Nature Photography How To

Apologies for the negative headline, but if your photos are really bad we think you should know why. You can thank us later for helping you up your game, after watching the video below.

There are numerous reasons for consistently bad photos, and while those guilty of the crime love to blame their gear, equipment is rarely the problem. So stiffen your upper lip, watch the tutorial below, and modify your approach.

Romanian pro Toma Bonciu specializes in travel, nature and landscape imagery, and he tends to be very polite. But he begins this episode by introducing “seven red flags that your photography is really bad.” Bonciu’s work is consistently excellent, so he illustrate the image-killing mistakes with superb photos that avoid each of the problems.

As Bonciu says, “There is no definition of what a good photograph is.” That said, most of us recognize a crappy image when we see one. The goal here isn’t excellence with every photo we make (although that’s a nice ideal)), but rather upping your batting average and percentage of keepers.

Red Flag number one is unappealing foregrounds that may result from careless composition, inaccurate exposure, or choosing the wrong lens. Bonciu has several straightforward tips for crossing this one off your list.

Other mistakes that can really ruin a nice scene include crooked horizons, the lack of a clear subject, and extraneous elements that compete with the focal point of a scene. Bonciu is also irked when subjects are placed too close to the edge of the frame.

Bonciu includes a couple more image-spoiling red flags, so take a close look. In all cases you’ll see how he rectifies these problems. If you take his suggestions to heart the next time you’re out in the field, you’ll be rewarded with much better results.

You can find more great advice on outdoor photography by paying a visit to Bonciu’s YouTube channel.

On a related topic, we suggest you watch the tutorial we posted with another outdoor pro, explaining five more mistakes that ruin landscape photos.