What's something that people tend to overlook when taking/editing a photo?

I am definitely learning the suggestions you mentioned here. I tried for shady spots, but as you mentioned, a lot of the backgrounds then get blown out since they might be in full sun.
I did use my flash for fill and to overpower some of the shadows, but I did not gel so the light was was off balance between ambient and flash.
I try to learn something from every shoot. I appreciate your input, I will have to try to apply some of it in application and see if I can get better at it.

Ron
Here is an example of one where the ambient and flash were too apparent.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/sirquack/106629​40895/

kfreels wrote in post #16482537
You really need to move into the shade when you shoot. If there is any bright sunlight in the background it may blow out so you have to watch it. Use an off-camera flash that can generate more light than the sunlit portion. Then the sunlight becomes fill light and you have complete control over the main light to shape how you want. It will also allow you to darken the background a bit which provides a little separation. If you want to get even fancier, you can look for "edge light" to provide some highlights on the hair and such. That can be tricky but is awesome when you get it right.

Your flash sync only goes so high but if your flash supports high speed sync you can use wider apertures and faster shutter speeds. If you don't have access to that, a good ND filter can also be used to let you shoot wider apertures and keep the shutter speed below the flash sync speed.

jefzor wrote in post #16482998
Other than that, I'd say the white balance gets overlooked quite often.

Yeah that's one I see quite often. It's probably one I spend way too much time on myself in post as I don't always get it right in camera.

TooManyShots wrote in post #16482546
Vertical and horizontal lines. Makes sure they are straightened. Watch the edges of your frame. "Things" can get chopped off. Or "things" may get in and they may ruin your shots.

Definitely. Depending on the mood being created uneven lines can create a feel of uncertainty and movement, etc.

Another thing is editing with non-calibrated monitor and the output may seem okay on their monitor but to others it could be completely off in color & lighting.

I always edit the picture to where I like it, then after I print it or post it online, ill realize there were a couple things I should have cloned out or covered up. Happens all the time! Cloning isnt usually on my to do list so it gets forgotten about a lot!

It's too general a question...

More often than not, the biggest mistake is ignoring the little voice in their head telling them not to press the shutter. Or to sell their camera gear and take up another hobby.

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #16488364
It's too general a question...

More often than not, the biggest mistake is ignoring the little voice in their head telling them not to press the shutter. Or to sell their camera gear and take up another hobby.

So you're saying you think too many times people will take a picture even though they know that there's really nothing interesting about it?

over doing the contrast in post processing. i dont know how many people do it, but take a look in your info pallette in photoshop in your shadows and highlights and see if there's information, if not you probably over did the contrast.

deronsizemore wrote in post #16488432
So you're saying you think too many times people will take a picture even though they know that there's really nothing interesting about it?

Yes. Too little attention paid as to why you're taking a shot of it, when, how it's lit, how it's composed...

Or stuff like who's going to view the photograph... is it going to be a print or web use... etc.

It all influences composition decisions. If you want to make an avatar for facebook, you'll frame to crop out top of the head and chin. If you want to make a huge print, you can get away by making the person a small part of the environment and still get the message across. But not vice versa...

deronsizemore wrote in post #16488432
So you're saying you think too many times people will take a picture even though they know that there's really nothing interesting about it?

All the time. Then they resolve to putting a bunch of filters on the image to try to give it some kind of feeling that couldn't be achieved with composition and lighting.

What I can't stand in photos are halos from processing. So unnatural, and just unattractive. Do it right, or not at all.

deronsizemore wrote in post #16481604
I was just curious to get opinions on what photographers tend to overlook when either taking or editing a shot in post? I'm far from being a professional but one thing I seem to always notice instantly when photographers post photos on facebook and sites like that is if horizontal lines in the photo are actually horizontal. Example might be the horizon or maybe if a model is sitting on some stairs and they are tilted at an angel. I know there are times when these things are done on purpose for effect, but most of the time it completely turns me off to a photo.

What others do you have? I'm sure there's going to be loads that everyone could probably learn from.

I don't mind if things lead me to a angel, but I don't like pictures that are tilted at an angle
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cdifoto wrote in post #16483004
My own problem is shooting too tight. I forget to back up a little, wanting to use every available pixel and it screws me when someone wants, say, an 8x10.

Bad Habit wrote in post #16483021
I agree on the shooting too tight. A little room allows you to straighten horizons or balance the overall placement of the subject. Too many times I try and fill the frame and then when you straighten, you start chopping things off

+1 for this. What's interesting to me is that when I started shooting people, I would always be too far away. I figured I could always crop closer, but there were so few pixels on the subject that I was losing sharpness because there wasn't enough resolution for the details. Today, I often find that I shoot too tight and don't have room to crop.
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To answer the question myself, I'd say backgrounds and hands. As others have mentioned, I find myself noticing a lot of distracting elements in backgrounds all the time. Beyond that, I also tend to look at hand placement a lot as well, and oddly placed/posed hands distract me. Unfortunately, I never notice it in my own shooting until I've downloaded them; something I want to get better at.

drvnbysound wrote in post #16490135
I don't mind if things lead me to a angel, but I don't like pictures that are tilted at an angle

There's no need to shoo people unless they're too close.

OhLook wrote in post #16490281
There's no need to shoo people unless they're too close.

Nicely done.