More: Fun

Stupid mistakes you can make as a photographer

Monday 16 September 2024, 20:02 by Nando Harmsen | 9,178 views | 28 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Being a good photographer doesn't mean everything always goes well. Sometimes you just make stupid mistakes. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Here's a list of stupid mistakes I've made from time to time. I can laugh about them afterwards, but not really at the time.

Making mistakes is human. The expression 'stupid mistakes' means: I could easily have prevented that if I'd been paying attention. Afterwards, you feel a bit stupid. At least, I do.

1. Forgetting the camera bag

I once photographed a wedding where I left my camera bag at the bride's home. I hurried after the wedding car, only to discover at the town hall that I didn't have a bag with me.

Hurry after the bride and groom, but take your bag with you.
I had to make do with a camera, a flash and a single zoom lens. The photos didn't suffer because of it. The report at the town hall looked perfect. It proves once again that we need far less equipment than we think.

2. Deciding not to use flash after all

To stay with wedding reports, I once decided not to use a flash after all. This was (again) at a town hall, where I used 'available light' instead of good-quality light. Why? Because I was lazy, perhaps?

The quality of the light matters. Use that flash.
This meant that I spent much more time in post-processing getting the photos to a good final result. The available light was certainly not the best quality. As a result, I had to deal with ugly shadows and difficult backlighting.

3. No memory card in the camera

I think we've all experienced this at some point. You arrive at a location and discover that the memory card is still in the card reader. Worst of all, you don't have a spare card in your bag.

You could say that you shouldn't use a card reader, but instead use the camera to transfer your photos. But a card reader is easier and, above all, many times faster. It also doesn't tie up the camera.

Always check that your memory card is in the camera.
Sometimes you can borrow a card from someone else, if someone else is there. In my case, I just had to store the images in my own brain cells. The memory is still there, but it has become hazier.

A funny anecdote: I once had the same thing happen with a slide film, back in the 1980s. I seemed to have taken more than 38 photos on a 36-exposure slide film. Or so I thought. Until I discovered that I had never loaded the film properly.

4. Not taking the camera with you

Believe it or not, the height of my stupidity was forgetting the camera. I had got everything ready. Tripod, filters, lenses, and it was all in the bag. But I set off without the camera.

It's not likely that you'd take a completely empty bag with you.
How can that happen, you may wonder? Simple, I was planning to carry my camera in my hand. But after putting on my backpack, I left the camera on the cupboard. I just wasn't thinking.

The cause was, once again, hastily grabbing everything and setting off. Worst of all, I only found out after walking for an hour from the car to the location. I assumed everything was simply in the bag. I had assumed wrong.

5. The wrong settings

Sometimes it just happens. You take photos and then discover that the settings are wrong. Or the camera is set to jpeg while you want to shoot raw, or you have the ISO value set extremely high. There are countless other possibilities.

There are so many possible settings. Check that you have the right ones.
If you're not paying attention, these are things you only discover later. In fact, when it's too late. A wrong setting is easy to prevent by checking everything before you start shooting, or after the first photo.

What stupid mistakes have you made?

There are other stupid things I've done, but the ones above are definitely the stupidest. You can worry about them, but I think they make you human. You learn from them... Or perhaps not, not always.

What stupid mistakes have you made from time to time? Things you can laugh about afterwards? Share them in a comment below this post.

Share: WhatsApp Facebook

About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

5 Common Photography Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
by Elja Trum
Two mistakes I made on holiday
by Elvira Smit
Don't Be Afraid of the Failed Photo
by Nando Harmsen
What if AI spot removal doesn't see all the spots?
by Nando Harmsen
Bringing Spring to Life in Photos
by Nando Harmsen
Street photography tip: 35mm matches what you see with the naked eye
by Michiel Heijmans

Show every article in Fun

home

28 comments

guest wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 10:25 | reply
Forgot the spare battery.
No film in the camera
Translated from Dutch.

