s easy to blame your creative rut on a bad location, but one solution is learning to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and finding something new in the familiar. Wherever you are there is always something to photograph. You don’t need the Eiffel Tower or Machu Picchu to capture a beautiful image.
5. Photography is a Glamorous Job
Just like with any job, photographers have to undertake a lot of nitty gritty work. Most photographers average about 20% shooting and 80% business, especially if they want to be successful at what they do. Of course if you are Mario Testino then you can always pay someone to do all the boring stuff for you!
6. Nikon is Better than Canon (and Vice Versa)
This debate dates back many years but in all honesty you should just choose the camera and brand you prefer and be happy with your equipment. It’s what you do with your camera that counts!
7. Everything Can be Fixed in Photoshop
Unfortunately this couldn’t be further from the truth. Photoshop is a whole other ball game that requires an entirely different set of skills. You cannot make a bad photograph better by editing the heck out of it and hoping for the best. Trust me I’ve tried. What you can do with Photoshop is turn a good image into an exceptional one (if you know how to use it that is).
8. Your Images Will Sell Themselves
Beautiful images alone are not enough to get you noticed in the competitive industry of photography. You’ll need a lot of hard work and dedication coupled with some business savvy to make you stand out and keep you ahead of the game.
9. Every Image you Shoot Should go in Your Portfolio
The key is editing. A lot of the shots you take will never end up in your portfolio. The majority of them will probably never even leave your hard drive, but that is simply just a part of what you do. Quality over quantity is the takeaway from this myth.
10. We Need More Megapixels
We don’t need more megapixels! Seriously we don’t! Bigger and better sensors maybe, but megapixels no. After a certain point, megapixels don’t matter, what does matter however is how well other aspects of your camera performs so try focusing on that instead.
11. Shooting JPEG is as Good as RAW
If you’re never going to edit your images and you’re only ever going to display them on the web, then shoot as many JPEGs as you like. If on the other hand you want to have the ultimate control over editing your pics and how and where you display them, then RAW is the only way to go.
Have we missed anything? Let us know your favorite photography myths in the comments below…
