There’s nothing wrong with being a beginner because, let’s face it, all great photographers have been there. But here’s the deal: You needn’t make unavoidable mistakes that prove your novice status to the world.

The intent of the video below is to reveal a handful of common beginner errors and explain how to avoid them. The pro tips you’ll learn in barely 13 minutes will accelerate your learning curve and improve your imagery by leaps and bounds.

Instructor Joshua Peg is an accomplished outdoor photographer, who says one of his goals is “to share my passion with others in an engaging, straightforward way.” And best yet, he does so with tutorials that don’t require the latest and greatest gear.

Peg begins with this blunt statement that likely contradicts what you’ve heard in the past: “Don’t shoot in Manual mode.” What? Conventional wisdom is that switching the mode dial to M when first starting out is the best way to learn how a camera works and understand the interaction between various settings.

According to Peg there are several good reasons for letting your camera to the heavy lifting at the onset of your evolution. He explains why using easy automated modes is nothing to be ashamed of, and will keep you from making a bunch of bad photos early on that may destroy your confidence. In his mind, the time by switch to Manual is after you’ve made some progress.

Another mistake that Pegs says he sees all the time is waiting for perfect conditions. This one is controversial too because we frequently preach the importance of patience and waiting for the right light. While this tactic delivers optimum results for intermediate and advanced shooters, Peg explains why it can be counter-productive for beginners.

Another potential danger for those getting started is paying too much attention to social media trends. In other words, ignore what’s cool at the moment. Peg puts it like this: “If you’re constantly chasing a trend, rather than what fills you creatively, it’s really easy to get burned out.”

The other tips provided by Peg are equally powerful, understandable, and easy to put in practice and are sure to set you on the right path for becoming s better photographer and making images that prove it.

There’s more great advice on Peg’s instructional YouTube channel, especially for landscape, nature, and wildlife photographers. So make it a point to pay a visit.

And speaking of tips for novices, don’t miss the earlier tutorial we posted with a complete beginner’s guide to using Layer Masks in Photoshop.

Yesterday I was walking with my camera through the beautiful Krkonose mountains on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland. Even the rain could not take away their beauty. I used one of the smallest Nikon Z-mount lenses available to photograph one of Europe’s largest rivers, the Elbe. Specifically, my lens was the new 27mm f/2.8 from TTArtisan, which you can read about below. I will be reviewing the lens soon.