Hugo wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 10:46 | reply
'Stupid' mistakes = 'Dumb' mistakes
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 10:56 | reply
What I find a stupid mistake on my part is the following: You plan a photo outing to work with long shutter speeds. The evening before, you get everything ready, Haida filter set, backpack with camera, lenses and fully charged spare batteries and the bag with tripod. The next day everything in the car and off you go. At your destination, you discover that you brought the monopod and not the tripod. Took the wrong bag with you. Both bags look virtually the same, both with the same brand label.
It would have been better to check the contents for a moment.
There you are with your well-intentioned plans.
Translated from Dutch.

kok.f@ziggo.nl wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 11:28 | reply
Unfortunately quite recognizable. Indeed, wrong settings that you overlook. For example, the camera in manual focus, while you think your autofocus system is on. Bringing your tripod, but no tripod plate. Bringing a trigger or receiver, but not the other part.
Translated from Dutch.

PvRFotografie wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 11:29 | reply
The wrong ISO settings happen to me more often. A more recent mistake: A new camera with a different mount and then taking the old lenses with me but leaving the mount adapter on a lens that was at home.
Translated from Dutch.

Evi wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 11:47 | reply
Going on vacation and leaving the camera on the living room table. Or forgetting the battery charger so that you can take photos for as long as you can with the batteries you have.
Translated from Dutch.

Johan Vanhorenbeke wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 12:16 | reply
Going to take part in a planned photoshoot in the Netherlands. Almost 2 hours in the car and when I arrived at the location I was alone. The photoshoot wasn't until the following week...
Translated from Dutch.

guest wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 15:09 | reply
Finding out on location that you forgot the cable release for the technical camera
Translated from Dutch.

Peter van Huys wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 16:54 | reply
Really excited to be able to photograph a bee-eater and then briefly put the camera bag on a parked truck. Behind you, after a few beautiful photos, you see the truck drive away....
Translated from Dutch.

rudy wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 17:14 | reply
Funny to read when this happens to someone else! These stories from Nando are very honest, almost a 'confession' ... My biggest annoyance (my own fault) is going out with a battery that isn't fully charged, without a spare battery and then experiencing the nicest photo moments that day, far away from the car, and on foot ... and with only a mobile phone left to take some photos ... In the days of analogue photography: a developing tank that wasn't closed properly, causing developer to leak out when inverting the tank, or putting it down too hard, causing a crack to seriously disrupt the development process!!!
Translated from Dutch.

Ben Bang wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 17:32 | reply
In the distant past I was asked to take a few photos of a wedding at Antwerp city hall. They weren't doing much about it, but still wanted a few snapshots. I tried to make something special out of it anyway and gave the coachman at the Grote Markt a handout so the couple could sit on the coachman's seat for a moment. As if they were waiting for the bus....
To add a bit of dynamism, I took the whip from its holder and gave it to the groom. Unfortunately, the horses knew that thing all too well and bolted off at full speed. The coachman, in quite a state, ran after them. Unfortunately, he brought the whole thing safely to a stop. What a story would I have had if it had ended differently?
Translated from Dutch.

Hester wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 17:42 | reply
I made a stupid mistake today. My nephew is a footman and walked along with the glass carriage. I was glued to my laptop to make sure I didn't miss him Yes hooray I saw him! Immediately grabbed my phone to photograph him, my camera was still set to a 5-second delay. After those 5 seconds he had already walked out of the frame....
Translated from Dutch.

Silvia wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 17:43 | reply
A day out with the photography club and wondering on location why you can’t take any photos. Turns out there was no memory card in it. Borrowed one from someone, but it turned out to be full, so unfortunately…
Won’t claim it will never happen to me again.
A tip from a photographer is to leave the cover open (including the battery one if the battery is out); that way you immediately see that it still needs to go in when you pick up your camera.
Translated from Dutch.

Ger Metselaar wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 17:55 | reply
A long-cherished wish came true; flying over the Okavango Delta in Botswana in a small plane. Equipment in tip-top shape and eagerly looking forward to what was to come and, of course, what could be captured. Well, the latter happened plenty but what turned out upon returning….the shutter speed had been set too slow throughout the entire trip for nice sharp images…..stupid or dumb!?
Translated from Dutch.

Ingrid wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 18:08 | reply
the coupling piece on the camera for the tripod not put back
Translated from Dutch.

Gera Nieland wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 18:41 | reply
So recognizable all of it... The card, which wasn't in it, forgetting the camera at the birth of my grandson (fortunately I did have a mobile phone with me...).
The most humorous thing today was: a battery didn't fit. The protective plate was still on it.
Translated from Dutch.

Henk Huige wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 21:29 | reply
A few years ago I was sitting happily on a bench in Oranjezon (Walcheren) with my camera and lens (Sony 200-600 mm) at the ready. I saw 2 polecats running towards me and, twice, making a lap around the bench I was sitting on. When I pressed the shutter, it became clear to me that there was no card in the camera. At that moment you sink through the ground.
Translated from Dutch.

André Kremer wrote on Tuesday 17 September 2024 at 22:57 | reply
Still from the analogue days: 1 roll of film exposed twice and another not exposed. Recently: I had invited a paid model for a session in the studio, but during a break-in my camera bags with contents (including a Sony A7R4) were stolen. Quickly bought a new A7R5 camera, but in the studio I couldn't see anything through the viewfinder or the LCD screen. I couldn't figure out that quickly what was causing it, so session cancelled. So I should have done a test run in the studio, I was not insufficiently prepared for the differences between the cameras. I wrongly assumed that they wouldn't be so different. Later made a new appointment with the model...
Translated from Dutch.

Roelof Moorlag wrote on Wednesday 18 September 2024 at 08:43 | reply
During a wedding shoot, I once noticed in post-processing that my tripod was somewhere in the background... That was still in the days of film, so simply erasing it wasn't an option. So I couldn't use the shot in question.

And as for accidentally using the wrong settings: A shutter speed that's too slow is always a risk, but with the SLR camera I always heard it. Now with the mirrorless cameras I don't hear it anymore.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Wednesday 18 September 2024 at 09:47 | reply
@Roelof Moorlag, it may be brand-specific, but Canon mirrorless cameras from the R series can produce a simulated shutter sound when using the electronic shutter. You can find that in the menu. You can even set the volume of that sound from loud to quiet or off.
Translated from Dutch.

PixelDude wrote on Wednesday 18 September 2024 at 11:35 | reply
My dumbest experience is that I no longer know what dumb things I’ve already done. 8-)
Translated from Dutch.

Pixeldue wrote on Wednesday 18 September 2024 at 11:47 | reply
Oops, that's still an important mistake I sometimes make.
Putting together lists of things you mustn't forget for certain types of photography ... and then not consulting the relevant list.
Translated from Dutch.

mousquito wrote on Thursday 19 September 2024 at 12:02 | reply
OOooohhh, so relatable, but my biggest blunder was during a report on a carnival parade. I had 2 bodies with me, the wide-angle lens on one and the zoom lens on the other. And then still searching in the bag and swearing because I thought the lens had disappeared,... while it was on the other body around my neck.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Thursday 19 September 2024 at 16:20 | reply
Great to see what mistakes you make or have made. That makes everyone human
I have another one for you, made recently.
I activated the 1.6x crop mode on my full-frame and didn't switch it back to full-frame. That's something that can't be corrected in post-processing.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Thursday 19 September 2024 at 16:33 | reply
Good to know, Nando. The advantage is that with that setting you prevent the chance of vignetting and, moreover, you use the middle part of the lens and therefore the best sharpness.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Thursday 19 September 2024 at 16:40 | reply
That is no band-aid on the wound and absolutely does not compensate for the lack of resolution. That sharpness and vignetting are rarely a problem, unless you have very poor lenses.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Thursday 19 September 2024 at 16:46 | reply
Okay Nando, then my response was scant consolation, but you are absolutely right in any case. At least you don't have any bad lenses, because you can't afford that as a professional
Translated from Dutch.

Celeste Reinard wrote on Wednesday 22 July 2026 at 11:49 | reply
Photographing drunk. About 25 years ago I was the coordinator of the LGBM (lighting group visual material - slide and film projections) of the local youth centre, and I regularly received material from someone who preferred to always be stoned and tipsy. Of my own work, 9 out of 10 were unusable (too much light in what was supposed to remain a dark space), but the material supplied was useless because of the poor composition, and overexposure. Photographing is just like driving, or a marriage: pouring alcohol over it produces disappointing results.
Translated from Dutch.

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.

Become a better photographer every week

A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
39,219 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via Facebook. Sign-up secured with Google reCaptcha.

Elja Trum

Photofacts; everything to do with photography!

Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

Photofacts is made possible in part by